Method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for communication for beam failure recovery

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium for communication in a BFR. A method implemented at a first device includes: detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; triggering a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the beam failure for the serving cell is detected; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and sending a first indication that the beam failure is detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available to a second device according to a determination that the information is not available. In this way, complete BFR information of a failed serving cell can ultimately be obtained, and more reliable and faster BFR can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media for communication for beam failure recovery (BFR). Background Art

[0002] In New Radio (NR) technology, a network device may provide multiple serving cells for a terminal device, and the terminal device may perform a BFR process for each serving cell. The BFR process on the terminal device side generally includes the following operations: beam failure detection (BFD), searching for candidate beams, transmitting a BFR request to the network device, and monitoring a response to the BFR request from the network device.

[0003] Generally, the terminal device will spend dozens of milliseconds searching for candidate beams for the serving cell in which the beam failure is detected. In the current BFR process, when a beam failure is detected on a serving cell, the terminal device sends a BFR media access control (MAC) control element (CE) to the network device to indicate the beam failure and the availability of candidate beams and the available candidate beams (if any). If the terminal device has not completed the search for candidate beams at this time point, the terminal device will need to indicate that no candidate beams have been found. In this case, the network device may incorrectly deactivate the serving cell, believing that no candidate has been found. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for BFR.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: detect a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device at the first device; trigger a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell; determine whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and according to a determination that the information is not available, send a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication that no candidate beams are available to a second device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a first device is provided. The first device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: detect a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device at the first device; determine, based on determining that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell, whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; trigger, based on the determination that the information is available, a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell; and send a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a second device is provided. The second device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: perform at least one of the following: receive, at the second device, a first indication that a beam failure is detected for a serving cell of the first device and a second indication that no candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is not available, or receive, at the second device, a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; and perform beam management based on the first indication and the second indication.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of a first device at the first device; triggering, based on the determination that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell, a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and sending, based on the determination that the information is not available, a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of a first device at the first device; determining, based on the determination that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell, whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; triggering, based on the determination that the information is available, a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell; and sending a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: performing at least one of the following: receiving, at a second device, a first indication that beam failure of a serving cell of a first device is detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is unavailable, or receiving, at the second device, a first indication that beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; and performing beam management based on the first indication and the second indication.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes: means for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of a first device at the first device; means for triggering, for the serving cell, a process for beam failure recovery based on a determination that beam failure is detected for the serving cell; means for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and means for sending, based on a determination that the information is unavailable, a first indication that beam failure is detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes: means for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of a first device at the first device; means for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available based on a determination that beam failure is detected for the serving cell; means for triggering, for the serving cell, a process for beam failure recovery based on a determination that the information is available; and means for sending a first indication that beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes: means for performing at least one of the following: receiving, at a second device, a first indication that beam failure of a serving cell of a first device is detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is unavailable, or receiving, at the second device, a first indication that beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; and means for performing beam management based on the first indication and the second indication.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing a device to perform the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to execute the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to execute the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0017] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Through the following description, other features of the present disclosure will become readily understandable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 An example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A flowchart showing a communication process during a BFR procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 3A A diagram showing a BFR MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 3B A diagram showing another BFR MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 4 A flowchart showing another communication process during a BFR procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a communication method implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 6 A flowchart showing another communication method implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 7 A flowchart showing a communication method implemented at a second device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0028] Figure 9A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0030] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that the description of these embodiments is only for the purpose of illustration and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and does not represent any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

[0031] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0032] In the present disclosure, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that, whether or not explicitly described, the influence of such feature, structure, or characteristic in combination with other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0033] It should be understood that although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0034] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. The singular forms "a", "an", and "the" used herein also include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further understood, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0035] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" can refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0036] (a) A pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0037] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable):

[0038] (i) A combination of (one or more) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0039] (ii) Any portion of a (one or more) hardware processors with software, including (one or more) digital signal processors, software, and (one or more) memories, which work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions, and

[0040] (c) (One or more) hardware circuitry and / or (one or more) processors, such as (one or more) microprocessors or a portion of (one or more) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware)

[0041] to operate, but the software can be absent when not needed for operation.

[0042] The definition of the circuitry is suitable for all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuitry or a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also encompasses a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0043] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth-generation (5G) system, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development of communication, of course, there will also be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above systems.

[0044] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. The network device can refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Header (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, low-power node (such as femto, pico, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. The RAN split architecture includes a gNB-CU (Centralized Unit that hosts RRC, SDAP, and PDCP) that controls multiple gNB-DUs (Distributed Units that host RLC, MAC, and PHY). The relay node can correspond to the DU part of the IAB node.

[0045] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, Internet Protocol voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop in-vehicle equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automation processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. A terminal device may also correspond to the mobile termination (MT) part of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (also referred to as a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0046] When a terminal device detects a beam failure on a serving cell and the terminal device has an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) resource for transmitting a BFR MAC CE, the terminal device needs to indicate the detected beam failure for the serving cell. However, if the terminal device has not completed candidate beam search at that point in time, the terminal device will need to indicate the availability indication (AC) field in the BFR MAC CE as no candidate has been found for the network device. This is because the setting of the Ci field follows the logic that for a serving cell, a beam failure is either detected or not detected. If the terminal device has to always indicate no candidate found in such a case, BFR may be delayed more compared to allowing the terminal device to complete the search and report candidate beams, and the network device may wrongly deactivate the serving cell thinking that no candidate has been found.

[0047] In existing solutions, if it is implemented to allow the terminal device not to indicate a serving cell as failed when the search is not completed, this may cause the network device to provide unnecessary authorizations to the terminal device for the failed serving cell. In the case where the failed serving cell is a serving cell of an uplink control channel such as a PUCCH secondary cell (SCell), it may also prevent reliable downlink feedback from being provided for the SCell in the PUCCH group.

[0048] For example, the interpretation of the Ci field changes such that: when set to 1, it only indicates "beam failure detected", but when set to 0, it does not indicate "beam failure not detected" because it may be the case that a beam failure has been detected but the candidate beam search has not been completed. However, this results in the problem of the network device providing unnecessary authorizations for the failed serving cell.

[0049] In addition, it has been proposed that if it is determined that at least one BFR has been triggered and not cancelled, but there is no beam failure information to be reported for the serving cell ready, then there is no need to generate a BFR MAC CE or a truncated BFR MAC CE or trigger a scheduling request (SR) for the BFR for the serving cell. However, in the case of a serving cell for which a candidate search has been performed, this does not solve the problem. Delaying the report after this point will delay the recovery of a given serving cell.

[0050] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved BFR solution. In this solution, for at least one of the BFR trigger or the content of the reported BFR MAC CE, the case where the search for candidate beams of at least one serving cell (also referred to herein as obtaining information related to the BFR) is still in progress is considered. In one aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the BFR process has been triggered and there is at least one failed serving cell (for which the search has not been completed, or no candidate beam has been detected so far, or both), the terminal device keeps the BFR for that serving cell triggered and not cancelled in order to continue the search until the search is completed. In this way, the terminal device can finally complete the search for candidate beams and send complete BFR information to the network device. Therefore, a more reliable and faster BFR can be achieved.

[0051] In another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the BFR for the serving cell is triggered only when the search for candidate beams is completed or when at least one more suitable candidate beam is found for the serving cell. In this way, the network device can also obtain complete BFR information for the failed serving cell, and a more reliable and faster BFR can also be achieved. The principles and implementation of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1FIG. 100 illustrates an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As Figure 1 shown, network 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may be a terminal device, and the second device 120 may be a network device serving the first device 110. The second device 120 may provide serving cells 121-123 for the first device 110. For example, each of the serving cells 121-123 may be a SCell, a primary cell (PCell), a primary SCell (PSCell), or a special cell (SpCell), such as a PCell or a PSCell.

[0053] It should be understood that Figure 1 the number and type of the first and second devices and the number and type of the serving cells shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not subject to any limitation. Network 100 may include any suitable number and type of first and second devices and serving cells suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0054] As Figure 1 shown, the first device 110 and the second device 120 may communicate with each other. For example, the first device 110 may detect beam failure for each of the serving cells 121-123, and if beam failure is detected for at least one serving cell (in this example, serving cell 121), the first device 110 may trigger a BFR for each failed serving cell.

[0055] Once the BFR is triggered, the first device 110 may send an indication of the beam failure and information related to the BFR of the serving cell to the second device 120. In some embodiments, the information related to the BFR may include the presence of a candidate beam field (also referred to as an availability indication (AC)) and / or a candidate beam ID (if available for the serving cell). Of course, the information related to the BFR may also include any other suitable information. Thus, the second device 120 may know the beam failure and the information related to the BFR of the serving cell, and send an updated configuration for the serving cell to the first device 110.

[0056] Communication in network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to LTE, LTE evolution, advanced LTE (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), and global system for mobile communications (GSM), etc. In addition, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocols known currently or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0057] In some cases, when the BFR of serving cell 121 is triggered, the first device 110 may not have obtained the information related to the BFR of serving cell 121 yet. This will affect the performance of the BFR and should therefore be taken into account. The BFR information acquisition or candidate search may include, for example, evaluating beams (such as synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSB) beams or channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) beams) within a predefined time period. In some cases, when the beam is better than the configured threshold, the BFR information becomes available.

[0058] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for BFR, the mechanism of which is as Figure 2 shown in the high-level flowchart shown. Figure 2 FIG. 200 is a flowchart showing a communication process for BFR according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, it will be described in conjunction with Figure 1 an example of Figure 2 .

[0059] As Figure 2 shown, the first device 110 detects beam failures 201 for each of the serving cells 121-123. In some embodiments, if a beam failure instance indicates that it has been received from a lower layer, the first device 110 may start or restart a timer (e.g., beamFailureDetectionTimer) for BFD and increment the value of a counter (e.g., BFI_COUNTER) by 1. Of course, any other suitable way is also feasible for BFD, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0060] If the first device 110 detects a beam failure for serving cell 121, the first device 110 triggers 202 the BFR process for serving cell 121. Following the above example, if the value of the counter is higher than a threshold (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount), the first device 110 may trigger the BFR process for serving cell 121. It should be noted that this is only an example, and any other suitable way may also trigger the BFR process.

[0061] When a BFR process is triggered or during the BFR process, the first device 110 may determine 203 whether information related to BFR is available for the serving cell 121. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may perform this determination by determining whether the search for candidate beams for the serving cell 121 is completed. In some embodiments, if it is determined that the search is not completed, the first device 110 may determine that the information related to BFR is not available. In some embodiments, if it is determined that the search is completed, the first device 110 may determine that the information related to BFR is available.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the search is completed by determining whether at least one candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period. In some embodiments, if it is determined that at least one candidate beam is identified within the predetermined time period, the first device 110 may determine that the search is completed.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the search is completed by determining whether no candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period. In some embodiments, if it is determined that no candidate beam is identified within the predetermined time period, the first device 110 may determine that the search is completed.

[0064] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned predetermined time period may be set for candidate beam evaluation, for example, for synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSBs) / channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs). Of course, the predetermined time period may be in any other suitable manner.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may identify or search for candidate beams from a resource set configured for the search (also referred to herein as the first resource set). In some embodiments, the first resource set may be an RS set configured for candidate beam evaluation. For example, if at least one of the SSBs in the candicateBeamRSSCellList with SS-RSRP higher than rsrp-ThresholdBFR or the CSI-RSs in the candicateBeamRSSCellList with CSI-RSRP higher than rsrp-ThresholdBFR is available, the first device 110 may determine that the candidate beam is found and then determine that the search is completed. It should be noted that this is only an example and does not limit the present disclosure.

[0066] In some embodiments, if no candidate beam is found from the first resource set, the first device 110 may continue to search in another resource set (also referred to herein as the second resource set) configured for the serving cell 121. For example, when no candidate beam is found and the candidate beam evaluation period is completed, the first device 110 may keep the BFR triggered and consider one or more or all of the SSB indices (and / or CSI-RS indices) configured for the serving cell (or the serving cells for which the device 110 determines at least one set of candidates) 121 as the second resource set. In this case, the first device 110 may initiate a new evaluation period. If a candidate beam is found from the second resource set, the first device 110 may determine that a candidate beam is found and then determine that the search is complete. In some examples, the second resource set may be determined on the resources of the same serving cell that configures the first resource set, or the second resource set may be determined on the resources configured for another serving cell (e.g., PCell or SCell SSB indices and / or CSI-RS indices).

[0067] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the first resource set includes the second resource set. If it is determined that the first resource set includes the second resource set, the first device 110 may not keep or maintain the BFR triggered. That is, there is no need to continue searching in the second resource set. If it is determined that the first resource set does not include (e.g., only partially includes) the second resource set, the first device 110 may continue to search in the second resource set.

[0068] In these embodiments, after providing the BFR MAC CE (which has an indication that the search period has been completed), the second device 120 may know that the first device 110 is now considering the SSB index and is able to use only the SSB index to decode the candidate RS field in subsequent transmissions related to the serving cell 121.

[0069] So far, the determination of whether the information related to BFR is available for the serving cell 121 has been described. If the first device 110 determines that the information related to BFR is not available for the serving cell 121, the first device 110 sends 204 a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available to the second device 120. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may generate a BFR MAC CE to carry the first indication and the second indication. Figure 3A FIG. 300A shows a BFR MAC CE with the highest ServCellIndex less than 8. Figure 3B FIG. 300B shows a BFR MAC CE with the highest ServCellIndex equal to or higher than 8. Of course, any other suitable form of BFR MAC CE is also feasible.

[0070] For example, a field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., Figure 3A the C in i field 301 or Figure 3B the C in i field 311) can be used to indicate beam failure detection for the serving cell, and another field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., Figure 3A the AC field 302 in Figure 3B or the AC field 312 in i can be used to indicate the presence of candidate beams. As an example, the C i field of serving cell 121 can be set to 1 to indicate that a beam failure has been detected, and the C

[0071] field can be set to 0 to indicate that no beam failure has been detected for the serving cell with cell ID i. As an example, the AC field for serving cell 121 can be set to 1 to indicate that candidate beams are available, and the AC field can be set to 0 to indicate that candidate beams are not available. Of course, these are merely examples, and the first indication and the second indication can also be sent in any other suitable manner. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also send a third indication to the second device 120 regarding whether the search is complete. For example, a field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., Figure 3A the R field 303 in Figure 3B or the R field 313 in

[0072] can be used to indicate whether the search is complete. This indication can be a one-bit flag. The interpretation of the R field can also be that the BFR MAC CE includes or does not include the complete BFR information of serving cell 121. Thus, the second device 120 can determine based on the R field that the first device 110 is still searching for candidates and that more information may follow, and thus does not have to perform any beam management actions on serving cell 121. Figure 3A In some alternative embodiments, if the AC field in the BFR MAC CE is set to indicate that no candidate beams have been found (e.g., set to 0), then Figure 3B one or more bits of the candidate RS index field 304 in

[0073] or the candidate RS index field 314 in

[0074] can be used to encode an indication of whether the search is complete. In some embodiments, the completion of the search can indicate whether the first device 110 has searched for candidate beams according to the minimum candidate beam search (i.e., the candidate beam evaluation period requirement). Of course, these are merely examples, and the third indication can also be sent in any other suitable manner, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.In these embodiments, when the first indication and the second indication are sent, the first device 110 may keep the BFR of the serving cell 121 triggered without being cancelled. In this case, the search for candidate beams may continue until the search is completed. Thus, the search for candidate beams may be completed, and the candidate beam (if any) may be further indicated via a separate BFR MAC CE.

[0075] Reference Figure 2 , in some embodiments, when the first device 110 determines that information related to BFR is available for the serving cell 121, e.g., when the first device 110 determines that the search is completed, the first device 110 may retransmit 205 the first indication and the second indication to the second device 120. For example, the first device 110 may generate a new BFR MAC CE to carry the first indication and the second indication. The first indication indicates beam failure of the serving cell 121. The second indication indicates whether information related to BFR is available. In this case, whether or not the first device 110 can find a candidate beam, the first device 110 needs to send a BFR MAC CE to the second device 120 again.

[0076] In some embodiments where a candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may also send information about the candidate beam. For example, the first device 110 may send the candidate beam RS ID in the candidate RS index field 304 in Figure 3A or the candidate RS index field 314 in Figure 3B . Of course, any other suitable way is also feasible.

[0077] In some alternative embodiments, if no new candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may stop reporting new BFR MAC CE.

[0078] Reference Figure 2 , in some embodiments, when the BFR process for the serving cell 121 remains triggered and the first device 110 indicates that no candidate beam is found, the second device 120 may take corresponding beam management actions. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 206 an updated configuration or a new configuration for the report of CSI measurement. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send an updated configuration for the measurement of CSI. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send the conditions for the report of CSI. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a beam indication for the downlink control channel of the serving cell 121.

[0079] For example, if the first device 110 has sent a BFR MAC CE to the second device 120 to indicate that no candidate has been found after the candidate beam evaluation period, or the search has not been completed and the BFR remains triggered, then the second device 120 may send such information to perform beam management. It should be noted that any other suitable information is also feasible and is not limited to the above examples.

[0080] In these embodiments, upon receiving this information from the second device 120, the first device 110 may stop 207 the search for candidate beams, and then, the BFR process for the serving cell 121 is cancelled.

[0081] By Figure 2 the process described in, if the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is not completed, the BFR may be triggered and remain triggered until the search is completed. Meanwhile, one or more BFR MAC CEs may be sent to convey the complete BFR information of the failed serving cell. In this way, the network device can finally obtain the complete BFR information of the failed serving cell in the BFR MAC CE, and a more reliable and faster BFR can be achieved.

[0082] Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide another solution for BFR, the mechanism of which is as Figure 4 shown in the high-level flowchart shown. Figure 4 FIG. 400 shows a flowchart of a communication process for BFR according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, it will be described in conjunction with Figure 1 the example of Figure 4 . Contrary to Figure 2 , Figure 4 the idea of the process in is that the BFR for the serving cell can be triggered only when the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed.

[0083] As Figure 4 shown, the first device 110 detects 401 beam failures for each of the serving cells 121-123. This detection operation is similar to the operation described in 201 in conjunction with Figure 2 , and thus for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0084] If the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121, the first device 110 determines 402 whether information related to the BFR for the serving cell 121 is available. This determination operation is similar to the operation described in 203 in conjunction with Figure 2 , and thus for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0085] If it is determined that the information related to the BFR of serving cell 121 is available, the first device 110 triggers a procedure 403 for BFR for serving cell 121. This triggering operation is similar to the operation described in Figure 2 in 202, and thus for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0086] When the BFR procedure has been triggered, the first device 110 sends 404 to the second device 120 a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may generate a BFR MAC CE to carry the first indication and the second indication. For example, one field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., Figure 3A the C i field 301 in Figure 3B or the C i field 311 in Figure 3A may be used to indicate BFD, and another field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., the AC field 302 in Figure 3B or the AC field 312 in i may be used to indicate the presence of a candidate beam. As an example, the C i field for serving cell 121 may be set to 1 to indicate that a beam failure has been detected, and the C

[0088] field may be set to 0 to indicate that a beam failure has not been detected. As an example, the AC field for serving cell 121 may be set to 1 to indicate that a candidate beam is available, and the AC field may be set to 0 to indicate that a candidate beam is not available. Of course, these are merely examples, and the first indication and the second indication may also be sent in any other suitable manner. Figure 3A In some embodiments where a candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may also send information about the candidate beam. For example, the first device 110 may send the candidate beam RS ID in the candidate RS index field 304 in Figure 3B or the candidate RS index field 314 in

[0089] Reference Figure 4, in some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 405 information on at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for CSI measurements, conditions for CSI reporting, or a beam indication for the downlink control channel of serving cell 121. For example, if the first device 110 has sent a BFR MAC CE to the second device 120 to indicate that no candidate has been found after a candidate beam evaluation period, or the search has not been completed and BFR remains triggered, the second device 120 may send such information to perform beam management.

[0090] In these embodiments, upon receiving the information from the second device 120, the first device 110 may stop 406 searching for candidate beams, and then, the BFR process for serving cell 121 is cancelled.

[0091] By Figure 4 the process described in, BFR can be triggered only if the search for candidate beams of the serving cell is completed. In this way, the network device can obtain the complete BFR information of the failed serving cell in the BFR MAC CE, and a more reliable and faster BFR can be achieved.

[0092] Corresponding to the above process, some example embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that since the present disclosure extends beyond these limited embodiments, the detailed description given herein for these figures is for explanatory purposes.

[0093] Figure 5 A flowchart of a communication method 500 implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Method 500 may be implemented at Figure 1 the first device 110 shown. For ease of discussion, method 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1 It should be understood that method 500 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0094] As Figure 5As shown, at block 510, the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110. In some embodiments, if a beam failure instance indicates that it has been received from a lower layer, the first device 110 may start or restart a timer (e.g., beamFailureDetectionTimer) for BFD and increment the value of a counter (e.g., BFI_COUNTER) by 1. Of course, any other suitable manner is also feasible for BFD, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, if the value of the counter is higher than a threshold (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount), the first device 110 may determine that a beam failure for the serving cell has been detected. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and any other suitable BFD manner is also feasible.

[0095] If the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121, then at block 520, the first device 110 triggers a BFR process for the serving cell 121. The triggering of the BFR process means the start of the operations in blocks 530 - 540.

[0096] At block 530, the first device 110 determines whether information related to BFR is available for the serving cell 121. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed. If it is determined that the search is not completed, the first device 110 may determine that the information is not available. If it is determined that the search is completed, the first device 110 may determine that the information is available.

[0097] In some embodiments, if it is determined that at least one candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period, the first device 110 may determine that the search is completed. In some embodiments, if it is determined that no candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period, the first device 110 may determine that the search is completed.

[0098] If it is determined that the information is not available, then at block 540, the first device 110 sends a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication that no candidate beam is available to the second device 120. In some embodiments, if it is determined that the information is not available, the first device 110 may keep the BFR process for the serving cell 121 triggered. In this way, the search for candidate beams can continue and then be completed. Thus, complete information related to BFR can be obtained, and the execution of the BFR process can be facilitated.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also send a third indication to the second device 120 regarding whether the search is completed. In this way, the second device 120 can know that the first device 110 is still searching for candidates and more information may follow, and thus does not have to perform any beam management actions on the serving cell 121.

[0100] In some embodiments where the process of the BFR of the serving cell 121 remains triggered, if the search is completed such that information related to the BFR is available, the first device 110 may send the second device 120 again the first indication that a beam failure has been detected and the second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available. In this way, the complete BFR information can ultimately be sent to the second device 120.

[0101] In some embodiments where the search for candidate beams of the serving cell 121 is completed, the first device 110 may determine whether a candidate beam is found. If it is determined that no candidate beam is found from the first resource set configured for the search, the first device 110 may continue the search in the second resource set configured for the serving cell. If it is determined that a candidate beam is found from the second resource set, the first device may determine that the candidate beam is found. In this way, the complete BFR information can be obtained more reliably.

[0102] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the first resource set configured for the search includes the second resource set configured for the serving cell. If it is determined that the first resource set does not include the second resource set, the first device 110 may continue the search in the second resource set. In this way, the search can be performed more efficiently.

[0103] In some embodiments, if it is determined that a candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may send the second indication that the candidate beam is available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also send information about the candidate beam to the second device 120.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may stop the search in response to receiving information from the second device 120 regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for CSI measurements, conditions for CSI reporting, or beam indication for the downlink control channel of the serving cell 121.

[0105] Figure 5 The operations in the method of Figure 2 correspond to the operations in the process described in Figure 5For the method, if the search for candidate beams of the serving cell has not been completed, the BFR can be triggered and remain triggered until the search is completed. Meanwhile, one or more BFR MAC CEs can be sent to convey the complete BFR information of the failed serving cell. In this way, the complete BFR information of the failed serving cell can be finally obtained, and a more reliable and faster BFR can be achieved.

[0106] Figure 6 FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of another communication method 600 implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 600 may be implemented at Figure 1 the first device 110 shown. For ease of discussion, method 600 will be described with reference to Figure 1 FIG. 4. It should be understood that method 600 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0107] As Figure 6 shown, at block 610, the first device 110 detects beam failure for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110. In some embodiments, if a beam failure instance indicates that it has been received from a lower layer, the first device 110 may start or restart a timer for BFD (e.g., beamFailureDetectionTimer), and increment the value of a counter (e.g., BFI_COUNTER) by 1. Of course, any other suitable manner is also feasible for BFD, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, if the value of the counter is higher than a threshold (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount), the first device 110 may determine that beam failure for the serving cell is detected. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and any other suitable BFD manner is also feasible.

[0108] If the first device 110 detects beam failure for the serving cell 121, then at block 620, the first device 110 determines whether information related to the BFR of the serving cell 121 is available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the search for candidate beams of the serving cell is completed. If it is determined that the search is not completed, the first device 110 may determine that the information is not available. If it is determined that the search is completed, the first device 110 may determine that the information is available.

[0109] In some embodiments, if it is determined that at least one candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period, the first device 110 may determine that the search is completed. In some embodiments, if it is determined that no candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period, the first device 110 may determine that the search is completed.

[0110] If it is determined that the information is available, at block 630, the first device 110 triggers a BFR procedure for the serving cell 121. The triggering of the BFR procedure means the start of the operation at block 640.

[0111] At block 640, the first device 110 sends a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available to the second device 120. In this way, complete BFR information can be sent to the second device 120.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether a candidate beam has been found. If it is determined that no candidate beam has been found from the first resource set configured for the search, the first device 110 may continue the search in a second resource set configured for the serving cell. If it is determined that a candidate beam has been found from the second resource set, the first device 110 may determine that a candidate beam has been found. In this way, complete BFR information can be obtained more reliably.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the first resource set includes the second resource set. If it is determined that the first resource set does not include the second resource set, the first device 110 may continue the search in the second resource set. In this way, the search can be performed more efficiently.

[0114] In some embodiments, if it is determined that a candidate beam has been found, the first device 110 may send a second indication that the candidate beam is available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also send information about the candidate beam to the second device 120.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may stop the search in response to receiving information about at least one of the following from the second device 120: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for CSI measurements, conditions for CSI reporting, or a beam indication for the downlink control channel of the serving cell 121.

[0116] Figure 6 The operations in the method of Figure 4 correspond to the operations in the procedure described in Figure 6 and thus, for the sake of brevity, other details are omitted here. By the method of

[0117] It should be noted that Figure 5 and Figure 6 each method of Figure 5 andFigure 6 The methods can be used in combination in any suitable manner.

[0118] Correspondingly, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication method implemented at a second device. Figure 7 FIG. shows a flowchart of a communication method 700 implemented at a second device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 700 can be implemented at Figure 1 the second device 120 shown. For ease of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 describe method 700. It should be understood that method 700 may also include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some of the shown blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0119] As Figure 7 shown, at block 710, the second device 120 performs at least one of the following: receiving a first indication that beam failure is detected for a serving cell 121 of the first device 110 and a second indication that no candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device 110 based on determining that information related to beam failure recovery (BFR) for the serving cell 121 is not available; or receiving a first indication that beam failure is detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device 110 based on determining that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell 121 is available.

[0120] In some embodiments, if the first device 110 has not completed the search for candidate beams for the serving cell 121, the second device 120 may receive a first indication that beam failure is detected for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110 and a second indication that no candidate beam is available. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may also receive a third indication regarding whether the search is completed. Based on the third indication, the second device 120 can know whether the search is completed and can decide whether to take any beam management actions.

[0121] In these embodiments, when the first device 110 finally completes the search for candidate beams for the serving cell 121, the second device 120 may also receive a first indication that beam failure is detected for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110 and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available. In this way, the second device 120 can obtain complete BFR information for the serving cell 121.

[0122] In some embodiments where the second indication indicates that a candidate beam is available, the second device 120 may also receive information about the candidate beam from the first device 110.

[0123] At block 720, the second device 120 performs beam management based on the first indication and the second indication. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may determine, based on the first indication and the second indication, whether a beam failure is detected for the serving cell 121 and whether candidate beams are available. The second device 120 may take beam management actions accordingly. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send information about at least one of the following to the first device 110 such that the search for candidate beams is stopped: an updated configuration of the report for CSI measurement, an updated configuration of the measurement for CSI, a condition for the report of CSI, or a beam indication for the downlink control channel of the serving cell 121.

[0124] By Figure 7 way, the network device can obtain the complete BFR information for the failed serving cell and can achieve more reliable and faster BFR.

[0125] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the first device 110) capable of performing method 500 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0126] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include: a component for detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device at the first device; a component for triggering a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell based on determining that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell; a component for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and a component for sending a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication that no candidate beams are available to a second device based on the determination that the information is not available.

[0127] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for keeping the process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell triggered based on the determination that the information is not available.

[0128] In some embodiments, the component for determining may include a component for determining whether the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; a component for determining that the information is not available based on the determination that the search is not completed; and a component for determining that the information is available based on the determination that the search is completed.

[0129] In some embodiments, the component for determining whether the search is completed may include: a component for determining that the search is completed based on the determination that at least one candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period; or a component for determining that the search is completed based on the determination that no candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period.

[0130] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for sending a third indication to a second device regarding whether a search is completed.

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for sending a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available to a second device based on a determination that the information is available.

[0132] In some embodiments, the component for sending may include: a component for determining whether a candidate beam is found; and a component for sending a second indication that the candidate beam is available based on a determination that the candidate beam is found. In these embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for sending information regarding the candidate beam to a second device.

[0133] In some embodiments, the component for determining whether a candidate beam is found may include: a component for continuing to search in a second resource set configured for a serving cell based on a determination that no candidate beam is found from a first resource set configured for the search; and a component for determining that the candidate beam is found based on a determination that the candidate beam is found from the second resource set.

[0134] In some embodiments, the component for continuing may include: a component for determining whether a first resource set configured for the search includes a second resource set configured for the serving cell; and a component for continuing to search in the second resource set based on a determination that the first resource set does not include the second resource set.

[0135] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for stopping the search in response to receiving information from a second device regarding at least one of: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements, an updated configuration for measuring channel state information, conditions for reporting channel state information, or beam indication for a downlink control channel of a serving cell.

[0136] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the first device 110) capable of performing method 600 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0137] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include: components for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of a first device at the first device; components for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available based on determining that beam failure is detected for the serving cell; components for triggering a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell based on the determination that the information is available; and components for sending a first indication that beam failure is detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0138] In some embodiments, the components for determining whether the information is available for the serving cell may include: components for determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is complete; components for determining that the information is not available based on the determination that the search is not complete; and components for determining that the information is available based on the determination that the search is complete.

[0139] In some embodiments, the components for determining whether the search is complete include: components for determining that the search is complete based on the determination that at least one candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period; or components for determining that the search is complete based on the determination that no candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period.

[0140] In some embodiments, the components for sending the second indication include: components for determining whether a candidate beam is found; and components for sending a second indication that the candidate beam is available based on the determination that the candidate beam is found. In these embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for sending information about the candidate beam to a second device.

[0141] In some embodiments, the components for determining whether a candidate beam is found may include: components for continuing to search in a second resource set configured for the serving cell based on the determination that no candidate beam is found from a first resource set configured for the search; and components for determining that the candidate beam is found based on the determination that the candidate beam is found from the second resource set.

[0142] In some embodiments, the components for continuing to search in the second resource set may include: components for determining whether the first resource set configured for the search includes the second resource set configured for the serving cell; and components for continuing to search in the second resource set based on the determination that the first resource set does not include the second resource set.

[0143] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for stopping the search in response to receiving information about at least one of the following from the second device: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurement, an updated configuration for measurement of channel state information, a condition for reporting channel state information, or a beam indication for a downlink control channel of the serving cell.

[0144] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the second device 120) capable of performing method 700 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 700. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include: components for performing at least one of the following: receiving a first indication that beam failure has been detected for a serving cell of a first device and a second indication that no candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is unavailable; or receiving a first indication that beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, the first indication and the second indication being sent by the first device based on a determination that the information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; and components for performing beam management based on the first indication and the second indication.

[0146] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for receiving a third indication from the first device regarding whether a search for a candidate beam is complete.

[0147] In some embodiments in which the second indication indicates that a candidate beam is available, the apparatus may further include components for receiving information about the candidate beam from the first device.

[0148] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for sending to the first device information about at least one of the following to cause the search for a candidate beam to be stopped: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements, an updated configuration for measuring channel state information, conditions for reporting channel state information, or a beam indication for a downlink control channel of the serving cell.

[0149] Figure 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement the first device or the second device, e.g., Figure 1 the first device 110 or the second device 120 shown. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processors 810, and one or more communication modules 840 (such as a transmitter and / or a receiver) coupled to the processors 810.

[0150] The communication module 840 is for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements.

[0151] The processor 810 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The device 800 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are subordinate in time to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0152] The memory 820 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0153] The computer program 830 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 810. The program 830 can be stored in the ROM 824. The processor 810 can execute any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0154] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by the program 830 such that the device 800 can execute any of the processes of the present disclosure discussed with reference to Figures 2 - 7 Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0155] In some embodiments, the program 830 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 800. The device 800 can load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium can include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disks, CDs, DVDs, etc. Figure 9 An example of a computer-readable medium 900 that can be in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The program 830 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0156] In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented using hardware, while other aspects may be implemented using firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as a non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0157] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as the instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods 500, 600, and 700 described above with reference to Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 and 700. In general, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or split as needed among the program modules. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0158] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0159] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier such that the device, apparatus, or processor can perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0160] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0161] Moreover, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0162] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the foregoing specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: at the first device, detect a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; based on a determination of detecting the beam failure for the serving cell, determine whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, wherein determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes: determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; and based on the determination, send a first indication that the beam failure has been detected and a second indication of whether a search for the candidate beams for the serving cell is completed to a second device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: based on a determination that the search is not completed, determine that the information is not available.

3. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the first device is further caused to: determine whether the candidate beam is found; and based on a determination that the candidate beam is found, send a third indication that the candidate beam is available, and wherein the first device is further caused to: send information about the candidate beam to the second device.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the first device is caused to determine whether the candidate beam is found by: based on a determination that no candidate beam is found from a first resource set configured for the search, continue the search in a second resource set configured for the serving cell; and based on a determination that the candidate beam is found from the second resource set, determine that the candidate beam is found.

5. The first device according to claim 4, wherein the first device is caused to continue the search in the second resource set by: determine whether the first resource set configured for the search includes the second resource set configured for the serving cell; and based on a determination that the first resource set does not include the second resource set, continue the search in the second resource set.

6. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: stop the search in response to receiving information from the second device regarding at least one of: an updated configuration for reporting of channel state information measurement, an updated configuration for measurement of channel state information, conditions for reporting of channel state information, or a beam indication for a downlink control channel for the serving cell.

7. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to determine whether the search is completed by: based on a determination that at least one candidate beam is identified within a predetermined time period, determine that the search is completed; or based on a determination that no candidate beam is identified within the predetermined time period, determine that the search is completed.

8. A second device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device to: perform at least one of the following at the second device: receive a first indication that a beam failure of a serving cell of a first device is detected and a second indication that a search for a candidate beam for the serving cell is not completed, the first indication and the second indication being received from the first device when information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is not available, where the information not being available includes: the search for a candidate beam for the serving cell is not completed; or receive the first indication that the beam failure is detected and the second indication regarding whether the search for a candidate beam for the serving cell is completed, the first indication and the second indication being received from the first device when the information related to the beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, where the information being available includes: the search for a candidate beam for the serving cell is completed; and perform beam management based on the first indication and the second indication.

9. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the second device is further caused to: receive a third indication from the first device regarding whether the candidate beam is available.

10. The second device according to claim 9, wherein the third indication indicates that the candidate beam is available, and wherein the second device is further caused to: receive information about the candidate beam from the first device.

11. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the second device is further caused to send information about at least one of the following to the first device to cause the first device to stop searching for the candidate beam: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurement; an updated configuration for measurement of channel state information, conditions for reporting channel state information; and a beam indication for a downlink control channel for the serving cell.

12. A communication method, comprising: at a first device, detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; triggering a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to determining that the beam failure is detected for the serving cell; determining whether information related to the beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell, where determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes: determining whether the search for a candidate beam for the serving cell is completed; and sending, according to determining that the information is not available, the first indication that the beam failure is detected and the second indication that the search for the candidate beam for the serving cell is not completed to a second device, where determining that the information is not available includes: determining that the search for a candidate beam for the serving cell is not completed.

13. A communication method, comprising: at a first device, detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; Based on the determination of detecting the beam failure for the serving cell, determine whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, where the determination of whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes: determining whether the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; And Based on the determination, send a first indication that the beam failure is detected and a second indication of whether the search for the candidate beams for the serving cell is completed to a second device.

14. A communication device, Comprising: Components for detecting beam failure for the serving cell of the first device at the first device; Components for triggering a process for beam failure recovery for the serving cell based on the determination of detecting the beam failure for the serving cell; Components for determining whether information related to the beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell, where the determination of whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes: determining whether the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; and Components for sending a first indication that the beam failure is detected and a second indication that the search for the candidate beams for the serving cell is not completed to a second device based on the determination that the information is not available, where the determination that the information is not available includes: determining that the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is not completed.

15. A communication device, Comprising: Components for detecting beam failure for the serving cell of the first device at the first device; Components for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available based on the determination of detecting the beam failure for the serving cell, where the determination of whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes: determining whether the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; And Components for sending a first indication that the beam failure is detected and a second indication of whether the search for the candidate beams for the serving cell is completed to a second device based on the determination.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for causing a device to execute the method according to claim 12.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions for causing a device to execute the method according to claim 13.

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