Mechanism for fault detection

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to fault detection. In the scheme, a first device receives a reference signal configuration from a second device. The reference signal configuration indicates a set of opportunities for monitoring a set of reference signals. The first device also receives information indicating a change in the transmission of the reference signal. The first device performs a predetermined operation associated with fault detection. For example, if the information reference signal is not transmitted in opportunities from the set of opportunities or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter based on the information reference signal, the first device may perform a predetermined operation. In this way, false alarms of fault declarations may be avoided. In addition, when the network device determines not to transmit the reference signal for saving power, erroneous reset of the fault detection counter due to the absence of the reference signal may also be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for fault detection. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, energy saving is a hot topic in the field of communications. For example, a study is about the radio access network, which consumes the largest part of the total energy consumption in the network, and aims to identify adaptive technologies for transmission and / or reception in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, and power domain, with potential support / feedback from user equipment (UE), potential UE auxiliary information, and information exchange / coordination on the network interface. In addition, beamforming is a signal processing technology that allows network equipment to send targeted beams to users, reduce interference by improving spectral efficiency, and use spectrum more efficiently. When users are indoors or moving, the radio link between the UE and the network equipment is susceptible to blocking and degradation of radio frequency (RF) signals, which may suddenly interrupt the communication link resulting in beam failure. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: 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 performs: receiving a reference signal configuration from a second device, the reference signal configuration indicating a timing set for monitoring a reference signal set; receiving information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal from the second device; and performing a predetermined operation associated with fault detection based on the information according to determining that the reference signal is not transmitted in a timing from the timing set or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a first device, a reference signal configuration from a second device, the reference signal configuration indicating a set of opportunities for monitoring a set of reference signals; receiving information indicating a change in transmission of the reference signal from the second device; and performing a predetermined operation associated with fault detection based on the information according to determining that the reference signal is not transmitted in an opportunity from the set of opportunities or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus comprises: a component for receiving a reference signal configuration from a second device, the reference signal configuration indicating a set of opportunities for monitoring a reference signal set; a component for receiving information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal from the second device; and a component for performing a predetermined operation associated with fault detection based on determining that the reference signal is not transmitted in an opportunity from the set of opportunities or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter based on the information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the first aspect.

[0007] It should be understood that the 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

[0008] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0010] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a reference signal mode and a discontinuous transmission mode according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 4 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 5 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 6 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 7 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 8 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Fig. 9shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0018] Fig.10 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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. 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 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.

[0023] 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 element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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 will be further understood that the terms "comprise", "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 in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as only analog implementations and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware (ii) software and memory that work together with any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s) such as microprocessor(s) or a portion of microprocessor(s) that requires software (e.g. firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0028] 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 its) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the 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.

[0029] 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), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, 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 protocols and / or any other protocols 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 of future types that can embody the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the aforementioned system.

[0030] 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 it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved NodeB (e Node B or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio 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), 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. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion similar to a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node is similar to a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0031] 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 ring 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, equipment operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the 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.

[0032] As used herein, the term "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, spatial domain resources, code domain resources or any other resource capable of communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0033] As mentioned above, it is valuable to study power saving at network devices. For example, discontinuous transmission (DTX) technology is a promising solution to save network energy by turning on / off radio units (e.g., power amplifiers) when no transmission is to be performed. With the improvement of hardware and software capabilities, the shutdown of power amplifiers on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol basis has become possible and is commonly used in commercial networks. Such symbol-level discontinuous transmission can be referred to as micro-DTX (μDTX).

[0034] In addition, as mentioned above, the radio link between the UE and the gNB is susceptible to blocking and degradation of the RF signal, which may suddenly interrupt the communication link resulting in a beam failure. Beam failure detection is a combined layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2) process, where the L1 (i.e., the physical layer (PHY layer)) may provide a medium access control (MAC) layer indication of a beam failure instance (BFI). The MAC layer may count the indications and declare a failure when the configured maximum number of BFI indications has been reached. Thus, when the PHY layer detects that the RSRP of the reference signal of the serving beam is below a threshold (i.e., assuming 10% BLER of the PDCCH), it may trigger a beam failure instance (BFI) and send it to the MAC layer. The MAC layer may start a timer upon receiving a BFI, and it may keep incrementing the counter by 1 for each BFI. When a certain threshold of the counter is reached, the MAC layer may trigger a beam failure and may initiate a recovery process. For example, the counter may be a BFI_COUNTER.

[0035] When the cell load is low, the cell may want to apply μDTX as much as possible when no user plane data will be sent in the (minimum) timeslot. However, some preconfigured reference signal (RS) (e.g., periodic channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)) transmissions may interrupt the cell "sleep" period. If these transmissions are not urgent, the gNB will preferably skip or delay them in order to save more energy.

[0036] However, this operation (i.e., skipping periodic CSI-RS) may affect beam management operations. In some schemes, the UE may monitor the downlink quality based on the configured beam failure detection reference signal (BFD-RS) and evaluate the downlink radio link quality every assessment period. However, if the gNB applies uDTX, if the timing of RS transmission overlaps with the DTX period, the DL reference signal transmission may be interrupted, which may cause unnecessary beam failure.

[0037] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for fault detection is provided. In the scheme, a first device receives a reference signal configuration from a second device. The reference signal configuration indicates a set of opportunities for monitoring a reference signal. The first device also receives information indicating a change in the transmission of the reference signal. The first device performs a predetermined operation associated with fault detection. For example, if based on the information, the reference signal is not sent in an opportunity from the opportunity set or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter, the first device may perform a predetermined operation. In this way, false alarms of fault declarations may be avoided. In addition, when a network device determines not to send a reference signal for power saving, an erroneous reset of a fault detection counter due to the absence of a reference signal may also be avoided.

[0038] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, multiple communication devices including a device 110 (also referred to as a "first device") and a device 120 (also referred to as a "second device") may communicate with each other.

[0039] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , device 110 may include a terminal device, and device 120 may include a network device serving the terminal device. A service area of ​​device 120 may be referred to as a cell 102 .

[0040] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown in are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the example embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices may be located in cell 102, and one or more additional cells may be deployed in communication environment 100. Note that although shown as a network device, device 120 may be another device other than a network device. Although shown as a terminal device, device 110 may be another device other than a terminal device.

[0041] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described in which device 110 operates as a terminal device and device 120 operates as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0042] In some example embodiments, if device 110 is a terminal device and device 120 is a network device, the link from device 120 to device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from device 110 to device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0043] The communication in the communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication can 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 multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0044] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to beam failure detection scenarios. Alternatively, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to radio link monitoring (RLM) scenarios.

[0045] 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 device 110 and device 120. For discussion purposes, reference is made to Figure 1 To describe the signaling diagram 200. Figure 2 One device 110 and one device 120 are shown in the figure, but it should be understood that there may be multiple first devices that perform operations similar to the operations described below with respect to the first device 110 and multiple third devices that perform operations similar to the operations described below with respect to the device 120.

[0046] Device 120 sends 2010 a reference signal configuration to device 110. The reference signal configuration indicates a set of opportunities for monitoring a reference signal set. The term "opportunity" as used herein may refer to time domain and frequency domain resources at which a reference signal may be sent. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the reference signal configuration may indicate opportunities 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, 310-4, 310-5, 310-6, and 310-7 at which a reference signal set may be sent. In this case, the device 110 may monitor the reference signal in opportunities 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, 310-4, 310-5, 310-6, and 310-7. Note that Figure 3The number of opportunities shown in is only an example and not a limitation. In some example embodiments, the reference signal configuration may be configured via a higher layer parameter. The reference signal configuration may also be a period of the reference signal. In some example embodiments, the reference signal configuration may be sent to the device 110 via dedicated signaling.

[0047] In some example embodiments, the reference signal may refer to a beam failure detection reference signal (BFD-RS). For example, the BFD-RS may include a CSI-RS. In this case, for example, a CSI-RS resource set may be configured as an opportunity set. Alternatively or additionally, the BFD-RS may include a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB).

[0048] Alternatively, the reference signal may refer to a radio link monitoring reference signal (RLM-RS). For example, the RLM-RS may include a CSI-RS. In this case, for example, a CSI-RS resource set may be configured as an opportunity set. Alternatively or additionally, the RLM-RS may include a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB).

[0049] Device 120 sends 2020 information indicating a change in the transmission of a reference signal to device 110. For example, if device 120 enters DTX mode, device 120 may send information indicating its DTX state to device 110. In some example embodiments, the information indicating the change may be broadcast. For example, the information indicating the change may be cell-specific. In some example embodiments, the information indicating the change may be sent via downlink control information. In this way, since device 110 receives the reference signal configuration and the information indicating the change (e.g., the DTX state), device 110 may consider both the reference signal configuration and the DTX state, thereby avoiding frequent radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration to update the reference signal configuration reflecting the DTX state to each terminal device.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the information may indicate that the reference signal is not transmitted. Alternatively, the information may indicate that the reference signal is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter. The term "reduced transmission parameter" used herein may refer to a transmission parameter having a smaller value than normal transmission. In some example embodiments, the reduced transmission parameter may include a reduced number of antenna ports. For example, the number of antenna ports for normal transmission may be 4, and the reduced number of antenna ports may be 2. Alternatively or additionally, the reduced transmission parameter may include a reduced transmission power. For example, the transmission power for normal transmission may be a value of X, and the reduced transmission power may be a value of X / 2. In some example embodiments, the reduced transmission parameter may include reduced resources, such as reduced time domain resources or reduced frequency domain resources. For example, the number of resource blocks (RBs) for normal transmission may be Y, and the reduced number of RBs may be Y / 2.

[0051] Device 110 may monitor the reference signal in opportunities 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, 310-4, 310-5, 310-6, and 310-7. Device 110 may also perform measurements on the reference signal. For example, device 110 may measure reference signal received power (RSRP) on the reference signal.

[0052] The device 110 may determine 2030 whether the reference signal is not sent in an opportunity from the opportunity set. Alternatively, the first device 110 may determine 2030 whether the reference signal is sent with reduced transmission power in an opportunity from the opportunity set. Figure 3 As shown, no signals may be transmitted in the opportunities 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 because they overlap with the sleep duration 320 of the device 120. Alternatively, signals may be transmitted in the opportunities 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 with reduced transmission parameters.

[0053] If the reference signal is not sent or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter in one or more opportunities from the opportunity set, the device 110 performs 2040 a predetermined operation associated with fault detection. In some example embodiments, the device 110 may determine whether the fault detection timer is running. For example, if a beam failure instance (BFI) is detected in the opportunity 310-1, the device 110 may start the fault detection timer. The term "beam failure instance" used herein may refer to the occurrence / detection of a beam failure. If the fault detection timer is running, the device 110 may suspend the operation of the fault detection timer. For example, since the opportunities 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 overlap with the sleep duration 320 of the device 120, the device may suspend the operation of the fault detection timer at the opportunities 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4. In some example embodiments, since the opportunities 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 overlap with the sleep duration 320 of the device 120, the device 110 may perform a suspension action at the opportunity 310-2. As an example, if the reference signal is not received or the RSRP of the received reference signal is lower than the RSRP threshold in the opportunities 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4, the PHY layer of the device 110 may not send a beam failure instance (BFI) indication to the MAC layer of the device 110. In this case, the MAC layer of the device 110 may suspend the operation of the fault detection timer. In this way, when the reference signal is not transmitted due to DTX for power saving, it is possible to avoid a false warning that the fault declaration does not indicate a fault indication.

[0054] In some example embodiments, device 110 may determine to send a reference signal at another opportunity after one or more opportunities. Device 110 may also determine whether the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended. In this case, if the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended, device 110 may resume the fault detection timer. For example, if device 110 receives a reference signal in opportunity 310-5, device 110 may determine whether the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended. If the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended, device 110 may resume fault detection at opportunity 310-5. In this way, when a fault indication is not received due to the failure to send a reference signal, an erroneous reset of the fault detection counter can be avoided by pausing the timer.

[0055] Alternatively, if the reference signal is not sent in a timing from the timing set or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter, the device 110 may determine a fault instance in the timing. The device 110 may not increase the value of the fault counter. The device 110 may also restart the fault detection timer based on the fault instance. For example, if the signal is not sent in timing 310-2, the PHY layer of the device 110 may determine the fault instance. The PHY layer of the device 110 may send a fault instance indication to the MAC layer of the device 110. In this case, the MAC layer of the device 110 may not increase the value of the fault counter and restart the fault detection timer based on the fault instance. In this way, an erroneous reset of the fault detection counter may be avoided.

[0056] In some other example embodiments, if the reference signal is not sent in an opportunity from the opportunity set or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter, the device 110 may determine to reset the failure counter. For example, the failure counter or BFI_counter may be set to a value of 0. In this way, the MAC layer may reset the failure detection process if the reference signal is not sent in an opportunity from the opportunity set or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter.

[0057] In some other example embodiments, the device 110 may increase the number threshold of the fault counter to the target number threshold. If the reference signal is not sent in a timing from the timing set or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter, the device 110 may determine the fault instance in the timing. The device 110 may increase the value of the fault counter. The device 110 may also restart the fault detection timer based on the fault instance. In this case, the device 110 may determine whether the fault is declared based on the target number threshold of the fault counter and the value of the fault counter. For example, if no signal is sent in timing 310-2, the PHY layer of the device 110 may determine the fault instance. The PHY layer of the device 110 may send a fault instance indication to the MAC layer of the device 110. In this case, the MAC layer of the device 110 may increase the value of the fault counter and restart the fault detection timer based on the fault instance. The MAC layer of the device may determine whether the fault is declared based on the target number threshold of the fault counter and the value of the fault counter. In this way, an erroneous reset of the fault detection counter may be avoided.

[0058] Alternatively, the device 110 may determine whether the fault detection timer is running. For example, if a beam failure instance (BFI) is detected in opportunity 310-1, the device 110 may start the fault detection timer. If the fault detection timer is running, the device 110 may maintain the operation of the fault detection timer based on the extended operation time. In some example embodiments, the device 110 may determine the extended operation time based on the period of sending the reference signal. For example, the device 110 may determine the extended operation time based on the time between the reference signal opportunity (at which the reference signal is sent) and the next reference signal opportunity (at which the reference signal is sent). For example, if no signal is sent in opportunity 310-2, the PHY layer of the device 110 may determine the fault instance. The PHY layer of the device 110 may not send a fault instance indication to the MAC layer of the device 110. In this case, the MAC layer of the device 110 may not increase the value of the fault counter and maintain the operation of the fault detection timer based on the extended operation time. For example, the DTX mode may be configured to extend the configured BFD-RS period to a number of times (e.g., 2, 4, 8, etc.) of the original configured value. In this case, when the corresponding gNB DTX is enabled or activated, the fault detection timer value may be scaled accordingly. In other words, the fault detection timer may only count the BFD-RS period, regardless of the period (which depends on DTX). In this way, false warning fault declarations may be avoided by extending the run time.

[0059] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network decides not to send a reference signal for power saving, a false warning of a beam failure declaration or a false reset of a counter due to the absence of a reference signal can be avoided. In addition, this avoids a false warning that a BFD declaration does not indicate a BFI when a BFD-RS is not sent due to DTX for power saving. Additionally, when a BFI is not received due to no BFD-RS being sent, a false reset of a BFD counter is avoided by pausing the timer.

[0060] refer to Figures 4 to 7 Describes some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that reference Figures 4 to 7 The described embodiments are intended to be examples only and not limiting.

[0061] Reference now Figure 4 , which shows a signaling diagram 400 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, signaling diagram 400 involves PHY layer 1101 and MAC layer 1102 at device 110. Figure 4 An example embodiment of the present invention avoids erroneously warning that a BFD statement does not indicate a BFI when a BFD-RS is not transmitted due to DTX for power saving.

[0062] The PHY layer 1101 may determine 4010 a BFI based on the RSRP of the reference signal, for example, if the RSRP of the reference signal is below an RSRP threshold. The PHY layer 1101 may send 4020 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. The MAC layer 1102 may start 4030 a fault detection timer based on the BFI indication.

[0063] If no signal is transmitted in the timings 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 because the timings 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 overlap with the DTX period, the PHY layer 1101 may not indicate the BFI to the MAC layer 1102. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may suspend 4040 the fault detection timer at the timing 310-2. The MAC layer 1102 may also suspend 4050 the fault detection timer at the timing 310-3. The fault detection timer may remain suspended after the timing 310-3. At the first timing when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at the timing 310-5, if the BFI is not received, the MAC layer 1102 may resume 4060 the fault detection timer. Alternatively, at the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is lower than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may send 4070 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may restart 4080 the fault detection timer. The MAC layer 1102 may also increase the BFD counter.

[0064] Reference now Figure 5 , which shows a signaling diagram 500 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, signaling diagram 500 involves PHY layer 1101 and MAC layer 1102 at device 110. Figure 5 An example embodiment of the present invention avoids erroneous resetting of a counter.

[0065] The PHY layer 1101 may determine 5010 a BFI based on the RSRP of the reference signal. The PHY layer 1101 may send 5020 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. The MAC layer 1102 may start 5030 a fault detection timer based on the BFI indication.

[0066] If no signal is transmitted in the opportunity because the opportunity overlaps with the DTX period, the PHY layer 1101 may determine the BFI and send 5040 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may restart 5050 the fault detection timer. The MAC layer 1102 may cause the increment of 5060 the counter to be skipped. In other words, the MAC layer 1102 may not increase the counter. The MAC layer 1102 may ignore the BFI indication. At the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is lower than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may send 5070 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102 outside the DTX period. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may restart 5080 the fault detection timer. The MAC layer 1102 may also increase the counter. Alternatively, at the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is higher than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may not send a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102 outside the DTX period. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may continue to run the fault detection timer. In this way, frequent RRC reconfiguration can be avoided by taking into account both the reference signal configuration and the DTX mode.

[0067] Reference now Figure 6 , which shows a signaling diagram 600 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, signaling diagram 600 involves PHY layer 1101 and MAC layer 1102 at device 110. Figure 6 An example embodiment of the present invention avoids erroneously warning that a BFD statement does not indicate a BFI when a BFD-RS is not transmitted due to DTX for power saving.

[0068] The PHY layer 1101 may determine 6010 a BFI based on the RSRP of the reference signal. The PHY layer 1101 may send 6020 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. The MAC layer 1102 may start 6030 a fault detection timer based on the BFI indication. If no signal is sent in the opportunity because the opportunity overlaps with the DTX period, the MAC layer 1102 may not send a BFI indication to the MAC layer and maintain 6040 the operation of the fault detection timer based on the extended operation time. In some example embodiments, the device 110 may determine the extended operation time based on the period of sending the reference signal. For example, the device 110 may determine the extended operation time based on the time between the reference signal opportunity (at which the reference signal is sent) and the next reference signal opportunity (at which the reference signal is sent). At the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is lower than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may transmit 6050 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102 outside the DTX period. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may restart 6060 the fault detection timer. The MAC layer 1102 may also increase the counter. Alternatively, at the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is higher than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may not transmit a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102 outside the DTX period. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may continue to run the fault detection timer.

[0069] Reference now Figure 7 , which shows a signaling diagram 700 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 As shown, signaling diagram 700 involves PHY layer 1101 and MAC layer 1102 at device 110. Figure 7 An example embodiment of the present invention avoids erroneous resetting of a counter.

[0070] The PHY layer 1101 may determine 7010 a BFI based on the RSRP of the reference signal. The PHY layer 1101 may send 7020 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. The MAC layer 1102 may start 7030 a fault detection timer based on the BFI indication.

[0071] If no signal is transmitted in the opportunity because the opportunity overlaps with the DTX period, the PHY layer 1101 may determine the BFI and send 7040 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may restart 7050 the fault detection timer. In some other example embodiments, the device 110 may increase the number threshold of the fault counter to a target number threshold. By way of example only, if the original threshold of the counter is 3 and there may be 3 opportunities overlapping with the DTX period, the threshold number of the counter may be increased to 6 (i.e., the target number threshold). The MAC layer 1102 may increase 7060 the counter based on the BFI indication. In this case, if the value of the counter reaches the target number threshold, the device 110 may declare a beam failure. At the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is lower than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may send 7070 a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102 outside the DTX period. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may restart 7080 the fault detection timer. The MAC layer 1102 may also increase the counter. Alternatively, at the first opportunity when the reference signal is transmitted outside the DTX period, for example, at opportunity 310-5, if the RSRSP of the received reference signal is higher than the RSRP threshold, the PHY layer 1101 may not send a BFI indication to the MAC layer 1102 outside the DTX period. In this case, the MAC layer 1102 may continue to run the fault detection timer.

[0072] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 Method 800 is described from the perspective of device 110 in FIG.

[0073] At block 810, device 110 receives a reference signal configuration from device 120. The reference signal configuration indicates a set of opportunities for monitoring a set of reference signals. In some example embodiments, the reference signal configuration may be configured via higher layer parameters. The reference signal configuration may also be a periodicity of the reference signal.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the reference signal may refer to a beam failure detection reference signal (BFD-RS). For example, the BFD-RS may include a CSI-RS. In this case, for example, a CSI-RS resource set may be configured as an opportunity set. Alternatively or additionally, the BFD-RS may include a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB).

[0075] Alternatively, the reference signal may refer to a radio link monitoring reference signal (RLM-RS). For example, the RLM-RS may include a CSI-RS. In this case, for example, a CSI-RS resource set may be configured as an opportunity set. Alternatively or additionally, the RLM-RS may include a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB).

[0076] At block 820, device 110 receives information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal from device 120. For example, if device 120 enters a DTX mode, device 120 may send information indicating its DTX state to device 110. In some example embodiments, the information may indicate that the reference signal is not transmitted. Alternatively, the information may indicate that the reference signal is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter. In some example embodiments, the reduced transmission parameter may include a reduced number of antenna ports. For example, the number of antenna ports for normal transmission may be 4, and the reduced number of antenna ports may be 2. Alternatively or additionally, the reduced transmission parameter may include a reduced transmission power. For example, the transmission power for normal transmission may be a value of X, and the reduced transmission power may be a value of X / 2. In some example embodiments, the reduced transmission parameter may include reduced resources, such as reduced time domain resources or reduced frequency domain resources. For example, the number of resource blocks (RBs) for normal transmission may be Y, and the reduced number of RBs may be Y / 2.

[0077] In some example embodiments, device 110 may also perform measurements on a reference signal. For example, device 110 may measure a reference signal received power (RSRP) on the reference signal.

[0078] In some example embodiments, device 110 may determine whether the reference signal is not transmitted in an opportunity from the opportunity set. Alternatively, first device 110 may determine whether the reference signal is transmitted with reduced transmission power in an opportunity from the opportunity set. In this way, frequent RRC reconfiguration may be avoided by considering the reference signal configuration and the DTX mode.

[0079] At block 830, if the reference signal is not transmitted in an opportunity from the opportunity set or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter, the device 110 performs a predetermined operation associated with fault detection. In some example embodiments, the device 110 may determine whether the fault detection timer is running. If the fault detection timer is running, the device 110 may suspend the running of the fault detection timer. In some example embodiments, a beam failure instance (BFI) indication may not be sent from the physical layer of the device 110 to the MAC layer of the device 110. In this way, when the reference signal is not transmitted due to DTX for power saving, it may be avoided that the false warning failure statement does not indicate a fault indication.

[0080] In some example embodiments, device 110 may determine to send another reference signal at another opportunity after one or more opportunities. Device 110 may also determine whether the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended. In this case, if the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended, device 110 may resume fault detection. In this way, when no fault indication is received due to no reference signal being sent, an erroneous reset of the fault detection counter may be avoided by pausing the timer.

[0081] Alternatively, if the reference signal is not sent or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter in an opportunity from the opportunity set, the device 110 may determine a failure instance in the opportunity. If a failure instance is determined, a BFI indication may be sent from the physical layer of the device 110 to the MAC layer of the device 110. The device 110 may not increase the value of the failure counter. The device 110 may also restart the failure detection timer based on the failure instance. In this way, an erroneous reset of the failure detection counter may be avoided.

[0082] In some other example embodiments, the device 110 may increase the number threshold of the fault counter to the target number threshold. If the reference signal is not sent or is sent with a reduced transmission parameter in a timing from the timing set, the device 110 may determine a fault instance in the timing. If a fault instance is determined, a BFI indication may be sent from the physical layer of the device 110 to the MAC layer of the device 110. The device 110 may increase the value of the fault counter based on the fault instance indication. The device 110 may also restart the fault detection timer based on the fault instance indication. In this case, the device 110 may determine whether the fault is declared based on the target number threshold of the fault counter and the value of the fault counter. In this way, an erroneous reset of the fault detection counter may be avoided.

[0083] Alternatively, the device 110 may determine whether the fault detection timer is running. If the fault detection timer is running, the device 110 may maintain the operation of the fault detection timer based on the extended operation time. In some example embodiments, the device 110 may determine the extended operation time based on the period of transmitting the reference signal. For example, the device 110 may determine the extended operation time based on the time between the reference signal opportunity (at which the reference signal is transmitted) and the next reference signal opportunity (at which the reference signal is transmitted). For example, if no signal is transmitted in the opportunity, the PHY layer of the device 110 may determine the fault instance. The PHY layer of the device 110 may skip sending the fault instance indication to the MAC layer of the device 110. In this case, the MAC layer of the device 110 may maintain the operation of the fault detection timer based on the extended operation time. For example, the DTX mode may be configured to extend the configured BFD-RS period to the number of times of the original configuration value (e.g., 2 times, 4 times, 8 times, etc.). In this case, when the corresponding gNB DTX is enabled or activated, the value of the fault detection timer may be scaled accordingly. In other words, the failure detection timer may only count the BFD-RS period, regardless of the period (which depends on DTX). In this way, false alarm failure declarations may be avoided.

[0084] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 800 may include a device for performing the corresponding operation of the method 800. The device may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the device may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for receiving a reference signal configuration from a second device, the reference signal configuration indicating a set of opportunities for monitoring a reference signal set; a component for receiving information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal from the second device; and a component for performing a predetermined operation associated with fault detection based on a determination that the reference signal was not sent at an opportunity from the set of opportunities or was sent with reduced transmission parameters based on the information.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the information indicates at least one of: a reference signal is not transmitted, or a reference signal is transmitted with said reduced transmission parameter.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the reduced transmission parameter includes at least one of: a reduced number of antenna powers, a reduced transmission power, a reduced time domain resource, or a reduced frequency domain resource.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the means for performing a predetermined operation includes: means for determining that a fault detection timer is running; and means for suspending the running of the fault detection timer based on determining that the fault detection timer is running.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for causing transmission of a failure instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a medium access control layer of the first device to be skipped.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for determining that another reference signal is sent in another timing after the timing; a component for determining that the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended; and a component for resuming the fault detection timer based on determining that the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended.

[0091] In some example embodiments, a component for performing a predetermined operation includes: a device for determining a fault instance; a component for sending a beam fault instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a media access control layer of the first device; a component for causing an increment of a fault counter to be skipped; and a component for restarting a fault detection timer based on the fault instance indication.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the components for performing a predetermined operation include: a component for increasing a number threshold of the fault counter to a target number threshold; a component for determining a fault instance; a component for sending a beam fault instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a media access control layer of the first device; a component for increasing a fault counter based on the fault instance indication; a component for restarting a fault detection timer; and a component for determining whether a fault is detected based on the target number threshold of the fault counter and the value of the fault counter.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the means for performing a predetermined operation includes: means for determining that a fault detection timer is running; and means for maintaining the running of the fault detection timer based on the extended running time based on the determination that the fault detection timer is running.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises means for determining the extended run time based on a period of transmitting the reference signal.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the failure detection comprises one of: beam failure detection, or radio link failure detection in radio link monitoring.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0097] Fig. 9 900 is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 1. As shown in the figure, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0098] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 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 940 may include at least one antenna.

[0099] As non-limiting examples, processor 910 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 900 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock of a synchronized main processor.

[0100] The memory 920 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) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that will not last for the duration of a power outage.

[0101] The computer program 930 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 910. The instructions of the program 930 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 930 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 924. The processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0102] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented with the aid of a program 930, so that the device 900 may execute the following steps: Figures 2 to 8 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.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the program 930 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 900. The device 900 may load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 922 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, 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 versus ROM).

[0104] Fig.10 An example of a computer readable medium 1000 is shown which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1000 has a program 930 stored thereon.

[0105] 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.

[0106] 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-transient 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, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions 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.

[0107] The program code for executing 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 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.

[0108] 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.

[0109] 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, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, 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.

[0110] 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 sequence, or performing all of 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 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, certain 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.

[0111] 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, 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 first device to at least perform: receiving a reference signal configuration from a second device, the reference signal configuration indicating a set of opportunities for monitoring a set of reference signals; receiving, from the second device, information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal; as well as A predetermined operation associated with failure detection is performed based on the information in accordance with determining that the reference signal is not transmitted or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter in an opportunity from the set of opportunities.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the information indicates at least one of the following: The reference signal is not sent, or The reference signal is sent with the reduced transmission parameter.

3. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reduced transmission parameter comprises at least one of the following: the number of antenna powers that are reduced, The reduced transmission power, Reduced time domain resources, or Reduced frequency domain resources.

4. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Make sure the fault detection timer is running; as well as Based on determining that the fault detection timer is running, the running of the fault detection timer is suspended.

5. The first device according to claim 4, wherein the first device is further caused to execute: Causes transmission of a beam failure instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a medium access control layer of the first device to be skipped.

6. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first device is further caused to execute: determining that another reference signal is sent at another timing after the timing; determining that operation of a fault detection timer is suspended; and Based on determining that the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended, the fault detection timer is resumed.

7. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Identify the failure instance; sending, from a physical layer of the first device to a medium access control layer of the first device, an indication of a beam failure instance; Causes the increment of the fault counter to be skipped; as well as A fault detection timer is restarted based on the fault instance indication.

8. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Increasing the number threshold of the fault counter to a target number threshold; Identify the failure instance; sending, from a physical layer of the first device to a medium access control layer of the first device, an indication of a beam failure instance; incrementing a fault counter based on the fault instance indication; Restarting the fault detection timer; and Based on the target number threshold of the fault counter and the value of the fault counter, it is determined whether a fault is detected.

9. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Make sure the fault detection timer is running; as well as Based on determining that the fault detection timer is running, the running of the fault detection timer is maintained based on the extended running time.

10. The first device according to claim 9, wherein the first device is further caused to execute: The extended runtime is determined based on a period during which the reference signal is transmitted.

11. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the fault detection comprises at least one of the following: Beam failure detection, or Radio link failure detection in radio link monitoring.

12. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a network device.

13. A method comprising: receiving a reference signal configuration from a second device, the reference signal configuration indicating a set of opportunities for monitoring a set of reference signals; receiving, from the second device, information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal; as well as A predetermined operation associated with failure detection is performed based on the information in accordance with determining that the reference signal is not transmitted or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter in an opportunity from the set of opportunities.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information indicates at least one of the following: The reference signal is not sent, or The reference signal is sent with the reduced transmission parameter.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The reduced transmission parameter includes at least one of the following: the number of antenna powers that are reduced, The reduced transmission power, Reduced time domain resources, or Reduced frequency domain resources.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Make sure the fault detection timer is running; as well as Based on determining that the fault detection timer is running, the running of the fault detection timer is suspended.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: The transmission of a failure instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a medium access control layer of the first device is caused to be skipped.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, further comprising: determining that another reference signal is sent at another timing after the timing; Determining that operation of the fault detection timer is suspended; as well as Based on determining that the operation of the fault detection timer is suspended, the fault detection timer is resumed.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Identify the failure instance; sending a fault instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a media access control layer of the first device; Causes the increment of the fault counter to be skipped; as well as A fault detection timer is restarted based on the fault instance indication.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Increasing the number threshold of the fault counter to a target number threshold; Identify the failure instance; sending a fault instance indication from a physical layer of the first device to a media access control layer of the first device; incrementing a fault counter based on the fault instance indication; Restarting the fault detection timer; and Based on the target number threshold of the fault counter and the value of the fault counter, it is determined whether a fault is detected.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein performing the predetermined operation comprises: Make sure the fault detection timer is running; as well as Based on determining that the fault detection timer is running, the running of the fault detection timer is maintained based on the extended running time.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: The extended runtime is determined based on a period during which the reference signal is transmitted.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein the fault detection comprises at least one of the following: Beam failure detection, or Radio link failure detection in radio link monitoring.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a network device.

25. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a reference signal configuration from another apparatus, the reference signal configuration indicating a set of opportunities for monitoring a set of reference signals; means for receiving information indicating a change in transmission of a reference signal from a second device; as well as Means for performing a predetermined operation associated with failure detection based on determining that the reference signal is not transmitted or is transmitted with a reduced transmission parameter in an opportunity from the set of opportunities based on the information.

26. 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 13 to 24.

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