Secondary cell activation based on aperiodic reference signals

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to equipment, a method and a device for secondary cell (SCell) activation based on an aperiodic reference signal (ARS), and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises: transmitting, from a first device to a second device, a request for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in the event that a secondary cell is activated; and receiving an aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for secondary cell (SCell) activation based on an aperiodic reference signal (ARS). Background Art

[0002] In New Radio (NR), such as in Long Term Evolution (LTE), SCells can be activated or deactivated by the network to achieve reasonable UE battery consumption when carrier aggregation (CA) is configured. When activating an SCell, it takes time to transition from the deactivated state to the activated state, i.e., the activation delay. In the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) New Radio (NR) system, research on how to reduce the activation delay requirements at both the network side and the user equipment (UE) side will be further discussed. Summary of the invention

[0003] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for SCell activation based on ARS.

[0004] In a first aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: sending a request from a first device to a second device for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in case of secondary cell activation; and receiving an aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a second device, a request from a first device to trigger transmission of an aperiodic reference signal generated by the first device based on available beam information in case of secondary cell activation; and causing transmission of the aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation to the first device to be triggered.

[0006] In a third aspect, a first device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first device at least performs the method according to the first aspect.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a second device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second device at least performs the method according to the second aspect.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for sending a request to a second device for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in the case of secondary cell activation; and a component for receiving the aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a request from a first device for triggering the transmission of a non-periodic reference signal generated by the first device based on available beam information when a secondary cell is activated; and a component for causing the transmission of the non-periodic reference signal for secondary cell activation to the first device to be triggered.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by at least one processor of a device, the device is caused to perform the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0011] Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The embodiments of the present disclosure are presented in an exemplary sense, and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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

[0014] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a procedure for ARS-based SCell activation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C An example of UE-requested ARS for SCell activation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method of ARS-based SCell activation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an example method of ARS-based SCell activation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 6 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0019] Figure 7A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] The same or similar reference numbers may refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the way described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0023] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and "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. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered that it is 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.

[0024] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is linked by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or any more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The terms used herein are only used 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 should be further understood that the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "contain", "containing", and / or "have" 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.

[0028] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as analog and / or digital circuit implementation only) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of one or more analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of one or more hardware processors (including one or more digital signal processors) with software, software, and one or more memories that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and (c) one or more hardware circuits and / or one or more processors, such as one or more microprocessors or portions of one or more microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0029] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only 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. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, 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.

[0030] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows 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), and narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation (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) 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 will certainly be communication technologies and systems that can embody future types of the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the aforementioned system.

[0031] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNode B or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a radio remote unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a radio remote head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node (such as a femto), a micro, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite), and an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) part, which behaves like a UE towards a parent node, and the DU part of the IAB node behaves like a base station towards a next-hop IAB node.

[0032] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the 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 device, 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 premises 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, and equipment operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to a mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0033] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication, for example, communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, space domain resources, code domain resources or any other resource capable of communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, both frequency domain resources and time domain resources will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0034] Figure 1 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 may include a terminal device 110. In the following, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as UE 110 or first device 110.

[0035] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. Hereinafter, the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB 120 or a second device 120. The terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120.

[0036] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices shown in is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0037] In some example embodiments, the link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In DL, network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In UL, terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and network device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0038] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any appropriate one or more communication protocols, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, communications may utilize any appropriate 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 multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0039] As mentioned above, in NR, SCells can be activated or deactivated by the network to achieve reasonable UE battery consumption when CA is configured. For example, it can be triggered by SCell activation / deactivation medium access control-control element (MAC CE) to indicate whether the Scell ​​with SCellIndex i should be activated or deactivated.

[0040] When activating an SCell, it takes time to transition from the deactivated state to the activated state, which is called the activation delay. Under some conditions, such as unknown target SCell, the activation delay may become very long due to cell detection, Layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) measurement, and channel state information (CSI) measurement.

[0041] In order to reduce the delay, a fast SCell activation scheme is proposed to speed up the SCell activation procedure. Aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for tracking (ie, A-TRS) can be configured for SCell to assist automatic gain control (AGC) and time / frequency synchronization.

[0042] For example, in order to enable fast SCell activation when CA is configured, aperiodic CSI-RS for tracking fast SCell activation can be configured for SCell to assist AGC and time / frequency synchronization. MAC CE is used to trigger the activation of one or more SCells and trigger aperiodic CSI-RS for tracking fast SCell activation of (a group of) deactivated SCells.

[0043] Based on A-TRS, the UE can monitor A-TRS instead of the synchronization signal block (SSB) for cell synchronization. Since A-TRS can be configured to have a very short period, it can occur before SSB, which can reduce the SCell activation delay.

[0044] However, in some scenarios, A-TRS may be triggered only when the SCell is known, or when the SCell is unknown but shares the same beam information with an active serving cell in the same frequency band (ie, in a continuous intra-band scenario).

[0045] In other words, A-TRS can be triggered only when the network has beam information of the SCell to be activated. Therefore, it is not currently applied to unknown SCells.

[0046] However, when activating an unknown SCell, the UE is experiencing a much longer activation delay due to beam measurements, etc.

[0047] Known / unknown SCells are defined based on whether the UE has sent valid measurement reports for the SCell within a certain period of time, which may not fully reflect the latest UE knowledge of the SCell. For example, when receiving the SCell activation command, the UE may have performed intra-frequency measurements (intra-frequency measurements, intra-frequency measurements) of the deactivated SCell.

[0048] Therefore, it is necessary to discuss a mechanism for triggering an aperiodic reference signal when a secondary cell is activated in two known / unknown SCell scenarios.

[0049] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for ARS-based SCell activation is provided. In this solution, the UE may send a request for triggering the transmission of an aperiodic reference signal (ARS) based on available beam information in the case of SCell activation. Upon receiving the request, the transmission of ARS is triggered at the gNB for SCell activation. In the following, the term "ARS" may also be referred to as A-TRS or aperiodic CSI-RS. And the solution may also be applied to activating the primary secondary SCell (PSCell) when the secondary cell group (SCG) is activated.

[0050] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Reference now Figure 2 , which shows a signaling diagram 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, signaling diagram 200 involves UE 110 and gNB 120. For discussion purposes, reference is made to Figure 1 Signaling diagram 200 is described.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, gNB 120 can send 202SCell activation command to UE 110 to notify that the SCell activation procedure will be initiated from UE 110.

[0053] Then, the UE 110 may generate 204 a request for triggering the ARS from the gNB 120. For example, the UE 110 may generate the request for triggering the ARS based on its capabilities and / or whether available beam information is obtained at the UE 110.

[0054] In the event that UE 110 has the capability to support a request for triggering ARS, the capability may be reported from UE 110 to gNB 120. It should be understood that UE 110 may report its capability to gNB 120 before UE 110 decides to send and / or generate a request.

[0055] To generate the request, the UE 110 may determine whether one or more SCells that are potentially to be activated are known. For example, the UE 110 may determine whether these one or more SCells have been detected and / or whether measurement results of these one or more SCells have been obtained. In other words, the UE 110 may determine whether available beam information for SCell activation has been obtained.

[0056] In some example embodiments, if UE 110 has obtained the available beam information of the SCell when the SCell is activated, for example, by performing co-frequency measurement on the deactivated SCell being activated, UE 110 can select the best DL beam and request the ARS to be triggered (sent) on the selected DL beam. That is, UE 110 can generate a request for triggering the ARS, which indicates that the ARS is triggered on the selected DL beam.

[0057] It is also possible that the UE 110 does not have available beam information of the SCell when the SCell is activated, that is, one or more Scells are unknown to the UE 110, and the UE 110 may perform corresponding measurements on the one or more SCells.

[0058] The situation where UE 110 does not have available beam information may refer to two different scenarios. In some example embodiments, one or more SCells have been detected when the SCell is activated, but the SSB index has not yet been obtained. In this case, UE 110 can determine at least one preferred beam based on the SSB index. For example, UE 110 can read the SSB index (e.g., 8*Trs in the SCell) to determine one or more candidate DL beams as at least one preferred beam. Then, UE 110 can generate a request indicating an ARS to be triggered on one or more candidate DL beams, which one or more candidate DL beams can be identified, for example, by one or more SSB indices.

[0059] In some other example embodiments, one or more SCells have not been detected at the time of SCell activation. In this case, UE 110 may perform cell detection before requesting ARS.

[0060] In some other example embodiments, one or more information may be included in the request to assist in ARS triggering. For example, the request may include one or more candidate / preferred beams on which the ARS is expected to be transmitted, which may be indicated by different indexes or identifiers (IDs). As an option, one or more candidate / preferred beams may be indicated by an SSB index that the UE has obtained. As another option, one or more candidate / preferred beams may be indicated by a CSI-RS ID, for example, a scellActivationRS-Id or a non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS-ResourceSetId that has been configured on the SCell to be activated. In addition, the UE 110 may also give priority to beams for which ARS resources or A-TRS are configured for fast SCell activation.

[0061] Alternatively or optionally, the request may include the configuration of one or more non-periodic reference signals and / or the number of ARS bursts expected on one or more candidate / preferred beams. The number of bursts may depend on the latest measurement or cell status at UE 110. For example, if a cell has been detected at the time of SCell activation, UE 110 may request a single ARS for SCell activation. Otherwise, if a cell has not been detected, the UE may request two or more ARS bursts for SCell activation.

[0062] Alternatively or optionally, the request may include using an ARS burst for SCell activation. The request indicates whether the requested one or more ARS bursts are used for which of the activation steps following the SCell activation command, including AGC, time and frequency tracking, L1-RSRP measurement, precise time tracking, and channel measurement. As an example, the 3-bit "use" can be used to indicate whether the ARS burst is used for cell detection including AGC and time and frequency (T / F) tracking, L1-RSRP measurement, and / or CSI-RS measurement, respectively.

[0063] Alternatively or optionally, the request may also include the configuration of one or more ARSs.

[0064] For example, if the SCell is in a deactivated state and a request is received, the network will activate / trigger the ARS on a beam corresponding to or quasi co-located (QCL-ed) with the received SSB.

[0065] Return to reference Figure 2 , UE 110 may send 206 a request to gNB 120 for triggering ARS. In some example embodiments, the request is sent from UE 110 after UE 110 receives a SCell activation command from gNB 120 or sends a HARQ ACK in response to the activation command. A predetermined period is defined within which the UE should be able to send the request after UE 110 receives a SCell activation command from gNB 120 or sends a HARQ ACK in response to the activation command. If the UE fails to send the request within the predetermined period, it is assumed that the SCell is activated following a legacy unknown SCell activation procedure. For example, if CSI reporting resources on the PCell or any active serving cell are used to send the request, it may be represented as “T ARS_req The predetermined period of time "T L1-RSRP,报告 ”, for example, the threshold time period “T ARS_req_阈值 " can be set to send requests.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the request is sent from UE 110 to gNB 120 via a MAC CE or RRC message or by reusing CSI reporting resources in a primary cell or an active serving cell.

[0067] After receiving the request, gNB 120 may trigger the transmission of the ARS. Figure 2 As shown, the ARS may be sent 208 from the gNB 120 to the UE 110. Alternatively or optionally, the ARS may also be sent from other gNBs (not shown) to the UE 110. For example, the transmission of the ARS may be triggered based on one or more information indicated in the request.

[0068] For example, if at least one candidate / preferred beam is indicated in the request, gNB 120 may trigger ARS transmission on at least one of the indicated candidate / preferred beams for the SCell activation procedure. If at least one candidate / preferred beam is indicated by an SSB index, gNB 120 may activate / trigger ARS on a beam corresponding to the received SSB index or quasi-co-located (QCL) with the received SSB.

[0069] As another option, if the use of ARS bursts for SCell activation is indicated in the request, the gNB 120 may trigger ARS transmission based on the use of ARS bursts.

[0070] In addition, gNB 120 may also send an indication of a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status to UE 110. UE 110 may monitor DL ​​ARS transmissions based on the TCI status.

[0071] Based on the received ARS, the UE 110 may perform 210 cell synchronization (e.g., AGC and time / frequency synchronization) based on the ARS. After the UE 110 completes cell synchronization based on the ARS, the UE 110 may measure semi-periodic (SP)-CSI-RS or periodic CSI-RS and send 212 a CSI report for the SCell.

[0072] As an option, SP-CSI-RS can be activated in the same MAC CE as ARS / TCI activation to avoid additional MAC uncertainty time. As another option, if UE 110 indicates the use of ARS also for CSI measurement, UE 110 can also skip SP-CSI-RS measurement and send CSI report based on ARS.

[0073] Although the case where the transmission of ARS is triggered based on a UE request has been described, it should be understood that the gNB 120 may send ARS on one or more beams, which may be applied to both the SCell-known case and the SCell-unknown case with and without a UE request. As an example, the ARS may be sent by the gNB 120 based on the last measurement report from the UE 110. Therefore, in the case where the UE may assume that the gNB sends ARS on the last associated DL SSB used and the SSB quality is still good (and, for example, without time restrictions), the UE 110 may activate SCell activation based on ARS instead of SSB.

[0074] With the solution of the present disclosure, the UE can benefit from the available beam information and ARS to accelerate the activation of unknown SCells. With the available DL beam information, the UE can treat the previously unknown SCell as known and request auxiliary ARS for AGC and time / frequency tracking, and / or other activation steps on the best beam. This can enable the network to send ARS to the UE on the reported DL beam, which can reduce the UE SCell activation time.

[0075] At the same time, the additional beam (i.e., L1-RSRP) measurement procedure for activating unknown SCells can be saved. ARS can help UE perform frequency and time tracking of SCells in a shorter time period (i.e., the period of CSI-RS burst), which can further reduce activation delays through SSB-based time / frequency tracking.

[0076] Now, you can refer to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C Some examples for triggering ARS transmission upon SCell activation are described in further detail.

[0077] like Figure 3A As shown, at the beginning of the timeline (i.e., at T0), UE 110 receives an SCell activation command to activate an unknown SCell. For example, there is no active serving cell or known SCell on the band. Since the SCell is unknown, gNB 120 has not received a valid L3 measurement report for the time period and therefore does not know where UE 110 may be scheduled, for example, and therefore cannot send the latest DL beam information indicated by TCI.

[0078] exist Figure 3A In the example shown, intra-frequency measurement or serving cell measurement on the SCell being activated has been performed by UE 110, and thus UE 110 can determine DL beam information associated with, for example, SSB index #1 when the SCell is activated. Then, UE 110 performs the following operations during time period T ARS_reqThe ARS request may be sent in a multiplexed CSI report resource, a MAC message, or an RRC message in the PCell or any other serving cell.

[0079] As an option, if the CSI reporting resources on the PCell are used to send the request, T ARS_req It can also be T L1-RSRP,报告 UE 110 can ARS_req_阈值 ) to initiate the request.

[0080] For example, the request may be sent at T2 from UE 110. The request may include at least the beam information in which the ARS is expected, for example, SSB ID #1. If ARS has been configured for the SCell before SCell activation, it may also include the ARS index and the number of bursts expected for the ARS.

[0081] Upon receiving the ARS request, gNB 120 may trigger an ARS on the indicated DL beam corresponding to SSB ID #1, or the indicated ARS (if an ARS index is indicated) (at T3). A TCI indication may be sent in the same MAC CE to indicate the DL beam to be monitored by UE 110. The time period between T2 and T3 may be referred to as T MAC-不确定性。

[0082] Then, UE 110 may receive one or more ARS bursts during a period 304 between T3 and T4. After the UE completes cell synchronization (e.g., AGC and time / frequency synchronization) based on the ARS, the UE may measure SP-CSI-RS or periodic CSI-RS during a period 305 between T4 and T5, and send a CSI report for the SCell (at T5).

[0083] As an option, SP-CSI-RS may be activated in the same MAC CE as ARS / TCI activation to avoid additional MAC uncertainty time. In another option, if UE 110 indicates the use of ARS also for CSI measurement, UE 110 may skip SP-CSI-RS measurement and send CSI report based on ARS.

[0084] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may send a CSI report based on measurements of an ARS burst (not shown). The network may begin scheduling the UE after receiving the CSI report.

[0085] exist Figure 3B In the example shown, something like Figure 3A, UE 110 receives an SCell activation command at the beginning of the timeline (i.e., at T0) to activate the unknown SCell. UE 110 receives an SCell activation command at the beginning of the timeline (i.e., at T0) to activate the unknown SCell. ARS_req (i.e., the time period 312 between T1 and T2). The ARS request may be sent in a multiplexed CSI reporting resource, a MAC message, or an RRC message in a PCell or SCell. For example, if the CSI reporting resource on the PCell is used to send the request, then T ARS_req It can also be T L1-RSRP,报告 The request may then be sent from UE 110 at T2.

[0086] In this case, the UE may request ARS transmission on more than one candidate beam, for example, based on its implementation information (e.g., Rx beam settings or panel information). Figure 3B As shown, UE 110 may request ARS on beams corresponding to SSB#1 and SSB#2. In one option, UE 110 may indicate whether to send the same ARS on more than one beam or to send each ARS on a single beam. gNB 120 may activate ARS on both beams for cell synchronization.

[0087] Alternatively or optionally, gNB 120 may also send ARS on multiple beams without UE request. gNB 120 may send ARS on multiple beams based on the most recently received measurement report from the UE.

[0088] and Figure 3A Unlike the example in , the UE needs to indicate the beam on which cell synchronization has been completed based on ARS. gNB120 is able to indicate (at T3) TCI indication and activate SP-CSI-RS for subsequent channel measurement. Figure 3B In the example of , ARS bursts are sent on multiple beams, which is different from the time period of a single ARS ( Figure 3A The time period for cell synchronization (time period 314) is extended compared to the time period 304 in FR2. However, it still saves activation time by avoiding the beam scanning time (i.e., 8*Trs for unknown SCells in the frequency range (FR2)).

[0089] After the UE completes cell synchronization (eg, time / frequency synchronization) based on the ARS, the UE may measure the SP-CSI-RS or periodic CSI-RS during a time period 315 between T4 and T5, and send a CSI report for the SCell (at T5).

[0090] exist Figure 3C In the example shown, something like Figure 3A and Figure 3B, UE 110 receives an SCell activation command at the beginning of the timeline (i.e., at T0) to activate an unknown SCell. In this case, the UE may have detected the cell but does not have the exact beam information of the SCell, e.g., does not have a valid L3 measurement of the SCell. In this case, Figure 3C As shown, before sending the ARS request to the network, the UE needs to read the SSB index (during period 322) to obtain the beam information (i.e., the SSB index). Then, a time period 322 is required for reading the SSB index on the SCell, which may be referred to as the additional time Tssb-index. Figure 3A and Figure 3B other actions or processes that are similar or identical to the actions or processes of

[0091] In another example, the UE may not have detected a cell at the time of SCell activation (not shown). In this case, the UE may need to perform SSB-based cell detection and obtain an SSB index before it can initiate an ARS request. The activation delay may not be significantly different from the current SCell activation process.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the activation time for ARS transmission, ie, activation_time, may be defined based on the activation steps set forth above. For example, if the UE supports the ARS capability requested by the UE, then T 激活_时间 Can be equal to T L1-RSRP , Report + T 第一ATRS +T MAC-不确定性 +5ms, where T 第一ATRS It is in the time slot After that, the time to the end of the first complete ARS burst for SCell activation. In one example, as an example, an ARS burst is defined as four CSI-RS resources in two consecutive time slots.

[0093] In this way, a mechanism for triggering ARS can be implemented to assist the UE in performing AGC and frequency and time tracking, and / or other activation steps on the SCell within a shorter period of time.

[0094] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 for SCell activation based on ARS according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 400 may be used in Figure 1 For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 400 is described.

[0095] At 410 , the first device 110 sends a request to the second device for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in case of activation of a secondary cell.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the first device may report to the second device the capability to support the request at the first device.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the request is sent in at least one of a MAC message, an RRC message, or by multiplexing a channel state information reporting resource in a primary cell or an active serving cell.

[0098] In some example embodiments, if the first device receives a command for secondary cell activation from the second device, the first device may send the request within a predetermined time period.

[0099] In some example embodiments, if a channel state information reporting resource on a primary cell or an active serving cell is used to send the request, the predetermined time period is a time period for reporting the reference signal received power of layer 1.

[0100] In some example embodiments, if beam information is available, the first device may send a request indicating at least that an aperiodic reference signal is to be triggered on the beam.

[0101] In some example embodiments, if beam information is not available and a secondary cell to be activated has been detected, the first device may determine at least one preferred beam based on a synchronization signal block index and send a request indicating at least that a non-periodic reference signal is to be triggered on at least one preferred beam.

[0102] In some example embodiments, if beam information is not available and a secondary cell to be activated has not been detected, the first device may perform cell detection for secondary cell activation.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the request includes at least one of: at least one preferred beam on which one or more non-periodic reference signals are expected to be sent, the number of bursts for one or more non-periodic reference signals expected on at least one preferred beam, the configuration of one or more non-periodic reference signals, or the use of bursts for secondary cell activation.

[0104] In some example embodiments, at least one preferred beam is indicated by at least one of: at least one synchronization signal block index that the first device has obtained, or a corresponding non-periodic channel state information reference signal index associated with at least one preferred beam, wherein the non-periodic channel state information reference signal is configured before the secondary cell is activated.

[0105] At 420 , the first device receives an aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the first device may receive an indication of a transmission configuration indicator state associated with the transmission from the second device and monitor the aperiodic reference signal based at least on the indication.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the first device may receive activation of a semi-periodic channel state information reference signal or configuration of a periodic channel state information reference signal along with an indication of a transmission configuration indicator state or an aperiodic reference signal.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the first device may generate a channel state information report based on measurements of at least one of an aperiodic reference signal, a semi-periodic channel state information reference signal, or a periodic channel state information reference signal; and send the channel state information report.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the first device may include a terminal device, and the second device may include a network device.

[0110] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 for SCell activation based on ARS according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 500 may be used in Figure 1 For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 500 is described.

[0111] At 510 , the second device receives, from the first device, a request for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal generated by the first device based on available beam information in case of activation of a secondary cell.

[0112] At 520, the second device causes transmission of an aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation to the first device to be triggered.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the second device may receive from the first device the capability to support the request at the first device.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the request is sent in at least one of a MAC message, an RRC message, or by multiplexing a channel state information reporting resource in a primary cell or an active serving cell.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the request includes at least one of: at least one preferred beam on which one or more non-periodic reference signals are expected to be sent, a number of bursts for one or more non-periodic reference signals expected on at least one preferred beam, a configuration of one or more non-periodic reference signals, or use of bursts for secondary cell activation.

[0116] In some example embodiments, at least one preferred beam is indicated by at least one of: at least one synchronization signal block index that the first device has obtained, or a corresponding non-periodic channel state information reference signal index associated with at least one preferred beam, wherein the non-periodic channel state information reference signal is configured before the secondary cell is activated.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the second device may send an indication of a transmission configuration indicator state associated with the transmission to the first device.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the second device may send activation of a semi-periodic channel state information reference signal or configuration of a periodic channel state information reference signal to the first device along with an indication of the transmission configuration indicator state or an aperiodic reference signal.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the second device may receive from the first device a channel state information report generated by the first device based on at least an aperiodic reference signal, a semi-periodic channel state information reference signal, or a periodic channel state information reference signal.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0121] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 400 (e.g., implemented at first device 110) may include means (means, unit) for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for sending a request to a second device for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in case of secondary cell activation; and means for receiving the aperiodic reference signal for secondary cell activation.

[0123] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., implemented at second device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 500. The apparatus may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving a request from a first device for triggering transmission of a non-periodic reference signal generated by the first device based on available beam information in the case of secondary cell activation; and a component for causing transmission of the non-periodic reference signal for secondary cell activation to the first device to be triggered.

[0125] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, Figure 1 The terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processor 610.

[0126] The communication module 640 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0127] As non-limiting examples, processor 610 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 600 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock of a synchronized main processor.

[0128] The memory 620 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) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), optical disks, laser disks, and other magnetic and / or optical memories. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that do not persist during the duration of a power outage.

[0129] The computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0130] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a program 630, so that the device 600 may execute the Figures 2 to 5 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, and DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0132] Figure 7 An example of a computer readable medium 700 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. Computer readable medium 700 has program 630 stored thereon.

[0133] 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, as non-limiting examples, 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.

[0134] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in a program module executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, or data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0135] The program code for implementing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code 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 the processor or controller executes the program code. 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.

[0136] 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, and the like.

[0137] 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, apparatus or device, 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 disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0138] In addition, although 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 order, or performing all 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 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. Unless explicitly stated, some features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, 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.

[0139] 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 method comprising: sending, from the first device to the second device, a request for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in case of activation of a secondary cell; as well as The aperiodic reference signal for activating the secondary cell is received.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A capability of supporting the request at the first device is reported to the second device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the request is sent in at least one of the following: Media access control messages; Radio Resource Control message; or Multiplexed channel state information reporting resources in a primary cell or an active serving cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein sending the request comprises: If it is determined that a command for activating the secondary cell is received from the second device, the request is sent within a predetermined time period. 5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein if a channel state information reporting resource on a primary cell or an active serving cell is used to send the request, the predetermined time period is a time period for reporting a reference signal received power of layer 1.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein sending the request comprises: If it is determined that the beam information is available, the request at least indicating that the aperiodic reference signal is to be triggered on a preferred beam is sent to the second device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein sending the request comprises: If it is determined that the beam information is unavailable and the secondary cell to be activated has been detected, determining at least one preferred beam based on a synchronization signal block index; as well as The request is sent to the second device indicating at least that the aperiodic reference signal is to be triggered on the at least one preferred beam.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein sending the request comprises: If it is determined that the beam information is unavailable and the secondary cell to be activated has not been detected, cell detection for activation of the secondary cell is performed.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the request comprises at least one of the following: at least one preferred beam on which one or more aperiodic reference signals are expected to be transmitted; a number of bursts for the one or more aperiodic reference signals expected on the at least one preferred beam; configuration of the one or more aperiodic reference signals; or The use of the burst for the secondary cell activation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one preferred beam is indicated by at least one of: At least one synchronization signal block index that the first device has obtained; or A corresponding aperiodic channel state information reference signal index associated with the at least one preferred beam, wherein the aperiodic channel state information reference signal is configured before the secondary cell is activated.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: receiving, from the second device, an indication of a transmission configuration indicator state associated with the transmission of the aperiodic reference signal; as well as The aperiodic reference signal is monitored based at least on the indication.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising: Accompanying the indication of the state of the transmission configuration indicator or the aperiodic reference signal, activation of a semi-periodic channel state information reference signal or configuration of a periodic channel state information reference signal is received.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Generating a channel state information report based on measurements of at least one of: the non-periodic reference signal, Semi-periodic channel state information reference signal, or a periodic channel state information reference signal; and Sending the channel state information report.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a network device.

15. A method comprising: receiving, at the second device from the first device, a request for triggering transmission of an aperiodic reference signal based on available beam information in case of activation of a secondary cell; as well as The method causes the transmission of the aperiodic reference signal for the secondary cell activation to the first device to be triggered.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: A capability to support the request at the first device is received from the first device.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein the request is received in at least one of the following: Media access control messages; Radio Resource Control message; or Multiplexed channel state information reporting resources in the primary cell.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the request comprises at least one of the following: at least one preferred beam on which one or more aperiodic reference signals are expected to be transmitted; a number of bursts for the one or more aperiodic reference signals expected on the at least one preferred beam; configuration of the one or more aperiodic reference signals; or The use of the burst for the secondary cell activation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one preferred beam is indicated by at least one of: at least one synchronization signal block index that the first device has acquired, or A corresponding aperiodic channel state information reference signal index associated with the at least one preferred beam, wherein the aperiodic channel state information reference signal is configured before the secondary cell is activated.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, further comprising: An indication of a transmission configuration indicator state associated with the transmission of the aperiodic reference signal is sent to the first device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, further comprising: Accompanying the indication of the transmission configuration indicator state or the aperiodic reference signal, activation of a semi-periodic channel state information reference signal or configuration of a periodic channel state information reference signal is sent to the first device.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: receiving a channel state information report from the first device, the channel state information report being generated by the first device based on at least one of: the non-periodic reference signal, Semi-periodic channel state information reference signal, or Periodic channel state information reference signal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15-22, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a network device.

24. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to at least one of claims 1-14 or the method according to at least one of claims 15-23.

25. An apparatus comprising: Means for carrying out the method according to at least one of claims 1 to 14 or the method according to at least one of claims 15 to 23.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to at least one of claims 1-14 or the method according to at least one of claims 15-23.

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