Inter-cell mobility

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to communications for reducing latency associated with cell mobility and handover of activated cells. Techniques described herein relate to a network node configured to select a deactivation cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivation cell being one of a plurality of cells within a set of cells managed by the network node. The network node is further configured to transmit a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the set of cells, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

Description

[0001] background

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application serial number 17 / 812,697, entitled “INTER-CELL MOBILITY” and filed on July 14, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) inter-cell mobility.

[0004] introduction

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcast. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, or even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continued mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)) and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Certain aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Further improvements to 5G NR technology are needed. In addition, these improvements may also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following presents the summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or important elements of all aspects, nor to describe the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a network node for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: select a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node; and send a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0009] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor, the at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receive a signal via an activated cell in a cell set managed by a network node, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within the cell set; and perform beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0010] Certain aspects relate to a method for wireless communication by a network node. In some examples, the method includes selecting a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node. In some examples, the method includes sending a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0011] Certain aspects relate to a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). In some examples, the method includes receiving a signal via an activated cell in a set of cells managed by a network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells in the set of cells. In some examples, the method includes performing beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0012] Certain aspects relate to a network node. In some examples, the network node includes a component for selecting a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node. In some examples, the network node includes a component for sending a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0013] Certain aspects relate to a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE). In some examples, the UE includes a component for receiving a signal via an activated cell in a cell set managed by a network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells in the cell set. In some examples, the UE includes a component for performing beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0014] Certain aspects relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to perform operations. In some examples, the operations include selecting a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node. In some examples, the operations include sending a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0015] Certain aspects relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations. In some examples, the operations include receiving a signal via an activated cell in a set of cells managed by a network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells in the set of cells. In some examples, the operations include performing beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0016] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail some illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are merely indicative of some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this specification is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0018] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0023] Figure 4 An example monolithic (eg, disaggregated) architecture of a distributed radio access network is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture.

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating such a set of cells as configured by a network node.

[0026] Figure 7 is a call flow diagram illustrating example communications between a UE and various network nodes making up active and inactive cells within a set of cells.

[0027] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0028] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0029] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus.

[0030] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication.

[0031] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a hardware implementation for another example apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are intended as descriptions of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configurations with which the concepts described herein can be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid blurring these concepts.

[0033] Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for inter-cell mobility. For example, various aspects relate to configuration and maintenance of multiple candidate cells to provide rapid application of candidate cell configurations and dynamic switching between candidate cells (e.g., such as special cells (SpCells) and secondary cells (SCells)). In some examples, inter-cell mobility may be based on layer 1 (L1) and / or layer 2 (L2) signaling and measurements. Specifically, inter-cell mobility may be based on signal / beam measurements, measurement reports, and communications via L1 and L2.

[0034] In certain aspects, a user equipment (UE) may receive cell set configuration information from a base station or a network node (e.g., a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and / or a radio unit (RU) constituting part of a base station). That is, the base station may configure a cell set including a CU, a DU, and a plurality of RUs managed by the CU and the DU. Each combination of a CU and a DU with one of a plurality of RSs may constitute a cell. In some examples, the CU or DU may determine the cell set configuration and then send the configuration to the UE via the RU.

[0035] In one example, the cell set configuration is provided by the DU via an initial configuration when the UE is establishing a connection with the cell. In other words, before any cell is configured for communication with the UE, when the UE is still establishing communication with the base station. Therefore, when the UE receives the initial configuration from the cell, the cell may not yet be the serving cell of the UE. Once the serving cell has been activated and can communicate with the UE (e.g., send and receive wireless signaling), the cell set configuration can be updated via the active cell or the serving cell.

[0036] The UE may measure signals sent from other RUs that are part of other cells (e.g., deactivated cells) within the cell set. For example, the UE may receive and measure reference signals (RS) or synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) sent by other RUs that are part of the deactivated cell. The UE may transmit a measurement report including an indication of the measured signal to the DU via the RU of the active cell or the serving cell.

[0037] In some examples, the initial configuration may include measurement and reporting information, such as the type of measurements the UE is to perform on signaling received from the deactivated cell (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.), the rate at which the UE performs measurements (e.g., periodic, non-periodic, or event-triggered), and / or the frequency at which the UE transmits reports to the DU.

[0038] Based on the measurement report received from the UE, the DU may select a deactivated cell as a candidate active cell or candidate SpCell / SCell. For example, the DU may determine that the UE receives a high-quality signal from a first cell associated with a first RU, and may determine that the first cell will be a good replacement active cell for the UE. The selection may also be based on (or alternatively based on) other communication parameters, such as the location of the UE, the direction of movement of the UE, the location of the cell, the load on the cell (for example, regardless of whether multiple cells have the same channel quality report and one cell has a smaller load, the DU may select the cell with the smaller load).

[0039] The DU may then activate the TCI state of the selected deactivated cell and send to the UE via the current activated cell or serving cell: (i) an indication of the selection of the deactivated cell (e.g., a cell identifier of the deactivated cell), and / or (ii) the activated TCI state of the deactivated cell. The UE receives the activated TCI state of the deactivated cell, and the UE may perform beam refinement based on the TCI state. Once the deactivated cell is activated, this gives the UE a quick start in determining which beam to use for communication with the deactivated cell, making activation much faster. That is, by providing the UE with the activated TCI state of the deactivated cell, the communication latency between the newly activated cell and the UE is reduced because the UE has determined the appropriate beam for communication with the cell before activation of the cell.

[0040] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0041] As an example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system", which includes one or more processors. The example of a processor includes a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a system on a chip (SoC), a baseband processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a state machine, a gate logic piece, a discrete hardware circuit and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functions described throughout the present disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Whether it is referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language or other names, software should be widely interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc.

[0042] Throughout this disclosure, "network node" may be used to refer to a base station or a disaggregated component of a base station. For example, a base station may be implemented as an aggregate base station (e.g., as described in reference Figure 4 described) or implemented as a decomposed base station (e.g., as described in reference Figure 5 Thus, in some examples, a network node may refer to one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) radio access network (RAN) intelligent controller (RIC), and / or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. In some examples, a network node may be an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, etc.

[0043] Therefore, in one or more example embodiments, the described functions can be implemented with hardware, software or any combination thereof. If implemented with software, the functions can be stored or encoded on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage device, magnetic disk storage device, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of computer-readable media of the above type, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0044] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a user equipment (UE) 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell includes a base station. A small cell includes a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0045] The base station 102 configured for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). The base station 102 configured for 5G New Radio (NR) (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. Among other functions, the base station 102 can also perform one or more of the following functions: delivery of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, via the EPC 160 or the core network 190) via the third backhaul link 134 (eg, an X2 interface). The first backhaul link 132, the second backhaul link 184, and the third backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0046] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include an uplink (UL) (also called a reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also called a forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link can be through one or more carriers. For each carrier allocated in the carrier aggregation for up to a total of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, the base station 102 / UE 104 can use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y megahertz (MHz) (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, etc.). The carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL). The component carrier may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0047] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). D2D communication may be performed by a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0048] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in, for example, a 5 gigahertz (GHz) unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether a channel is available prior to communication.

[0049] The small cell 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may employ NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum may improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0050] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are typically referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is typically referred to (interchangeably) as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0051] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "below 6 GHz" or the like is used herein, it can broadly represent a frequency that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" or the like is used herein, it can broadly represent a frequency that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band.

[0052] The base station 102, whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations, such as gNB 180, may operate in the traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave frequencies, and / or near millimeter wave frequencies to communicate with the UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates in millimeter wave or near millimeter wave frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. The millimeter wave base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. The base station 180 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming.

[0053] Base station 180 may send beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182". UE 104 may also send beamformed signals to base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction of base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0054] The EPC 160 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, an MBMS gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Typically, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted through the serving gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN gateway 172. The PDN gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to IP services 176. The IP services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functions for MBMS user service configuration and delivery. BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area of ​​a broadcast specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related billing information.

[0055] The core network 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may communicate with a unified data management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, the AMF 192 provides quality of service (QoS) flows and session management. All user IP packets are delivered through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to an IP service 197. The IP service 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IMS, a packet switching (PS) streaming media service, and / or other IP services.

[0056] Base stations may include and / or be referred to as gNBs, Node Bs, eNBs, access points, base transceivers, radio base stations, radio transceivers, transceiver functions, basic service sets (BSSs), extended service sets (ESSs), transmit receive points (TRPs), or some other suitable terminology. Base stations 102 provide access points to EPC 160 or core network 190 for UEs 104. Examples of UEs 104 include cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0057] Refer again Figure 1 In certain aspects, the base station 102 / 180 may include an inter-cell mobility module 199 configured to: select a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node; and send a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0058] Refer again Figure 1 In certain aspects, the UE 104 may include a beam manager 198 configured to: receive a signal via an activated cell in a cell set managed by a network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within the cell set; and perform beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0059] Figure 2A FIG200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B FIG230 is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2CFIG250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D FIG280 is a diagram illustrating an example of an UL channel within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD) (wherein for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within the subcarrier set is dedicated to either DL or UL), or may be time division duplex (TDD) (wherein for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), a subframe within the subcarrier set is dedicated to both DL and UL). Figure 2A , Figure 2C In the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (most of which are DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (most of which are UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe may be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are both DL and both UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The slot format is configured for the UE via a received slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically configured via DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Note that the following description also applies to the 5G NR frame structure as TDD.

[0060] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. For example, a 10 millisecond (ms) frame may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a microslot, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot configuration. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. The symbol on the DL may be a cyclic prefix (CP) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbol. The symbol on the UL may be a CP-OFDM symbol (for high throughput scenarios) or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol (also known as a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol) (for power-limited scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of time slots in a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set (numerology). For slot configuration 0, different parameter sets μ0 to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Accordingly, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols per slot and 2 per subframe. μ time slots. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15 kilohertz (kHz), where μ is parameter set 0 to 4. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=0 is 15 kHz, and the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=4 is 240 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP can have a specific set of parameters.

[0061] A resource grid may be used to represent a frame structure. Each slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0062] like Figure 2AAs illustrated, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) for channel estimation at the UE (indicated as R for a particular configuration). x , where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0063] Figure 2B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including nine RE groups (REGs), each REG including four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The PDCCH within a BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). Additional BWPs may be located at higher and / or lower frequencies on the channel bandwidth. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of a frame. The PSS is used by UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identification group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification and the physical layer cell identification group number, the UE may determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE may determine the position of the aforementioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also referred to as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not sent over the PBCH such as the system information block (SIB), and paging messages.

[0064] like Figure 2CAs illustrated, some of the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for a particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may send the DM-RS of the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the DM-RS of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first or first two symbols of the PUSCH. Depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used, the PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations. The UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures in the comb structure. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0065] Figure 2D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) / negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0066] Figure 31 is a block diagram of a base station 102 in an access network communicating with a UE 104. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to the controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with delivery of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0067] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (which includes the physical (PHY) layer) may include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-order phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Subsequently, each stream can be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially pre-coded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. Channel estimates may be derived from reference signals and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 104. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0068] At the UE 104, each receiver 354RX receives a signal through its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 104. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 104, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation point most likely to be sent by the base station 102. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by the base station 102. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0069] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0070] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by the base station 102, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0071] The TX processor 368 may use channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 102 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via corresponding transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0072] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 102 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 104. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 370.

[0073] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transmit channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 104. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0074] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to combine Figure 1 The 198 came to execute all aspects.

[0075] At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to combine Figure 1 The 198 came to execute all aspects.

[0076] Figure 4 An example monolithic (eg, converged) architecture of a distributed RAN 400 is illustrated, which may be Figure 1 The distributed RAN 400 is implemented in the wireless communication system and access network 100 illustrated in FIG. As illustrated in the figure, the distributed RAN 400 includes a core network (CN) 402 and a base station 426.

[0077] CN 402 may host core network functions. CN 402 may be centrally deployed. CN 402 functions may be offloaded (e.g., to Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)) in an effort to handle peak capacity. CN 402 may include AMF 404 and UPF 406. AMF 404 and UPF 406 may perform one or more of the core network functions.

[0078] The base station 426 may communicate with the CN 402 (e.g., via a backhaul interface). The base station 426 may communicate with the AMF 404 via an N2 (e.g., NG-C) interface. The base station 426 may communicate with the UPF 406 via an N3 (e.g., NG-U) interface. The base station 426 may include a central unit control plane (CU-CP) 410, one or more central unit user planes (CU-UP) 412, one or more distributed units (DU) 414 to 418, and one or more radio units (RU) 420 to 424.

[0079] The CU-CP 410 may be connected to one or more of the DUs 414 to 418. The CU-CP 410 and the DUs 414 to 418 may be connected via an F1-C interface. Figure 4 As shown, CU-CP 410 can be connected to multiple DUs, but a DU can be connected to only one CU-CP. Figure 4 Only one CU-UP 412 is illustrated, but the base station 426 may include multiple CU-UPs. The CU-CP 410 selects an appropriate CU-UP for the requested service (e.g., for the UE). The CU-UP 412 may be connected to the CU-CP 410. For example, the CU-UP 412 and the CU-CP 410 may be connected via an E1 interface. The CU-UP 412 may be connected to one or more of the DUs 414-418. The CU-UP 412 and the DUs 414-418 may be connected via an F1-U interface. Figure 4 As shown, the CU-CP 410 may be connected to a plurality of CU-UPs, but a CU-UP may be connected to only one CU-CP 410 .

[0080] A DU (such as DU 414, 416 and / or 418) may host one or more TRPs (transmit / receive points, which may include edge nodes (ENs), edge units (EUs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), etc.). A DU may be located at the edge of a network with radio frequency (RF) functionality. A DU may be connected to multiple CU-UPs, which are connected to (e.g., controlled by) the same CU-CP (e.g., for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and service-specific deployments). A DU may be configured to provide services to a UE individually (e.g., dynamically selected) or jointly (e.g., jointly transmitted). Each DU 414-416 may be connected to one of the RUs 420 / 422 / 424.

[0081] The CU-CP 410 may be connected to multiple DUs that are connected to the same CU-UP 412 (e.g., under the control of the same CU-UP 412). Connectivity between the CU-UP 412 and the DUs may be established through the CU-CP 410. For example, the connectivity between the CU-UP 412 and the DUs may be established using a bearer context management function. Data forwarding between the CU-UPs 412 may be performed via an Xn-U interface.

[0082] The distributed RAN 400 may support fronthaul solutions across different deployment types. For example, the RAN 400 architecture may be based on the transmission network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and / or jitter). The distributed RAN 400 may share features and / or components with LTE. For example, the base station 426 may support dual connectivity with NR and may share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR. The distributed RAN 400 may, for example, implement collaboration between and among DUs 414-418 via the CU-CP 412. Inter-DU interfaces may not be used. Logical functions may be dynamically distributed in the distributed RAN 400.

[0083] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station 500 architecture. The decomposed base station 500 architecture may include one or more CUs 510 that may communicate directly with a core network 520 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with a core network 520 through one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time (RT) RIC 525 via an E2 link, or a non-RT RIC 515 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 505, or both. The CU 510 may communicate with one or more DUs 530 via corresponding midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 530 may communicate with one or more RUs 540 via corresponding fronthaul links. The RU 540 may communicate with corresponding UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 540.

[0084] Each of the units (i.e., CU 510, DU 530, RU 540, and near-RT RIC 525, non-RT RIC 515, and SMO framework 505) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, the units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, the units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units via a wireless transmission medium.

[0085] In some aspects, the CU 510 may host higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 510. The CU 510 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the CU 510 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, the CU 510 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 530 for network control and signaling.

[0086] DU 530 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 540. In some aspects, DU 530 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) depending at least in part on functional divisions such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 530 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 530 or with control functions hosted by CU 510.

[0087] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 540. In some deployments, the RU 540 controlled by the DU 530 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on functional splitting (such as lower layer functional splitting). In such an architecture, the RU 540 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some specific implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU 540 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 530. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 530 and the CU 510 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture such as a virtual RAN (vRAN) architecture.

[0088] The SMO framework 505 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 505 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 505 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-cloud) 590) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 510, DU 530, RU 540, and near-RT RIC 525. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 505 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 511 via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 505 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 540 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 505 may also include a non-RT RIC 515 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 505 .

[0089] The non-RT RIC 515 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 525. The non-RT RIC 515 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 525 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 525 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 510, one or more DUs 530, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 525.

[0090] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 525, the non-RT RIC 515 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 525 and may be received from a non-network data source or network function at the SMO framework 505 or the non-RT RIC 515. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 515 or the near-RT RIC 525 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 515 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 505 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0091] Example of a configured cell set

[0092] Still reference Figure 5 , a DU 530 or a CU 510 may configure a set of cells that support layer 1 (L1) and layer 2 (L2) UE 104 mobility. The set of cells may include a CU 510, a DU 530, and multiple RUs 540, wherein the multiple RUs 540 are managed by the same DU 530. For example, Figure 6 600 is a diagram illustrating such a cell set 620 (also referred to herein as a cell set 620). Here, the CU 610 and / or the DU 630 may configure the cell set so that the CU 610 and the DU 630 manage multiple RUs 640. In this example, each cell in the cell set includes the CU 610, the DU 630, and one of the multiple RUs 640. For example, the CU 610, the DU 630, and the first RU 642 may constitute a first cell in the multiple cells, the CU 610, the DU 630, and the second RU 644 may constitute a second cell in the multiple cells, and the CU 610, the DU 630, and the third RU 646 may constitute a third cell in the multiple cells. It should be noted that although Figure 6 Three RUs in the cell set 620 are illustrated, but any suitable number of RUs may be used.

[0093] In this example, each cell in the cell set 620 supports L1 and L2 communications between multiple RUs 640 and UE 104, and each cell can use the same or different carrier frequencies relative to another cell. Each cell can be configured as a primary cell (PCell) or a special cell (sPCell), and L1 / L2 signaling can be used to update the PCell / sPCell in the cell set 620. Therefore, one or more cells in the cell set 620 can be activated and used for data and control communications with one or more UEs via L1 / L2 signaling.

[0094] As used herein, an "activated cell" is a cell with which UE 104 can communicate (e.g., send and receive wireless signals) data and control signals. In some examples, UE 104 can be configured to support multiple activated cells, or only a single activated cell (e.g., a second cell via second RU 644). In the case of a single activated cell, activation of a cell can be performed under the assumption that another activated cell will be deactivated.

[0095] As used herein, a "deactivated cell" may refer to a cell with which the UE 104 cannot communicate data and control signals. For example, the deactivated cell may not be used for communication with the UE 104, but the deactivated cell may be activated via L1 / L2 signaling and used as a PCell / sPCell once activated.

[0096] Example of communication for inter-cell mobility

[0097] Figure 7 700 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example communication 700 between a UE 104 and various network nodes that make up active and inactive cells. The communication includes a call flow diagram illustrating an example communication 700 between a UE 104 and various network nodes that make up active and inactive cells. Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104), activated cell 742 (e.g., Figure 6 642, DU 630, and CU 610), one or more deactivated cells 744 (e.g., Figure 6 644 or third RU 646, DU 630 and CU 610), DU 730 (e.g., Figure 5 and Figure 6 DU 530 / 630), and CU 710 (e.g., Figure 5 and Figure 6 It should be noted that the activated cell 742 includes the RU (e.g., the first RU (RU1)) in the communication between the UE 104 and the DU 730. Similarly, the one or more deactivated cells 744 include one or more other RUs (e.g., RUs 1 and 2) managed by the same DU 730 between the UE 104 and the DU 730. n ).

[0098] Initially, the DU 730 and / or CU may perform the first process 702 by determining a cell set. As discussed above, each cell may constitute a RU, a DU, and a CU, wherein the DU and the CU may manage multiple RUs. Therefore, each RU in combination with the DU and the CU may constitute a separate cell. In an example with multiple RUs, the multiple cells may form a cell set as configured by the DU 730 and / or the CU 710. Figure 7In the example of , the cell set includes an activated cell 742 (eg, DU 730, CU 710, and a first RU) and one or more deactivated cells (eg, DU 730, CU 710, and one or more RUs other than the first RU).

[0099] In the first communication 704, the DU 730 may send a cell set configuration to the UE 104. In some examples, the cell set configuration may be provided by the DU 730 via an initial configuration between the UE 104 and the DU 730 and / or the CU 710 (e.g., when the UE 104 is establishing a connection with the cell). Therefore, when the UE 104 receives the initial configuration from the cell, the cell may not yet be a serving cell for the UE 104.

[0100] Once the cell has been activated and can communicate with the UE 104 (e.g., send and receive wireless signaling), the DU 730 can send a cell set configuration update to the UE 104 via the activated cell 742 or the serving cell. Thus, in the second communication 706, the DU can send the cell set configuration update to the first RU, which can pass the update to the UE 104 in the third communication 708.

[0101] The cell set configuration may include an indication of the activated cells 742 and one or more deactivated cells 744 within the cell set (e.g., one or more cell IDs and an indication of which cell is activated / deactivated) and a measurement configuration. The measurement configuration may include one or more of the following: the rate at which the UE 104 measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells 744 and / or activated cells 742 (e.g., the frequency at which the UE 104 performs measurements, whether the measurements are periodic, aperiodic, or event-triggered), the type of measurements that the UE 104 is to perform on signaling received from the deactivated cells 744 and / or activated cells 742 (e.g., received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.), and / or the rate at which the UE 104 sends measurement reports to the DU 730. The cell set configuration update may include any updates to the cell set, for example, if a cell is deactivated or if a cell is added to / removed from the cell set. In some examples, the cell set configuration update may include a TCI state change for an activated cell 742 and / or one or more deactivated cells 744.

[0102] In a fourth communication 712, the UE 104 may receive one or more signals (e.g., reference signals (RS), SS / PBCH blocks, etc.) from one or more deactivated cells 744. It should be noted that the received signals may be any signals suitable for L1 / L2 measurements to be performed by the UE 104 on the signals.

[0103] At the second process 714, the UE 104 may measure the received one or more signals using the measurement type indicated in the cell set configuration of the first communication 704. The UE 104 may then send a measurement report to the activated cell 742 in a fifth communication 716 and a sixth communication 718 for delivery from the first RU to the DU 730. The measurement report may provide the DU 730 with an indication of the channel quality and / or signal power of the signals received by the UE 104 from the one or more deactivated cells 744.

[0104] In the third process 720, the DU 730 may select the deactivated cell 744 as a candidate active cell or candidate SpCell / SCell based on the measurement report received from the UE 104. For example, the DU 730 may determine that the UE 104 receives a high quality signal from the deactivated cell 744 associated with the RU, and may determine that the deactivated cell would be a good replacement active cell for the UE 104. The determination may be based on the QoS requirements of the UE 104, the mobility of the UE 104, etc. The selection may also be based on (or alternatively based on) other communication parameters, such as the location of the UE, the location of the cell, the load on the cell (e.g., regardless of whether multiple cells have the same channel quality report and one cell has a smaller load, the DU may select the cell with the smaller load).

[0105] The DU 730 may also activate one or more communication parameters associated with the selected deactivated cell 744. For example, the DU 730 may activate one or more of a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state or a reference signal (RS) (e.g., a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)) of the selected deactivated cell 744. Here, the selected deactivated cell remains deactivated, but the previously deactivated TCI state and / or previously deactivated RS of the deactivated cell become activated. That is, the UE 104 may use the TCI state or RS to perform a beamforming operation (e.g., beam refinement) to determine the best beam for communicating with the deactivated cell 744 before activation of the deactivated cell.

[0106] At the seventh communication 722 and the eighth communication 724, the DU 730 may send one or more communication parameters associated with the selected deactivated cell 744 to the UE 104 via the activated cell 742. In some examples, the DU 730 may send the one or more communication parameters via a signal including: (i) an identifier of the selected deactivated cell, and (ii) one or more communication parameters of the deactivated cell. The signal may be formatted as a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), downlink control information (DCI), or any other suitable format.

[0107] Using one or more communication parameters, the UE 104 may perform a fourth process 726 including a beam refinement process, wherein the UE 104 determines an appropriate beam for communication with the RU associated with the deactivated cell based on the one or more communication parameters (e.g., activated TCI state and / or activated RS). For example, the UE 104 may refine its own receive beam based on the activated TCI state and / or activated RS. It should be noted that, as discussed, the one or more communication parameters may be determined by one or more of the DU 730 or CU 710 based on the measurement reports provided by the UE 104 in the fifth communication 716 and the sixth communication 718. That is, the DU 730 and / or the CU 710 may activate a quasi-co-location (QCL) with a signal sent by the deactivated cell 744 (e.g., the corresponding RU) and use the TCI state and / or RS at the deactivated cell 744 as the basis for indication or measurement in the measurement report. Thus, the UE 104 may receive the activated TCI state or the activated RS of the deactivated cell, and the UE 104 may perform beam refinement based on the TCI state. This provides the UE with an early ability to determine a suitable beam (e.g., a receive beam) or beam pair to be used when the deactivated cell 744 is activated, thereby providing faster communication between the UE 104 and the deactivated cell 744 (after it is activated) relative to a conventional process in which beam refinement is not performed until after the deactivated cell is activated.

[0108] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B is an example that can be used to Figure 7 1 is a block diagram of an example MAC-CE format for transmitting one or more communication parameters (e.g., seventh communication 722 and eighth communication 724) of a selected deactivated cell to UE 104. As discussed above, DU 730 may transmit one of the illustrated MAC-CE formats to UE 104 via the current active cell to provide UE 104 with one or more of the activated TCI state and / or activated RS of the deactivated cell 744.

[0109] Fig. 8AA first MAC-CE 800 format is illustrated that may be used to support communications in which multiple activated cells may be left at one time. The first MAC-CE 800 includes a 32-bit (4 octets) bitmap 802 (also referred to as a C field), where the first bit of the bitmap is reserved (R). Each C field (e.g., C1 to C31) may correspond to a 4-bit octet. Figure 7 A cell among one or more cells within a cell set configured by the DU 730 and / or the CU 710.

[0110] The first MAC-CE 800 may also include one or more temporary reference signal (TRS) identifier (ID) fields 804, where each TRS ID field corresponds to a specific cell (e.g., SpCell / SCell) being activated. Each of the TRS ID fields may correspond to a specific C field in the bitmap 802, so that the TRS ID is mapped to a specific cell. The TRS ID may correspond to an information element (IE) (e.g., SCellActivationRS-ID) that defines the QCL of an activated RS and / or a newly activated cell.

[0111] The first MAC-CE 800 may also include one or more deactivated TRS ID (TRS-D ID) fields 806. Here, the TRS-D ID octet may correspond to the deactivated cell identified by the C field (e.g., C5). The TRS-D ID may provide TRS information (e.g., one or more of activated RS, activated TCI state, and / or QCL information) for a particular deactivated cell. For example, if the UE 104 measures a signal from the deactivated cell 744 (e.g., Figure 7 712) and sends a measurement report (eg, Figure 7 716 and the sixth communication 718 of the deactivated cell 744), the DU 730 may send a first MAC-CE 800 to the UE 104 via the activated cell 742. Here, the first MAC-CE 800 may include a TRS-D ID octet that provides QCL information about the signal of the deactivated cell 744 measured by the UE 104. In another example, the TRS-D ID octet may also include an indication of an activated RS or an activated TCI state of the deactivated cell 744.

[0112] The DU 730 and / or the CU 710 may provide a TRS-D ID for each deactivated cell in the set of cells, or may provide a TRS-D ID for only a subset of the deactivated cells (e.g., less than all of the deactivated cells in the set of cells). For example, the DU 730 and / or the CU 710 may include TRS-D IDs only for deactivated cells that are candidate cells for the UE 104. The deactivated cell may be determined to be a candidate cell based on one or more of: a measurement report indicating a signal quality of the deactivated cell 744 (e.g., the candidate cell may be equal to or greater than a threshold quality condition), the location of the UE 104 (e.g., the candidate cell may use an RU that is geographically close to the UE 104), the location of the cell, the load of the cell (e.g., if the candidate cell has low traffic congestion relative to the activated cell 742 used by the UE 104), or if multiple deactivated cells are included in the measurement report and have the same measurement quality. It should be noted that a candidate cell may be a deactivated cell that may potentially serve as an active cell or a serving cell for UE 104 due to one or more of the signal quality of the candidate cell as measured by UE 104, the location of UE 104 and / or the candidate cell or the location of the candidate cell, and / or the traffic load of the candidate cell.

[0113] The first MAC-CE 800 may also include a new cell ID field 808 configured to indicate an identifier of a newly activated cell (e.g., SCell / SpCell). In some examples, the new cell ID field 808 is configured to command the UE 104 to switch to the identified new cell. If the new cell is associated with multiple transmission / reception points (TRPs), a TRP index field 810 may be included to identify which of the multiple TRPs the UE 104 will use for communication with the new cell. The first MAC-CE 800 may also include a cell configuration ID field 812 that provides configuration information about the newly activated cell identified in the new cell ID field 808 to the UE 104. The first MAC-CE 800 may also include one or more L1 measurement ID fields 814 that indicate the measurement type to be used by the UE 104 when performing L1 measurements on signals transmitted by an activated cell identified by the TRS ID field 804 or a deactivated cell identified by the TRS-D ID field 806.

[0114] Figure 8B The second MAC-CE 850 format for use in single activated cell operation is illustrated. It should be noted that the bitmap 802 of the first MAC-CE 805 is not present, as the second MAC-CE 800 may indicate only one activated cell.

[0115] Here, the second MAC-CE 850 includes a cell ID field 852 of the newly activated cell (e.g., similar to Fig. 8A New Cell ID field 808), TRP index field 854 (e.g., similar to Fig. 8A TRP index field 810 of the newly activated cell), the configuration ID field 856 of the newly activated cell (e.g., similar to Fig. 8A 812), a TRS ID field 858, one or more TRS-DID fields 860 (e.g., similar to Fig. 8A One or more TRS-D ID fields 806) and one or more L1 measurement ID fields 862 (e.g., similar to Fig. 8A One or more L1-meas-ID fields 814).

[0116] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a network node such as a base station (eg, base station 102 / 180; apparatus 1002) or a node associated with a base station (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 CU 410 / 510 / 610, DU 414 / 530 / 630, or RU 420 / 540 / 640). At 902, the network node may optionally send a configuration of a set of cells managed by the network node to the UE. For example, 902 may be performed by the sending component 1040. Here, the network node may send an identifier of each cell managed by the network node, including an indication of whether a particular cell is one or more of an activated cell or a deactivated cell. In some examples, the configuration of the set of cells may include additional information of one or more of the cells, such as: one or more active TCI states, one or more active RSs, and / or QCL information of one or more active RSs. In some examples, the configuration of the set of cells may be an update of a set of cells already configured at the UE. Figure 7 Configuration of a set of cells and communication of an updated configuration are exemplified in a first process 702, a first communication 704, a second communication 706, and a third communication 708 of FIG.

[0117] At 904, the network node may optionally receive a measurement report from the UE, wherein the measurement report includes a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell. For example, 904 may be performed by receiving component 1030. In some examples, the UE may perform L1 / L2 measurements on signals sent from the deactivated cells in the cell set. The UE may then send the measurements to the network node. For example, Figure 7 As illustrated in , the UE may receive signaling of the fourth communication 712 and measure signaling in the second process 714. The UE may then send a measurement report (eg, fifth communication 716 and sixth communication 718) including an indication of the measured signals to the network node.

[0118] At 906, the network node may select a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report or a first communication parameter received from a user equipment (UE), the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a set of cells managed by the network node. For example, 906 may be performed by a selection component 1044. Here, the network node may select a deactivated cell based on a measurement report or one or more of the first communication parameters. For example, the measurement report may provide the network node with an indication that a signal received from the first deactivated cell satisfies a quality condition (e.g., having RSRP, RSSI, SINR, RSRQ, etc. that satisfies a threshold), indicating that the first deactivated cell is a candidate PCell / SCell / SpCell for communicating with the UE. In another example, the network node may perform the selection based on the first communication parameter, such as: the location of the UE, the location of the deactivated cell, the load (e.g., traffic) experienced by the deactivated cell, etc. For example, as Figure 7 As illustrated in the third process 720 of , the selection of the deactivated cell may be performed by the DU.

[0119] At 908, the network node may activate at least one of the first TCI state or the first RS of the deactivated cell in response to at least one of the measurement report or the first communication parameter. For example, 908 may be performed by the activation component 1046. Here, in response to selecting the deactivated cell, the network node may Figure 7 At least one of the first TCI state or the first RS is activated during the third process 720 of . Therefore, once a deactivated cell is selected, the network node may activate at least one of the first TCI state or the first RS of the deactivated cell so that the deactivated cell remains deactivated.

[0120] Finally, at 910, the network node may send a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell. For example, 910 may be performed by the sending component 1040. Here, after selecting the deactivated cell and activating the TCI state or RS of the deactivated cell, the network node may provide the UE with an identifier of the deactivated node (e.g., Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The TRD-D ID field 806 / 860 of the first MAC-CE or the second MAC-CE of the deactivated cell, and an indication of at least one of the activated TCI state of the deactivated cell or the activated RS of the deactivated cell (e.g., Fig. 8A and Figure 8B TRD-D ID field 806 / 860 of the first MAC-CE or the second MAC-CE).

[0121] In certain aspects, the first communication parameter includes one or more of a location of the UE, a location of the deactivated cell, or a load of the deactivated cell.

[0122] In certain aspects, the second communication parameter includes at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

[0123] In some aspects, the signal is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (e.g., Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The first MAC-CE 800 or the second MAC-CE 850). That is, the Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The first MAC-CE 800 or the second MAC-CE 850 is used to perform Figure 7 The seventh communication 722 and the eighth communication 724.

[0124] In certain aspects, the configuration of the cell set includes: an indication of activated cells and one or more deactivated cells within the cell set; and a measurement configuration that instructs the UE to measure one or more of a first rate at which signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends measurement reports.

[0125] In certain aspects, the network node is implemented as a distributed unit (DU), the activated cell is implemented by a centralized unit (CU), the DU and a first radio unit (RU) of the cell set, and the deactivated cell is implemented by the CU, the DU and a second RU of the cell set.

[0126] Fig.101000 is an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1002. The apparatus 1002 is a network node and includes a baseband unit 1004. The baseband unit 1004 can communicate with the UE 104 via a cellular RF transceiver. The baseband unit 1004 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The baseband unit 1004 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the baseband unit 1004, causes the baseband unit 1004 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the baseband unit 1004 when executing the software. The baseband unit 1004 also includes a receiving component 1030, a communication manager 1032, and a sending component 1034. The communication manager 1032 includes one or more of the illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 1032 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 1004. The baseband unit 1004 may be a component of the network node 102 and may include a memory 376 and / or at least one of the TX processor 316 , the RX processor 370 , and the controller / processor 375 .

[0127] The communication manager 1032 includes a sending component 1040, which is configured to: send a configuration of a cell set managed by a network node to the UE; and send a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell. For example, in combination with Fig. 9 As described in 902 and 910.

[0128] The communication manager 1032 includes a receiving component 1030 configured to receive a measurement report from a UE, wherein the measurement report includes a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by a deactivated cell; for example, as combined with Fig. 9 As described in 904.

[0129] The communication manager 1032 includes a selection component 1044 configured to select a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report received from a user equipment (UE) or a first communication parameter, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node. Fig. 9 As described in 906.

[0130] The communication manager 1032 includes an activation component 1046 configured to activate at least one of the first TCI state or the first RS of the deactivated cell in response to at least one of the measurement report or the first communication parameter; for example, as combined with Fig. 9 908 described.

[0131] The apparatus may include executing Fig. 9 Each of the boxes in the algorithm in the preceding flowchart is an additional component. Therefore, Fig. 9 Each block in the aforementioned flow chart of can be performed by a component, and the apparatus may include one or more of those components. These components may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0132] In one configuration, the device 1002 and specifically the baseband unit 1004 include: a component for sending a configuration of the cell set managed by the network node to the UE; a component for receiving the measurement report from the UE, wherein the measurement report includes a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell; a component for selecting a deactivated cell based on the measurement report received from a user equipment (UE) or at least one of the first communication parameters, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within the cell set managed by the network node; a component for activating the first TCI state or at least one of the first RSs of the deactivated cell in response to at least one of the measurement report or the first communication parameters; and a component for sending a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0133] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 1002 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 1002 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0134] Fig.11 1100 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104; device 1202). At 1102, the UE may optionally receive a configuration of a set of cells managed by a network node via an activated cell. For example, 1102 may be performed by a receiving component 1230. The network node may configure a set of cells including a plurality of cells, wherein at least one of the cells is active (e.g., activated) and one or more of the cells are deactivated. The network node may then send an indication of the set of cells and any updates to the configuration of the set of cells to the UE, such as Figure 7as illustrated in the first communication 704, the second communication 706, and the third communication 708.

[0135] At 1104, the UE may optionally send a measurement report to the network node based on a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell, wherein a signal is received in response to the measurement report. For example, 1104 may be performed by a sending component 1240. Here, the UE may measure a signal sent by a deactivated cell within the cell set and send a measurement report to the network node, as illustrated in the second process 714, the fifth communication 716, and the sixth communication 718.

[0136] At 1106, the UE may receive a signal via an activated cell in a cell set managed by a network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells in the cell set. For example, 1106 may be performed by receiving component 1230. Here, the UE may receive an indication of the activated cell via the network node, such as Figure 7 As illustrated in the seventh communication 722 and the eighth communication 724.

[0137] At 1108, the UE may perform beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter. For example, 1108 may be performed by the beamforming component 1242. Here, when the deactivated cell is deactivated, the UE may perform a beam refinement process to determine a receive beam to be used for communicating with the deactivated cell once the deactivated cell is activated, such as Figure 7 As illustrated by the fourth process 726.

[0138] Fig.121 is a diagram 1200 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1202. The apparatus 1202 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 1204 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 1222 and one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards 1220, an application processor 1206 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1208 and a screen 1210, a Bluetooth module 1212, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 1214, a global positioning system (GPS) module 1216, and a power supply 1218. The cellular baseband processor 1204 communicates with the UE 104 and / or the BS 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 1222. The cellular baseband processor 1204 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The computer-readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 1204 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor 1204, causes the cellular baseband processor 1204 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 1204 when executing the software. The cellular baseband processor 1204 also includes a receiving component 1230, a communication manager 1232, and a sending component 1234. The communication manager 1232 includes one or more of the illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 1232 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 1204. The cellular baseband processor 1204 may be a component of the UE 104 and may include a memory 360 and / or at least one of a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 1202 may be a modem chip and include only the baseband processor 1204, and in another configuration, the device 1202 may be the entire UE (e.g., see Figure 3 104), and includes the aforementioned additional modules of device 1202.

[0139] The communication manager 1232 includes a sending component 1240 that is configured to send a measurement report to a network node based on a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by a deactivated cell, wherein a signal is received in response to the measurement report, for example, as described in conjunction with 1104.

[0140] The communication manager 1232 also includes a beam component 1242 configured to perform beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter; for example, as described in conjunction with 1108.

[0141] The communication manager 1232 also includes a receiving component 1230, which is configured to: receive the configuration of the cell set managed by the network node via the activated cell; and receive a signal via an activated cell in the cell set managed by the network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of multiple cells within the cell set; for example, as described in combination with 1102 and 1106.

[0142] The apparatus may include executing Fig.11 Each of the boxes in the algorithm in the above flowchart is an additional component. Therefore, Fig.11 Each block in the above flowchart may be performed by a component, and the apparatus may include one or more of these components. These components may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0143] In one configuration, the device 1202 and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1204 include: a component for receiving a configuration of the set of cells managed by the network node via the activated cell; a component for sending a measurement report to the network node based on a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell, wherein the signal is received in response to the measurement report; a component for receiving a signal via an activated cell in the set of cells managed by the network node, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of multiple cells within the set of cells; and a component for performing beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0144] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 1202 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 1202 may include a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0145] Additional considerations

[0146] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is merely an illustration of the exemplary method. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the process / flowchart can be rearranged based on design preferences. Further, some blocks can be combined or omitted. The attached method claims provide the elements of each block in a sample order, but are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided.

[0147] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but to conform to the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein the elements mentioned in the singular are not intended to mean "one and only one", unless specifically so stated, but "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when ......" and "while ......" should be interpreted as "under the conditions of ......", rather than meaning an immediate time relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases, such as "when ......", do not mean an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that if the conditions are met, then the action will occur, but no specific or immediate time limit is required for the occurrence of the action. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein is not necessarily interpreted as being preferred or having advantages over other aspects. Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, or multiple C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout the disclosure that are known or later become known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. Words such as "module," "mechanism," "element," and "device" cannot replace the word "component." Therefore, no claim element will be construed as part-plus-function unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "component for..."

[0148] Example aspects

[0149] The following examples are merely illustrative and may be combined with aspects of other embodiments or teachings described herein, but are not limited thereto.

[0150] Embodiment 1 is a method for wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: selecting a deactivated cell based on a measurement report received from a user equipment (UE) or at least one of a first communication parameter, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a cell set managed by the network node; and sending a signal to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

[0151] Embodiment 2 is a method according to embodiment 1, wherein the first communication parameter includes one or more of a location of the UE, a location of the deactivated cell, or a load of the deactivated cell.

[0152] Embodiment 3 is a method according to any one of embodiments 1 and 2, wherein the second communication parameter includes at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

[0153] Embodiment 4 is a method according to embodiment 3, the method further comprising: activating at least one of the first TCI state or the first RS of the deactivated cell in response to at least one of the measurement report or the first communication parameter.

[0154] Embodiment 5 is a method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, the method further comprising: receiving the measurement report from the UE, wherein the measurement report includes layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell.

[0155] Embodiment 6 is a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the signal is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0156] Embodiment 7 is a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6, the method further comprising: sending the configuration of the cell set managed by the network node to the UE.

[0157] Embodiment 8 is a method according to embodiment 7, wherein the configuration of the cell set includes: an indication of the activated cells and one or more deactivated cells within the cell set; and a measurement configuration, wherein the measurement configuration indicates one or more of a first rate at which the UE measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends the measurement report.

[0158] Embodiment 9 is a method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein: the network node is implemented as a distributed unit (DU), the activated cell is implemented by a centralized unit (CU) of the cell set, the DU and a first radio unit (RU), and the deactivated cell is implemented by the CU, the DU and the second RU of the cell set.

[0159] Embodiment 10 is a method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a signal via an activated cell in a cell set managed by a network node, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within the cell set; and performing beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell based on the second communication parameter.

[0160] Embodiment 11 is a method according to embodiment 10, wherein the first communication parameter includes at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

[0161] Embodiment 12 is a method according to any one of embodiments 10 and 11, the method further comprising: sending a measurement report to the network node based on a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell, wherein the signal is received in response to the measurement report.

[0162] Embodiment 13 is a method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 12, wherein the signal is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0163] Embodiment 14 is a method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 13, the method further comprising: receiving, via the activated cell, a configuration of the set of cells managed by the network node.

[0164] Embodiment 15 is a method according to embodiment 14, wherein the configuration of the cell set includes: an indication of the activated cells and one or more deactivated cells within the cell set; and a measurement configuration, wherein the measurement configuration indicates one or more of a first rate at which the UE measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends the measurement report.

[0165] Embodiment 16 is a network node, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to execute the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9.

[0166] Embodiment 17 is a user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor and the memory being configured to execute the method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 15.

[0167] Embodiment 18 is a network node, comprising one or more components for executing the method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 9.

[0168] Embodiment 19 is a user equipment (UE), wherein the user equipment (UE) includes one or more components for executing the method according to any one of embodiments 10-15.

[0169] Embodiment 20 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to execute the method for wireless communication by a network node according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9.

[0170] Embodiment 21 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to execute a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) according to any one of embodiments 10 to 15.

Claims

1. A network node for wireless communication, the network node comprising: Memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: selecting a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report received from a user equipment (UE) or a first communication parameter, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a set of cells managed by the network node; as well as A signal is sent to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell. 2 . The network node according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication parameter comprises one or more of a location of the UE, a location of the deactivated cell, or a load of the deactivated cell.

3. The network node of claim 1, wherein the second communication parameter comprises at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

4. The network node of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: At least one of the first TCI state or the first RS of the deactivated cell is activated in response to at least one of the measurement report or the first communication parameter.

5. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The measurement report is received from the UE, wherein the measurement report includes a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell.

6. The network node of claim 1, wherein the signal is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

7. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: A configuration of the set of cells managed by the network node is sent to the UE.

8. The network node according to claim 7, wherein the configuration of the set of cells comprises: an indication of the activated cell and one or more deactivated cells in the cell set; as well as A measurement configuration instructs the UE to measure one or more of a first rate at which the UE measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends the measurement report.

9. The network node according to claim 1, wherein: The network nodes are implemented as distributed units (DUs), The activated cell is implemented by a centralized unit (CU) of the cell set, the DU and a first radio unit (RU), and The deactivated cell is implemented by the CU, the DU and the second RU of the cell set.

10. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, the user equipment (UE) comprising: Memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receiving a signal via an activated cell in a set of cells managed by a network node, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a first communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells in the set of cells; as well as Beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell is performed based on the first communication parameter.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the first communication parameter comprises at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

12. The UE of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: A measurement report is sent to the network node based on a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell, wherein the signal is received in response to the measurement report.

13. The UE of claim 10, wherein the signal is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

14. The UE of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: A configuration of the set of cells managed by the network node is received via the activated cell.

15. The UE according to claim 14, wherein the configuration of the cell set comprises: an indication of the activated cell and one or more deactivated cells in the cell set; as well as A measurement configuration is provided, wherein the measurement configuration indicates one or more of a first rate at which the UE measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends measurement reports.

16. A method for wireless communication by a network node, comprising: selecting a deactivated cell based on at least one of a measurement report received from a user equipment (UE) or a first communication parameter, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells within a set of cells managed by the network node; as well as A signal is sent to the UE via an activated cell of the cell set, the signal including: (i) an identifier of the deactivated cell, and (ii) a second communication parameter of the deactivated cell.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first communication parameter comprises one or more of a location of the UE, a location of the deactivated cell, or a load of the deactivated cell.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second communication parameter comprises at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: At least one of the first TCI state or the first RS of the deactivated cell is activated in response to at least one of the measurement report or the first communication parameter.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The measurement report is received from the UE, wherein the measurement report includes a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the signal is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: A configuration of the set of cells managed by the network node is sent to the UE.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the configuration of the set of cells comprises: an indication of the activated cell and one or more deactivated cells in the cell set; as well as A measurement configuration instructs the UE to measure one or more of a first rate at which the UE measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends the measurement report.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein: The network nodes are implemented as distributed units (DUs), The activated cell is implemented by a centralized unit (CU) of the cell set, the DU and a first radio unit (RU), and The deactivated cell is implemented by the CU, the DU and the second RU of the cell set.

25. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a signal via an activated cell in a cell set managed by a network node, the signal comprising: (i) an identifier of a deactivated cell, and (ii) a first communication parameter of the deactivated cell, the deactivated cell being one of a plurality of cells in the cell set; and Beam refinement with respect to the deactivated cell is performed based on the first communication parameter.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first communication parameter comprises at least one of an activated first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the deactivated cell or an activated first reference signal (RS) of the deactivated cell.

27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: A measurement report is sent to the network node based on a layer 1 (L1) measurement of a reference signal (RS) or a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the deactivated cell, wherein the signal is received in response to the measurement report.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the signal is a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

29. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: A configuration of the set of cells managed by the network node is received via the activated cell.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the configuration of the set of cells comprises: an indication of the activated cell and one or more deactivated cells in the cell set; as well as A measurement configuration is provided, wherein the measurement configuration indicates one or more of a first rate at which the UE measures signals from the one or more deactivated cells or a second rate at which the UE sends measurement reports.

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