Electronic devices, methods, and storage media for wireless communication systems

Abstract

This disclosure relates to electronic devices, methods, and storage media for wireless communication systems. Various embodiments for mobility management of multi-transmitter-receiver points (multi-TRPs) are described. In one embodiment, the electronic device for a first TRP includes processing circuitry configured to, in response to the first TRP and the second TRP being a primary TRP and a secondary TRP serving a terminal device, respectively: provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device, receive measurement reports from the terminal device, and update the TRP serving the specific terminal device based at least on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010704294.1, filed on July 21, 2020, entitled “Electronic Device, Method and Storage Medium for Wireless Communication Systems”. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems and methods, and more particularly to mobility management techniques for multiple transmission and reception points (multi-TRP). Background Technology

[0003] The development and application of wireless communication technology have unprecedentedly met people's voice and data communication needs. To improve wireless communication performance, different technologies are constantly being adopted in wireless communication systems. Existing or under-development wireless communication systems, such as New Radio (NR), will support massive connectivity, high capacity, ultra-reliability, and low latency. To improve communication reliability, coverage, and network capacity through flexible network deployment, multi-TRP (multi-transmitter-receiver) technology is crucial.

[0004] In a multi-TRP network deployment, a single terminal device can maintain connections with multiple TRPs. Therefore, improvements to mobility management schemes are desirable to ensure the quality and reliability of communication between the terminal device and multiple TRPs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A first aspect of this disclosure relates to electronic equipment for a first transmit / receive point (TRP), wherein the first TRP and a second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device. The electronic equipment includes processing circuitry configured to, in response to the first TRP and the second TRP being a primary TRP and a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that measurements be performed on at least the first TRP and the second TRP; receive a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including measurement quality of at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and update the TRP serving the specific terminal device, at least based on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP. In one embodiment, updating the TRP serving the specific terminal device includes determining that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device based on a relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold.

[0006] A second aspect of this disclosure relates to electronic equipment for a base station, wherein the base station controls multiple Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device. The electronic equipment includes processing circuitry configured to, in response to a first TRP and a second TRP being a primary TRP and a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: provide measurement configuration information for the terminal device to the first TRP, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and receive a first update request message from the first TRP, the first update request message indicating that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0007] A third aspect of this disclosure relates to an electronic device for a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is jointly served by a first TRP and a second TRP, the first TRP being a primary TRP and the second TRP being a secondary TRP. The electronic device includes processing circuitry configured to: measure the first TRP and the second TRP based on measurement configuration information received from the first TRP; and send a measurement report to the first TRP based on a first threshold being satisfied by the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP, the measurement report including at least the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP.

[0008] A fourth aspect of this disclosure relates to a method for a first transmit / receive point (TRP), wherein the first TRP and a second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device. The method includes, in response to the first TRP and the second TRP being a primary TRP and a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: providing measurement configuration information to the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that measurements should be performed on at least the first TRP and the second TRP; receiving a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including measurement quality of at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and updating the TRP serving the specific terminal device, at least based on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP. In one embodiment, updating the TRP serving the specific terminal device includes determining that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device based on a relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold.

[0009] A fifth aspect of this disclosure relates to a method for a base station, wherein the base station controls multiple Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device. The method includes, in response to a first TRP and a second TRP being a primary TRP and a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: providing measurement configuration information for the terminal device to the first TRP, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and receiving a first update request message from the first TRP, the first update request message indicating that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0010] A sixth aspect of this disclosure relates to a method for a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is jointly served by a first TRP and a second TRP, the first TRP being a primary TRP and the second TRP being a secondary TRP. The method includes measuring the first TRP and the second TRP based on measurement configuration information received from the first TRP; and sending a measurement report to the first TRP based on a relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold, the measurement report including at least the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP.

[0011] A seventh aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more instructions. In some embodiments, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0012] The eighth aspect of this disclosure relates to an apparatus for wireless communication, including components or units for performing operations of various methods according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0013] The above overview is provided to summarize some exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of the aspects of the subject matter described herein. Therefore, the features described above are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] A better understanding of this disclosure can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote the same or similar parts. The drawings, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated in and form a part of this specification to illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and explain the principles and advantages of the disclosure. Wherein:

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary multi-transmitter-receiver point (multi-TRP) wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 2A An exemplary electronic device for TRP is shown according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2B An exemplary electronic device for a base station is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2C An exemplary electronic device for a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 3 An exemplary signaling flow for measurement configuration and measurement reporting according to embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figures 4A to 4C Exemplary operations for managing TRP based on measurement reports, according to embodiments of this disclosure, are shown respectively.

[0021] Figures 5 to 8 An exemplary signaling flow for implementing a TRP update according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 9A An exemplary MAC control unit for carrying control channel indication information is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 9B An exemplary MAC control unit for carrying a TCI status configuration indication is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 10 , Figure 11A and Figure 11B An exemplary method for communication according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 12A and Figure 12B An exemplary satellite communication scenario in which the technical solutions according to embodiments of this disclosure can be applied is shown.

[0026] Figure 13 This is a block diagram of an example structure of a personal computer that may be used as an information processing device in embodiments of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 14 This is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the techniques of this disclosure can be applied.

[0028] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the techniques of this disclosure can be applied.

[0029] Figure 16 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone to which the techniques of this disclosure can be applied.

[0030] Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device to which the techniques of this disclosure can be applied.

[0031] While the embodiments described in this disclosure may be readily modified and alternatively implemented, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and are described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the claims. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following description illustrates representative applications of the devices and methods described herein. These examples are provided merely to provide context and aid in understanding the described embodiments. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below can be practiced without some or all of the specific details provided. In other instances, well-known process steps have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are also possible, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0033] Figure 1 An exemplary multi-transmitter-receiver point (multi-TRP) wireless communication system according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 100 includes a base station 110, TRPs 1 to 3, and a terminal device 120. The base station 110 and each TRP can be configured to be coupled to each other via a wired line or a wireless link. TRPs 1 and 2 can be configured to communicate with the terminal device 120 via wireless links 155 and 165 respectively, forming a set of TRPs serving the terminal device 120. Specifically, TRP 1 can be the master TRP of the serving terminal device 120, and TRP 2 can be a secondary TRP of the serving terminal device 120.

[0034] Base station 110 can be configured to communicate with a network (e.g., the core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Thus, base station 110 facilitates communication between terminal device 120 and other terminal devices or with the network. Optionally, a backhaul link (e.g., ...) can be established between TRPs. Figure 1 (As shown by the dashed line in the middle), this facilitates the synchronization of wireless network configuration information or terminal device context information between TRPs. For example, the aforementioned backhaul link may include a wired line such as an optical fiber. In the wireless communication system 100, by deploying TRPs 1 to TRP 3 away from the base station 110, the coverage of the base station 110 is extended, enabling the terminal device 120 to obtain better quality of service.

[0035] In this document, "base station" has the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is part of a wireless communication system or radio system to facilitate communication. Examples of base stations may include, but are not limited to: at least one of a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and a Base Station Controller (BSC) in a GSM system; at least one of a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and a Node B in a WCDMA system; an eNB in ​​LTE and LTE-Advanced systems; an Access Point (AP) in WLAN and WiMAX systems; and corresponding network nodes in communication systems that are to be developed or are under development (e.g., gNB, eLTE eNB, etc. in 5G New Radio (NR) systems). Some of the functions of the base station in this document can also be implemented as an entity that controls communication in D2D, M2M, and V2V communication scenarios, or as an entity that plays a role in spectrum coordination in cognitive radio communication scenarios.

[0036] In this document, "terminal" has the full breadth of its usual meaning; for example, a terminal can be a mobile station (MS), user equipment (UE), etc. A terminal can be implemented as a device such as a mobile phone, handheld device, media player, computer, laptop, or tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device. In some cases, a terminal can communicate using multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, a terminal can be configured to communicate using two or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-Advanced, NR, WiMAX, WLAN, Bluetooth, etc. In some cases, a terminal can also be configured to communicate using only one wireless communication technology.

[0037] In this document, TRP has the full breadth of its usual meaning and can be deployed independently or in conjunction with a base station. In an embodiment, a TRP may only have transmit and receive functions, and the base station may perform specific control functions on the TRP coupled to it. Alternatively, a TRP may have some Layer 2 or Layer 3 control functions of its own, or even have functions that are exactly or substantially the same as those of the base station.

[0038] It should be understood that Figure 1 Only one of several arrangements of a multi-TRP is shown; embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitable arrangement as needed. For example, if necessary, base station 110 can be co-located with any TRP as the same entity, and the entity can perform the original functions and operations of both base station 110 and the TRP.

[0039] In one embodiment, Figure 1Multiple TRPs (i.e., TRP 1 to TRP 3) coupled to base station 110 can have different cell IDs. Each TRP can independently transmit downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH) on its corresponding control resource set (CORESET) and search space. Such a wireless communication system 100 can be called a Multi-TRP communication system based on Multi-PDCCH.

[0040] In this embodiment, the primary TRP (TRP 1) is responsible for the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection and communication with the terminal device 120 under the control of the base station 110. The secondary TRP (TRP 2) has no RRC connection or communication with the terminal device 120. The RRC context of the terminal device 120 is stored in the base station, and the base station controls the primary TRP 1 to establish an RRC connection and communication with the terminal device 120. From the perspective of the terminal device 120, the ServCellIndex value of the cell corresponding to the primary TRP 1 is 0, while the ServCellIndex value of the cell corresponding to the secondary TRP 2 is not 0.

[0041] In this embodiment, primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 share the MAC entity in primary TRP 1 and use their respective physical layer resources to communicate with terminal device 120. In the downlink, both primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 provide control channel and shared channel (e.g., PDCCH and PDSCH) transmissions to transmit control and data signals, respectively. This arrangement of primary and secondary TRPs independently transmitting control signals is advantageous when there is no backhaul link between TRPs or the backhaul link is limited.

[0042] In this embodiment, under the control of base station 110, the main TRP 1 configures the control resource set and search space corresponding to the main TRP 1 and the auxiliary TRP 2 to the terminal device 120. The main TRP 1 and the auxiliary TRP 2 respectively send PDCCH to the terminal device 120 using their respective control resource sets and search spaces. Accordingly, the terminal device can decode and receive the PDCCH of each TRP by blindly detecting the control resource sets and search spaces of the main TRP 1 and the auxiliary TRP 2, and then decode and receive the corresponding PDSCH based on each PDCCH.

[0043] In another embodiment, Figure 1Multiple TRPs (i.e., TRP 1 to TRP 3) coupled to base station 110 can have the same cell ID, but only the primary TRP 1 can transmit downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH). Such a wireless communication system 100 can be called a Multi-TRP communication system based on Single-PDCCH.

[0044] In this embodiment, the primary TRP (TRP 1) is responsible for the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection and communication with the terminal device 120 under the control of the base station 110. The secondary TRP (TRP 2) has no RRC connection or communication with the terminal device 120. The RRC context of the terminal device 120 is stored in the base station, and the base station controls the primary TRP 1 to establish an RRC connection and communication with the terminal device 120.

[0045] In this embodiment, the primary TRP 1 and the secondary TRP 2 share the MAC entity in the primary TRP 1 and use their respective physical layer resources to communicate with the terminal device 120. In the downlink, the primary TRP 1 provides control channel and shared channel (e.g., PDCCH and PDSCH) transmission to send control signals and data signals, while the secondary TRP 2 only provides shared channel (e.g., PDSCH) transmission to send only data signals.

[0046] In this embodiment, under the control of base station 110, only primary TRP 1 can use the corresponding control resource set and search space to send PDCCH to terminal device 120. Accordingly, terminal device can decode and receive primary TRP 1's PDCCH by blindly detecting the control resource set and search space of primary TRP 1, and then decode and receive the PDSCH of both primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 based on the PDCCH.

[0047] In one or more embodiments, different index values, such as CORESETPoolIndex values, can be set for the control resource sets of the primary TRP 1 and the secondary TRP 2. The activation status of the control resource set of each TRP can be indicated by bit information in the control signaling. Specifically, in the control signaling, the bit corresponding to the CORESETPoolIndex of the control resource set can be 0 or 1, indicating that the corresponding control resource set is in a deactivated or activated state, respectively. For example, if the CORESETPoolIndex value of the control resource set of TRP 1 is set to 1 in the control signaling, then this control resource set can be used by TRP 1 to send PDCCH. In this way, the terminal device 120 can be instructed to decode and receive PDCCH on the corresponding control resource set and search space by the information bits corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex.

[0048] In scenarios where terminal device 120 is mobile, its links 155 and 165 with TRP 1 and TRP 2 may degrade in quality or even be lost. Consequently, terminal device 120 will be unable to receive downlink signals from multiple TRPs, negatively impacting, for example, communication speed. Specifically, in a Single-PDCCH embodiment, if the link 155 with the primary TRP 1 degrades in quality or is lost, terminal device 120 will be unable to receive decoded downlink signals from any other TRPs because it cannot correctly receive the decoded PDCCH. Therefore, a mobility management scheme for, for example, multi-TRP scenarios in wireless communication system 100 is desirable.

[0049] In embodiments of this disclosure, terminal device 120 can measure TRP members in a TRP set that provides services to it based on measurement configuration information. The TRP set serving terminal device 120 can be updated based at least on the measurement quality of the TRP members. For example, the roles of primary and secondary TRPs in the TRP set can be swapped. This ensures that the primary TRP always has higher measurement quality, thereby avoiding TRP switching and correspondingly longer switching delays due to deterioration in the primary TRP's quality. Alternatively, a secondary TRP with deteriorated quality in the TRP set can be replaced with a TRP outside the TRP set, ensuring that all TRP members in the TRP set are of high quality, thus avoiding TRP switching and correspondingly longer switching delays.

[0050] In embodiments of this disclosure, a TRP measurement result reporting event can be triggered based on the relative relationship of measurement quality among TRP members serving terminal device 120, and the update of the TRP set serving terminal device 120 can be completed in a short time through a specific signaling process, as described in detail below. The following will refer to... Figure 1 The context description of the wireless communication system 100 is based on various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0051] Figure 2A An exemplary electronic device for TRP according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 2A The illustrated electronic device 220 may include various units to implement various embodiments according to this disclosure. The electronic device 200 may include a measurement processing unit 222 and a TRP management unit 224. In different embodiments, the electronic device 200 may be implemented as... Figure 1 The device may be any TRP or a portion thereof, or may be implemented as a device for controlling the TRP or otherwise relating to the TRP. The various operations described below in conjunction with the TRP may be implemented by units 222 and 224 of the electronic device 200 or other possible units.

[0052] Electronic device 220 can be used in or associated with the main TRP. The main TRP is, for example,... Figure 1 In one embodiment, the measurement processing unit 222 of the electronic device 220 may be configured to provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device 120 in response to TRP 1 being the primary TRP serving the terminal device 120. This measurement configuration information specifies that measurements are performed on at least TRP 1 and one or more other TRPs (e.g., TRP 2). The measurement processing unit 222 may also be configured to receive a measurement report from the terminal device 120, which includes the measurement quality of TRP 1 and one or more other TRPs. In another embodiment, the TRP management unit 224 of the electronic device 220 may be configured to update the TRP of the serving terminal device 120 based at least on the measurement quality of TRP 1 and one or more other TRPs.

[0053] Updating the TRP of the serving terminal device 120 may include updating members in the TRP set or updating the roles of members in the TRP set. For example, updating the TRP of the serving terminal device 120 may include determining, based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of TRP 1 and TRP 2 satisfying a first threshold, to exchange the roles of TRP 1 and TRP 2 so that TRP 2 becomes the master TRP of the serving terminal device 120.

[0054] Electronic device 220 can be used in conjunction with or associated with a secondary TRP. A secondary TRP is, for example,... Figure 1 In one embodiment, the measurement processing unit 222 of the electronic device 220 can be configured to receive a TRP update control message from the base station 110 in response to TRP 2 being a secondary TRP serving the terminal device 120. The TRP management unit 224 of the electronic device 220 can be configured to prepare Layer 2 resources and send a TRP update confirmation message to the base station 110 in response to the TRP update control message indicating that TRP 2 will become the primary TRP of the terminal device 120. In another embodiment, the measurement processing unit 222 of the electronic device 220 can be configured to release the connection with the terminal device 120 in response to the update control message indicating that TRP 2 does not serve the terminal device 120.

[0055] Figure 2B An exemplary electronic device for a base station is shown according to an embodiment. Figure 2B The illustrated electronic device 240 may include various units to implement various embodiments according to this disclosure. The electronic device 240 may include a measurement processing unit 242 and a TRP management unit 244. In different embodiments, the electronic device 240 may be implemented as... Figure 1The base station 110 or a portion thereof may be implemented as a device (e.g., a base station controller) for controlling the base station 110 or otherwise associated with the base station 110. The various operations described below in conjunction with the base station may be implemented by units 242 and 244 of the electronic device 240 or other possible units.

[0056] Reference Figure 1 In the context of the wireless communication system 100, in an embodiment, the measurement processing unit 242 of the electronic device 240 can be configured to provide measurement configuration information for the terminal device 120 to TRP1 in response to TRP1 being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device 120, respectively. This measurement configuration information specifies that the terminal device 120 measures at least TRP1 and TRP2. The TRP management unit 244 of the electronic device 240 can be configured to receive a TRP update request message from TRP1. The TRP update request message can request an update of a member in the TRP set or an update of the role of a member in the TRP set. For example, the update request message indicates that TRP2 will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device 120, and TRP1 will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device 120. The TRP management unit 244 can also be configured to perform corresponding processing based on the update request message.

[0057] Figure 2C An exemplary electronic device for a terminal device according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 2C The illustrated electronic device 260 may include various units to implement various embodiments according to this disclosure. The electronic device 260 may include a measurement processing unit 262 and a connection management unit 264. In different embodiments, the electronic device 260 may be implemented as... Figure 1 The terminal device 120 or a part thereof. The various operations described below in conjunction with the terminal device can be implemented by units 262 and 264 of the electronic device 260 or other possible units.

[0058] Similarly, refer to Figure 1The context of the wireless communication system 100 includes a terminal device 120 served by TRP 1 and TRP 2, where TRP 1 is the primary TRP and TRP 2 is the secondary TRP. In an embodiment, the measurement processing unit 262 of the electronic device 260 can be configured to perform measurements on TRP 1 and at least TRP 2 based on measurement configuration information received from TRP 1. The measurement processing unit 262 can also be configured to send a measurement report to TRP 1 based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of TRP 1 and TRP 2 satisfying a first threshold. The measurement report may include the measurement quality of at least TRP 1 and TRP 2. The connection management unit 264 of the electronic device 260 can be configured to establish or release connections with each TRP under the control of the primary TRP.

[0059] In embodiments, electronic devices 220 to 260 can be implemented at the chip level or at the device level by including other components (such as the radio components shown in dashed lines in the figures). For example, each electronic device can operate as a complete communication device.

[0060] It should be noted that the above-mentioned units are merely logical modules divided according to their specific functions, and are not intended to limit the specific implementation method. For example, they can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. In actual implementation, the above-mentioned units can be implemented as independent physical entities, or they can be implemented by a single entity (e.g., a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), integrated circuit, etc.). The processing circuit can refer to various implementations of digital circuit systems, analog circuit systems, or mixed-signal (combination of analog and digital) circuit systems that perform functions in a computing system. The processing circuit can include circuits such as integrated circuits (ICs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), portions or circuits of a single processor core, the entire processor core, a single processor, programmable hardware devices such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or systems including multiple processors.

[0061] The above is for reference only. Figures 2A to 2C An exemplary electronic device and general operation according to embodiments are described. Details of these operations will be further described below.

[0062] Measurement Configuration and Measurement Report

[0063] Figure 3 An exemplary signaling flow for measurement configuration and measurement reporting according to an embodiment is shown. Base station 110, main TRP 1, and terminal device 120 can execute this signaling flow through their respective measurement processing units.

[0064] like Figure 3As shown, after the terminal device 120 establishes a connection with the primary TRP 1 and the secondary TRP 2, under the control of the base station 110, the primary TRP 1 sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device 120, which is in the RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state. Then, the terminal device 120 performs measurements on each TRP, including the primary TRP 1, based on the measurement configuration information, and sends a measurement report to the primary TRP 1 in response to a triggered measurement report event. Optionally, the primary TRP 1 can send the original measurement report or a processed measurement report to the base station 110.

[0065] The measurement configuration information can specify the measurement objects of the terminal device 120. In addition to the primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2, the measurement objects may also include one or more other TRPs, such as TRP 3 detected by the terminal device 120 based on synchronization signals, broadcast signals, etc. (e.g., SS / PBCH in NR). Additionally, the measurement configuration information can also specify the signals to be measured by the terminal device 120. For example, it can be specified that the terminal device 120 obtains the measurement quality of the primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 by measuring reference signals such as CSI-RS, and obtains the measurement quality of TRP 3 by measuring synchronization signals such as SS / PBCH, broadcast signals, etc.

[0066] In this disclosure, the measurement quality of a TRP can refer to the link quality reflected by the measurement results of that TRP. The corresponding measurement quality can be reflected by the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Reference Signal-Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (RS-SINR), or Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SINR) measured for the primary TRP and secondary TRP.

[0067] The measurement configuration information can also specify the event type that triggers the terminal device 120 to send a measurement report, so that the terminal device 120 sends a measurement report to the main TRP 1 when the event of that type occurs during measurement. The event types that trigger the measurement report and the TRP management operations based on the measurement report will be described further below.

[0068] In this embodiment, the measurement report may include the measurement quality of the primary TRP and the secondary TRP; or additionally, the measurement report may also include a list of other monitored TRPs, which includes the identifier of each TRP and its measurement quality. In this list, the information of each TRP may be arranged in order of measurement quality.

[0069] Event types that trigger measurement reports

[0070] In this embodiment, the event type that triggers the measurement report can be defined based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the primary TRP 1 and the secondary TRP 2. In this disclosure, this event type can be referred to as Event Type C. For example, within the Time to Trigger (TTT) period, if the aforementioned relative relationship satisfies a first threshold, the terminal device 120 can be triggered to send a measurement report corresponding to the trigger time to the primary TRP 1. An example of Event Type C is shown in the following equation (1).

[0071] α>α0, (Equation 1)

[0072] Where α=Q Secondary_TRP / Q Master_TRP Or α = Q Secondary_TRP -Q Master_TRP The threshold α0 can be a parameter configured by the base station 110 for the terminal device 120 via higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC layer signaling) through the main TRP 1. Multiple α0 values ​​can be configured for the terminal device 120 to control the triggering of measurement reports under different circumstances.

[0073] Based on the definition of parameter α above, the relative relationship between the measurement quality of primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 can be the ratio or difference between their measurement quality. In other examples, this relative relationship can take other forms, such as a combination of ratio and difference, the logarithm of the ratio or difference, etc. Equation (1) reflects that the measurement quality of secondary TRP 2 is better than that of primary TRP 1, and the degree of superiority can be set and adjusted by the value of threshold α0. By defining event type C and triggering a measurement report when event type C occurs, primary TRP 1 and base station 110 can manage or update the TRP set of serving terminal equipment 120 based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2.

[0074] In embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the event type that triggers the measurement report may be defined based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the secondary TRP and other TRPs outside the TRP set of the serving terminal device 120. In this disclosure, such an event type may be referred to as Event Type B. For example, within a trigger time (Time to Trigger, TTT), if the aforementioned relative relationship satisfies a second threshold, the terminal device 120 may be triggered to send a measurement report corresponding to the trigger time to the primary TRP. An example of Event Type B is shown in the following equation (2).

[0075] β>β0 (Equation 2)

[0076] Where β = Q Other_TRP / Q Secondary_TRP Or β = Q Other_TRP -Q Secondary_TRP The threshold β0 can be a parameter configured by the base station 110 for the terminal device 120 via higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC layer signaling) through the main TRP. Multiple β0 values ​​can be configured for the terminal device 120 to control the triggering of measurement reports under different circumstances.

[0077] Based on the definition of β above, the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the secondary TRP and other TRPs can be the ratio or difference between their measurement quality. In other examples, this relative relationship can take other forms, such as a combination of ratio and difference, the logarithm of the ratio or difference, etc. Equation (2) reflects that the measurement quality of other TRPs is better than that of the secondary TRP, and the degree of superiority can be set and adjusted by the value of the threshold β0. By defining event type B and triggering a measurement report when event type B occurs, the primary TRP or base station 110 can manage or update the TRP set of the serving terminal equipment 120 based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the secondary TRP and other TRPs.

[0078] TRP Management Operation Example

[0079] The following will refer to Figure 1 The context description of the wireless communication system 100 includes exemplary operations for TRP management according to embodiments of this disclosure. In embodiments, managing a set of TRPs may include exchanging the roles of primary and secondary TRPs. Figure 4A An exemplary operation for managing a TRP based on a measurement report, according to an embodiment, is shown. After a measurement report is sent by the terminal device 120 (e.g., measurement processing unit 262), this operation can be performed by the master TRP 1 (e.g., by the TRP management unit 224) based on whether the measurement report contains event type C.

[0080] like Figure 4A As shown, at point 402, upon receiving a measurement report, the primary TRP 1 determines whether event type C appears in the report. If event type C appears, it indicates that the relative measurement quality of primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 satisfies the first threshold α0, and the measurement quality of secondary TRP 2 is superior to that of primary TRP 1. Accordingly, at point 404, primary TRP 1 decides to exchange the primary and secondary TRP roles of TRP 1 and TRP 2. If event type C does not appear, it indicates that the measurement quality of primary TRP 1 is superior to that of secondary TRP 2. Accordingly, at point 406, primary TRP 1 decides not to exchange the primary and secondary TRP roles of TRP 1 and TRP 2 for the time being.

[0081] Figure 4A The operations of managing TRPs can be continuously executed for the TRPs of the service terminal device 120. For example, after a role swap, if the measurement quality of TRP 1 is relatively good in a subsequent measurement report, TRP 1 can become the primary TRP again through another role swap. It is understandable that if TRP 1 continuously assumes the role of primary TRP without a role swap, its measurement quality deteriorating will lead to a switchover. The complex processes and latency associated with the switchover are undesirable. In this case, the measurement quality of secondary TRP 2 may be good enough to avoid a switchover. Therefore, based on... Figure 4A The operation in the process can ensure that the one with the better measurement quality between TRP 1 and TRP 2 becomes the main TRP of the service terminal device 120, thereby avoiding or delaying the time when the main TRP has to perform a switchover.

[0082] In an embodiment, managing the TRP set may also include updating the members of the TRP set of the service terminal device 120. Figure 4B Another exemplary operation for managing a TRP based on a measurement report, according to an embodiment, is shown. After the terminal device 120 (e.g., measurement processing unit 262) sends a measurement report, this operation can be performed by the main TRP 1 and the base station 110 (e.g., by TRP management units 224, 244) based on whether the measurement report contains event type B.

[0083] like Figure 4B As shown, at 422, upon receiving a measurement report, the primary TRP 1 determines whether event type B occurs in the measurement report. If event type B occurs, it indicates that the relative measurement quality of the secondary TRP 2 and another TRP (e.g., TRP 3) satisfies a first threshold β0, and the measurement quality of TRP 3 is superior to that of the secondary TRP 2. Accordingly, at 424, the primary TRP 1 determines to add TRP 3 to the set of serving terminal devices 120 and replace the original secondary TRP 2 as a new secondary TRP. If event type B does not occur, it indicates that no other TRP has a measurement quality superior to that of the secondary TRP 2. Accordingly, at 426, the primary TRP 1 determines to keep the secondary TRP 2 unchanged for the time being.

[0084] Figure 4B The operations of managing TRPs can be continuously performed on the TRPs of the serving terminal device 120. Accordingly, while maintaining a connection with the primary TRP, the secondary TRP can be updated to a TRP with better measurement quality, thus optimizing the measurement quality of the TRP set members. This is beneficial for optimizing the connection quality of the terminal device 120. Furthermore, by, for example, referring to... Figure 4AThe described TRP management operation allows a higher-quality secondary TRP to potentially become the new primary TRP through role swapping, thus optimizing the measurement quality of the primary TRP. This can largely avoid or postpone the time when the primary TRP has to perform a switchover.

[0085] In an embodiment, managing the TRP set may also include a combination of operations such as swapping the roles of primary and secondary TRPs and updating the members of the TRP set. Figure 4C This illustrates yet another exemplary operation for managing a TRP based on a measurement report, according to an embodiment. This operation can be performed by the main TRP 1 and base station 110 (e.g., by TRP management units 224, 244) based on whether the measurement report contains event type C, event type B, and measurement quality information in the measurement report.

[0086] like Figure 4C As shown, at 442, upon receiving a measurement report, primary TRP 1 determines whether event type C appears in the measurement report. If event type C appears, it indicates that the relative relationship between the measurement quality of primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 satisfies the first threshold α0, and the measurement quality of secondary TRP 2 is better than that of primary TRP 1. Accordingly, at 444, primary TRP 1 determines the primary and secondary TRP roles assumed by swapped TRP 1 and TRP 2. Next, at 446, base station 110 can determine, based on the measurement quality information in the measurement report, that the measurement quality of another TRP (e.g., TRP 3) is better than that of the original primary TRP 1 (which would become a secondary TRP after the role swap), and determines to add TRP 3 to the TRP set of serving terminal device 120 and replace TRP 1 as a new secondary TRP. That is, after the update, the members of the TRP set of serving terminal device 120 will change from primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 to primary TRP 2 and secondary TRP 3.

[0087] At point 442, if it is determined that event type C has not occurred, it indicates that the measurement quality of primary TRP 1 is superior to that of secondary TRP 2. Accordingly, at point 448, primary TRP 1 determines that it will not swap the roles of primary and secondary TRPs of TRP 1 and TRP 2 for the time being. Next, at point 450, primary TRP 1 can determine, based on the occurrence of measurement event B in the measurement report, that there is another TRP (e.g., TRP 3) with superior measurement quality to TRP 2 (secondary TRP), and determine to replace TRP 2 with TRP 3 as the new secondary TRP. That is, after the update, the members of the TRP set of the serving terminal device 120 will change from primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 2 to primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 3.

[0088] Figure 4CThe operations for managing TRPs can be continuously executed for the TRPs of the serving terminal device 120. Correspondingly, on the one hand, a secondary TRP with better measurement quality may become the new primary TRP through role swapping, optimizing the measurement quality of the primary TRP and avoiding or delaying the time when the primary TRP has to perform a switchover. On the other hand, while the terminal device 120 maintains a connection with the primary TRP, the secondary TRP can be updated to a TRP with better measurement quality, optimizing the measurement quality of the TRP set members. By swapping the roles of primary and secondary TRPs and replacing secondary TRPs with TRPs of better measurement quality, the time when the primary TRP has to perform a switchover can be avoided or delayed to the greatest extent possible.

[0089] Example of TRP Management Signaling Flow

[0090] The following will refer to Figure 1 The context description of the wireless communication system 100 is an exemplary signaling flow for TRP management according to embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 5 An exemplary signaling flow for implementing primary and secondary TRP role switching according to an embodiment is shown. This signaling flow can be used to implement, for example... Figure 4A The TRP management operation shown can be executed by the main TRP 1, base station 110 (e.g., by TRP management units 224, 244), and terminal equipment (e.g., by connection management unit 264).

[0091] like Figure 5 As shown, in response to determining the roles of the primary and secondary TRPs for switching TRP 1 and TRP 2, primary TRP 1 sends a TRP update request message to base station 110, which is here a role switch request message. In response to receiving the role switch request message from primary TRP 1, base station 110 recognizes that TRP 2 will assume the primary TRP role. Accordingly, base station 110 sends a TRP update control message to TRP 2, which is here a role switch control message. This control message may contain information required by TRP 2 to prepare for Layer 2 role switching. In one embodiment, base station 110 also sends RRC connection information of terminal device 120 to TRP 2 so that TRP 2 can subsequently establish an RRC connection with terminal device 120.

[0092] like Figure 5As shown, in response to receiving a role-swapping control message from base station 110, TRP 2 can perform Layer 2 preparation for a role-swapping with TRP 1. Specifically, Layer 2 preparation may include establishing a MAC entity, or additionally may include establishing an RLC entity or even a PDCP entity. In the Multi-PDCCH-based wireless communication system 100, both TRP 1 and TRP 2 transmit PDCCH signals on their respective control resource sets and search spaces before and after the role-swapping. In the Single-PDCCH-based wireless communication system 100, before the role-swapping, TRP 1 transmits PDCCH signals on its corresponding control resource set and search space, while TRP 2 does not transmit PDCCH signals. During the role-swapping, base station 110 can configure TRP 2 to transmit PDCCH signals on its corresponding control resource set and search space after the role-swapping is completed. After the role-swapping, TRP 1 will stop transmitting PDCCH signals. In the Single-PDCCH based embodiment, terminal device 120 can be notified, for example, via MAC layer signaling, to receive the decoded PDCCH on the control resource set and search space corresponding to TRP 2 after the role exchange is completed, and terminal device 120 can be notified, for example, via MAC layer signaling, of the TCI state configuration required to receive the PDCCH sent by TRP 2. The following will refer to... Figure 9A and Figure 9B Examples describing this aspect.

[0093] like Figure 5 As shown, once the role exchange preparation is complete, TRP 2 can reply to base station 110 with a TRP update confirmation message, which is the role exchange confirmation message, indicating that TRP 2 is ready to perform the role exchange. Upon receiving the role exchange confirmation message from TRP 2, base station 110 can transmit the role exchange confirmation message to TRP 1, indicating that TRP 2 is ready to perform the role exchange. Base station 110 can also send an RRC reconfiguration message to TRP 1 to facilitate the establishment of an RRC connection between terminal device 120 and the new primary TRP 2. Since the new primary TRP 2 is the previous secondary TRP of terminal device 120, there is already a physical layer connection between them. Therefore, compared to a general RRC reconfiguration message, this RRC reconfiguration message may not contain new Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status configuration information. This simplifies the process of establishing an RRC connection between terminal device 120 and TRP 2, thereby reducing operation latency.

[0094] like Figure 5As shown, upon receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, terminal device 120 can perform RRC reconfiguration. Specifically, terminal device 120 can continue to use the original TCI state configuration information of TRP 2 to establish RRC communication with the new primary TRP 2. Here, compared to general mobility management operations (such as handover), terminal device 120 does not need to reset its own MAC entity, thereby enabling the primary and secondary TRP role exchange operation to be completed as quickly as possible and avoiding corresponding operation delays.

[0095] Once the RRC reconfiguration is complete, terminal device 120 can send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to TRP 2. At this point, the RRC connection reset between terminal device 120 and the new primary TRP 2 is complete, and the role exchange process between primary and secondary TRPs ends. The original primary TRP 1 becomes the new secondary TRP. The ServCellIndex value of the new primary TRP 2 is set to 0.

[0096] and Figure 5 In contrast to the role swapping of primary and secondary TRPs, another feasible way to make TRP 2 the primary TRP is to switch terminal device 120 from TRP 1 to TRP 2. However, this method involves more operations for each subject. Table 1 below shows the exemplary additional operations to be performed by each subject when switching from TRP 1 to TRP 2. In contrast, the role swapping operation does not involve reconfiguring the TCI state via RRC signaling; the terminal device can use the original TCI state configuration. The role swapping operation does not involve resetting the MAC entity of the terminal device. The role swapping operation does not involve the terminal device activating / deactivating the TRP, nor does it involve initiating random access to the cell of the new primary TRP. When the original primary TRP performs RRC reconfiguration on the terminal device, the terminal device needs to be configured to set the ServCellIndex value of the cell corresponding to the original secondary TRP to 0. Moreover, the configuration information such as C-RNTI, cell ID, antenna information, downlink carrier frequency, and current base station security algorithm configured on the terminal device during Multi-TRP transmission establishment does not need to be changed. It can be seen that... Figure 5 The time spent switching roles will be much less than the switching latency.

[0097] Table 1. Example Operations for TRP Switching

[0098]

[0099] Figure 6 An exemplary signaling flow for implementing primary / secondary TRP role switching according to an embodiment is illustrated. This signaling flow can be used to implement, for example... Figure 4BThe TRP management operation shown can be executed by the main TRP 1, base station 110 (e.g., by TRP management units 224, 244), and terminal equipment (e.g., by connection management unit 264).

[0100] like Figure 6 As shown, in response to determining that another TRP (e.g., TRP 3) will replace secondary TRP 2, primary TRP 1 may send a TRP update request message to base station 110, which is here a secondary TRP replacement request message. In response to receiving the secondary TRP replacement request message from primary TRP 1, base station 110 recognizes that TRP 3 will replace TRP 2 as the new secondary TRP. Accordingly, base station 110 sends a TRP update control message to TRP 2, which is here a connection release control message, to instruct TRP 2 to release its connection with terminal device 120, and sends a connection establishment control message to TRP 3 to instruct TRP 3 to establish a connection with terminal device 120 as a secondary TRP.

[0101] like Figure 6 As shown, in response to receiving a connection establishment control message from base station 110, TRP 3 can perform corresponding connection establishment preparations, specifically including physical layer (layer 1) preparation. Physical layer preparation may include preparing physical layer time-frequency resources for connection with terminal device 120. In the Multi-PDCCH-based wireless communication system 100, TRP 3 also needs to prepare to transmit PDCCH signals on the corresponding control resource set and search space after becoming a secondary TRP.

[0102] like Figure 6 As shown, once connection establishment preparation is complete, TRP 3 can reply with a connection establishment confirmation message to base station 110, indicating that TRP 3 is ready to establish a connection with terminal device 120. Upon receiving the connection establishment confirmation message from TRP 3, base station 110 can send a TRP update confirmation message to TRP 1, which is the connection establishment control message. In one embodiment, the connection establishment control message includes TRP 3's TCI status configuration information to be conveyed to the terminal device to establish a connection with TRP 3. TRP 1 then sends the connection establishment control message and TRP 3's TCI status configuration information to terminal device 120.

[0103] Next, terminal device 120 can send a connection establishment request to TRP 3 to establish a physical layer connection between them. Terminal device 120 does not need to reset the MAC entity. TRP 2 can release the connection with terminal device 120. At this point, the connection between terminal device 120 and the new secondary TRP 3 is established, and the secondary TRP update process ends. As a result, the TRPs serving terminal device 120 include primary TRP 1 and secondary TRP 3.

[0104] Figure 7 An exemplary signaling flow for implementing primary and secondary TRP role switching and secondary TRP updates according to an embodiment is illustrated. This signaling flow can be used to implement, for example... Figure 4C The TRP management operations shown are (specifically operations 442 to 446). This signaling procedure can be executed by the TRP, base station 110 (e.g., by the TRP management unit), and terminal equipment (e.g., by the connection management unit).

[0105] like Figure 7 As shown, in response to determining the roles of primary and secondary TRPs for TRP 1 and TRP 2, primary TRP 1 sends a TRP update request message to base station 110, which is here a role exchange request message. Primary TRP 1 also sends a measurement report (which can be the original or processed version) from terminal device 120 to base station 110. In response to receiving the role exchange request message from primary TRP 1, base station 110 identifies that TRP 2 will assume the role of primary TRP. Accordingly, base station 110 sends a TRP update control message to TRP 2, which is here a role exchange control message. In one embodiment, base station 110 also sends RRC connection information of terminal device 120 to TRP 2 so that TRP 2 can subsequently establish an RRC connection with terminal device 120. Further, base station 110 can determine, based on the measurement report, that the measurement quality of TRP 3 is better than that of TRP 1 (which was originally going to become secondary TRP), and determine to replace TRP 1 with TRP 3 as the new secondary TRP. Accordingly, base station 110 sends a connection release control message to TRP 1 and a connection establishment control message to TRP 3.

[0106] Figure 7 The signaling procedures related to role switching are omitted here. These signaling procedures include the following operations: In response to receiving a role switching control message from base station 110, TRP 2 prepares for a Layer 2 role switching with TRP 1 and replies with a TRP role switching confirmation message to base station 110. This role switching confirmation message is further transmitted by base station 110 to TRP 1. Base station 110 can also send an RRC reconfiguration message to TRP 1. Upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, terminal device 120 can perform RRC reconfiguration, completing the RRC reconfiguration with TRP 2, and the original auxiliary TRP 2 becomes the new primary TRP. (See also...) Figure 5 Understand the specific details of the above signaling process and operation.

[0107] Figure 7 The document details the signaling flow and operations related to secondary TRP updates. For example... Figure 7As shown, upon receiving a connection establishment control message from base station 110, TRP 3 can prepare to establish a connection with terminal device 120. Specifically, TRP 3 can prepare physical layer time-frequency resources for connecting with terminal device 120. In the Multi-PDCCH-based wireless communication system 100, TRP 3 also needs to prepare to transmit PDCCH signals on the corresponding control resource set and search space after becoming a secondary TRP. Once the connection establishment preparation is complete, TRP 3 can reply with a connection establishment confirmation message to base station 110. Then, base station 110 sends a TRP update confirmation message, which is the connection establishment control message, to TRP 1 (still the primary TRP). This connection establishment control message contains the configuration information of the new TRP 3, including the corresponding new TCI state configuration information, to be conveyed to the terminal device to establish a connection with TRP 3. TRP 1 then sends the connection establishment control message and the TCI state configuration information of TRP 3 to terminal device 120.

[0108] like Figure 7 As shown, terminal device 120 then reconfigures its RRC connection with TRP 2 (the new primary TRP) and simultaneously sends a connection establishment request to TRP 3 to establish a connection with TRP 3 based on its configuration information. TRP 1 releases its connection with terminal device 120. At this point, the RRC connection between terminal device 120 and the new primary TRP 2 is reset, and the connection between terminal device 120 and the new secondary TRP 3 is established. The original secondary TRP 2 becomes the new primary TRP, the original primary TRP 1 leaves the TRP set, and TRP 3, which was outside the original set, becomes the new secondary TRP. The ServCellIndex value of the new primary TRP 2 is set to 0.

[0109] In this example, terminal device 120 can establish a connection with TRP 3 while maintaining a connection with primary TRP 1 before the role swap, or it can establish a connection with TRP 3 while maintaining a connection with primary TRP 2 after the role swap. Compared to typical mobility management operations (such as handover), terminal device 120 does not experience negative conditions such as loss of communication links, and communication quality is guaranteed.

[0110] Reference above Figures 5 to 7 Exemplary signaling flows for TRP management according to embodiments are described. In these figures, the order of signaling or operations is merely illustrative and not limiting. These signaling or operations may be performed in different orders as needed, and more or fewer signaling or operations may be performed compared to the figures. These appropriate variations still fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0111] Additional implementation methods for reporting event types and TRP management operations

[0112] In this embodiment, in addition to event types C and B, event type A can also be defined based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the primary, secondary, or other TRPs and a specific threshold. For example, during a trigger time, if the measurement quality of a TRP meets a specific threshold, the terminal device 120 can be triggered to send a measurement report corresponding to the trigger time to the primary TRP. Examples of event types A1 to A4 are shown in equations (3) to (6) below.

[0113] Q Master_TRP Q in Equation (3)

[0114] Q Secondary_TRP Q in Equation (4)

[0115] Q Master_TRP out Equation (5)

[0116] Q Secondary_TRP out Equation (6)

[0117] Among them, Q in It can be greater than or equal to Q. out The threshold. The measurement quality of the primary and secondary TRPs is better than that of Q. in This indicates that the TRP is ideal for service terminal equipment 120. The measurement quality of both the primary and secondary TRPs is below Q. out This indicates that the TRP used for serving terminal device 120 is not as expected.

[0118] In embodiments of this disclosure, event types A, B, and C can be combined in an appropriate manner to trigger a measurement report. (See above for reference.) Figure 4C Examples of combinations of event types B and C are described. Multiple event types A can also be combined with or with event types B or C. Table 2 shows some examples of combining events with TRP management operations. Those skilled in the art can similarly conceive of any other suitable combinations of events with TRP management operations without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0119] Table 2 Examples of Combined Events and TRP Management Operations

[0120]

[0121] Based on the definitions of various event types, as can be understood from Table 2, combined event 1 indicates that the measurement quality of both the primary TPR and the secondary TRP is good (above the expected threshold Q). in Furthermore, the measurement quality of the secondary TRP is superior to that of the primary TRP. Corresponding TRP management operations can involve switching the roles of the primary and secondary TRPs. ​​

[0122] As can be understood from Table 2, combined event 2 indicates that the measurement quality of the auxiliary TRP is lower than the expected threshold (e.g., Q). out Furthermore, if one TRP has a better measurement quality than the auxiliary TRP, the corresponding TRP management operation could be to replace the auxiliary TRP with the other TRP.

[0123] As can be understood from Table 2, combined event 3 indicates that the measurement quality of the secondary TPR is good, while the measurement quality of the primary TPR is below the expected threshold (e.g., Q). out The measurement quality of the secondary TRP is superior to that of the primary TRP. A corresponding TRP management operation could be to swap the roles of the primary and secondary TRPs. In this case, another TRP might replace the original primary TRP as the secondary TRP, as described above with reference to operations 442 to 446.

[0124] As can be understood from Table 2, combined event 4 indicates that the measurement quality of both the primary and secondary TRPs is lower than the expected threshold (e.g., Q). out In this case, if the measurement quality of another TRP is better than the expected threshold, the corresponding TRP management operation can be to switch from the primary TRP to that other TRP.

[0125] Already referred to Figures 5 to 7 An exemplary signaling flow for TRP role swapping and secondary TRP replacement has been described, and therefore will not be repeated here. Figure 8 An exemplary signaling flow for implementing TRP handover according to an embodiment is shown. This signaling flow can be executed by the master TRP1, base station 110 (e.g., by TRP management units 224, 244), and terminal equipment (e.g., by connection management unit 264).

[0126] like Figure 8 As shown, in response to determining that terminal device 120 will be switched from primary TRP 1 to another TRP (e.g., TRP 3), primary TRP 1 sends a handover request message to base station 110. This handover request message may contain information required by TRP 3 to prepare for the Layer 1 / Layer 2 handover. Upon receiving the handover request message from primary TRP 1, base station 110 recognizes that the new TRP 3 will assume the primary TRP role for terminal device 120. Accordingly, base station 110 sends a handover control message to TRP 3. In one embodiment, base station 110 also sends RRC connection-related information of terminal device 120 to TRP 3 to facilitate the subsequent establishment of an RRC connection between TRP 3 and terminal device 120.

[0127] like Figure 8As shown, in response to receiving a handover control message from base station 110, TRP 3 can perform Layer 1 / Layer 2 preparation for handover. Specifically, Layer 1 preparation may include allocating physical layer time-frequency resources for establishing a connection with terminal device 120; Layer 2 preparation may include establishing a MAC entity, or may additionally include establishing an RLC entity or even a PDCP entity. TRP 3 also needs to prepare to send PDCCH signals on the corresponding control resource set and search space after becoming the master TRP.

[0128] like Figure 8 As shown, once the handover preparation is complete, TRP 3 can reply with a handover confirmation message to base station 110, indicating that TRP 3 is ready for handover. Upon receiving the handover confirmation message from TRP 3, base station 110 can transmit the handover confirmation message to TRP 1. Base station 110 can also send an RRC reconfiguration message to TRP 1 to facilitate terminal device 120 switching to the new primary TRP 3 cell and establishing an RRC connection. In one embodiment, base station 110 also sends TRP 3's TCI status configuration information to TRP 1 to communicate with the terminal device to establish a connection with TRP 3. TRP 1 then sends the above information to terminal device 120.

[0129] like Figure 8 As shown, upon receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, terminal device 120 can initiate a random access procedure for the cell in TRP 3 and perform RRC reconfiguration. Specifically, terminal device 120 needs to reset its own MAC entity and establish RRC communication with the new primary TRP 3 using the TCI status configuration information of TRP 3.

[0130] Once the RRC reconfiguration is complete, terminal device 120 can send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to TRP 3. At this point, terminal device 120 switches from TRP 1 to the new primary TRP 3.

[0131] In this disclosure, by updating the members of the TRP set of the serving terminal device, such as swapping the roles of the primary and secondary TRPs and replacing the secondary TRP, the reliability of the communication link between the terminal device and the primary TRP can be ensured, TRP switching can be avoided or postponed as much as possible, and the latency associated with TRP management can be reduced. This is particularly advantageous for URLLC services.

[0132] In high-frequency bands such as the FR2 band in NR systems, the beam is narrower and the cell coverage is smaller, making the communication link between the terminal equipment and the TRP more susceptible to the impact of terminal equipment movement. In such bands, the TRP set update scheme according to this disclosure can more effectively leverage the advantages of avoiding or delaying TRP handover. In particular, for URLLC services deployed in the FR2 high-frequency band, the scheme of this disclosure can effectively guarantee high reliability and low latency of communication while maintaining high data rate transmission.

[0133] Control signaling example

[0134] For reference Figure 1 As described, in a Multi-TRP communication system based on Multi-PDCCH, the primary and secondary TRPs can independently transmit downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH) on their respective control resource sets and search spaces; in a Single-PDCCH-based Multi-TRP communication system, only the primary TRP can transmit downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH) on its control resource set and search space. In an embodiment, the primary TRP can configure corresponding control resource sets and search spaces for the primary and secondary TRPs. The control resource sets can be assigned corresponding identifier indices, which can be called CORESETPoolIndex. For example, the primary TRP can correspond to a control resource set with a CORESETPoolIndex value of 0, and the secondary TRP can correspond to a control resource set with a CORESETPoolIndex value of 1. The primary TRP can also send control channel indication information to the terminal device 120 to indicate that at least one of the primary or secondary TRPs will receive downlink control channels (e.g., PDCCH) on the corresponding control resource set and search space. The main TRP can also carry the control channel indication information through at least one of RRC signaling, MAC control element (CE), and downlink control information (DCI).

[0135] Figure 9A An exemplary MAC control unit for carrying control channel indication information is shown according to an embodiment. The MAC control unit includes the following fields.

[0136] Field 1: C corresponding to different CORESETPoolIndex i This field indicates the activation / deactivation status of the control resource set corresponding to the CORESETPoolIndex with a value of i. The field length is 1 bit.

[0137] If C0 = 0 and C1 = 1, it means that the control resource set corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex with a value of 0 is in an inactive state, and the control resource set corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex with a value of 1 is in an active state. Accordingly, the terminal device uses the control resource set corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex with a value of 1 to receive and decode the PDCCH. If C0 = 1 and C1 = 0, it means that the control resource set corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex with a value of 0 is in an active state, and the control resource set corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex with a value of 1 is in an inactive state. The UE uses the control resource set corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex with a value of 0 to receive and decode the PDCCH. In both cases, only the control resource set of the primary and secondary TRPs is active to transmit the PDCCH signal, thus corresponding to the Single-PDCCH scenario.

[0138] If C0 = 1 and C1 = 1, it means that the control resource sets corresponding to CORESETPoolIndex values ​​of 0 and 1 are both active, and the terminal device can use all control resource sets to receive and decode the PDCCH. In this case, the control resource sets of both the primary and secondary TRPs are active to transmit PDCCH signals, thus corresponding to a Multi-PDCCH scenario. In other words, in the embodiment, the Multi-PDCCH and Single-PDCCH states of the communication system can be reflected by the values ​​of CORESETPoolIndex corresponding to different TRPs.

[0139] Field 2: Serving Cell ID. This field indicates the identifier of the serving cell to which the MAC control unit is applied; the field length is, for example, 5 bits.

[0140] Field 3: BWP ID. This field indicates the identifier of the portion of carrier bandwidth to which the MAC control unit is applied; the field length is, for example, 2 bits.

[0141] Figure 9B An exemplary MAC control unit for carrying a TCI status configuration indication is shown according to an embodiment. This MAC control unit can notify the terminal device 120 of the TCI status configuration for receiving the PDCCH.

[0142] like Figure 9BAs shown, the MAC control unit may include a serving cell ID, a control resource set ID, and a TCI status ID. The serving cell ID field indicates the serving cell identifier to which the MAC control unit applies; the field length is, for example, 5 bits. The serving cell ID field indicates the corresponding control resource set; the field length is, for example, 4 bits. The TCI status ID field indicates the corresponding TCI status; the field length is, for example, 7 bits. This TCI status applies to the control resource set indicated by the control resource set ID.

[0143] Figure 10 An example method for a Multi-TRP wireless communication system according to an embodiment is illustrated. Method 1000 can be performed by a first TRP, wherein the first TRP and a second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device. Figure 10 As shown, in response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively, the method 1000 may include providing measurement configuration information to the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that at least the first TRP and the second TRP should be measured (box 1005); receiving a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including at least the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP (box 1010); and updating the TRP serving a specific terminal device based at least on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP (box 1015). In an embodiment, updating the TRP serving a specific terminal device includes determining that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold.

[0144] In one embodiment, updating the TRP serving a specific terminal device further includes: determining that the third TRP will replace the second TRP serving the terminal device based on the fact that the measurement quality of the second TRP is less than a second threshold and the measurement quality of the third TRP is better than the measurement quality of the second TRP.

[0145] In one embodiment, the method further includes sending a corresponding TRP update request message to the base station based on the TRP serving a specific terminal device. The update request message includes one of the following: a second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; or a third TRP will replace the second TRP as the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0146] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a TRP update confirmation message from a base station. The confirmation message indicates at least one of the following: a second TRP will become the primary TRP of the serving terminal device, and a first TRP will become the secondary TRP of the serving terminal device; a third TRP will replace the second TRP as the secondary TRP of the serving terminal device; or the second TRP will become the primary TRP of the serving terminal device, and a third TRP will replace the first TRP as the secondary TRP of the serving terminal device.

[0147] In one embodiment, the method further includes sending a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform at least one of the following: establishing a primary connection with a second TRP and establishing a secondary connection with a first TRP; establishing a secondary connection with a third TRP; or establishing a primary connection with a second TRP and establishing a secondary connection with a third TRP.

[0148] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a TRP update control message from a base station in response to the first TRP being a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, and performing the following operations: in response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP will become the primary TRP of the terminal device, preparing layer 2 resources and sending a TRP update confirmation message to the base station; or in response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP will not serve the terminal device, releasing the connection with the terminal device.

[0149] Figure 11A Another example method for a Multi-TRP wireless communication system according to an embodiment is shown. Method 1100 can be performed by a base station that controls multiple Transmitter / Receiver Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device. Figure 11A As shown, in response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP of the serving terminal device, respectively, the method includes: providing the first TRP with measurement configuration information for the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP (box 1105); and receiving a first update request message from the first TRP, the first update request message indicating that the second TRP will become the primary TRP of the serving terminal device and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP of the serving terminal device (box 1110).

[0150] In one embodiment, the method further includes sending a control message to a second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the master TRP of the serving terminal device.

[0151] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a measurement report from a first TRP, the measurement report including the measurement quality of each TRP; and determining that the third TRP will become the auxiliary TRP for the serving terminal device based on the fact that the measurement quality of the first TRP is lower than a third threshold and the measurement quality of the third TRP is better than the measurement quality of the first TRP.

[0152] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending a control message to a first TRP to indicate that the first TRP does not serve the terminal device; sending a control message to a second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; and sending a control message to a third TRP to indicate that the third TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0153] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a second update request message from a first TRP, the second update request message indicating that a third TRP will replace the second TRP as the secondary TRP of the serving terminal device.

[0154] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending a control message to a second TRP to indicate that the second TRP does not serve the terminal device; and sending a control message to a third TRP to indicate that the third TRP will become a secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0155] In one embodiment, the method further includes sending an acknowledgment message to the first TRP for the first or second update request message.

[0156] Figure 11B Another example method for a Multi-TRP wireless communication system according to an embodiment is shown. Method 1150 can be performed by a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is jointly served by a first TRP and a second TRP, the first TRP being a primary TRP and the second TRP being a secondary TRP. The method includes: measuring the first TRP and the second TRP based on measurement configuration information received from the first TRP (block 1155); and sending a measurement report to the first TRP, the measurement report including at least the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP, based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold (block 1160).

[0157] In one embodiment, the method further includes measuring a third TRP based on measurement configuration information, and the measurement report also includes the measurement quality of the third TRP.

[0158] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message from a primary TRP and performing at least one of the following: establishing a primary connection with a second TRP and establishing a secondary connection with a first TRP; establishing a secondary connection with a third TRP; or establishing a primary connection with a second TRP and establishing a secondary connection with a third TRP.

[0159] Can be combined Figures 4A to 9B The methods 1000 to 1150 above should be understood. For example, by referring to the signaling flow diagram, those skilled in the art can clearly understand the correspondence between each signaling and each operation in methods 1000 to 1150, which will not be described in detail here.

[0160] The following combination Figure 12A and Figure 12B This describes exemplary satellite communication scenarios in which technical solutions according to embodiments of this disclosure can be applied.

[0161] As is known, satellite communications offer advantages in coverage, reliability, and flexibility. The convergence of satellite communications with terrestrial mobile networks helps provide a more reliable and consistent service experience, reduces network deployment costs, and creates an integrated, ubiquitous network architecture. Therefore, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications and their integration with terrestrial mobile networks have become important application scenarios in the communications field.

[0162] exist Figure 12A In a satellite communication scenario, the wireless communication system 1200 includes a satellite 1210, TRPs 1 to 3, and a terminal device 1220. The satellite 1210 and each TRP can be configured to be coupled to each other via a wireless link. Each TRP can act as an Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) for the satellite 1210 to improve its coverage performance. Alternatively, the TRPs can also be deployed in the air, such as as UAVs with TRP functionality, allowing for flexible deployment in conjunction with the satellite in emergency situations such as natural disasters or wars that damage ground infrastructure. TRPs 1 and 2 can be configured to communicate with the terminal device 1220 via wireless links, forming a multi-TRP system serving the terminal device 1220. Specifically, TRP 1 can be the primary TRP serving the terminal device 1220, and TRP 2 can be a secondary TRP serving the terminal device 1220.

[0163] In embodiments, satellite 1210 may include any type of orbital satellite, such as a geostationary orbit (GEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or low Earth orbit (LEO). In this disclosure, the terms satellite and satellite communication equipment are used interchangeably unless the context clearly indicates the opposite. Satellite 1210 may correspond to... Figure 1 The base station in the system. When the terminal equipment is mobile, each TRP can perform various operations according to this disclosure, including primary and secondary TRP switching or replacement, to provide services to the terminal equipment.

[0164] exist Figure 12B In a satellite communication scenario, the wireless communication system 1250 includes satellites 1210-1 to 1210-3 and terminal device 1220. Each satellite 1210-1 to 1210-3 can be located in low Earth orbit to provide coverage for the terminal device; for example, each satellite can use beamforming technology to communicate with the terminal device. In an embodiment, multiple satellites can simultaneously serve the terminal device 1220 as TRPs, and these multiple satellites can form a multi-TRP system serving the terminal device 1220. For example, satellite 1210-1 can be the primary TRP serving the terminal device 1220, and satellite 1210-2 can be the secondary TRP serving the terminal device 1220. In an embodiment, satellite 1210-1 or 1210-2 itself, other satellites, or devices coupled to satellites 1210-1 and 1210-2 can correspond to... Figure 1 Base stations in the region.

[0165] Satellites 1210-1 to 1210-3 may include low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In embodiments, both the LEO satellites themselves and the terminal equipment may be mobile. Unless the terminal equipment moves at a very high speed, it is generally assumed that operations related to mobility management arise due to the movement of the LEO satellites in the air. In this case, each satellite may perform various operations according to this disclosure, including primary and secondary TRP switching or secondary TRP replacement, to provide services to the terminal equipment.

[0166] Specifically, assuming Figure 12BThe satellites in the diagram move from right to left. At the first moment, satellites 1210-1 and 1210-2 form a multi-TRP system for service terminal equipment 1220, with satellite 1210-1 as the primary TRP and satellite 1210-2 as the secondary TRP. At the second moment, the movement causes the relative measurement quality of satellites 1210-1 and 1210-2 to meet a threshold relationship. At this time, by exchanging the roles of primary and secondary TRPs, satellite 1210-2 becomes the primary TRP, and satellite 1210-1 becomes the secondary TRP. At the third moment, the movement causes the relative measurement quality of satellites 1210-1 and 1210-3 to meet a threshold relationship. At this time, satellite 1210-3 replaces satellite 1210-1 as the secondary TRP, serving terminal equipment 1220 together with the primary TRP (satellite 1210-2). Next, satellite 1210-3 and satellite 1210-2 can similarly exchange the primary and secondary TRP roles, and other satellites (not shown) can join to perform primary and secondary TRP exchange or secondary TRP replacement operations.

[0167] The foregoing has described various exemplary electronic devices and methods according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that the operation or function of these electronic devices can be combined with each other to achieve more or fewer operations or functions than described. Similarly, the operational steps of the methods can be combined with each other in any suitable order to similarly achieve more or fewer operations than described.

[0168] It should be understood that the machine-executable instructions in a machine-readable storage medium or program product according to embodiments of this disclosure can be configured to perform operations corresponding to the above-described device and method embodiments. When referring to the above-described device and method embodiments, embodiments of the machine-readable storage medium or program product will be clear to those skilled in the art, and therefore will not be described again. Machine-readable storage media and program products used to carry or include the above-described machine-executable instructions also fall within the scope of this disclosure. Such storage media may include, but are not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, memory cards, memory sticks, etc. Furthermore, it should be understood that the above-described series of processes and devices can also be implemented by software and / or firmware.

[0169] Furthermore, it should be understood that the aforementioned series of processes and devices can also be implemented via software and / or firmware. In the case of implementation via software and / or firmware, data can be transferred from storage media or networks to computers with dedicated hardware architectures, such as… Figure 13 The general-purpose personal computer 1300 shown is equipped with the programs that constitute the software, and the computer is able to perform various functions when various programs are installed. Figure 13This is a block diagram illustrating an example structure of a personal computer as an information processing device that may be employed in embodiments of this disclosure. In one example, the personal computer may correspond to the exemplary terminal device described above according to this disclosure.

[0170] exist Figure 13 In this system, the central processing unit (CPU) 1301 performs various processes based on the program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 1302 or the program loaded into the random access memory (RAM) 1303 from the storage section 1308. The RAM 1303 also stores, as needed, the data required when the CPU 1301 performs various processes.

[0171] CPU 1301, ROM 1302 and RAM 1303 are connected to each other via bus 1304. Input / output interface 1305 is also connected to bus 1304.

[0172] The following components are connected to the input / output interface 1305: input section 1306, including a keyboard, mouse, etc.; output section 1307, including a display, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and speakers, etc.; storage section 1308, including a hard disk, etc.; and communication section 1309, including a network interface card, such as a LAN card, modem, etc. The communication section 1309 performs communication processing via a network, such as the Internet.

[0173] As needed, drive 1310 is also connected to input / output interface 1305. Removable media 1311, such as disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, etc., are installed on drive 1310 as needed, so that computer programs read from them can be installed into storage section 1308 as needed.

[0174] When the above series of processes are implemented by software, the program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the Internet or a storage medium such as removable media 1311.

[0175] Those skilled in the art will understand that such storage media are not limited to Figure 13 The illustrated removable medium 1311 stores a program and is distributed separately from the device to provide the program to the user. Examples of removable media 1311 include magnetic disks (including floppy disks (registered trademark)), optical disks (including optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and digital versatile disks (DVD)), magneto-optical disks (including mini-disk (MD) (registered trademark)), and semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the storage medium may be ROM 1302, a hard disk included in storage section 1308, etc., containing programs and distributed to the user along with the device containing them.

[0176] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to a variety of products. For example, the base station mentioned in this disclosure can be implemented as any type of evolved Node B (gNB), such as macro gNB and small gNB. Small gNB can be a gNB that covers a cell smaller than a macro cell, such as pico gNB, micro gNB, and femtocell gNB. Alternatively, the base station can be implemented as any other type of base station, such as NodeB and Base Transceiver Station (BTS). A base station may include: a subject configured to control wireless communication (also called base station equipment); and one or more remote radio heads (RRHs) located in a different location from the subject. In addition, the various types of terminals described below can operate as base stations by temporarily or semi-persistently performing base station functions.

[0177] For example, the terminal devices mentioned in this disclosure, also referred to in some examples as user equipment, can be implemented as mobile terminals (such as smartphones, tablet PCs, laptop PCs, portable gaming terminals, portable / dongle-type mobile routers, and digital camera devices) or in-vehicle terminals (such as car navigation devices). User equipment can also be implemented as terminals performing machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (also known as machine-type communication (MTC) terminals). Furthermore, user equipment can be a wireless communication module (such as an integrated circuit module comprising a single chip) installed on each of the aforementioned terminals.

[0178] The following will refer to Figures 14 to 17 Describe an application example based on this disclosure.

[0179] [Application examples of base stations]

[0180] The following is for reference Figure 14 and Figure 15 A schematic configuration of a gNB is described. It can be understood that a TRP can have a similar configuration to a gNB. Specifically, a TRP can have only the transmit and receive functions shown in the diagram, can have some Layer 2 or Layer 3 control functions, or can even have functions that are exactly or substantially the same as a gNB.

[0181] First application example

[0182] Figure 14This is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the technologies of this disclosure can be applied. The gNB 1400 includes a plurality of antennas 1410 and a base station device 1420. The base station device 1420 and each antenna 1410 can be connected to each other via RF cables. In one implementation, the gNB 1400 (or base station device 1420) herein may correspond to the aforementioned electronic devices 300A, 1300A, and / or 1500B.

[0183] Each of the antennas 1410 includes one or more antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna) and is used by the base station equipment 1420 to transmit and receive wireless signals. Figure 14 As shown, the gNB 1400 may include multiple antennas 1410. For example, the multiple antennas 1410 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the gNB 1400.

[0184] The base station equipment 1420 includes a controller 1421, a memory 1422, a network interface 1423, and a wireless communication interface 1425.

[0185] The controller 1421 can be, for example, a CPU or a DSP, and operates various higher-level functions of the base station equipment 1420. For example, the controller 1421 generates data packets based on data in signals processed by the wireless communication interface 1425, and transmits the generated packets via the network interface 1423. The controller 1421 can bundle data from multiple baseband processors to generate bundled packets and transmit the generated bundled packets. The controller 1421 may have logical functions that perform controls such as radio resource control, radio bearer control, mobility management, admission control, and scheduling. This control can be performed in conjunction with nearby gNBs or core network nodes. The memory 1422 includes RAM and ROM, and stores programs executed by the controller 1421 and various types of control data (such as terminal lists, transmission power data, and scheduling data).

[0186] Network interface 1423 is a communication interface for connecting base station equipment 1420 to core network 1424. Controller 1421 can communicate with core network nodes or other gNBs via network interface 1423. In this case, gNB 1400 and core network nodes or other gNBs can be connected to each other via logical interfaces (such as S1 and X2 interfaces). Network interface 1423 can also be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface for wireless backhaul. If network interface 1423 is a wireless communication interface, it can use a higher frequency band for wireless communication compared to the frequency band used by wireless communication interface 1425.

[0187] Wireless communication interface 1425 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, and NR) and provides wireless connectivity to terminals located in the cell of gNB 1400 via antenna 1410. Wireless communication interface 1425 typically includes, for example, a baseband (BB) processor 1426 and RF circuitry 1427. BB processor 1426 can perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and performs various types of signal processing at layers such as L1, Media Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). Instead of controller 1421, BB processor 1426 may have some or all of the above-described logical functions. BB processor 1426 may be a memory storing communication control programs, or a module including a processor and associated circuitry configured to execute programs. Update programs can change the functionality of BB processor 1426. The module may be a card or blade inserted into a slot in base station equipment 1420. Alternatively, the module may be a chip mounted on a card or blade. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1427 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1410. Although Figure 14 An example of an RF circuit 1427 connected to an antenna 1410 is shown, but this disclosure is not limited to the illustration, and an RF circuit 1427 can be connected to multiple antennas 1410 simultaneously.

[0188] like Figure 14 As shown, the wireless communication interface 1425 may include multiple BB processors 1426. For example, the multiple BB processors 1426 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the gNB 1400. Figure 14 As shown, the wireless communication interface 1425 may include multiple RF circuits 1427. For example, the multiple RF circuits 1427 may be compatible with multiple antenna elements. Although Figure 14 An example is shown in which the wireless communication interface 1425 includes multiple BB processors 1426 and multiple RF circuits 1427, but the wireless communication interface 1425 may also include a single BB processor 1426 or a single RF circuit 1427.

[0189] Second application example

[0190] Figure 15This is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of a gNB to which the technologies of this disclosure can be applied. The gNB 1530 includes multiple antennas 1540, a base station device 1550, and an RRH 1560. The RRH 1560 and each antenna 1540 can be connected to each other via RF cables. The base station device 1550 and the RRH 1560 can be connected to each other via high-speed lines such as fiber optic cables. In one implementation, the gNB 1530 (or base station device 1550) herein may correspond to the aforementioned electronic devices 300A, 1300A, and / or 1500B.

[0191] Each of the antennas 1540 includes one or more antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used by the RRH 1560 to transmit and receive wireless signals. Figure 15 As shown, the gNB 1530 may include multiple antennas 1540. For example, the multiple antennas 1540 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the gNB 1530.

[0192] Base station equipment 1550 includes a controller 1551, a memory 1552, a network interface 1553, a wireless communication interface 1555, and a connection interface 1557. The controller 1551, memory 1552, and network interface 1553 are related to a reference... Figure 14 The controller 1421, memory 1422 and network interface 1423 described are the same.

[0193] Wireless communication interface 1555 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, and NR) and provides wireless communication to terminals located in the sector corresponding to RRH 1560 via RRH 1560 and antenna 1540. Wireless communication interface 1555 may typically include, for example, a BB processor 1556. In addition to the BB processor 1556 being connected to the RF circuitry 1564 of RRH 1560 via connection interface 1557, the BB processor 1556 is connected to the reference... Figure 14 The BB processor 1426 is described as identical. Figure 15 As shown, the wireless communication interface 1555 may include multiple BB processors 1556. For example, the multiple BB processors 1556 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the gNB 1530. Although Figure 15 An example is shown in which the wireless communication interface 1555 includes multiple BB processors 1556, but the wireless communication interface 1555 may also include a single BB processor 1556.

[0194] Connection interface 1557 is an interface for connecting base station device 1550 (wireless communication interface 1555) to RRH 1560. Connection interface 1557 may also be a communication module for communication in the aforementioned high-speed line connecting base station device 1550 (wireless communication interface 1555) to RRH 1560.

[0195] The RRH 1560 includes a connectivity interface 1561 and a wireless communication interface 1563.

[0196] Connection interface 1561 is an interface for connecting RRH 1560 (wireless communication interface 1563) to base station equipment 1550. Connection interface 1561 can also be a communication module for communication in the aforementioned high-speed line.

[0197] Wireless communication interface 1563 transmits and receives wireless signals via antenna 1540. Wireless communication interface 1563 typically includes, for example, RF circuitry 1564. RF circuitry 1564 may include, for example, a mixer, filter, and amplifier, and transmits and receives wireless signals via antenna 1540. Although Figure 15 An example of an RF circuit 1564 connected to an antenna 1540 is shown, but this disclosure is not limited to the illustration, and an RF circuit 1564 can be connected to multiple antennas 1540 simultaneously.

[0198] like Figure 15 As shown, the wireless communication interface 1563 may include multiple RF circuits 1564. For example, the multiple RF circuits 1564 may support multiple antenna elements. Although Figure 15 An example is shown in which the wireless communication interface 1563 includes multiple RF circuits 1564, but the wireless communication interface 1563 may also include a single RF circuit 1564.

[0199] [Application examples related to user equipment]

[0200] First application example

[0201] Figure 16This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 1600 to which the technologies of this disclosure can be applied. The smartphone 1600 includes a processor 1601, a memory 1602, a storage device 1603, an external connection interface 1604, a camera device 1606, a sensor 1607, a microphone 1608, an input device 1609, a display device 1610, a speaker 1611, a wireless communication interface 1612, one or more antenna switches 1615, one or more antennas 1616, a bus 1617, a battery 1618, and an auxiliary controller 1619. In one implementation, the smartphone 1600 (or processor 1601) herein may correspond to the terminal devices 300B and / or 1500A described above.

[0202] The processor 1601 may be, for example, a CPU or a system-on-a-chip (SoC), and controls the application layer and other functions of the smartphone 1600. The memory 1602 includes RAM and ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1601. The storage device 1603 may include storage media such as semiconductor memory and hard disks. The external connectivity interface 1604 is an interface for connecting external devices, such as memory cards and Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices, to the smartphone 1600.

[0203] The camera device 1606 includes an image sensor (such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)) and generates captured images. The sensor 1607 may include a set of sensors, such as a measurement sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetometer sensor, and an accelerometer sensor. The microphone 1608 converts sound input to the smartphone 1600 into an audio signal. The input device 1609 includes, for example, a touch sensor, keypad, keyboard, buttons, or switches configured to detect touches on the screen of the display device 1610 and receive operations or information input from the user. The display device 1610 includes a screen (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display) and displays the output image of the smartphone 1600. The speaker 1611 converts the audio signal output from the smartphone 1600 into sound.

[0204] The wireless communication interface 1612 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, and NR) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1612 typically includes, for example, a BB processor 1613 and RF circuitry 1614. The BB processor 1613 can perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and performs various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuitry 1614 can include, for example, mixers, filters, and amplifiers, and transmits and receives wireless signals via antenna 1616. The wireless communication interface 1612 can be a single chip module on which the BB processor 1613 and RF circuitry 1614 are integrated. Figure 16 As shown, the wireless communication interface 1612 may include multiple BB processors 1613 and multiple RF circuits 1614. Although Figure 16 An example is shown in which the wireless communication interface 1612 includes multiple BB processors 1613 and multiple RF circuits 1614, but the wireless communication interface 1612 may also include a single BB processor 1613 or a single RF circuit 1614.

[0205] In addition to cellular communication schemes, wireless communication interface 1612 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as short-range wireless communication schemes, near-field communication schemes, and wireless local area network (LAN) schemes. In this case, wireless communication interface 1612 may include a BB processor 1613 and RF circuitry 1614 for each wireless communication scheme.

[0206] Each of the antenna switches 1615 switches the connection destination of the antenna 1616 among multiple circuits (e.g., circuits for different wireless communication schemes) included in the wireless communication interface 1612.

[0207] Each of the antennas 1616 includes one or more antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used by the wireless communication interface 1612 to transmit and receive wireless signals. Figure 16 As shown, the smartphone 1600 may include multiple antennas 1616. Although Figure 16 An example is shown in which the smartphone 1600 includes multiple antennas 1616, but the smartphone 1600 may also include a single antenna 1616.

[0208] Furthermore, the smartphone 1600 may include an antenna 1616 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1615 can be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 1600.

[0209] Bus 1617 connects processor 1601, memory 1602, storage device 1603, external connection interface 1604, camera device 1606, sensor 1607, microphone 1608, input device 1609, display device 1610, speaker 1611, wireless communication interface 1612, and auxiliary controller 1619 to each other. Battery 1618 supplies power to... Figure 16 The various blocks of the smartphone 1600 shown are powered, and the feeders are partially shown as dashed lines in the figure. The auxiliary controller 1619 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 1600, for example, in sleep mode.

[0210] Second application example

[0211] Figure 17 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device 1720 to which the technology of this disclosure can be applied. The car navigation device 1720 includes a processor 1721, a memory 1722, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 1724, a sensor 1725, a data interface 1726, a content player 1727, a storage medium interface 1728, an input device 1729, a display device 1730, a speaker 1731, a wireless communication interface 1733, one or more antenna switches 1736, one or more antennas 1737, and a battery 1738. In one implementation, the car navigation device 1720 (or processor 1721) herein may correspond to the aforementioned terminal devices 300B and / or 1500A.

[0212] The processor 1721 can be, for example, a CPU or a SoC, and controls the navigation functions and other functions of the car navigation device 1720. The memory 1722 includes RAM and ROM, and stores data and programs executed by the processor 1721.

[0213] GPS module 1724 uses GPS signals received from GPS satellites to measure the location (such as latitude, longitude, and altitude) of car navigation device 1720. Sensor 1725 may include a set of sensors, such as a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an air pressure sensor. Data interface 1726 is connected to, for example, an in-vehicle network 1741 via a terminal not shown, and acquires data generated by the vehicle (such as vehicle speed data).

[0214] Content player 1727 reproduces content stored on storage media (such as CDs and DVDs), which is inserted into storage media interface 1728. Input device 1729 includes, for example, a touch sensor, button, or switch configured to detect touch on the screen of display device 1730, and receives operations or information input from the user. Display device 1730 includes a screen such as an LCD or OLED display and displays images or reproduced content for navigation functions. Speaker 1731 outputs sound for navigation functions or reproduced content.

[0215] The wireless communication interface 1733 supports any cellular communication scheme (such as LTE, LTE-Advanced, and NR) and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 1733 typically includes, for example, a BB processor 1734 and RF circuitry 1735. The BB processor 1734 can perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and performs various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuitry 1735 can include, for example, a mixer, filters, and amplifiers, and transmits and receives wireless signals via antenna 1737. The wireless communication interface 1733 can also be a chip module on which the BB processor 1734 and RF circuitry 1735 are integrated. Figure 17 As shown, the wireless communication interface 1733 may include multiple BB processors 1734 and multiple RF circuits 1735. Although Figure 17 An example is shown in which the wireless communication interface 1733 includes multiple BB processors 1734 and multiple RF circuits 1735, but the wireless communication interface 1733 may also include a single BB processor 1734 or a single RF circuit 1735.

[0216] In addition to cellular communication schemes, the wireless communication interface 1733 can support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as short-range wireless communication schemes, near-field communication schemes, and wireless LAN schemes. In this case, for each wireless communication scheme, the wireless communication interface 1733 may include a BB processor 1734 and an RF circuit 1735.

[0217] Each of the antenna switches 1736 switches the connection destination of the antenna 1737 among multiple circuits (such as circuits for different wireless communication schemes) included in the wireless communication interface 1733.

[0218] Each of the antennas 1737 includes one or more antenna elements (such as multiple antenna elements included in a MIMO antenna) and is used by the wireless communication interface 1733 to transmit and receive wireless signals. Figure 17 As shown, the car navigation device 1720 may include multiple antennas 1737. Although Figure 17An example is shown in which the car navigation device 1720 includes multiple antennas 1737, but the car navigation device 1720 may also include a single antenna 1737.

[0219] Furthermore, the car navigation device 1720 may include an antenna 1737 for each wireless communication scheme. In this case, the antenna switch 1736 can be omitted from the configuration of the car navigation device 1720.

[0220] Battery 1738 via feeder to Figure 17 The various blocks of the car navigation device 1720 shown are powered, and the feeders are partially shown as dashed lines in the figure. Battery 1738 accumulates the power supplied from the vehicle.

[0221] The technology disclosed herein can also be implemented as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 1740 including one or more blocks of an automotive navigation device 1720, an in-vehicle network 1741, and a vehicle module 1742. The vehicle module 1742 generates vehicle data (such as vehicle speed, engine speed, and fault information) and outputs the generated data to the in-vehicle network 1741.

[0222] The scheme disclosed herein can be implemented in the following example manner.

[0223] 1. An electronic device for a first transmitting / receiving point (TRP), wherein the first TRP and a second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device, and the electronic device includes processing circuitry configured to:

[0224] In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively:

[0225] Provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the measurement configuration information specifies that at least the first TRP and the second TRP shall be measured;

[0226] Receive a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including the measurement quality of at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and

[0227] Based at least on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP, update the TRP of the specific terminal device being served.

[0228] The process of updating the TRP for the specific terminal device includes: determining that the second TRP will become the primary TRP for the terminal device based on the fact that the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP meets a first threshold.

[0229] 2. The electronic device as described in Clause 1, wherein the TRP for updating the specific terminal device further includes:

[0230] Based on the fact that the measurement quality of the second TRP is less than the second threshold and the measurement quality of the third TRP is better than the measurement quality of the second TRP, it is determined that the third TRP will replace the second TRP in serving the terminal device.

[0231] 3. The electronic device as described in Clause 1 or 2, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send a corresponding TRP update request message to the base station based on the TRP of the specific terminal device being updated, the update request message including one of the following:

[0232] The second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; or

[0233] The third TRP will replace the second TRP and become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0234] 4. The electronic device as described in Clause 3, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a TRP update confirmation message from a base station, the confirmation message indicating at least one of the following:

[0235] The second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device, and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0236] The third TRP will replace the second TRP and become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device; or

[0237] The second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device, and the third TRP will replace the first TRP as the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0238] 5. The electronic device as described in Clause 4, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform at least one of the following:

[0239] Establish a primary connection with the second TRP and a secondary connection with the first TRP;

[0240] Establish a secondary connection with the third TRP; or

[0241] Establish a primary connection with the second TRP and a secondary connection with the third TRP.

[0242] 6. The electronic device as described in Clause 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a TRP update control message from the base station in response to the first TRP being a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, and to perform the following operations:

[0243] In response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP will become the master TRP of the terminal device, layer 2 resources are prepared, and a TRP update confirmation message is sent to the base station; or

[0244] In response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP is no longer serving the terminal device, the connection with the terminal device is released.

[0245] 7. The electronic device as described in Clause 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send control channel indication information to the terminal device to indicate that a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is received through at least one of a first TRP or a second TRP.

[0246] 8. The electronic device as described in Clause 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to carry the control channel indication information via a MAC control unit.

[0247] 9. The electronic device as described in Clause 1, wherein,

[0248] The first TRP and the base station can be implemented as the same device or separate devices;

[0249] The second TRP and the base station are implemented as separate devices or the same device; and / or

[0250] The first TRP and the second TRP are satellite communication equipment.

[0251] 10. An electronic device for a base station, wherein the base station controls multiple Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device, and the electronic device includes processing circuitry configured to:

[0252] In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively:

[0253] Provide the first TRP with measurement configuration information for the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and

[0254] A first update request message is received from the first TRP, which indicates that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0255] 11. The electronic device as described in Clause 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0256] Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0257] 12. The electronic device as described in Clause 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0258] The terminal device receives a measurement report from the first TRP, the measurement report including the measurement quality of each TRP;

[0259] Based on the fact that the measurement quality of the first TRP is lower than the third threshold and the measurement quality of the third TRP is better than the measurement quality of the first TRP, it is determined that the third TRP will become the auxiliary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0260] 13. The electronic device as described in Clause 12, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0261] Send a control message to the first TRP to indicate that the first TRP does not serve the terminal device;

[0262] Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; and

[0263] Send a control message to the third TRP to indicate that the third TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0264] 14. The electronic device as described in Clause 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0265] A second update request message is received from the first TRP, which indicates that the third TRP will replace the second TRP as the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0266] 15. The electronic device as described in Clause 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0267] Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP is not serving the terminal device; and

[0268] Send a control message to the third TRP to indicate that the third TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0269] 16. The electronic device as described in clauses 11, 13, or 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0270] Send an acknowledgment message to the first TRP for the first or second update request message.

[0271] 17. The electronic device as described in Clause 10, wherein,

[0272] The first TRP and the base station can be implemented as the same device or separate devices;

[0273] The second TRP and the base station are implemented as separate devices or the same device; and / or

[0274] The base station is a satellite communication device.

[0275] 18. An electronic device for a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is jointly served by a first TRP and a second TRP, the first TRP being a primary TRP and the second TRP being a secondary TRP, and the electronic device includes processing circuitry configured to:

[0276] Based on the measurement configuration information received from the first TRP, measurements are performed on the first TRP and the second TRP; and

[0277] Based on the fact that the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP meets a first threshold, a measurement report is sent to the first TRP, the measurement report including at least the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP.

[0278] 19. The electronic device as described in Clause 18, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

[0279] Based on the measurement configuration information, a third TRP is also measured, and the measurement report also includes the measurement quality of the third TRP.

[0280] 20. An electronic device as described in Clause 18 or 19, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message from the master TRP and perform at least one of the following:

[0281] Establish a primary connection with the second TRP and a secondary connection with the first TRP;

[0282] Establish a secondary connection with the third TRP; or

[0283] Establish a primary connection with the second TRP and a secondary connection with the third TRP.

[0284] 21. The electronic device as described in Clause 18, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive control channel indication information from a first TRP to receive a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) through at least one of the first TRP or a second TRP.

[0285] 22. The electronic device as described in Clause 21, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to carry the control channel indication information via a MAC control unit.

[0286] 23. A method for a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP), wherein the first TRP and a second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device, the method comprising:

[0287] In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively:

[0288] Provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the measurement configuration information specifies that at least the first TRP and the second TRP shall be measured;

[0289] Receive a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including the measurement quality of at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and

[0290] Based at least on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP, update the TRP of the specific terminal device being served.

[0291] The process of updating the TRP for the specific terminal device includes: determining that the second TRP will become the primary TRP for the terminal device based on the fact that the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP meets a first threshold.

[0292] 24. A method for a base station, wherein the base station controls multiple Transmitter / Receiver Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device, the method comprising:

[0293] In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively:

[0294] Provide the first TRP with measurement configuration information for the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP; and

[0295] A first update request message is received from the first TRP, which indicates that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

[0296] 25. A method for a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is jointly served by a first TRP and a second TRP, the first TRP being a primary TRP and the second TRP being a secondary TRP, the method comprising:

[0297] Based on the measurement configuration information received from the first TRP, measurements are performed on the first TRP and the second TRP; and

[0298] Based on the fact that the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP meets a first threshold, a measurement report is sent to the first TRP, the measurement report including at least the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP.

[0299] 26. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more instructions, which, when executed by one or more processing circuits of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of clauses 23 to 25.

[0300] 27. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a unit for performing the method as described in any one of clauses 23 to 25.

[0301] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, the present disclosure is by no means limited to the examples described above. Various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims, and it should be understood that such changes and modifications naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0302] For example, the multiple functions included in one unit in the above embodiments can be implemented by separate devices. Alternatively, the multiple functions implemented by multiple units in the above embodiments can be implemented by separate devices respectively. In addition, one of the above functions can be implemented by multiple units. Needless to say, such a configuration is included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0303] In this specification, the steps described in the flowchart include not only processes executed sequentially in the stated order, but also processes executed in parallel or individually, rather than necessarily sequentially. Furthermore, even within the steps of sequential processing, needless to say, the order can be appropriately altered.

[0304] While this disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof used in embodiments of this disclosure are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

Claims

1. An electronic device for a first transmitting / receiving point (TRP), wherein, The first TRP and the second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device, and the electronic device includes a processing circuit configured to: In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: Provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the measurement configuration information specifies that at least the first TRP and the second TRP shall be measured; Receive a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including the measurement quality of at least the first TRP and the second TRP; Based at least on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP, the TRP serving the specific terminal device is updated, wherein updating the TRP serving the specific terminal device includes determining that the second TRP will become the main TRP serving the terminal device based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold. Based on the TRP that updates the service for the specific terminal device, a corresponding TRP update request message is sent to the base station. The update request message includes the fact that the second TRP will become the primary TRP that serves the terminal device. as well as In response to the first TRP being a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, a TRP update control message is received from the base station. Furthermore, in response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP will become the primary TRP for the terminal device, layer 2 resources are prepared, and a TRP update confirmation message is sent to the base station. The base station is a satellite communication device, and the first TRP and the second TRP are implemented as devices separate from the base station, located on the ground or in the air.

2. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The TRP for the specific terminal device to be updated also includes: Based on the fact that the measurement quality of the second TRP is less than the second threshold and the measurement quality of the third TRP is better than the measurement quality of the second TRP, it is determined that the third TRP will replace the second TRP in serving the terminal device.

3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The update request message includes the option for a third TRP to replace the second TRP as the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The processing circuitry is also configured to receive a TRP update acknowledgment message from a base station, the acknowledgment message indicating at least one of the following: The second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device, and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device. The third TRP will replace the second TRP and become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device; or The second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device, and the third TRP will replace the first TRP as the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The processing circuitry is also configured to send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to perform at least one of the following: Establish a primary connection with the second TRP and a secondary connection with the first TRP; Establish a secondary connection with the third TRP; or Establish a primary connection with the second TRP and a secondary connection with the third TRP.

6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to: In response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP is no longer serving the terminal device, the connection with the terminal device is released.

7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to send control channel indication information to the terminal device to indicate that the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is received through at least one of the first TRP or the second TRP.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, The processing circuit is also configured to carry the control channel indication information via a MAC control unit.

9. An electronic device for a base station, wherein, A base station controls multiple Transmitter Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device, and the electronic device includes a processing circuit configured to: In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: Provide the first TRP with measurement configuration information for the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP; Receive a first update request message from a first TRP, the first update request message indicating that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device, and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device; Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; as well as Send an acknowledgment message to the first TRP in response to the first update request message. The base station is a satellite communication device, and the first TRP and the second TRP are implemented as devices separate from the base station, located on the ground or in the air.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to: The terminal device receives a measurement report from the first TRP, the measurement report including the measurement quality of each TRP; Based on the fact that the measurement quality of the first TRP is lower than the third threshold and the measurement quality of the third TRP is better than the measurement quality of the first TRP, it is determined that the third TRP will become the auxiliary TRP serving the terminal device.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to: Send a control message to the first TRP to indicate that the first TRP does not serve the terminal device; Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; as well as Send a control message to the third TRP to indicate that the third TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to: A second update request message is received from the first TRP, which indicates that the third TRP will replace the second TRP as the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to: Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP does not serve the terminal device; as well as Send a control message to the third TRP to indicate that the third TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein, The processing circuit is further configured to: Send an acknowledgment message to the first TRP in response to the second update request message.

15. A method for a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP), wherein, The method, in which a first TRP and a second TRP jointly serve a specific terminal device, includes: In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: Provide measurement configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the measurement configuration information specifies that at least the first TRP and the second TRP shall be measured; Receive a measurement report from the terminal device, the measurement report including the measurement quality of at least the first TRP and the second TRP; Based at least on the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP, the TRP serving the specific terminal device is updated, wherein updating the TRP serving the specific terminal device includes determining that the second TRP will become the main TRP serving the terminal device based on the relative relationship between the measurement quality of the first TRP and the second TRP satisfying a first threshold. Based on the TRP (Transcription Request Message) serving the specific terminal device, a corresponding TRP update request message is sent to the base station, the update request message including the statement that a second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; and In response to the first TRP being a secondary TRP serving the terminal device, a TRP update control message is received from the base station. Furthermore, in response to the update control message indicating that the first TRP will become the primary TRP for the terminal device, layer 2 resources are prepared, and a TRP update confirmation message is sent to the base station. The base station is a satellite communication device, and the first TRP and the second TRP are implemented as devices separate from the base station, located on the ground or in the air.

16. A method for a base station, wherein, A base station controls multiple Transmitter / Receiver Points (TRPs) to jointly serve a specific terminal device, the method comprising: In response to the first TRP and the second TRP being the primary TRP and secondary TRP serving the terminal device, respectively: Provide the first TRP with measurement configuration information for the terminal device, the measurement configuration information specifying that the terminal device measures at least the first TRP and the second TRP; Receive a first update request message from a first TRP, the first update request message indicating that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device, and the first TRP will become the secondary TRP serving the terminal device; Send a control message to the second TRP to indicate that the second TRP will become the primary TRP serving the terminal device; and Send an acknowledgment message to the first TRP in response to the first update request message. The base station is a satellite communication device, and the first TRP and the second TRP are implemented as devices separate from the base station, located on the ground or in the air.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more instructions, which, when executed by one or more processing circuits of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 16.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 15 to 16.

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