Extending access procedures

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to extension access equipment, method and device and a computer readable storage medium. A first device sends a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell. The first device receives an access response from at least one of a first cell, a second, different cell. The access response indicates that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device. The first device sends a second message associated with a second access to the second cell to the second cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for extending an access procedure. Background Art

[0002] Network (NW) energy saving can focus on the radio access network (RAN), which consumes the largest part of the total energy consumption in the network. NW energy saving can be achieved using infrequent synchronization signal block (SSB) transmissions. Discontinuous transmission (DTX) can also be used for NW energy saving. In NW deployment, coverage cells served by macro base stations (BS) provide basic "underlying" coverage in specific areas of the network, and capacity cells served by small BSs are overlaid on the coverage cells for capacity enhancement purposes within specific areas. Capacity cells can be inactive or turned off during low load or empty periods to achieve network energy saving. Inactive or turned off capacity cells can be (re)activated when needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least perform: sending a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell; receiving an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device; and sending a second message associated with a second access to the second cell to the second cell.

[0004] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least perform: receiving a first message for initiating a first access to the first cell from a first device in a first cell; and determining that a different second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0005] In a third aspect, a third device is provided. The third device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least perform: determining that a second cell served by the third device is to be accessed by a first device, the first device having initiated a first access to a different first cell; and based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device, detecting a second message from the first device associated with a second access to the second cell.

[0006] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a second device is provided. The method includes: sending a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell; receiving an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device; and sending a second message associated with a second access to the second cell to the second cell.

[0007] In a fifth aspect, a method implemented at a second device is provided. The method includes: receiving a first message for initiating a first access to the first cell from a first device in a first cell; and determining that a different second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0008] In a sixth aspect, a method implemented at a third device is provided. The method includes: determining that a second cell served by the third device is to be accessed by a first device, the first device having initiated a first access to a different first cell; and based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device, detecting a second message associated with a second access to the second cell from the first device.

[0009] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising components for performing the method according to the fourth, fifth or sixth aspect above.

[0010] In an eighth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions is provided, wherein the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least execute a method according to any one of the fourth, fifth, and sixth aspects above.

[0011] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2 An example signaling diagram illustrating an access procedure according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D An example process of extending access according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method of extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an example method of extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an example method of extending access according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 7 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The principle of the present invention will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0023] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0024] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0025] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0026] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "including", "having", "having", "including", and / or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is combined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0028] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0029] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "including", "having", "having", "including", and / or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only), and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) any part of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) which work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) points, and (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0031] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0032] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure will not be limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0033] As used herein, the term "base station" or (BS) refers to the following equipment in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a base station may include a transmit / receive point (TRP), an access point (AP), a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node, an access point, etc.

[0034] As used herein, the term "macro base station" or "macro BS" refers to a base station covering a larger area such as a coverage cell. Examples of macro base stations may include Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB). As used herein, the term "small base station" or "small BS" refers to a base station covering a smaller area such as a capacity cell. In some example embodiments, the small BS may support network energy saving and provide a cell that may be in inactive, dormant, DTX, or OFF mode to save power.

[0035] In the context of the present disclosure, an active cell or an on (or turned on) or switched-on cell refers to a cell whose (most) hardware components are turned on. The terms "active", "on" and "on" can be used interchangeably. A switched-off (or turned-off) cell, a switched-off cell, a deactivated cell, an inactive cell or a deep-sleep cell refers to a cell whose all (most) components are turned off. The terms "switch off", "switch off", "deactivated", "inactive" or "deep-sleep" can be used interchangeably. A dormant cell or a cell in dormant mode refers to a cell in an intermediate state, in which some components of the cell are turned on and other components are turned off.

[0036] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback facility, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0037] Network (NW) energy saving can focus on the radio access network (RAN), which consumes the largest portion of the total energy consumption in the network. NW energy saving can be used to identify adaptive techniques for transmission and / or reception in time, frequency, space, and power domains using potential support or feedback from user equipment (UE), potential UE assistance information, and information exchange or coordination through network interfaces.

[0038] NW energy saving can be achieved using infrequent synchronization signal block (SSB) transmissions. For example, a 160ms SSB period can be considered as an empty or low load condition in a fifth generation (5G) non-standalone networking (NSA) deployment. Micro discontinuous transmission (DTX) can also be used for NW energy saving, which can include, for example, shutting down the power amplifier (PA) per OFDM symbol in symbols that carry neither data nor signaling. For NW energy saving, other components such as baseband (BB) circuits can be shut down. Alternatively or additionally, even entire cells can be turned off or shut down. This cell shutdown can allow most of the hardware components of the RAN site to be turned off.

[0039] In NW deployment, the coverage area of ​​cells served by macro base stations (BSs) (also called coverage cells) provides basic "underlying" coverage in specific areas of the network. Small cells served by small BSs (also called capacity cells) are overlaid on the coverage cells for capacity enhancement purposes, especially in so-called "hotspot areas". UEs can be served by coverage cells or by capacity cells. Capacity cells can be inactive or turned off during low load or idle periods to achieve network energy saving. All active components of the cell can be turned off to achieve energy consumption reduction.

[0040] The time it takes for components to be turned off or on to achieve capacity cell deactivation or activation can be quite long. In this case, an intermediate state, a dormant state, can be defined in which some (or even most) components are turned off, while some other components are activated when needed. For example, the PA may be activated occasionally to schedule reduced signaling for cell discovery, such as beacons or synchronization system blocks (SSBs), while the main receiver and other components are turned off to save energy.

[0041] Cell activation may be controlled by the network. A cell activation request from a neighbor node, e.g., a cell activation procedure on an Xn or X2 interface, may be used to trigger the (re)activation of a cell that has been switched off. The trigger for cell activation may be based on the load of the cell and the need to offload some of the cell's traffic to one or more cells that are currently switched off. The trigger for cell activation may be based on the aggregate load across a cell cluster (also referred to as a power saving group), such as the load of cells comprising a coverage layer or a specific frequency layer.

[0042] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose an extended access scheme, which extends the access process initiated by a first device (such as a terminal device) toward a cell (referred to as a first cell) to a different cell (referred to as a second cell). In some exemplary embodiments, the first cell may be a coverage cell, and the second cell may be a capacity cell in an inactive, dormant, DTX, or off (OFF) state or mode. With this scheme, after the first device sends a message (referred to as a first message) to initiate access to the first cell (referred to as the first access), the first message may be received or detected in at least one of the first cell and the second cell. The first message may include any type and / or form of message for initiating the first access. For example, the first message may include message 1 (Msg1) of a 4-step random access (RA) process, message A (MSGA) of a two-step random access process, and / or others. The first message may be implemented in the form of a given sequence, such as a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble sent through a PRACH channel, a wake-up signal sent through other channels, and the like.

[0043] The first device receives an access response, such as a random access response (RAR) or message 2 (e.g., Msg2 of a four-step random access (RA) procedure) from at least one of the first cell and the second cell. The access response indicates that the second cell will be accessed by the first device. In addition, the first device sends a message (referred to as a second message) associated with an access (referred to as a second access) to the second cell. The second message may include any type and / or form of message associated with the second access. For example, the second message may include message 3 (Msg3) of a four-step random access procedure as a response to an RAR or Msg2, Msg1 for initiating a new random access procedure, a wake-up signal or indication sent using an existing or new signal or channel, and the like.

[0044] In this way, after a device (such as a UE) requests a cell to provide a service, different cells can be enabled or activated to provide services based on the needs of the requesting device (such as business or service needs, radio conditions, and / or others). This can be more flexible and practical, and can increase the probability of successful access and further improve network performance or efficiency.

[0045] Figure 1 An example environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0046] Environment 100 may be part of a communication network, including a macro BS 110 serving a coverage cell 115. Within coverage cell 115, there are multiple terminal devices and multiple small BSs. Figure 1As shown, terminal device 120 is located within both coverage cell 115 and capacity cell 125 served by small BS 130. Coverage cell 115 may provide basic coverage in environment 100, and capacity cell 125 overlays coverage cell 115 for capacity enhancement. Terminal device 120 may be served by either coverage cell or capacity cell.

[0047] It should be understood that for illustrative purposes only, Figure 1 The number of macro BSs, small BSs, and terminal devices is shown in FIG. 1 , without implying any limitation. Environment 100 may include any suitable number of macro BSs, small BSs, and terminal devices suitable for implementing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Any suitable number of small BSs and terminal devices may be located in the coverage area of ​​each macro BS.

[0048] It should also be understood that for the purpose of illustration, the small BS 130 is shown as being physically separated from the macro BS 110. The small BS 130 may have any suitable positional relationship with the macro BS 110. Accordingly, the capacity cell 125 may be overlaid on the coverage cell 115 in any suitable pattern to improve the capacity of any "hot spot area". In some example embodiments, the small BS 130 may be co-located with the macro BS 110 or even implemented as part of the macro BS 110. In these embodiments, the capacity cell 125 and the coverage cell 115 may be co-centered or co-located.

[0049] The terminal device 120 may communicate with the macro BS 110 or communicate with the small BS 130 directly or through the macro BS 110. The terminal device 120 may communicate with other terminal devices directly or through the BS 110 and / or BS 130. The small BS 130 may communicate with the macro BS 110 wirelessly and / or by wire. As an example, the terminal device 120 and both the BS 110 and BS 130 may communicate via a Uu interface, and both the BS 110 and BS 130 may communicate via an Xn or X2 interface.

[0050] Communications in environment 100 may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including, but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, machine type communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC), new radio unlicensed (NR-U), small data transfer (SDT), and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0051] Within the coverage cell 115, multiple capacity cells may be turned on or off according to network needs (e.g., to offload traffic of the macro BS 110, to increase the capacity of the coverage cell 115, and / or other). The capacity cell 125 may be in a power saving state (such as an inactive, dormant, off, and / or DTX state or mode) during low load or empty periods of the coverage cell 115 to achieve network energy saving. All active components of the capacity cell 125 may be deactivated to achieve energy consumption reduction. In the power saving state, in the capacity cell 125 that may be waiting for an activation request, paging procedures, PRACH, or SSB or SIB may not be supported.

[0052] In the environment 100, the terminal device 120 may reside in the coverage cell 115, but in an inactive or idle state (such as a radio resource control (RRC) inactive or idle state). Triggered by the presence of uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) data and / or signaling, the terminal device 120 may initiate access to the coverage cell 115. Access to the coverage cell 115 may be extended to the capacity cell 125.

[0053] The following will refer to Figures 2 to 6 Example embodiments of such access extensions are discussed.

[0054] Figure 2 An example signaling diagram 200 of an access procedure according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Discussion diagram 200 .

[0055] In diagram 200, a first device 205, such as terminal device 120, sends 207 a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell, such as coverage cell 115. A second device 210, such as macro BS 110, serving the first cell, receives 212 the first message.

[0056] In some example embodiments, a third device 215 serving a second cell (such as a capacity cell 125) may also receive (216) the first message. Coordination between the second device 210 and the third device 215 may be required so that the third device 215 can obtain a configuration of the first message to receive the message. For example, the second device 210 may send an indication of resources for detecting the first message from the first device 205 to the third device 215. The resources may include resources in the time domain, the frequency domain, the space domain, and / or the code domain. In this way, the third device 215 may know which time and / or frequency resources, which beam, and / or which preamble code may be used by the first device 205 to send the first message. In addition, the third device 215 may use the resources indicated by the second device 210 to detect the first message from the first device 205.

[0057] The second device 210 and the third device 215 may have any suitable positional relationship. The two devices 210 and 215 may be separated from each other or co-located with each other. In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may be implemented as a part of the second device 210. Accordingly, the second cell may be separated from, partially overlapped with, overlapped with, or co-centered or co-located with the first cell.

[0058] It should be understood that the first device 205, the second device 210, and the third device 215 can be implemented by any suitable device. Some example embodiments discuss the terminal device 120 as an example of the first device 205, the macro BS 110 as an example of the second device 210, and the small BS 130 as an example of the third device 215. Other implementations of these devices 205, 210 and 215 are also possible, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. As an example, the second device 210 and the third device 215 can be any other device that can cover an area to provide services to the first device 205. The first device 205 can be any other device that needs to access the coverage area of ​​the second device 210 and the third device 215 to obtain the requested service.

[0059] The first message for initiating a first access to the first cell may include any suitable type of message in any suitable form. In some example embodiments, the first device 205 may initiate a RA process to access the first cell. For example, in response to an event trigger, the first device 205 may initiate a contention-based random access (CBRA) process or a 4-step RA process, or initiate a contention-free random access (CFRA) process or a 2-step random access process. The first message may include Msg1 in a 4-step RA process or MSGA in a 2-step random access process. The first message may be implemented in the form of a given sequence, such as a preamble, a wake-up signal, and / or other sent via a PRACH channel or other channels.

[0060] After receiving (212) the first message, the second device 210 determines (217) that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205. In some example embodiments, the second device 210 can make a decision on its own. The decision can be made by the second device 210 by considering the type of service requested by the first device 205. For example, the second device 210 can identify the type of service or service requested by the terminal device 210. The type of service or service type can be indicated by the first message. For example, in an example embodiment in which the first device 205 initiates an RA process for a first access to the first cell, the first device 205 can select a preamble or a specific PRACH resource associated with the requested type of service. Accordingly, the second device 210 can determine the requested type of service based on the selected preamble or resource.

[0061] As an example, if the requested service is a delay-tolerant service, which means that the service is not very urgent, the second device 210 may decide to switch access from the first cell to the second cell, because such a switch may require some processing time. If the service is a URLLC service, the second device 210 may determine not to perform such a switch.

[0062] As another example, if the first device 205 selects a PRACH resource specific to small data transmission (SDT) and only requests or expects a small data exchange, the second device 210 may decide not to switch the access. If a relatively large data exchange is requested, the second device 210 may determine that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the decision may be made based on the load of the first cell and / or the second cell. For example, if the load of the first cell is large and / or the load of the second cell is small, it may be determined that the second cell is to be accessed. If the load of the first cell is small and / or the load of the second cell is large, the second cell may not be accessed.

[0064] Alternatively or additionally, the decision may be based on the location of the first device 105. Any suitable positioning technology may be used to determine or estimate the location of the first device 105. In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may determine the location of the first device 105 based on time of arrival (ToA) and angle of arrival (DL-AoA) measurements of signals received from the first device 205 in a channel such as PRACH. Based on the location of the first device 105, the second device 210 may determine whether the second cell will be accessed. For example, if the first device 205 is located in the second cell, the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205. Otherwise, the first device 205 may still access the first cell.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally, the second device 210 may make a decision based on radio conditions associated with the first cell and / or the second cell. The radio conditions may be determined or evaluated based on channel estimation for a communication channel with the first device 205. Any suitable channel estimation method or algorithm may be used, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. As an example, a cell with better radio conditions in the first cell and the second cell may be accessed by the first device 205.

[0066] In some example embodiments, after determining (217) that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205, the second device 210 may send an indication to the third device 215 that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205. The indication may include an identification of the first device 205 so that the third device 215 can identify subsequent messages from the first device 205. As an example, the second device 210 may forward the first message as an indication to the third device 210. Other implementations of the indication are also possible. Some other implementations of the indication will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the second cell (such as a capacity cell) may be in a power saving state, such as an inactive, dormant, closed, and / or DTX state for energy saving. In these example embodiments, the second device 210 may send a request to activate the second cell to the third device 215. Then, the third device 215 may activate the second cell. In the case where the second device 210 and the third device 215 are implemented by the macro BS 110 and the small BS 130, respectively, the request may be transmitted via an Xn or X2 interface.

[0068] After the second cell is activated, the third device 215 may broadcast at least a synchronization signal block (SSB) in the second cell so that the first device 205 can subsequently acquire synchronization with the second cell. The third device 215 may also broadcast a system information block (SIB) in the second cell so that the first device 205 can acquire necessary information for subsequent communication.

[0069] Alternatively or additionally, the second device 210 may coordinate (212) with the third device 215 to make the decision. For example, in an example embodiment where the third device 215 may receive (214) the first message, the second device 210 and the third device 215 may coordinate with each other based on the load of the first cell and / or the second cell, the type of service requested by the first device, the location of the first device, and / or radio conditions associated with the first cell and / or the second cell, and / or other factors.

[0070] After determining that the second cell is to be accessed, the first device 205 receives (207) an access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device 205. In some example embodiments, the access response received by the first device 205 may include an identification of the second cell, such as a physical cell identifier (PCI), to indicate which cell is to be accessed. The access response may be implemented in any suitable message. For example, in an example embodiment where the RA procedure is initiated by the first device 205, the access response may include a random access response (RAR) message that may be implemented in message 2 (Msg2) in a 4-step RA procedure and / or message B (MsgB) in a 2-step RA procedure.

[0071] The access response may be extended to indicate that the second cell (rather than the first cell) is to be accessed. For example, the access response may include an information element (IE) to indicate that the first device 205 may need to use the second cell to complete the remaining steps of the access process. In the case of using a 4-step RA process, the steps may include the transmission of Msg3, the monitoring of message 4 (Msg4), and / or other. Other processes (including NW synchronization, system information block 1 (SIB1), and / or other) may also be completed in the second cell.

[0072] In some example embodiments, if the second cell (such as a capacity cell) may be in a power saving state, such as an inactive, dormant, off and / or DTX state for energy saving, the access response may further include an indication of an available time of the second cell to indicate to the terminal device when the second cell is available or activated to further improve the probability of successfully accessing the second cell. The available time may depend on a specific state or mode of the second cell at the time of receiving the first message and / or on a capability of rapid reactivation of the second cell.

[0073] Alternatively or additionally, the access response may include an indication of resources, beams, and / or timing for accessing the second cell.Based on such indication, the first device 205 may access the second cell.

[0074] The access response may be received by the first device 205 from the first cell and / or the second cell. Figure 2 As shown, as an example, the second device 210 may send (224) an access response to the first device 205. As a response to the first message received from the first device 205, the second device 210 may generate an access response and then send it to the first device 205. In the case where the terminal device 120 acts as the first device 205 and the macro BS 110 acts as the second device 210, the access response may be sent from the second device 210 to the first device 205 via the Uu interface.

[0075] In some example embodiments, second device 210 may send an access response to third device 215. The access response may serve as an indication that the second cell is to be accessed by first device 205. In example embodiments where the access response includes a configuration for communicating with first device 205, third device 215 may use the configuration for future communications.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the access response may be generated by third device 215. Figure 2 As shown, the third device 215 can send (226) an access response to the first device 205 directly or via the second device 210. For example, after the third device 215 detects a first message from the first device 205 to initiate a first access to the first cell, and further determines that the first device 205 is about to access the second cell, the third device 215 can send an access response to the first device 205 from the second cell.

[0077] In some example embodiments, second device 210 may forward the access response from the second cell to first device 205. For example, third device 215 may send an access response to second device 210, which then relays the access response to first device 205.

[0078] In some example embodiments, first device 205 may receive an indication of resources associated with the second cell and used to receive access responses from the first cell and / or the second cell. The resources may include resources in time, frequency, space, and / or coding domains. As an example, the resources may include a search space for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or other control channel in the second cell.

[0079] For example, the second device 210 may send an indication to the first device 205 via system information (SI) and / or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. As another example, the third device 215 may send an indication to the first device 205 in the second cell via SSB and / or SIB after the second cell leaves the DTX or dormant state.

[0080] Accordingly, the first device 205 may monitor the indicated resources to receive an access response from the second cell.The first device 205 may also monitor resources associated with the first cell to receive an access response from the first cell.

[0081] After receiving (222) the access response, the first device 205 sends (228) a second message associated with the second access to the second cell. Accordingly, the third device 215 receives (230) the second message. To facilitate communication of the second message, the access response may include an indication of resources for the first device 205 to send the second message.

[0082] Alternatively or additionally, the access response may include an indication of a beam and / or timing advance (TA) for transmission of the second message. For example, the second device 210 may locate the first device 205 based on ToA and / or AoA measurements. The second device 210 may then estimate the distance between the first device 205 and the second cell. By doing so, the second device 210 may determine the TA and potential beam for transmission of the second device 210 in the second cell. In some other embodiments, if the first cell and the second cell are co-located, the TA obtained based on the measurement in the first cell may also be valid for the second cell.

[0083] In some embodiments, if the available time of the second cell is indicated to the first device 205, the first device 205 may first determine whether the second cell is available. When the second cell is available, the first device 205 may send a second message to the second cell. Before sending the second message, the first device 205 may detect at least an SSB for network synchronization from the second cell. The first device 205 may also detect the SIB to obtain necessary information for communicating with the third device 210 in the second cell.

[0084] The second message may include any suitable type of message in any suitable form. In some example embodiments, the second message may be Msg3 in a 4-step RA process or any other message containing an identification of the first device 205 for contention resolution. If Msg3 is used as an example of the second message, the transmission of Msg3 may be completed with the second cell as the receiving cell.

[0085] After receiving (230) the second message, the third device 215 may send (232) a response message to the first device 205. In an embodiment where Msg3 is sent as the second message, the third device 215 may send Msg4.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the second message may be Msg1 in a 4-step RA procedure, MSGA in a 2-step RA procedure, or any other message used to initiate a second access to the second cell. For example, if Msg1 is sent by the first device 205 as a second message to the second cell, the third device 215 may respond with Msg2 from the second cell. If the first cell and the second cell are co-located, the first device 205 may use the beam direction used for the first message to send Msg1 to the capacity cell to initiate a first access to the first cell.

[0087] In some embodiments, if the RA procedure is used by the first device 205 (such as a UE) to a coverage cell (as an example of a first cell), the RA procedure may be extended for the purpose of activating a capacity cell (as an example of a second cell). In such an extended RA procedure, the first device 205 may initiate a RACH procedure in the coverage cell (by sending a PRACH to the coverage cell), and the first device 205 may send or receive at least one RACH message (e.g., one of the 4-step RACH messages) to / from the capacity cell. Reference will be made to Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 3C and Figure 3D Some embodiments of a dual cell procedure based on a RA procedure are discussed.

[0088] First reference Figure 3A , which shows a first example process 300 of extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0089] In this example, coverage cell 305 (labeled as cell 1) and capacity cell 310 (labeled as cell 2) are examples of first cell and second cell. UE 315 acts as first device 205. UE 315 can transmit Msg1 (of 4-step RACH) and extended Msg2 using the coverage cell, and transmit Msg3 and Msg4 using the capacity cell. As an example, UE 315 can be configured with an extended dual-cell RACH mode, and receive a corresponding configuration to ensure that UE 315 can know in which cell and in which resources, UE 315 can monitor the PDCCH or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the RACH message.

[0090] like Figure 3A As shown, triggered by the presence of UL / DL data, UE 315 may initiate 320 a RA procedure by sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble to coverage cell 305. In one example, the type of service requested by UE 315 may be identified by the network based on the selected preamble.

[0091] At 322, a decision may be made to activate the capacity cell 310, which was in a dormant or off mode at 324. A cell activation request may then be sent (326) to the capacity cell 310 (e.g., via Xn signaling). In one example, the activation decision may be based on the load of the NW. Additionally or alternatively, the decision may be based on the type of service requested by the UE 315, e.g., whether the request may be triggered for a delay tolerant service. Additionally or alternatively, the decision and selection of the capacity cell may depend on the UE location, which may be determined based on the received PRACH. In one example, an access request may be forwarded from the UE 315 to the capacity cell 310.

[0092] An extended random access response (RAR) message may be generated in the coverage cell 305 in response to the PRACH reception. The extended RAR message may be sent (328) to the UE 315. The extended RAR message may include an indication to the UE 315 that an extended RACH mode is enabled, in which the UE 315 may have to send Msg3 of a RACH procedure to another cell (cell 2) that is different from the cell (cell 1) providing the RAR message, and monitor Msg4 from that cell (cell 2).

[0093] In some embodiments, the extended RAR message may include a new IE, for example, a "capacity cell mode" IE (or "extended RACH mode" or "dual cell RACH mode"), which includes the PCI of the capacity cell 310 (as an example of the identity of the capacity cell 310) to indicate that the UE 315 may need to complete the remaining steps of the RACH process with the given capacity cell. In addition, other processes, including NW synchronization, SIB1 acquisition, and monitoring the timing of Msg4 can also be completed in the capacity cell 310.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the presence of the capacity cell 310 may be indicated by the coverage cell 305 via system information (SI). In one example, the indication may include a capacity cell ID. In one option, the indication may be provided in the SI. In another option, the indication may be provided in RRC signaling (such as a paging message). Figure 3A As shown, as an alternative example, the cell 2 ID may be sent (329) from the coverage cell 305 to the UE 315 via SIB1.

[0095] If the UE 315 may have to send Msg3 to the capacity cell according to the configured extended RACH mode, the timing advance (TA) for the transmission of Msg3 (or the delay of Msg3 transmission) can be calculated based on the information about the capacity cell and provided to the UE 315 as part of the RAR message. For example, ToA and AoA measurements can be performed on the received PRACH, and then the rough position of the UE can be determined. Based on the location of the capacity cell, the distance between the UE 315 and the capacity cell 310 can be estimated. By doing so, the TA and potential beams used by the UE 315 in the capacity cell 310 can be determined. In another embodiment, if the coverage cell 305 and the capacity cell 310 are co-located, the TA obtained based on the PRACH in the coverage cell 305 can also be valid for the capacity cell 310.

[0096] In some example embodiments, an indication of the available time of the capacity cell 310 may also be included in the extended RAR message and provided to the UE 315, which may depend on the sleep mode that the capacity cell 310 is in at the time of PRACH reception and the ability of the capacity cell 310 to quickly reactivate. An indication of the resource allocation of the capacity cell 310 may also be included in the extended RAR message.

[0097] In a given extended RACH mode, which message(s) should be monitored or which message(s) should be sent to different cells may be defined in the standard, provided in the RAR message, or configured in the SIB of the coverage cell 305. The extended RAR may be sent from the coverage cell 305 to the UE 315 via the Uu interface, and to the capacity cell 310 via the Xn interface.

[0098] UE 315 may receive the extended RAR message and apply the received information or configuration related to the extended RACH mode. For example, before transmitting Msg3 to capacity cell 310, if the available time of capacity cell 310 is received, UE 315 may take the available time of capacity cell 310 into consideration. Figure 3A As shown in FIG. 3 , at 330 , the PRACH transmission to cell 2 may be delayed according to the Msg1 transmission delay.

[0099] The RAR message that may be received (332) in the capacity cell 310 may include a Msg3 resource allocation provided to the UE 315, based on which the Mgs3 from the UE 315 may be monitored in the capacity cell 310. For example, the RAR message may inform the capacity cell 310 about when and where the Msg3 may be received from the UE 315 in the capacity cell 310, and a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI) that the UE 315 may be allocated and used in the Msg3.

[0100] Upon (re)activation, reference signals (such as SSB and optionally SIB) may be sent (336) from the capacity cell 310, which may be received by the UE 315 and used to acquire (338) network synchronization and SI.

[0101] After synchronizing with the capacity cell 310 and acquiring necessary information from the SIB, the UE 315 may send (340) Msg3 to the capacity cell 310 and complete the RRC connection establishment to the capacity cell 310. The transmission of Msg3 may be completed with the capacity cell 310 as the receiving cell. This may include: a media access control I (MAC-I) token for RRC level integrity protection may be generated using the PCI of the capacity cell 310 and filled into the RRC recovery request message of the UE 315 in the RRC inactive mode.

[0102] In one example, the transmission of Msg3 can be accomplished using the UE Tx beam based on the best UE transmit (Tx) beam toward the coverage cell 305. This can assume co-location and FR1 operation between the coverage cell 305 and the capacity cell 310. In one example, the UE 315 can use the same UE Tx beam used for PRACH transmission for Msg3 transmission. In the case of co-location FR1, the UE's receive (Rx) beam and Tx beam toward the two cells 305 and 310 can be considered to be the same. In another example, the transmission of Msg3 can be accomplished using the UE Tx beam indicated in the RAR message based on the mapping of the UE Tx beam in the coverage cell 305 to the UE Tx beam in the capacity cell 310. For example, the same or wider beam can be used in the capacity cell 310 compared to the coverage cell 305.

[0103] Msg3 may be monitored (341) in the capacity cell 310. Then, Msg4 may be sent (342) from the capacity cell 310 to the UE 315. The UE 315 may monitor (344) the Msg4 from the capacity cell 310.

[0104] Figure 3BA second example process 350 of extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0105] In this example, PRACH and RAR may be transmitted to / from coverage cell 305 , followed by Msg1 , Msg2 , Msg3 , and Msg4 in capacity cell 310 .

[0106] Actions and operations at 320 to 338 in the second process 350 may be similar to those in the first process 300. The difference is that in the extended RACH mode of the process 350, the UE 315 may have to perform random access in the capacity cell 310 (cell 2).

[0107] In this example, the extended RAR message may include PRACH resource information for the capacity cell 310. This may include all PRACH information that may be in a SIB (but the UE may not need to read the SIB from the capacity cell 310) and / or a dedicated preamble assignment for contention-free random access.

[0108] The extended RAR message received at 332 may indicate that the UE 315 may be transmitting on the PRACH and the PRACH resources to be used. The message may inform the capacity cell 310 when and where the capacity cell 310 can receive the Msg1 from the UE 315.

[0109] After synchronizing with the capacity cell and acquiring necessary information from the SIB, at 338 , the UE 315 may initiate ( 352 ) random access to the capacity cell 310 and complete RRC connection establishment.

[0110] Figure 3C A third example process 355 of extending access according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0111] In a third process 355, UE 315 may attempt 356 an RA to coverage cell 305 by sending a preamble on PRACH and waiting for an RA response. PRACH may be monitored in both coverage cell 305 and capacity cell 310, and UE 315 may receive a response from capacity cell 310.

[0112] The capacity cell 310 may coordinate 357 with the coverage cell 305. Coordination with the coverage cell 305 may be required to agree on which cell may be used to respond to the UE 315. Additionally, coordination may be required for the capacity cell 310 to obtain the RACH configuration of cell 1 so as to be able to monitor 359 the RACH initiated for cell 1.

[0113] UE 315 may monitor 361 the PDCCH search space associated with coverage cell 305 and / or capacity cell 310 to receive the RAR from cell 2. The RAR from cell 2 needs to be monitored, and the associated configuration may be provided from cell 1. Alternatively, UE 315 may start monitoring the RAR from cell 2 upon implicit or explicit indication from cell 2. An example of an implicit indication may be the transmission of an SSB or SIB from cell 2.

[0114] Figure 3D A fourth example process 365 of extending access according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0115] Figure 3D The fourth course in 365 is similar to Figure 3C 355 in the third process 355. The difference is that the RA response can be prepared in the capacity cell 310 and sent via the coverage cell 305. The decision that the UE 315 can receive a response from the capacity cell 310 can depend on the service requested by the UE 315, which can be indicated by the PRACH resource selected by the UE 315. For example, if the UE 315 selects a PRACH resource specific to SDT and only a small data exchange is expected, cell 2 may not be reactivated and cell 1 may be used to respond to the RACH. Conversely, if a relatively large data exchange is expected, and / or based on the load of cell 1, cell 2 may be requested to respond to the PRACH from the UE 315.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the RA process may be utilized to enable timely and efficient activation of dormant cells based on UE needs and conditions (such as traffic demand, radio conditions, and / or other). By doing so, dormant cells may be activated based on actual needs or conditions of the UE rather than based on an increase in average load levels in a larger geographic area (such as a coverage cell).

[0117] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 for extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 400 may be implemented in a manner such as Figure 2 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method 400 is described from the perspective of the first device 205 .

[0118] At block 405, the first device 205 sends a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell. At block 410, the first device 205 receives an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell, the access response indicating that the second cell will be accessed by the first device. At block 415, the first device 205 sends a second message associated with a second access to the second cell to the second cell.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the access response includes at least one of: an identification of the second cell; an indication of resources (referred to as first resources), which are used to send the second message by the first device; an indication of available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, which is used for sending the second message; and an indication of a timing advance, which is used for sending the second message.

[0120] In some example embodiments, to send the second message, the first device 205 may determine that the second cell is available based on an available time of the second cell; and send the second message to the second cell based on the determination that the second cell is available.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the first device 205 may receive the identification of the second cell from the first cell via at least one of system information and radio resource control signaling.

[0122] In some example embodiments, to receive the access response, the first device 205 may monitor resources associated with at least one of the first cell and the second cell (referred to as second resources) to receive the access response.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the second resources may include resources associated with the second cell.In some example embodiments, the first device 205 may receive an indication of resources associated with the second cell from at least one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0124] In some example embodiments, to receive the indication of resources associated with the second cell, the first device 205 may receive the indication of resources associated with the second cell from the first cell via at least one of system information, radio resource control signaling.

[0125] In some example embodiments, to receive the indication of resources associated with the second cell, the first device 205 may receive the indication of resources associated with the second cell from the second cell via at least one of a synchronization signal block, system information.

[0126] In some example embodiments, to send the second message, the first device 205 may send the second message to the second cell using a beam, the beam comprising at least one of: a beam used to send the first message for initiating a first access to the first cell, a beam indicated by an access response.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the first device 205 may also detect at least a synchronization signal block from the second cell before sending the second message.

[0128] In some example embodiments, to detect at least a synchronization signal block, the first device 205 may detect a synchronization signal block and a system information block from the second cell.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the second message may include at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for a first access to the first cell, message 1 in a second random access procedure for a second access to the second cell.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the first cell may comprise a coverage cell and the second cell may comprise a capacity cell.

[0131] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 for extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 500 may be implemented in a manner such as Figure 2 The second device 210 is shown as being implemented. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method 500 is described from the perspective of the second device 210 .

[0132] At block 505, the second device 210 receives, in the first cell, a first message from the first device 205 to initiate a first access to the first cell. At block 510, the second device 210 determines that a different second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also send an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell to the first device 205 , the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device 205 .

[0134] In some example embodiments, the access response includes at least one of: an identification of the second cell; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used by the first device to send a second message associated with the second access to the second cell; an indication of available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for sending the second message; and an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0135] In some example embodiments, to send the access response, the second device 210 may generate an access response; and send a (random) access response from the first cell to the first device 205 .

[0136] In some example embodiments, the second cell may be in a dormant or off mode. In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also send a request for activating the second cell to a third device 215 serving the second cell.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also send an indication to the third device 215 serving the second cell that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also send at least one of the following to the third device 215 serving the second cell: an identifier of the first device; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used by the first device to send a second message associated with the second access to the second cell; an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for a first access to the first cell, message 1 in a second random access procedure for a second access to the second cell.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also receive an access response from a third device serving the second cell. In some example embodiments, to send the access response, the second device 210 may send an access response from the second cell to the first device 205 .

[0141] In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also send an indication of resources (referred to as third resources) to the third device, the resources being used to detect the first message from the first device to initiate the first access to the first cell.

[0142] In some example embodiments, second device 210 may also send an indication of resources to first device 205 via at least one of system information and radio resource control signaling, the resources being associated with the second cell and used to receive the access response.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the second device 210 may also send the identifier of the second cell to the first device 205 via at least one of system information and radio resource control signaling.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the determining may be performed based on at least one of: a load of the first cell and / or the second cell, a type of service requested by the first device; a location of the first device; a radio condition associated with the first cell and / or the second cell.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the determining is performed in accordance with coordination with the second cell.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the first cell may comprise a coverage cell and the second cell may comprise a capacity cell.

[0147] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example method 600 for extending access according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be implemented at the third device 215 as shown in FIG. 3 . For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method 600 is described from the perspective of the third device 215 .

[0148] At block 605, it is determined that a second cell served by the third device 215 is to be accessed by the first device 205. The first device has initiated a first access to a different first cell. At block 610, based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device 205, the third device 215 detects a second message from the first device 205 associated with a second access to the second cell.

[0149] In some example embodiments, to determine that the second cell will be accessed by the first device, the third device 215 may receive an indication from the second device 210 serving the first cell that the second cell will be accessed by the first device; and based on the receipt of the indication, determine that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the second cell is in a dormant or off mode. In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may also receive a request from the second device to activate the second cell; and based on the receipt of the request, activate the second cell.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may also broadcast at least a synchronization signal block in the second cell.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may broadcast the synchronization signal block and the system information block in the second cell in order to broadcast at least the synchronization signal block.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may receive at least one of the following from the second device 210: an identification of the first device 205; an indication of a first resource used by the first device to send the second message; an indication of a timing advance used for sending the second message.

[0154] In some example embodiments, to determine that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205, the third device 215 may receive an indication of a third resource from the second device 210, the third resource being used to detect a first message from the first device 205, the first message being used to initiate a first access to the first cell; using the third resource to detect the first message from the first device 205; and based on the detection of the first message, determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205.

[0155] In some example embodiments, to determine that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205, the third device 215 may determine that the second cell will be accessed based on collaboration with the first cell based on at least one of: a load of the first cell and / or the second cell; a service type requested by the first device; a location of the first device; and radio conditions associated with the first cell and / or the second cell.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may also send an access response to the first device in the second cell based on determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205 , the access response indicating that the second cell will be accessed by the first device 205 .

[0157] In some example embodiments, the access response may include at least one of the following: an identification of the second cell, an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending the second message by the first device; an indication of an available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for sending the second message; an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the third device 215 may also send an indication of resources to the first device 205 in the second cell via at least one of a synchronization signal block and a system information block, the resources being associated with the second cell and used to receive an access response.

[0159] In some example embodiments, to send an access response to the first device 205, the third device 215 may send an access response for the first device to the second device 210 serving the first cell.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the second message may include at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for a first access to the first cell, message 1 in a second random access procedure for a second access to the second cell.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the first cell may comprise a coverage cell and the second cell may comprise a capacity cell.

[0162] References Figures 1 to 3DAll operations and features described are equally applicable to methods 400, 500, and 600, and have similar effects. For the purpose of simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0163] In some example embodiments, a device capable of performing method 400 (e.g., Figure 2 The first device 205 shown may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of the method 400. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for sending a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell; means for receiving an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device; and means for sending a second message associated with a second access to the second cell to the second cell.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the access response includes at least one of: an identification of the second cell; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used by the first device to send the second message; an indication of an available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for sending the second message; an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the means for sending the second message includes means for determining that the second cell is available based on an available time of the second cell; and means for sending the second message to the second cell based on determining that the second cell is available.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving an identification of the second cell from the first cell via at least one of system information, radio resource control signaling.

[0168] In some example embodiments, means for receiving an access response includes means for monitoring second resources associated with at least one of the first cell and the second cell to receive the access response.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the second resources include resources associated with a second cell, and the apparatus further includes means for receiving an indication of the resources associated with the second cell from at least one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0170] In some example embodiments, means for receiving the indication of resources associated with the second cell comprises means for receiving the indication of resources associated with the second cell from the first cell via at least one of system information, radio resource control signaling.

[0171] In some example embodiments, means for receiving the indication of resources associated with the second cell comprises means for receiving the indication of resources associated with the second cell from the second cell via at least one of a synchronization signal block, system information.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the means for sending the second message includes: means for sending the second message to the second cell using a beam, the beam including at least one of the following: a beam used to send the first message for initiating a first access to the first cell, a beam indicated by an access response.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for detecting at least a synchronization signal block from the second cell before sending the second message.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the means for detecting at least a synchronization signal block comprises means for detecting a synchronization signal block and a system information block from the second cell.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for a first access to the first cell, message 1 in a second random access procedure for a second access to the second cell.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the first cell comprises a coverage cell and the second cell comprises a capacity cell.

[0177] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., Figure 2 The second device 210 shown may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of the method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for receiving, in a first cell, a first message from a first device to initiate a first access to the first cell; and means for determining that a different second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell to the first device, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0180] In some example embodiments, the access response includes at least one of: an identification of the second cell; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used by the first device to send a second message associated with the second access to the second cell; an indication of available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for sending the second message; and an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0181] In some example embodiments, means for sending an access response includes means for generating an access response; and means for sending a random access response from the first cell to the first device.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the second cell is in a dormant or off mode, and the apparatus further comprises means for sending a request to activate the second cell to a third device serving the second cell.

[0183] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an indication to a third device serving the second cell that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for sending at least one of the following to a third device serving a second cell: an identifier of the first device; an indication of a first resource used by the first device to send a second message associated with a second access to the second cell; and an indication of a timing advance used for sending the second message.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for a first access to the first cell, message 1 in a second random access procedure for a second access to the second cell.

[0186] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving an access response from a third device serving the second cell. Means for sending the access response comprises means for sending the access response from the second cell to the first device.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an indication of a third resource to a third device, the third resource being used to detect a first message from the first device to initiate a first access to the first cell.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an indication of resources to the first device via at least one of system information, radio resource control signaling, the resources being associated with the second cell and used to receive an access response.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting an identification of the second cell to the first device via at least one of system information, radio resource control signaling.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the means for determining is based on at least one of: a load of the first cell and / or the second cell, a type of service requested by the first device; a location of the first device; a radio condition associated with the first cell and / or the second cell.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the means for determining is based on coordination with the second cell.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the first cell comprises a coverage cell and the second cell comprises a capacity cell.

[0193] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 600 (e.g., Figure 2 The third device 215 shown may include components for executing the corresponding steps of the method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0194] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for determining that a second cell is to be accessed by a first device, the first device having initiated a first access to a different first cell; and a component for detecting a second message associated with a second access to the second cell from the first device based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0195] In some example embodiments, the means for determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device includes: means for receiving an indication from a second device serving the first cell that the second cell will be accessed by the first device; and means for determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device based on the reception of the indication.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the second cell is in a dormant or off mode, and the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a request from the second device to activate the second cell; and means for activating the second cell based on the receipt of the request.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for broadcasting at least a synchronization signal block in the second cell.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the means for broadcasting at least a synchronization signal block comprises means for broadcasting a synchronization signal block and a system information block in the second cell.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for receiving at least one of the following from the second device: an identification of the first device; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used by the first device to send the second message; an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0200] In some example embodiments, a component for determining that a second cell will be accessed by a first device includes: a component for receiving an indication of a third resource from the second device, the third resource being used to detect a first message from the first device, the first message being used to initiate a first access to the first cell; a component for detecting the first message from the first device using the third resource; and a component for determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device based on the detection of the first message.

[0201] In some example embodiments, the component for determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device includes: a component for determining that the second cell will be accessed based on at least one of the following based on collaboration with the first cell: the load of the first cell and / or the second cell; the type of service requested by the first device; the location of the first device; and radio conditions associated with the first cell and / or the second cell.

[0202] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an access response to the first device in the second cell based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

[0203] In some example embodiments, the access response includes at least one of the following: an identification of the second cell, an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending the second message by the first device; an indication of an available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for sending the second message; an indication of a timing advance, the timing advance being used for sending the second message.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an indication of resources to the first device in the second cell via at least one of a synchronization signal block, a system information block, the resources being associated with the second cell and used to receive an access response.

[0205] In some example embodiments, means for sending an access response to the first device includes means for sending an access response for the first device to a second device serving the first cell.

[0206] In some example embodiments, the second message includes at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for a first access to the first cell, message 1 in a second random access procedure for a second access to the second cell.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the first cell comprises a coverage cell and the second cell comprises a capacity cell.

[0208] Figure 7 3 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as the first device 310 or the second device 320 as shown in FIG. 3. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0209] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0210] As non-limiting examples, processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes a master processor.

[0211] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0212] Computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 710. Program 730 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 724. Processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 730 into RAM 722.

[0213] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a program 730, so that the device 700 may execute the Figures 1 to 6 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0214] In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or other storage device accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium 1200 has a program 730 stored thereon.

[0215] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof in non-limiting examples.

[0216] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as included in a program module, executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above referenced Figures 1 to 6 Computer executable instructions of the described methods 400 to 600. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0217] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented when executed by the processor or controller. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0218] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0219] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0220] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0221] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device comprises: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least perform: Sending a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell; receiving an access response from at least one of the first cell and different second cells, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device; as well as A second message associated with a second access to the second cell is sent to the second cell.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the access response comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of the second cell; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending the second message by the first device; an indication of an available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for the sending of the second message; An indication of a timing advance used for the sending of the second message.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein sending the second message comprises: Determining, based on the available time of the second cell, that the second cell is available; as well as Based on determining that the second cell is available, the second message is sent to the second cell.

4. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first device is further caused to execute: An identifier of the second cell is received from the first cell via at least one of system information and radio resource control signaling.

5. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein receiving the access response comprises: Monitoring second resources associated with at least one of the first cell and the second cell to receive the access response.

6. The first device of claim 5, wherein the second resources comprise resources associated with the second cell, and further causing the first device to perform: An indication of the resources associated with the second cell is received from the at least one of the first cell and the second cell.

7. The first device of claim 6, wherein receiving the indication of the resources associated with the second cell comprises: The indication of the resources associated with the second cell is received from the first cell via at least one of system information, radio resource control signaling.

8. The first device of claim 6, wherein receiving the indication of the resources associated with the second cell comprises: The indication of the resources associated with the second cell is received from the second cell via at least one of a synchronization signal block and system information.

9. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein sending the second message comprises: The second message is sent to the second cell using a beam, where the beam includes at least one of the following: a beam used to send the first message for initiating the first access to the first cell, The beam indicated by the access response.

10. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first device is further caused to execute: Before sending the second message, at least a synchronization signal block from the second cell is detected.

11. The first device of claim 10, wherein at least detecting the synchronization signal block comprises: Detect the synchronization signal block and system information block from the second cell.

12. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second message comprises at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for said first access to said first cell, Message 1 in a second random access procedure for the second access to the second cell.

13. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first cell comprises a coverage cell, and the second cell comprises a capacity cell.

14. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least perform: In a first cell, receiving a first message from a first device for initiating a first access to the first cell; and It is determined that a different second cell will be accessed by the first device.

15. The second device according to claim 14, further comprising: An access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell is sent to the first device, where the access response indicates that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

16. The second device of claim 15, wherein the access response comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of the second cell; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending, by the first device, a second message associated with a second access to the second cell; an indication of an available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for the sending of the second message; An indication of a timing advance used for the sending of the second message.

17. The second device according to any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein sending the access response comprises: generating the access response; as well as The random access response from the first cell is sent to the first device.

18. The second device according to claim 17, wherein the second cell is in a dormant or off mode, and further causing the second device to execute: A request for activating the second cell is sent to a third device serving the second cell.

19. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the second device is further caused to execute: An indication is sent to a third device serving the second cell that the second cell will be accessed by the first device.

20. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the second device is further caused to execute: Send at least one of the following to a third device serving the second cell: an identifier of the first device; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending, by the first device, a second message associated with a second access to the second cell; An indication of a timing advance used for the sending of the second message.

21. The second device according to claim 16 or 20, wherein the second message comprises at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for said first access to said first cell, Message 1 in a second random access procedure for the second access to the second cell.

22. The second device according to any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the second device is further configured to: receiving the access response from a third device serving the second cell, Wherein sending the access response comprises: The access response from the second cell is sent to the first device.

23. The second device according to claim 22, wherein the second device is further caused to execute: An indication of a third resource is sent to the third device, where the third resource is used to detect the first message from the first device to initiate the first access to the first cell.

24. The second device according to any one of claims 22 to 23, wherein the second device is further caused to execute: An indication of resources is sent to the first device via at least one of system information and radio resource control signaling, the resources being associated with the second cell and used to receive the access response.

25. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein the second device is further caused to execute: The identifier of the second cell is sent to the first device via at least one of system information and radio resource control signaling.

26. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein the determining is performed based on at least one of the following: the load of the first cell and / or the second cell, a service type requested by the first device; the location of the first device; Radio conditions associated with the first cell and / or the second cell.

27. The second device of claim 26, wherein the determining is performed according to coordination with the second cell.

28. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 27, wherein the first cell comprises a coverage cell, and the second cell comprises a capacity cell.

29. A third device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least perform: determining that a second cell served by the third device is to be accessed by a first device, the first device having initiated a first access to a different first cell; as well as Based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device, a second message associated with a second access to the second cell from the first device is detected.

30. The third device according to claim 29, wherein determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device comprises: receiving, from a second device serving the first cell, an indication that the second cell will be accessed by the first device; as well as Based on the receiving of the indication, it is determined that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device.

31. The third device according to claim 30, wherein the second cell is in a dormant or off mode, and further causing the third device to execute: receiving a request from the second device to activate the second cell; and Based on the receipt of the request, the second cell is activated.

32. The third device according to claim 31, wherein the third device is further caused to execute: At least a synchronization signal block is broadcast in the second cell.

33. The third device of claim 32, wherein broadcasting at least the synchronization signal block comprises: The synchronization signal block and the system information block are broadcast in the second cell.

34. A third device according to any one of claims 30 to 33, wherein the third device is further caused to execute: Receiving at least one of the following from the second device: an identifier of the first device; an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending the second message by the first device; An indication of a timing advance used for the sending of the second message.

35. The third device according to claim 29, wherein determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device comprises: receiving an indication of a third resource from the second device, the third resource being used to detect a first message from the first device, the first message being used to initiate the first access to the first cell; detecting, using the third resource, the first message from the first device; as well as Based on the detection of the first message, it is determined that the second cell will be accessed by the first device.

36. The third device according to claim 35, wherein determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device comprises: According to the collaboration with the first cell, it is determined that the second cell is to be accessed based on at least one of the following: a load of the first cell and / or the second cell; a service type requested by the first device; the location of the first device; Radio conditions associated with the first cell and / or the second cell.

37. A third device according to any one of claims 35 to 36, wherein the third device is further caused to execute: Based on determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device, an access response is sent to the first device in the second cell, where the access response indicates that the second cell will be accessed by the first device.

38. The third device of claim 37, wherein the access response comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of the second cell, an indication of a first resource, the first resource being used for sending the second message by the first device; an indication of an available time of the second cell; an indication of a beam, the beam being used for the sending of the second message; An indication of a timing advance used for the sending of the second message.

39. A third device according to any one of claims 37 to 38, wherein the third device is further caused to execute: An indication of resources is sent to the first device in the second cell via at least one of a synchronization signal block and a system information block, the resources being associated with the second cell and used to receive the access response.

40. The third device according to any one of claims 37 to 38, wherein sending the access response to the first device comprises: The access response for the first device is sent to a second device serving the first cell.

41. The third device according to any one of claims 29 to 40, wherein the second message comprises at least one of the following: message 3 in a first random access procedure for said first access to said first cell, Message 1 in a second random access procedure for the second access to the second cell.

42. The third device according to any one of claims 27 to 38, wherein the first cell comprises a coverage cell, and the second cell comprises a capacity cell.

43. A method comprising: At the first device, Sending a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell; receiving an access response from at least one of the first cell and different second cells, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device; as well as A second message associated with a second access to the second cell is sent to the second cell.

44. A method comprising: At the second device, In a first cell, receiving a first message from a first device for initiating a first access to the first cell; as well as It is determined that a different second cell will be accessed by the first device.

45. A method comprising: At a third device serving the second cell, determining that the second cell is to be accessed by a first device, and the first device has initiated a first access to a different first cell; as well as Based on determining that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device, a second message associated with a second access to the second cell from the first device is detected.

46. ​​An apparatus comprising: means for sending a first message to initiate a first access to a first cell; means for receiving an access response from at least one of the first cell and a different second cell, the access response indicating that the second cell is to be accessed by the first device; as well as Means for sending, to the second cell, a second message associated with a second access to the second cell.

47. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, in a first cell, a first message from a first device for initiating a first access to the first cell; as well as A component for determining that a different second cell will be accessed by the first device.

48. An apparatus comprising: A component for determining that a second cell is to be accessed by a first device, the first device having initiated a first access to a different first cell; as well as means for detecting a second message from the first device associated with a second access to the second cell based on determining that the second cell will be accessed by the first device.

49. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of claims 43 to 45.

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