Signaling for multi-cell transmission configuration indicator (TCI) activation

Abstract

A method, user equipment and apparatus for communication, the method comprising receiving, by a user equipment, a configuration for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configuration having a corresponding candidate cell configuration identifier. The user equipment receives a first message, where the first message includes a plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field being associated with one of the plurality of candidate cells, wherein the first message further comprises at least one of a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate generally to wireless networks and, more particularly, to signaling of multi-cell transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states for mobility in wireless networks. Background Art

[0002] Wireless networks offer significant advantages for user mobility. The ability for users to remain connected while moving provides advantages not only to the users, but also to society as a whole, with greater efficiency and productivity. As user expectations for connection reliability, data speeds, and device battery life become increasingly high, the technology used for wireless networks must keep up with such expectations. Therefore, there is a continued interest in improving wireless network technology. To this end, cellular standards have developed cell switching at various protocol layers: traditional layer 3 switching has existed for several generations. In addition to this, conditional switching has also been introduced to improve the reliability of switching. Recent developments have considered lower layer switching called layer 1 / layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM). Therefore, efforts to provide signaling for multi-cell transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status may be valuable. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes receiving, by a user equipment, a configuration for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configuration having a corresponding candidate cell configuration identifier. The user equipment receives a first message, wherein the first message includes a plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field being associated with a candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells, wherein the first message further includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

[0004] In one aspect of the method, the TCI state identifier includes a TCI state for one or more code points.

[0005] In one aspect of the method, a first TCI state identifier for a first codepoint indicates a TCI state for uplink communications, and a second TCI state identifier for a second codepoint indicates a TCI state for downlink communications.

[0006] In one aspect of the method, the first TCI state and the second TCI state are the same.

[0007] In one aspect of the method, the first message further includes an indication of a number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0008] In one aspect of the method, the number of TCI state code points activated for each candidate cell in the one or more candidate cells is a configured number.

[0009] In one aspect of the method, the first message further includes a field indicating the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0010] In one aspect of the method, a first number of TCI state code points activated is included for a first candidate cell identifier of the one or more candidate cell identifiers, and a second number of TCI state code points activated is included for a second candidate cell identifier of the one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0011] In one aspect of the method, the first message also includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator indicating the number of activated first TCI state code points of a first candidate cell among one or more candidate cells, and the second indicator indicating the number of activated second TCI state code points of a second candidate cell among one or more candidate cells.

[0012] In one aspect of the method, the first message includes a candidate cell TCI state indication that a subsequent TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the same candidate cell or a different candidate cell.

[0013] In one aspect of the method, the candidate cell TCI state indication comprises a first value when a next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the same candidate cell, and wherein the candidate cell TCI state indication comprises a second value when the next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the next candidate cell.

[0014] In one aspect of the method, the first message further includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID, wherein the same BWP ID is indicated for each candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells.

[0015] In one aspect of the method, the BWP ID is one or more of an uplink (UL) BWP ID or a downlink (DL) BWP ID.

[0016] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes sending, by an apparatus, a configuration for one or more candidate cells among a plurality of candidate cells to a user equipment, the configuration having a corresponding candidate cell configuration identifier. The apparatus sends a first message to the user equipment, wherein the first message includes a plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field being associated with a candidate cell among the plurality of candidate cells, wherein the first message further includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

[0017] In one aspect of the method, the TCI state identifier includes a TCI state for one or more code points.

[0018] In one aspect of the method, a first TCI state identifier for a first codepoint indicates a TCI state for uplink communications, and a second TCI state identifier for a second codepoint indicates a TCI state for downlink communications.

[0019] In one aspect of the method, the first TCI state and the second TCI state are the same.

[0020] In one aspect of the method, the first message also includes an indication of the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0021] In one aspect of the method, the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the one or more candidate cells is a configured number.

[0022] In one aspect of the method, the first message further includes a field indicating the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0023] In one aspect of the method, a first number of TCI state code points activated is included for a first candidate cell identifier of the one or more candidate cell identifiers, and a second number of TCI state code points activated is included for a second candidate cell identifier of the one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0024] In one aspect of the method, the first message also includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator indicating the number of activated first TCI state code points of a first candidate cell among one or more candidate cells, and the second indicator indicating the number of activated second TCI state code points of a second candidate cell among one or more candidate cells.

[0025] In one aspect of the method, the first message includes a candidate cell TCI state indication that a subsequent TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the same candidate cell or a different candidate cell.

[0026] In one aspect of the method, the candidate cell TCI state indication comprises a first value when a next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the same candidate cell, and wherein the candidate cell TCI state indication comprises a second value when the next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the next candidate cell.

[0027] In one aspect of the method, the first message further includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID, wherein the same BWP ID is indicated for each candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells.

[0028] In one aspect of the method, the BWP ID is one or more of an uplink (UL) BWP ID or a downlink (DL) BWP ID.

[0029] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to perform at least any one of the above methods.

[0030] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a device includes at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to perform at least any one of the above methods.

[0031] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a processor-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform at least any one of the above methods.

[0032] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a wireless network between a network system and a user equipment device (UE) according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example embodiment of transmit and receive beams for a wireless network between a network device and a user equipment device (UE) according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a UE scanning a receive beam for a synchronization signal block (SSB) burst according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a Layer 1 / Layer 2 Triggered Mobility (LTM) scenario according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a contention-based random access procedure according to one illustrated aspect of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations between a UE, a central unit (CU), a source distributed unit (DU), and a target DU related to LTM according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example transport configuration indicator (TCI) state activation medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) for supporting LTM according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0042] Fig. 9 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0043] Fig.10 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0044] Fig.11 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0045] Fig.12 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0046] Fig.13 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure;

[0047] Fig.14 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure; and

[0048] Fig.15 is a diagram of an example embodiment of components of a UE or network device according to one illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed aspects. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the aspects may be practiced without one or more of these specific details or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, well-known structures associated with transmitters, receivers, or transceivers have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the aspects.

[0050] References throughout the specification to "one aspect" or "an aspect" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with that aspect is included in at least one aspect. Thus, the phrases "in one aspect" or "in an aspect" appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects.

[0051] The embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented in wireless network devices, such as, but not limited to, devices utilizing Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G New Radio (5G NR), 5G Advance, 6G (and beyond), and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), as well as other wireless network systems. The term "eLTE" herein refers to LTE evolution connected to a 5G core. LTE is also known as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) or Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN).

[0052] Because the UE may move from one area to another, the handover or mobility process may be important to support the UE's continued communication with the network (without any interruption or at least minimal interruption). In one example, the UE may be configured to monitor certain (some) reference signals (e.g., SSB, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), DL reference signal (RS)) from one or more network devices, perform signal measurements of (multiple) reference signals, and report these signal measurements to the network so that a determination of the UE's handover to a neighboring cell can be made (e.g., when signal quality degradation is detected). The initiation of the handover can typically be performed from the network. In the example of 5G NR, the handover initiation or handover command may be signaled via higher layer signaling (e.g., layer 3 or radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Higher layer signaling may involve the network and may therefore have high latency. In various cases, the UE may benefit from a more efficient handover process triggered via lower layer signaling (e.g., L1 / L2 signaling), which has lower latency than higher layer signaling. As used herein, handover triggered via lower layer signaling may be referred to as lower layer triggered mobility (LTM).In some cases, candidate cells for LTM may be referred to as LTM candidate cells.

[0053] As used herein, the term "cell handover" means and refers to any change of cell, whether the change is triggered via layer 1 signaling, layer 2 signaling and / or layer 3 signaling and / or other signaling. Cell handover can be used for terminal devices in RRC connected mode, and therefore, cell handover can involve two-way signaling between the terminal device and at least one network node of the radio access network, typically at least the source network node and the target network node of the cell handover. The present disclosure mainly uses LTM as an example of cell handover, but it is intended and should be understood that the present disclosure can operate with layer 3 handover or any cell handover.

[0054] The present disclosure may use the term "serving cell" to refer to a network node or network device (or a portion thereof) serving a UE, may use the term "candidate cell" to refer to a network node or network device (or a portion thereof) that is a potential target of a cell switching command, and may use the term "target cell" to refer to a network node or network device (or a portion thereof) that is a target of a cell switching command. In some examples, the LTM target may also be a serving cell (e.g., the target may be an "SCell", i.e., a secondary cell in carrier aggregation).

[0055] As used herein, the terms "send to," "receive from," and "cooperate with" (and variations thereof) include communications that may or may not involve communication through one or more intermediate devices or nodes. The term "acquire" (and variations thereof) includes acquiring in a first instance or reacquiring after a first instance. The term "connected" may refer to a physical connection or a logical connection.

[0056] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless network between a network system 100 and a user equipment device (UE) 150. The network system 100 may include one or more network nodes 120, one or more servers 110, and / or one or more network devices 130 (e.g., test equipment). The network node 120 will be described in more detail below. As used herein, the term "network device" may refer to any component of the network system 100, such as a server 110, a network node 120, a network device 130, any (multiple) components of the foregoing, and / or any (multiple) other components of the network system 100. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, devices for implementing 5G NR aspects, etc. The present disclosure describes embodiments related to 5G NR and embodiments involving aspects defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). However, it is envisioned that embodiments involving other wireless network technologies are also included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0057] The following description provides further details of examples of network nodes. In a 5G NR network, a gNodeB (also referred to as a gNB) may include, for example, a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminals to UEs and is connected to the 5G Core (5GC) via an NG interface, for example in accordance with 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 3.2, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

[0058] gNB supports various protocol layers such as Layer 1 (L1) - physical layer, Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3).

[0059] Layer 2 (L2) of NR is divided into the following sublayers: Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), where, for example:

[0060] oThe physical layer supplies transport channels to the MAC sublayer;

[0061] o The MAC sublayer supplies logical channels to the RLC sublayer;

[0062] o The RLC sublayer supplies RLC channels to the PDCP sublayer;

[0063] o The PDCP sublayer supplies radio bearers to the SDAP sublayer;

[0064] o The SDAP sublayer supplies Quality of Service (QoS) flows to the 5GC;

[0065] oControl channels include the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) and the Physical Control Channel (PCCH).

[0066] Layer 3 (L3) includes, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC), for example according to 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.6.0 (2021-06) section 6, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

[0067] The gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) includes, for example, a logical node that hosts, for example, the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB or the RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB, which controls the operation of one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DUs). The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. The gNB-CU may also be referred to herein as a CU, a central unit, a centralized unit, or a control unit.

[0068] The gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) includes logical nodes such as the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers of the hosted gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-DU supports one or more cells. A cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-CU. The gNB-DU may also be referred to as DU or distributed unit in this article.

[0069] As used herein, the term "network node" may refer to any one of a gNB, a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU, or any combination thereof. A RAN (Radio Access Network) node or a network node (such as, for example, a gNB, a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU) or a portion thereof may be implemented using, for example, a device having at least one processor and / or at least one memory having processor-readable instructions ("program"), the processor-readable instructions being configured to support and / or supply and / or process CU and / or DU related functions and / or features, and / or at least one protocol (sub)layer of a RAN (Radio Access Network), such as Layer 2 and / or Layer 3. There may be different functional divisions between central units and distributed units. Examples of such devices and components will be described below in conjunction with Fig.12 is described.

[0070] The gNB-CU and gNB-DU parts may be, for example, co-located or physically separate. The gNB-DU may even be further split, for example into two parts, for example one part including a processing device and one part including an antenna. The central unit (CU) may also be referred to as BBU / REC / RCC / C-RAN / V-RAN, O-RAN or parts thereof. The distributed unit (DU) may also be referred to as RRH / RRU / RE / RU or parts thereof. Hereinafter, in various example embodiments of the present disclosure, a network node supporting at least one of the central unit functions or layer 3 protocols of a radio access network may be, for example, a gNB-CU. Similarly, a network node supporting at least one of the distributed unit functions or layer 2 protocols of a radio access network may be, for example, a gNB-DU.

[0071] A gNB-CU may support one or more gNB-DUs. A gNB-DU may support one or more cells and may therefore support a serving cell for a user equipment (UE) or a candidate cell for other procedures such as handover, dual connectivity and / or carrier aggregation.

[0072] User equipment (UE) 150 may be or include a wireless or mobile device, a device having a radio interface interacting with a RAN (Radio Access Network), a smart phone, an in-vehicle device, an IoT device, or an M2M device, or other types of user equipment. Such a UE 150 may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least perform certain operations, such as, for example, an RRC connection with a RAN. Examples of components of a UE will be combined with Fig.15 Described. In an embodiment, UE 150 may be configured to generate a message (e.g., including a cell ID) to be sent to the RAN via radio (e.g., to reach and communicate with a serving cell). In an embodiment, UE 150 may generate and send and receive RRC messages containing one or more RRC PDUs (packet data units). Those skilled in the art will understand the RRC protocol and other processes that the UE may perform.

[0073] Continue to refer Figure 1In the example of a 5G NR network, the network system 100 provides one or more cells, which define the coverage area of ​​the network system 100. As described above, the network system 100 may include a gNB of the 5G NR network, or may include any other device configured to control radio communications and manage radio resources within a cell. As used herein, the term "resource" may refer to radio resources, such as resource blocks (RBs), physical resource blocks (PRBs), radio frames, subframes, time slots, subbands, frequency domains, subcarriers, beams, etc. In an embodiment, the network node 120 may be referred to as a base station.

[0074] Figure 1 An example is provided, and only the network system 100 and the UE 150 are shown. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the network system 100 includes Figure 1 Components not shown, and it will be understood that other user equipment devices may communicate with the network system 100.

[0075] Figure 2 2 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a wireless network between a network device 210 and a user equipment (UE) 150. The network device 210 is configured to form beams 220 in multiple directions, and the UE 150 is also configured to form beams 260 in multiple directions. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the ability to perform beamforming in multiple directions can be implemented using an arrangement of multiple radiating elements, which can also be referred to as an "array" of radiating elements. Beamforming (also known as spatial filtering) achieves directional signal transmission or reception by utilizing separate arrays and / or by combining elements in an array so that signals at specific angles cause constructive or destructive interference. Beamforming for transmission is achieved by controlling the phase and relative amplitude of the transmission signal at each radiating element in the array so as to create a desired pattern of constructive and destructive interference in the desired wavefront. In contrast, beamforming for reception is achieved by combining information from different elements of the array so that radiation in a target spatial region can be preferentially observed.

[0076] In the illustrated example, the network device 210 (e.g., a gNodeB or portion thereof) and the UE 150 may each be equipped with one or more antenna panels or antenna arrays having antenna elements that may be configured to perform beamforming in certain spatial directions and / or within certain spatial angular sectors or widths.

[0077] Continue to refer Figure 1, various examples of beams 220 are shown for network device 210, and various examples of beams 260 are shown for UE 150. A consequence of using highly directional beams is that some network device beams 120 may not be usable with some UE beams 160 due to large directional differences. Therefore, in an embodiment, UE 150 "scans" its beams 260, and network device 210 "scans" its beams 220 to determine which beam pair has the highest signal power and is therefore best suited for communication. Due to various propagation conditions, beams that are not perfectly directionally aligned may have the highest signal power. The scanning will be combined with Figure 3 After identifying such a beam pair, UE 150 and network device 210 may initiate an access procedure for UE 150 to access network device 210 using the identified beam.

[0078] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a UE scanning a receive beam for an SSB burst. Figure 2 , network device 210 sequentially forms beams B1, B2, B3, and B4. Each formation of a beam is referred to as a "burst". Network device 210 may generate bursts at intervals for observation by UE 150. Each time between intervals is referred to as a "burst period", which may be longer than the duration of a burst.

[0079] In the example of 5G NR, each beam in a burst transmits information about the beam in what is called a signal synchronization block (SSB). The network device 210 (which may be a gNodeB or a portion thereof) transmits an SSB in each beam in the burst. In some examples, the network device 210 may operate using one SSB (single beam operation) or using multiple SSBs (multi-beam operation). In an embodiment, the UE 150 may receive an SSB burst for each of its receive beams. Figure 2 In the example of four receive beams R1, R2, R3 and R4 shown in FIG, four intervals are required to receive bursts for all four receive beams, such as Figure 3 As shown. In some examples, UE 150 can operate using a single beam (e.g., an omni-directional beam). The SSBs of an SS burst can be provided by one or more (co-located or non-co-located) TRPs (transmit-receive points). The duration between bursts is called a "burst period". In a 5G NR network, SSB bursts can last 5 ms each, and the burst period can have a default duration of 20 ms.

[0080] In the example of 5G NR, each SSB includes system information (SI) in the form of a master information block (MIB) and multiple system information blocks (SIBs). SI is divided into minimum SI and other SI. Minimum SI includes basic information that can be used for access network nodes and information for obtaining any other SI. Minimum SI includes MIB, which contains cell barring status information and physical layer information of the cell for receiving additional system information (e.g., CORESET#0 configuration). MIB is broadcast periodically on the broadcast channel (BCH). Minimum SI also includes system information block 1 (SIB1), which defines the scheduling of other system information blocks and contains information for access network nodes. SIB1 can also be called residual minimum SI (RMSI) and is broadcast periodically on the downlink shared channel (DL-SCH).

[0081] Also refer to Figure 2In an example of the fifth generation new radio (5G NR) defined by the third generation partnership project (3GPP), a unified transmission configuration indicator (TCI) framework is used for beam configuration and / or indication. For example, the network device 210 may configure the UE 150 with a set of TCI states. Each TCI state may indicate at least one specific beam direction or a set of beam directions, which may correspond to a specific reference signal. In one example, the TCI state may be a downlink (DL) TCI state for DL ​​communication from the network device 210 to the UE 150. In other examples, the TCI state may be an uplink (UL) TCI state for UL communication from the UE 150 to the network device 210. In another example, the TCI state may be a joint TCI state for UL and DL communication between the network device 210 and the UE 150. The network device 210 may "activate" the UE with at least a subset of the configured TCI states. As used herein, "activating" a TCI state means that the UE 150 may monitor a signal, such as a reference signal, sent by the network device 210 corresponding to the TCI state. In an example, activation of a TCI state may mean that the UE is configured to monitor at least one reference signal associated with the activated TCI state, for example, for time / frequency tracking and / or path loss measurement. In an example, activation may mean that the UE 150 desires to track at least one reference signal corresponding to the activated TCI state. In some examples, the network device 210 may activate one or more of the configured TCI states in the set and exclude one or more of the other configured TCI states in the set. In addition, in order to communicate with the UE 150, the network device 210 may select one of the activated TCI states and "indicate" the selected TCI state to the UE 150. As used herein, "indicating" a TCI state means that the UE 150 may be configured to communicate with the network device 210 using a beam corresponding to the indicated TCI state (identified by a downlink reference signal). In various examples, UE 150 may be prepared to receive an indication of at least one of the activated TCI states(s) and to communicate with network device 210 using the indicated TCI state within a specified time limit.

[0082] Figure 2 and 3 The examples are merely illustrative. In an embodiment, the number and direction of network node beams and the number and direction of UE beams may vary and may be related to Figure 2 and 3 The difference shown in .

[0083] As described above, the UE may travel from one area to another, so a cell switching or mobility procedure (e.g., layer 3 switching or LTM) is very important to support the UE's continued communication with the network. In addition, a more efficient cell switching procedure (such as LTM) may be beneficial to avoid or at least reduce interruptions in services to the UE when the UE moves from one cell coverage to another.

[0084] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example embodiment of an LTM scenario. Figure 4 As shown by the solid arrow, UE 410 can communicate with network device 420 (e.g., gNB or a portion thereof) and be served by network device 420. UE 410 can communicate with Figure 1 The network device 420 may be similar to the UE 150 in FIG. Figure 1 The network device 110 in FIG. 4 is substantially similar. The network device 420 that actively or currently serves the UE 410 may be referred to as a serving cell. When the UE 410 moves toward the edge of the cell or area 402 served by (or within coverage of) the network device 420, a cell switching procedure may be performed to switch the UE 410 to a neighboring cell served by, for example, another network device 430, 440. Figure 4 In the illustrated example of FIG. 4 , one neighboring cell is served by network device 430, while another neighboring cell is served by network device 440. Network device 440 may cover (or serve) cell or area 406, while network device 430 may cover area 404. In some examples, areas 402, 404, and 406 may partially overlap, as shown. In other examples, areas 402, 404, and 406 may not overlap. In the context of handover, neighboring cells may be referred to as candidate cells. In the context of LTM, neighboring cells may be referred to as LTM candidate cells.

[0085] The term Layer 1 / Layer 2 Triggered Mobility (LTM) may also be referred to as L1 / L2 triggered mobility, L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, L1 / L2 handover or lower layer (L1 / L2) mobility. These terms may be used interchangeably. An L1 / L2 signal, message or command sent by a network node to trigger a cell handover at a UE is referred to as a "cell handover command". In LTM, the decision about cell handover is based on L1 measurements and is made in the MAC layer in a distributed unit (DU). The cell handover command includes a MAC control element (MAC CE). The cell that is the target of the cell handover command may be referred to herein as a target cell. The mechanisms for LTM will be referred to below in detail. Figures 7 to 11 is discussed more fully.

[0086] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a network device 420 (serving cell) may activate a UE 410 with (multiple) TCI states for (multiple) candidate cells, and may optionally indicate an activated TCI state that may be used by the UE 410 in the event of a cell handover. In this regard, the network device 420 may send an indication of one or more candidate cells (e.g., network devices 430 and 440) and activation of a corresponding list of one or more TCI states for each of the one or more candidate cells. Upon detecting a degradation in operation or communication with the UE 410, the serving cell network device 420 may send a cell handover command to the UE 410 via lower layer signaling (e.g., L1 / L2 signaling). The cell handover command may indicate a selected one of the one or more candidate cells as a target cell for the cell handover. In response to receiving the cell handover command, the UE 410 may switch to communicate with the target cell by applying at least one corresponding, activated TCI state of the corresponding one or more activated TCI states.

[0087] Figure 4 The example is merely illustrative. In an embodiment, the number of candidate cells and the number of activated TCI states (or beams) may vary and may be related to Figure 4 The difference shown in .

[0088] The process for the UE to establish communication with the target cell is called a random access process. The random access process can be used for initial access, inactive small data transmission, and transition from RRC_Inactive to RRC_Connected, as well as beam failure recovery, connection reestablishment, handover and cell addition, and other processes that will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

[0089] Two types of random access procedures include contention-based random access (CBRA) and contention-free random access (CFRA). Figure 5 5 is a diagram of an example of a contention based random access (CBRA) procedure. In the example shown, the signal includes a random access preamble (MSG1) sent by a UE 550 to a network node 510 (e.g., a gNodeB, or a portion thereof), a random access response (MSG2) sent from the network node 510 to the UE 550, a scheduled transmission (MSG3) sent from the UE 550 to the network node 510, and a contention resolution (MSG4) sent from the network node 510 to the UE 550.

[0090] For MSG1, UE 550 receives the information in the signal synchronization block (SSB) based on the information unit (such as the above combined Figure 3The UE 550 selects an available random access preamble using the SSB described in the above description. The UE 550 uses a specific time and frequency resource called a random access opportunity (RO) to send the random access preamble (MSG1) to the network node 510. The UE 550 also provides an identifier to the network, called a random access radio network temporary identifier (RA-RNTI), so that the network can address it in the next step.

[0091] For MSG2, the network node 110 detects the preamble, calculates various quantities, and sends a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) uplink (UL) grant to the UE 550. This is called a random access response (RAR), which is sent as MSG2, addressed to the UE 550 with the associated RA-RNTI, and indicates to the UE 550 the frequency and time at which it can send MSG3 on the PUSCH.

[0092] For MSG3, in response to receiving MSG2 from network node 510, UE 550 uses the UL grant provided in RAR to send MSG3. Since RAR provides time resource allocation, UE 550 sends MSG3 to network node 510 at the time specified by the time resource allocation, and it is a scheduled transmission. This MSG3 can be called a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message.

[0093] For MSG4, the network node 510 may send MSG4 to the UE 550 for contention resolution. Contention resolution may operate in a manner specified by 3GPP for 5G NR. After the random access procedure, assuming that contention resolution is resolved favorably, the UE 550 becomes connected to the network node 510. After the connection is established, various procedures will be handled by the gNB-CU according to the CU-DU split. Other aspects of contention-based random access (CBRA) will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0094] Another type of random access procedure is contention-free random access (CFRA) (not shown). In CFRA (not shown), the network node 510 sends an assigned random access preamble to the UE 550. The UE 550 receives the assigned random access preamble and sends the random access preamble as MSG1 to the network node 510 in a random access request. Then, MSG2 and MSG3 are similar to those described in conjunction with CBRA. Collision resolution is not required in CFRA based on the use of the assigned random access preamble. Other aspects of contention-free random access (CFRA) will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0095] When a UE moves from the coverage area of ​​one cell to another, a serving cell change is performed at some point. Conventional serving cell changes can be triggered by Layer 3 (L3) measurements (RRC measurement reports from the UE) and are accomplished through downlink RRC signaling (i.e., RRC reconfiguration messages, with synchronization for changes to the primary cell (PCell) and primary secondary cell (PSCell), and release and addition of secondary cells (Scells) when applicable). All cases involve a complete L2 (and L1) reset, which may incur longer latency, large overhead, and long interruption time than beam switching mobility. By utilizing L1 / L2 mobility enhancements to implement serving cell changes via L1 / L2 signaling, latency, overhead, and interruption time can be reduced.

[0096] Figure 6 600 is a diagram of an example embodiment of signals and operations between a UE, a central unit (CU), a source distributed unit (DU), and a target DU related to LTM according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. It is intended and should be understood that other types of cell handover procedures (e.g., layer 3 handover) are within the scope of the present disclosure. The following paragraphs will describe various signals and operations. It should be understood that the described signals may have associated operations, and the described operations may have associated signals.

[0097] Reference now Figure 6 , example signals and operations for LTM and random access procedures are shown in relation to the inter-DU cell switching procedure. The inter-DU scenario is illustrative, and aspects of the present disclosure may also be applied to the intra-DU scenario. In the case where the source DU and the target DU are supported by different CUs, the source DU may be supported by the source CU, and the target DU may be supported by the target CU, and they may communicate via the Xn interface. As described above, the terms "send to", "receive from", and "cooperate with" (and their variations) include communications that may or may not involve communications through one or more intermediate devices or nodes. It is intended that any description referring to a DU should also be considered as a network node supporting at least one of the layer 2 protocols of a DU or a radio access network (RAN). It is intended that any description referring to a CU should also be considered as a network node supporting at least one of the layer 3 protocols of a CU or a radio access network (RAN).

[0098] The following paragraphs describe various signals and operations. It should be understood that the described signals may have associated operations, and the described operations may have associated signals. Therefore, the described signals may also be operations, and the described operations may also be signals.

[0099] Prior to operation 601, the UE has established a connection with a DU (ie, a source DU) supporting a serving cell serving the UE, and has established a (logical) connection with a CU supporting the DU.

[0100] At operation 601, the UE sends an L3 measurement report to the source DU, and the source DU receives the L3 measurement report from the UE. Those skilled in the art will understand the L3 measurement report, which may, for example, include an average measurement sample of a reference signal for a serving cell. The L3 measurement report may indicate, for example, that the UE is approaching the edge of a cell, and therefore a handover procedure should be initiated. At operation 602, the source DU forwards the L3 measurement report by sending an L3 measurement report (e.g., UL RRC transmit message) to the CU, and the CU receives the L3 measurement report from the source DU. At operation 603, the CU performs a handover (HO) decision / target cell preparation decision for the LTM candidate, and initiates LTM candidate cell preparation (LTM candidate preparation) regarding whether the handover should be prepared based on the L3 measurement report. For the illustrated embodiment, the CU decides that the handover should be prepared.

[0101] At operation 604, the CU sends a UE context setup request to the target DU to prepare for switching for the target DU by setting the UE context in the target DU. The target DU receives the UE context setup request from the CU and sets the UE context. At operation 605, the target DU provides confirmation by sending a UE context setup response to the CU, and the CU receives the UE context setup response from the target DU. Although one target DU is shown, if there are multiple candidate cells, there may be more than one target DU. The operations at 604 and 605 can be used for each target DU and for multiple candidate cells. The following description will refer to (multiple) candidate cells to indicate that there may be one candidate cell or multiple candidate cells, and will refer to (multiple) target DUs supporting (multiple) candidate cells where appropriate. If the target DU and the source DU are supported by different CUs, the CUs can communicate using the Xn interface. For convenience, only one CU (the CU supporting the source DU) is shown, but it is intended that the disclosed technology is also applicable to multi-CU situations.

[0102] At operation 606, the CU sends a UE context modification request to the source DU for modification of the UE context in the source DU (if necessary) and for supply of target cell information (e.g., target cell RS configuration, activated or indicated TCI state, etc.). The source DU receives the UE context modification request from the CU, modifies the UE context (if necessary), and receives the target cell information. At signal 607, the source DU provides confirmation by sending a UE context modification response to the CU, and the CU receives the UE context modification response from the source DU.

[0103] At operations 604-607, the CU, (multiple) target DUs, and source DUs may coordinate with each other regarding timing advance acquisition and configuration for (multiple) candidate cells. Timing advance refers to information used by the UE to time its uplink transmission to the network node to align with the receive time window to arrive at the network node. This information may be referred to as a timing advance value or TA value in this article, and the process of obtaining a timing advance value may be referred to as timing advance acquisition, TA acquisition, obtaining timing advance, or obtaining TA (or its variants) in this article. As described above in this article, the term "acquisition" (and its variants) includes acquiring at a first instance or reacquiring after a first instance. In an embodiment, the source DU and (multiple) target DUs may coordinate (via the CU) a method for the UE to acquire a TA. In an embodiment, the UE may acquire a separate TA value for each candidate cell.

[0104] In an embodiment, the TA may be acquired based on a random access (RA) procedure (CFRA or CBRA), such as but not limited to a RA procedure commanded by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a UE-triggered RA procedure, and / or a higher layer-triggered RA procedure from a network node (except for an L3 handover command), etc. In an embodiment, the TA may be acquired based on a non-RA procedure method, such as but not limited to a sounding reference signal (SRS)-based TA acquisition, a receive timing difference-based mechanism (such as those in LTE), and / or a UE-based TA measurement, etc. Such RA-based and non-RA-based TA acquisition methods are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0105] At operation 608, the CU creates an RRC reconfiguration message that includes measurement configuration for L1 cell change, configuration of prepared cells, and TA acquisition configuration and trigger for candidate cells. In an embodiment, if CU participation is required later (in the execution phase), the RRC reconfiguration message may include the TA configuration. The TA configuration may, for example, specify a method for the UE to acquire the TA. In an embodiment, the TA acquisition method may be configured / triggered based on L3 measurements of the CU (coordinated with the source DU).

[0106] At operation 609, the CU uses downlink (DL) RRC messaging to send an RRC reconfiguration message to the source DU, and the source DU receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the CU. As described above, the RRC reconfiguration message may include the above-mentioned TA configuration and activated or indicated TCI state information and cell switching criteria. At operation 610, the source DU sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE to forward it to the UE, and the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the source DU. The UE performs reconfiguration based on the RRC reconfiguration message. At operation 611, the UE responds by sending an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the source DU using uplink (UL) RRC messaging, and the source DU receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the UE. At operation 612, the source DU sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the CU to forward it to the CU, and the CU receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the source DU. In an embodiment, signals 609-612 may be described as part of a logical connection between the UE and the CU, so that the CU sends an RRC message to the UE and the UE receives an RRC message from the CU.

[0107] In an embodiment, the above signals and operations 601-612 may be referred to as a preparation phase. In some embodiments, the preparation phase is followed by an early synchronization (synch) phase.

[0108] Therefore, at operation 613, the UE may perform downlink synchronization with the candidate cell. At operation 614, the source DU sends a TA acquisition command to the UE, and the UE receives the TA acquisition command. The UE performs TA acquisition on (multiple) candidate cells using the TA acquisition method specified in the RRC reconfiguration message of operation 608. As described above, the TA may be acquired based on a random access (RA) procedure (CFRA or CBRA), such as but not limited to an RA procedure ordered by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), an RA procedure triggered by a UE, and / or an RA procedure triggered by a higher layer from a network node (except for an L3 handover command), etc. In an embodiment, the TA may be acquired based on a non-RA procedure method, such as but not limited to TA acquisition based on a sounding reference signal (SRS), a mechanism based on a received timing difference (such as those in LTE), and / or TA measurement based on a UE, etc. Such RA-based and non-RA-based TA acquisition methods are within the scope of the present disclosure. After operation 615, if the TA acquisition process is successful, the UE may have a TA value for (multiple) candidate cells before a cell handover is triggered. If the TA acquisition procedure is unsuccessful, the UE will not have a TA value for the candidate cell(s).

[0109] At operation 615, the UE sends a random access (RACH) preamble message to the target DU so that the target DU can estimate the TA between the UE and the target DU. After receiving the random access preamble message by the target DU, at operation 616, the target DU provides the TA to the UE (e.g., via the source DU or directly to the UE).

[0110] Operations 613-616 may be referred to as the early synchronization phase described above. In some embodiments, the early synchronization phase is followed by an execution phase.

[0111] During the execution phase, the UE provides periodic L1 measurement reports based on its configuration. Those skilled in the art will understand L1 measurements. L1 measurements can measure the signal power of a reference signal list configured by the network. For example, L1 measurements can measure the signal power of a reference signal corresponding to an SSB of an activated TCI state. At operation 617, the UE periodically sends L1 measurement reports to the source DU, and the source DU receives periodic L1 measurement reports from the UE. In some cases, the reported measurement L1 report may be an L3 measurement. L1 (or L3) measurements may include measurements of configured (multiple) LTM candidate target cells.

[0112] At operation 618, the source DU decides whether to trigger LTM cell handover to a target cell in the candidate cell set (ie, the candidate cells for handover configured by the CU at operation 608) based on the received L1 measurement report.

[0113] At operation 618, the UE continues the L1 measurement report and periodically sends the L1 measurement report to the source DU, and the source DU receives the periodic L1 measurement report from the UE. Based on the determination, at operation 618a, the source DU sends a MAC CE TCI activation command for LTM to the UE, and the UE receives the MAC CE TCI activation command for LTM. The MAC CE TCI activation command for LTM may include one or more configuration identifier (ID) fields (each field is associated with a corresponding candidate cell) and one or more TCI state IDs associated with the corresponding candidate cell. At operation 619, the source DU sends a MAC CE triggered cell change message including the TA and TCI state indication of the target cell to the UE, and the UE receives the MAC CE triggered cell change message. Therefore, at operation 620, the UE performs (multiple) random access procedures, which will be understood by those skilled in the art. In various embodiments, at operation 620, the UE performs cell access based on the MAC CE TCI activation command and the beam indication information of one or more TCI states in the reference MAC CE TCI activation command. The beam indication information may also be provided before the provision of the MAC CE that triggers the cell change.

[0114] At operation 621, in order to initiate communication with the target DU, the UE uses the configured uplink (UL) resources to send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the target DU, and the target DU receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the UE. At operation 622, the target DU forwards the RRC reconfiguration complete message using UL RRC messaging to send the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the CU, and the CU receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the target DU.

[0115] In an embodiment, the signals and operations 617-622 may be collectively referred to as an execution phase. In some example embodiments, the execution phase is followed by a completion phase.

[0116] At operation 623, the CU sends a UE context release command / request to the source DU to release the UE context from the source DU, and the source DU receives the UE context release command / request from the CU. The source DU releases the UE context in response to the UE context release command / request. At operation 624, the source DU sends a UE context release complete message to the CU, and the CU receives the UE context release complete message from the source DU. The CU can then perform a path switch to the target DU as a new DU supporting the serving cell.

[0117] In an embodiment, the signals and operations 623 - 624 may be collectively referred to as a completion phase.

[0118] Figure 6 The signals and operations are merely illustrative, and variations are contemplated as being within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the signals and operations may assume one TA value per physical cell ID (PCI). In an embodiment, to cover multi-TRP (multiple transmission reception point) scenarios, the UE may be configured and required to acquire multiple TAs for the PCI, e.g., different TA values ​​for different TCI state sets. In an embodiment, the signals and operations may include Figure 6 Other signals and operations not shown in the embodiment. In an embodiment, the signals and operations may not include Figure 6 In an embodiment, the signals and operations may be in the same Figure 6 Such and other embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0119] To support the above Figure 6 In the operations described for the LTM process in

[0045] , it may be desirable to provide the UE with information related to the LTM candidate cells. In various embodiments, the UE will be provided with an activation command for a set (one or more) of TCI states for the candidate cells, which may be indicated by the network (becoming the indicated TCI state for the LTM target cell). One or more candidate cells may be configured for the UE.

[0120] In addition, in the above Figure 6 In the LTM process described in , the UE may have one or more prepared candidate cells, and one or more TCI states are activated specifically for the cell, and the cell ID (or candidate cell configuration identifier or any other identifier identifying a specific candidate cell configuration) (e.g., in the MAC-CE) and the TCI state activation applicable to each candidate cell (e.g., via the TCI state ID) may need to be indicated to the UE. Therefore, the LTM configuration may include any number of prepared candidate cells, and the UE may have multiple potential target cells, each potential target cell having one or more potential target TCI states to be indicated for cell switching.

[0121] In order to minimize any HO related overhead and reduce potential interruption points (such as messages being lost), a TCI state activation command that provides the ability to activate one or more TCI states for multiple candidate cells and signaling may be utilized to minimize resource / signaling overhead for activation (and / or deactivation of TCI states for one or more candidate cells).

[0122] In some embodiments, the LTM candidate cells may be referred to using a candidate cell ID. The candidate cell ID may be associated with a PCI value / physical cell identifier, and the association may be provided via RRC signaling. The candidate cell ID may be represented with fewer bits than the PCI to reduce signaling overhead. As an example, the LTM candidate ID may be represented using 3 bits, giving 8 different values ​​for the candidate cell set, while the PCI may have an ID space of 1008 values. In addition, as described above, the LTM candidate ID is associated with other configuration information (e.g., one or more RRC-configured TCI states that may be activated for beam indication for LTM cell switching purposes).

[0123] The UE may be configured to interpret the MAC-CE command via RRC configuration or other techniques known to those skilled in the art. That is, the UE may be provided with information configured to interpret the MAC-CE command to understand what information will be provided and in what format. In some examples, additional signaling may be provided to the UE to instruct the UE on the interpretation technique for the MAC-CE. For example, additional fields may be added to the MAC-CE command to inform the UE of the format of the information. Therefore, the following description Figure 7-14 Information about the LTM candidate configuration ID and the associated TCI state ID may be provided to the UE. Figure 7-14 The several MAC-CEs shown in FIG. 5 include fields containing similar information (although not necessarily the same).

[0124] Figure 7is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 700 supporting LTM 700 according to an example aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 7 The bitmap of the cell is as follows. Figure 7 As shown, the MAC-CE includes a plurality of reserved fields 701 shown by R, a plurality of Pi fields 702 represented by P1 to P8 (e.g., i varies from 1 to 8), a plurality of LTM ID fields 703 shown by LTM ID1 to LTM ID8, a plurality of D / U fields 704 shown by D / U, and a TCI state ID field 705 (shown as TCI state ID 1, ..., TCI state ID N). In some cases, for the sake of clarity and to avoid confusion, only one of the plurality of fields may include a reference numeral label. In an example, there may be a one-to-one mapping for the Pi field 702 and the LTM ID field 703. For example, Pi corresponds to (and provides associated information for) the i-th LTM ID field.

[0125] The reserved field 701 is a reserved bit and can be set to 0 or other values. The reserved field can be ignored / not decoded by the UE. The Pi field 702 indicates whether one or more TCI code points for the i-th LTM ID have multiple TCI states (i.e., separate TCI states) or a single TCI state (e.g., a joint TCI state). If the Pi field 702 is set to 1, it may indicate that at least one TCI code point for the i-th LTM ID includes a DL TCI state and a UL TCI state. If the Pi field 702 is set to 0, it may indicate that at least one TCI code point for the i-th LTM ID includes a DL / joint TCI state or a UL TCI state. The code point to which the TCI state is mapped can be determined by its ordinal position in all TCI state ID fields in the TCI state ID list field 705.

[0126] The TCI state ID in the TCI state list field 705 indicates the TCI state identified by the TCIState Id as specified in the 3GPP TS 38.331 document. If the D / U field 704 is set to 1, a 7-bit length TCI state ID (i.e., TCI-State Id as specified in the 3GPP TS 38.331 document) is used. If the D / U field 704 is set to 0, the most significant bit of the TCI state ID can be regarded as a reserved bit, and the remaining 6 bits indicate the UL-TCI State-Id as specified in the 3GPP TS 38.331 document.

[0127] In this way, the bit position (LTM ID1 ... LTM ID8) in the bitmap can refer to the configuration ID of the LTM candidate cell. The LTM candidate ID refers to the configuration ID or any other logical ID used to represent the specific PCI associated with the LTM target cell. The LTM ID range can also be represented in a format where the ID starts from 0 (e.g., 8 IDs, 0 ... 7). It can also include current and other serving cells (e.g., primary cells and / or secondary cells). Therefore, the configuration ID for the first candidate cell (e.g., LTM candidate ID1) can be mapped to the LTM ID1 field, while the configuration ID for the second candidate cell (e.g., LTM candidate ID 2) can be mapped to the LTM ID2 field, and so on. In another example, the candidate cell configuration ID is mapped to the LTM ID field in ascending order of the candidate cell configuration ID. In addition, the TCI state ID 1 field can be associated with the first candidate cell, and the TCI state ID 2 field can be associated with the second candidate cell. Although eight LTM ID fields are shown, it should be understood that more or fewer fields can be included (e.g., different formats can include different numbers of fields for LTM ID). For LTM ID fields where the setting bit is set (e.g., set to 1), those LTM ID fields may indicate that there is TCI status information for those candidate cells. For example, where 2 candidate cells are identified, only fields LTM ID1 and LTM ID2 are populated with their corresponding configuration IDs. For LTM ID fields where no bit is set (or set to 0), those LTM ID fields may indicate that there is no TCI status information for those candidate cells. In other words, the number of LTM ID fields supported in the bitmap may be L (e.g., L=8, 16, 32), and the UE may be configured with up to L candidate cell configurations. In one example, different formats may be used for different L values.

[0128] Figure 8 8 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 800 for supporting LTM according to another example aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 is similar to the above Figure 7 The fields shown in may indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Figure 8 In the example, it is indicated that each code point option has 2 TCI states. That is, all indicated candidate cells list 2 TCI states (in one code point).

[0129] Correspondingly, if Figure 8As shown, the TCI state ID field 705a may indicate the TCI state ID for the first code point (code point #1) of the first LTM ID (X), and the TCI state ID field 705b may indicate the TCI state ID for the first code point (code point #1) of the second LTM ID (Y). In some example embodiments, the first field 705a corresponding to TCI state ID 1 may indicate the DL TCI state for LTM ID X, and the second field 705a corresponding to TCI state ID 2 may indicate the UL TCI state for LTM ID X. Similarly, the first field 705b corresponding to TCI state ID 3 may indicate the DL TCI state for LTM ID Y, and the second field 705b corresponding to TCI state ID 4 may indicate the UL TCI state for LTM ID Y. As an example, for each LTM ID in the (one or more) LTM IDs indicated by the bitmap, there are one or more TCI states. In Figure 8 In the example of , for each LTM ID (ID X and Y) indicated by the bitmap, there is one TCI code point (thus including two TCI state IDs). Fig. 9 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 900 for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 is similar to the above Figure 7 The fields shown in may indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Fig. 9In the example, it is indicated that each code point option has a joint TCI state. That is, all indicated candidate cells list 1 TCI state (in one code point). The number of TCI state code points for each indicated LTM ID (e.g., the bit is set for it) can be defined as part of the format. In one example, it can be specified that in the MAC-CE (or any message providing TCI state activation), the indicated candidate cell (LTM ID) lists 1 TCI state code point. In another example, it can be specified that in the MAC-CE (or any message providing TCI state activation), the indicated candidate cell (LTM ID) lists 2 TCI state code points. Therefore, the number of code points (K) can be specific to the format. Alternatively, the number of code points for each indicated candidate cell can be configured. The TCI code point can include one or more TCI states, for example, a joint TCI for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) or a separate DL TCI and a UL TCI state. Whether the TCI state code point includes a joint TCI or multiple joint TCIs or a separate TCI may be specific to the MAC CE format, or it can be configured. Alternatively, the number of TCI states in a codepoint in the MAC CE format may be determined based on the TCI state configuration, where the configuration is provided by RRC (e.g., 1 joint TCI state list for UL and DL or 2 separate TCI state lists, one for DL ​​and one for UL). Fig. 9 As shown, the TCI state ID field 705a may indicate the TCI state ID for the first code point (code point #1) for the first LTM ID (X), and the TCI state ID field 705b may indicate the TCI state ID for the first code point (code point #1) for the second LTM ID (Y). In some example embodiments, the field 705a corresponding to TCI state ID1 may indicate the joint (i.e., UL / DL) TCI state for LTM ID X, and the field 705b corresponding to TCI state ID2 may indicate the joint TCI state for LTM ID Y.

[0130] In some examples, the activation message (e.g., MAC-CE message) for LTM may be indicated by a logical channel ID (LCID) of the MAC layer. In some example embodiments, the UE may determine the proposed one or more formats based on the LCID identifying the specific MAC-CE.

[0131] Fig.10 1 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 1000 for supporting LTM according to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. Fig.10 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 is the same as above. Figure 7The fields are similar to those shown in and can indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Fig.10 In the MAC-CE 1000, the MAC-CE 1000 may indicate the configured number (ie, fixed) of TCI state code points activated for each indicated candidate cell (eg, K=1, 2, 3, 4, ...). The value of K may be configured using RRC signaling.

[0132] exist Fig.10 In the example shown, if K=1, then for each cell indicated by the activation message, one TCI code point is listed. The TCI code point configuration listed in the message is mapped to the TCI state of the code point indicated as the activated TCI state code point. For example, if K=2, then for each cell indicated by the activation message, two TCI code points (to be activated) are listed.

[0133] like Fig.10 As shown, the MAC-CE message also includes a bit field set for the cells for which the TCI state activation can be configured. In some example embodiments, the candidate cells (associated with the LTM ID) for which the TCI state is activated include a bit field set to a first value (e.g., 1). If no TCI state is configured for a particular candidate cell, the field is set to a second value (e.g., 0). In addition, if more than one (e.g., K=1) code point is listed for each cell, the TCI state activation code point can be listed in ascending order of the candidate cells including the bit set to the first value. In other words, for the indicated candidate cell (LTM ID), K code points are listed first, and then for the next candidate cell (LTM ID) (if any), the next K code points are listed.

[0134] like Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , all code points for one cell are listed before the code points for the next cell. For the example where K=2, as Fig.10 As shown, TCI State ID field 705a corresponds to LTM ID X, while TCI State ID field 705b corresponds to LTM ID Y. In addition, the TCI state for code point #1 for LTM ID X is listed in the TCI State ID 1 field, while the TCI state for code point #2 for LTM ID X is listed in the TCI State ID 2 field. The TCI state for code point #1 for LTM ID Y is listed in the TCI State ID 3 field, while the TCI state for code point #2 for LTM ID Y is listed in the TCI State ID 4 field.

[0135] It may be noted that in some examples, K code points are configured to be listed in the activation command, but the network is able to activate TCI states for the cell that are less than K code points (i.e., code points that include different TCI state IDs). In order to activate less than K TCI states for the cell (i.e., code points that include different TCI state IDs), the TCI state ID (or at least one TCI state ID) may be repeated so that a maximum of K code points are listed for the cell. The repeated ID may be the last listed TCI state ID for the cell. Such repetition may be used to keep the message format consistent. In one example, if K code points are configured to be listed in the activation message and the network determines that less than K code points are to be activated, it may repeat the same TCI state ID value in each of the K listed TCI state ID fields. As another example, if K=2, TCI state ID#1 is listed twice (e.g., in two octets), the UE may determine that TCI state ID#1 is activated. As another example, if K=3, TCI state ID #1 is listed once and TCI state ID #2 is listed twice (e.g., in two octets), the UE may determine that TCI state ID #1 and TCI state ID #2 are activated. In one example, the TCI state ID field with a duplicate ID may be ignored by the UE for the cell (i.e., the duplicate TCI state ID is applied once).

[0136] Fig.11 1 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 1100 for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. Fig.11 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 is the same as above. Figure 7 Similar to the fields shown in , it can indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Fig.10 Similar to MAC-CE 1000, MAC-CE 1100 may indicate the number K of TCI state code points that may be activated for each candidate cell, where the value of K is configured (by the network) using RRC signaling.

[0137] like Fig.11As shown, the number K may be indicated in the field "K" 709 of the MAC-CE 1100. Thus, the field K 709 may be configured to include a bit value corresponding to the number of TCI state code points that each candidate cell may be activated. For example, K=1 may correspond to a bit value of 00, K=2 may correspond to a bit value of 01, K=3 may correspond to a bit value of 10, and K=4 may correspond to a bit value of 11. It should be noted that the above bit values ​​are merely examples, and any bit value may be assigned to correspond to any value of K. In another example, a first bit value of the bit field (709) (e.g., by RRC) indicates a first value (e.g., K=1), and a second bit value of the bit field (providing a value K) may be mapped to a second value (e.g., K=3). The mapping may be configured using RRC signaling.

[0138] Therefore, for Fig.11 In the example case of K=2 shown in , all code points for one cell are listed before the code points for the next cell. Fig.11 , TCI State ID field 705a corresponds to LTM ID X, and TCI State ID field 705b corresponds to LTM ID Y. In addition, the TCI state for code point #1 for LTM ID X is listed in the TCI State ID 1 field, and the TCI state for code point #2 for LTM ID X is listed in the TCI State ID 2 field. The TCI state for code point #1 for LTM ID Y is listed in the TCI State ID 3 field, and the TCI state for code point #2 for LTM ID Y is listed in the TCI State ID 4 field.

[0139] Furthermore, it should be noted again that if K code points are configured to be listed in the activation command, but the network determines (or is able to) activate a TCI state for a cell with less than K code points, then the TCI state ID may be repeated so that at most K code points are listed. The repeated ID may be the last listed TCI state ID for the cell.

[0140] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 1200 for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. Fig.12 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 (similar to the above Figure 7 Those fields shown in ) can indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Fig.12An example MAC-CE 1200 is depicted in which the number K of TCI code points for each listed candidate cell may be dynamic and vary. In this example, the MAC-CE 1200 may provide whether the next TCI state listed in the TCI State ID field 705 is for the same candidate cell as the current TCI State ID field, or the next candidate cell indicated in the next LTM ID field 703. Fig.12 In the example shown, TCI State ID fields 1 / 2 705a correspond to respective code points #1 and #2 for LTM ID X (e.g., K=2). TCI State ID field 3 705b corresponds to respective code point #1 for LTM ID Y (e.g., K=1). TCI State ID fields 4 / 5 / 6 705c correspond to respective code points #1, #2, and #3 for LTM ID Z (e.g., K=3).

[0141] In an example embodiment, the TCI state may be configured as a joint TCI state for LTM purposes only, where there is only one TCI state per code point. A field (F) associated with a specific TCI state ID field may be provided in a message (e.g., MAC-CE 1200) indicating whether the following field is for the same or different candidate cell listed in the activation command (e.g., MAC-CE 1200).

[0142] In some example embodiments, the F bit may be associated with a TCI state ID field. If the F bit and the TCI state ID are located on the same octet (8-bit sequence), the F bit may be associated with the TCI state ID. In some examples, there may be a defined association between the F bit and the TCI state. For each TCI state listed in the MAC-CE 1200, the F bit may be set to a first value or a second value (e.g., 1 or 0). In some examples, if the value is set to a first value (e.g., F=1), it indicates that another TCI state ID field is listed for the same candidate cell. For example, the TCI state ID 1 octet includes F=1, thus indicating another TCI state ID field (e.g., TCI state ID 2) after the same candidate cell LTM ID X.

[0143] TCI State ID 2 is associated with a field having a second value F (F=0), indicating that the next listed TCI State ID (in this example, TCI State ID 3) is for the next candidate cell LTM ID Y. Due to the F=0 value in the octet associated with TCI State ID 3, this is an indication that the next listed TCI State ID (e.g., TCI State ID 4) is for the next candidate cell. In both cases, the F value of the octet associated with TCI State IDs 4 and 5 is equal to 1, indicating that the next corresponding TCI State IDs (e.g., TCI State ID 5 and TCI State ID 6) are for the same candidate cell. The F value of the octet associated with TCI State ID 6 is equal to 0, indicating that the next listed TCI State ID is for the next candidate cell. Therefore, a variable number K can be enabled per candidate cell. If the F bit for the TCI State ID associated with the last (or highest valued) indicated candidate cell ID (LTM ID) is set to a value of F=0, then it indicates that there are no additional TCI State fields.

[0144] In one example, if K code points are configured to be listed in the activation command, but the network cannot activate TCI states for cells with fewer than K code points, it can signal in the message that no additional TCI state IDs exist for the indicated cells. As an example, the message providing the activation command may include a field including F fields, where setting the F bit to a particular value (e.g., a first or second value) may indicate that no additional TCI state IDs exist for the indicated cells (after the TCI state ID associated with the F field). This enables each indicated cell to signal fewer than K code points, even though the value K (K code points) is configured to be signaled in the message.

[0145] Fig.13 1 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 1300 for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. Fig.13 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 is Figure 7 The fields are similar to those shown in MAC-CE 1300 shown in 7 above may indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Fig.13 The MAC-CE 1300 may include another example indicating whether the next listed TCI state (code point) in the TCI State ID field 705 is for the same candidate cell as the current TCI State ID field, or the next candidate cell indicated in the next LTM ID field 703 (if any). Fig.13 In the example shown, each codepoint may list two TCI states, one for uplink and one for downlink. Fig.13In the example shown, for LTM ID X (e.g., K=2), TCI State ID field 1 / 2 705a corresponds to code point #1, while TCI State ID field 3 / 4 705a corresponds to code point #2. TCI State ID field 5 / 6 705b corresponds to the corresponding code point #1 for LTM ID Y (e.g., K=1).

[0146] exist Fig.13 In the example shown, field F associated with a particular TCI state in a message (e.g., MAC-CE 1300) (e.g., located on the same octet or otherwise associated) may indicate whether a subsequent TCI state ID field is for the same candidate cell listed in the activation command (e.g., MAC-CE 1300) or a different candidate cell. Fig.13 As shown, the F field is associated with either of the two TCI states for each code point, but is shown as being associated with the latter for purposes of example. The F bit indicates whether the next two TCI states / code points are for the same candidate cell listed in the activation message or for the next candidate cell. If the TCI state IDs (or code points) for the candidate cells are listed in the activation message, and no additional code points / TCI states are listed for any cell (e.g., the last indicated LTM ID in the message), the F field may be set to a value of F=0. The UE determines that no additional TCI states are present in the activation message.

[0147] according to Fig.13 In the example embodiment shown in , a value F=1 associated with the TCI state ID field for TCI state ID 2 is shown, indicating that the next two TCI state ID fields include TCI state information for the same candidate cell as TCI fields 1 and 2. A value F=0 associated with the TCI state ID field for TCI state ID 4 is shown, indicating that the next two TCI state ID fields (e.g., TCI state IDs 5 and 6) include TCI state information for the next candidate cell.

[0148] Fig.14 is a diagram of an example TCI state activation MAC-CE 1400 for supporting LTM according to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure. Fig.14 As shown, the LTM candidate ID field 703 is the same as above. Figure 7 The fields are similar to those shown in , and may indicate the configuration ID of the candidate cell. Fig.14 The MAC-CE 1400 may include a DL bandwidth part (BWP) ID field 706 and a UL BWP ID field 707 .

[0149] The DL BWP field 706 may indicate the DL BWP that the MAC-CE 1400 applies as the code point of the DCI bandwidth part indicator field, for example, as specified in the 3GPP TS 38.212 document. The UL BWP field 707 may indicate the UL BWP for which the MAC-CE 1400 applies as the code point of the DCI bandwidth part indicator field, for example, as specified in the 3GPP TS 38.212 document. It should be noted that one or both of the DL BWP or UL BWP fields 706 / 707 may be included in the MAC-CE 1400 message.

[0150] Thus, if the MAC-CE 1400 message includes at least one of the DL or UL BWP fields 706 / 707, the same BWP ID may be assumed for all cells for which the activation command is provided as candidate cells (eg, in the LTM ID field 703).

[0151] Reference now Fig.15 , a block diagram of example components of a UE or network device is shown. The device includes electronic storage 1510, a processor 1520, a memory 1550, and a network interface 1540. The various components can be coupled to each other in a communicative manner. The processor 1520 can be and can include any type of processor, such as a single-core central processing unit (CPU), a multi-core CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a system on a chip (SoC), or any other type of processor. The memory 1550 can be a volatile type of memory, such as RAM, or a non-volatile type of memory, such as NAND flash memory. The memory 1550 includes processor-readable instructions that can be executed by the processor 1520 to cause the device to perform various operations, including the operations mentioned herein, such as Figure 6 operation.

[0152] Electronic storage 1510 may be and include any type of electronic storage for storing data, such as a hard drive, a solid-state drive, and / or an optical disk, among other types of electronic storage. Electronic storage 1510 stores processor-readable instructions for causing the device to perform its operations, and stores data associated with such operations, such as storing data related to the 5G NR standard, among other data. Network interface 1540 may implement wireless network technologies, such as 5G NR and / or other wireless network technologies.

[0153] Fig.15 The components shown in the figure are merely examples, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the device includes other components not shown, and may include multiples of any of the components shown. Such and other embodiments are considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0154] Additional embodiments of the present disclosure include the following examples.

[0155] Example 1.1. A user device comprising:

[0156] means for receiving a configuration for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configuration having a corresponding candidate cell configuration identifier; and

[0157] A component for receiving a first message, wherein the first message includes a plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field being associated with one of the plurality of candidate cells, wherein the first message further includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

[0158] Example 1.2. The user equipment of Example 1.1, wherein the TCI state identifier comprises a TCI state for one or more code points.

[0159] Example 1.3. The user equipment of Example 1.2, wherein the first TCI state identifier for the first codepoint indicates: a TCI state for uplink communication, and the second TCI state identifier for the second codepoint indicates: a TCI state for downlink communication.

[0160] Example 1.4. The user equipment of Example 1.3, wherein the first TCI state and the second TCI state are the same.

[0161] Example 1.5. A user equipment as in any of Examples 1.1-1.4, wherein the first message further includes an indication of a number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0162] Example 1.6. A user equipment as in Example 1.5, wherein the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the one or more candidate cells is a configured number.

[0163] Example 1.7. A user equipment as in any of Examples 1.5-1.6, wherein the first message further includes a field indicating the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

[0164] Example 1.8. The user equipment of Example 1.5, wherein for a first candidate cell identifier among the one or more candidate cell identifiers, it includes: a first number of activated TCI state code points, and for a second candidate cell identifier among the one or more candidate cell identifiers, it includes: a second number of activated TCI state code points.

[0165] Example 1.9. The user equipment in Example 1.8, wherein the first message also includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator indicating: the number of activated first TCI state code points of a first candidate cell among one or more candidate cells, and the second indicator indicating: the number of activated second TCI state code points of a second candidate cell among one or more candidate cells.

[0166] Example 1.10. The user equipment of Example 1.5, wherein the first message includes a candidate cell TCI state indication where the next TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the same candidate cell, or a different candidate cell.

[0167] Example 1.11. The user equipment of Example 1.10, wherein the candidate cell TCI state indication includes: a first value when the next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the same candidate cell, and wherein the candidate cell TCI state indication includes: a second value when the next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the next candidate cell.

[0168] Example 1.12. The user equipment of Example 1.1, wherein the first message further includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID, wherein the same BWP ID is indicated for each candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells.

[0169] Example 1.13. The user equipment of Example 1.12, wherein the BWP ID is one or more of an uplink (UL) BWP ID or a downlink (DL) BWP ID.

[0170] Example 2.1. An apparatus comprising:

[0171] means for sending a configuration of one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells to a user equipment, the configuration having corresponding candidate cell identifiers; and

[0172] A component for sending a first message to a user equipment, wherein the first message includes multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field is associated with one of the multiple candidate cells, and the first message also includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

[0173] Example 2.2. The apparatus of Example 2.1, wherein the TCI state identifier comprises a TCI state for one or more code points.

[0174] Example 2.3. A user equipment as in Example 2.2, wherein the first TCI state identifier for the first codepoint indicates a TCI state for uplink communication, and the second TCI state identifier for the second codepoint indicates a TCI state for downlink communication.

[0175] Example 2.4. The apparatus of Example 2.3, wherein the first TCI state and the second TCI state are the same.

[0176] Example 2.5. An apparatus as in any of Examples 2.2-2.4, wherein the first message further comprises an indication of a number of activated TCI state code points for each of the one or more candidate cells.

[0177] Example 2.6. The apparatus of Example 2.5, wherein the number of activated TCI state code points for each candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells is a configured number.

[0178] Example 2.7. The apparatus of any of Examples 2.5-2.6, wherein the first message further includes a field indicating a number of activated TCI state code points for each of the one or more candidate cells.

[0179] Example 2.8. The apparatus of Example 2.5, wherein a first candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells includes a first number of TCI state code points activated, and a second candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells includes a second number of TCI state code points activated.

[0180] Example 2.9. An apparatus as in Example 2.8, wherein the first message further includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator indicating the number of activated first TCI state code points of a first candidate cell among one or more candidate cells, and the second indicator indicating the number of activated second TCI state code points of a second candidate cell among one or more candidate cells.

[0181] Example 2.10. The apparatus of Example 2.5, wherein the first message comprises a candidate cell-TCI state indication that the next TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the same candidate cell, or a different candidate cell.

[0182] Example 2.11. An apparatus as in Example 2.10, wherein the candidate cell-TCI state indication includes: a first value when the next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the same candidate cell, and wherein the candidate cell-TCI state indication includes: a second value when the next TCI state identifier is the TCI state of the next candidate cell.

[0183] Example 2.12. The apparatus of Example 2.1, wherein the first message further includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID, wherein the same BWP ID is indicated for each candidate cell of the one or more candidate cells.

[0184] Example 2.13. The apparatus of Example 2.12, wherein the BWP ID is one or more of an uplink (UL) BWP ID or a downlink (DL) BWP ID.

[0185] The embodiments and aspects disclosed herein are examples of the present disclosure and may be embodied in various forms. For example, although some embodiments herein are described as separate embodiments, each embodiment herein may be combined with one or more other embodiments herein. The specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as restrictive, but as the basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to use the present disclosure in various ways with almost any appropriate detailed structure. Throughout the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may refer to similar or identical elements.

[0186] For example, the TCI state activation message for one or more candidate cells is signaled to the UE by the network (eg, as a serving cell) as a MAC-CE message. However, it should be noted that the signaling may be provided in another message.

[0187] In some examples, a TCI code point may refer to a joint TCI state index (e.g., DL and UL use the same TCI), in which case it refers to one TCI state. In some examples, a TCI code point may refer to separate TCI state indexes for DL ​​and UL, in which case it refers to two TCI states.

[0188] In an example embodiment, the cells mentioned above may be LTM candidate cells and / or serving cells. The LTM candidate cells may be serving cells of the UE. In some examples, the activation message referring to the TCI state may refer to one or more TCI state lists associated / configured with one or more cells (e.g., candidate cells).

[0189] The phrases "in one aspect," "in aspects," "in various aspects," "in some aspects," or "in other aspects" may each refer to one or more of the same or different aspects according to the present disclosure. The phrase "plurality" may refer to two or more.

[0190] The phrases "in one embodiment," "in multiple embodiments," "in various embodiments," "in some embodiments," or "in other embodiments" may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments according to the present disclosure. Phrases in the form "A or B" mean "(A), (B), or (A and B)." Phrases in the form "at least one of A, B, or C" mean "(A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C)."

[0191] Any method, program, algorithm or code described herein can be converted into a programming language or computer program, or expressed in a programming language or computer program. As used herein, the terms "programming language" and "computer program" each include any language used to specify instructions to a computer, and include (but are not limited to) the following languages ​​and their derivatives: assembly language, Basic, batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++, Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating system command language, Pascal, Perl, PL1, Python, scripting languages, Visual Basic, the metalanguage of the program itself, and all first, second, third, fourth, fifth or further computer languages. Databases and other data patterns and any other metalanguages ​​are also included. There is no distinction between the languages ​​of interpretation, compilation or use of compilation and interpretation methods. There is no distinction between the compiled version and the source version of the program. Therefore, references to programs (wherein programming languages ​​can exist in more than one state (such as source, compilation, object or link)) refer to any and all such states. References to procedures may cover the actual instructions and / or the intent of those instructions.

[0192] Although various aspects of the present disclosure have been shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not intended that the present disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be as broad as possible and the specification should be read accordingly. Therefore, the above description should not be interpreted as limiting, but only as an illustration of specific aspects. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, configurations for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configurations having corresponding candidate cell configuration identifiers; as well as A first message is received by the user equipment, wherein the first message includes multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field is associated with a candidate cell among the multiple candidate cells, and the first message also includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the TCI status identifier comprises: The TCI status for one or more code points.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a first TCI state identifier for a first code point indicates: the TCI state for uplink communication, and a second TCI state identifier for a second code point indicates: the TCI state for downlink communication. 4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first TCI state and the second TCI state are the same.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first message further comprises: an indication of a number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the one or more candidate cells is a configured number.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first message further comprises a field indicating the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein for a first candidate cell identifier among the one or more candidate cell identifiers, the method comprises: A first number of TCI state code points are activated, and for a second candidate cell identifier among the one or more candidate cell identifiers, the method includes: a second number of TCI state code points are activated.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first message further includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator indicating: the number of activated first TCI state code points of the first candidate cell among the one or more candidate cells, and the second indicator indicating: the number of activated second TCI state code points of the second candidate cell among the one or more candidate cells.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first message comprises: The following TCI state identifier is a candidate cell TCI state indication of the same candidate cell, or the TCI state of a different candidate cell.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the candidate cell TCI status indication comprises: A first value when the next TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the same candidate cell, and wherein the candidate cell TCI state indication comprises: a second value when the next TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the next candidate cell.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message further includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID, wherein the same BWPID is indicated for each of the one or more candidate cells.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the BWPID is one or more of: an uplink (UL) BWPID or a downlink (DL) BWPID.

14. A method for communication, comprising: sending, by the apparatus, to a user equipment, configurations for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configurations having corresponding candidate cell configuration identifiers; as well as The device sends a first message to the user equipment, wherein the first message includes multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field is associated with a candidate cell among the multiple candidate cells, and the first message also includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

15. A user equipment, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving a configuration for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configuration having a corresponding candidate cell configuration identifier; as well as A first message is received, wherein the first message includes a plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field being associated with a candidate cell among the plurality of candidate cells, wherein the first message further includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the plurality of candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

16. The user equipment according to claim 15, wherein the TCI state identifier comprises: The TCI status for one or more code points.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein a first TCI state identifier for a first code point indicates the TCI state for uplink communication, and a second TCI state identifier for a second code point indicates the TCI state for downlink communication.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the first TCI state and the second TCI state are the same.

19. The user equipment according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the first message further comprises: an indication of a number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the one or more candidate cells is a configured number.

21. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the first message further comprises a field indicating the number of activated TCI state code points for each of the indicated one or more candidate cell identifiers.

22. The user equipment according to claim 19, wherein the first candidate cell identifier among the one or more candidate cell identifiers comprises: A first number of TCI state code points are activated, and for a second candidate cell identifier among the one or more candidate cell identifiers, the method includes: a second number of TCI state code points are activated.

23. The user equipment according to claim 22, wherein the first message further includes a first indicator and a second indicator, the first indicator indicating the number of activated first TCI state code points of the first candidate cell among the one or more candidate cells, and the second indicator indicating the number of activated second TCI state code points of the second candidate cell among the one or more candidate cells.

24. The user equipment according to claim 19, wherein the first message comprises: The following TCI state identifier is a candidate cell TCI state indication of the same candidate cell, or the TCI state of a different candidate cell.

25. The user equipment according to claim 24, wherein the candidate cell TCI status indication comprises: A first value when the next TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the same candidate cell, and wherein the candidate cell TCI state indication comprises: a second value when the next TCI state identifier is a TCI state of the next candidate cell.

26. The user equipment of claim 15, wherein the first message further includes a bandwidth part (BWP) ID, wherein the same BWPID is indicated for each of the one or more candidate cells.

27. The user equipment of claim 26, wherein the BWPID is one or more of: an uplink (UL) BWPID or a downlink (DL) BWP ID.

28. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory, the at least one memory being used to store instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: sending, by the apparatus, to a user equipment, configurations for one or more candidate cells of a plurality of candidate cells, the configurations having corresponding candidate cell configuration identifiers; as well as The device sends a first message to the user equipment, wherein the first message includes multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields, each candidate cell configuration identifier field is associated with a candidate cell among the multiple candidate cells, and the first message also includes at least one of the following items: a transmission configuration indicator, a TCI state identifier, and a candidate cell configuration identifier indicated by each of the multiple candidate cell configuration identifier fields.

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