Key for connections to cell group

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, apparatuses, and systems for supporting keys for connection to a group of cells. For example, a way is provided for a UE to securely transition a connection from a first SCG associated with a primary cell group (MCG) to a second SCG associated with the MCG. For example, the UE has previously connected to (e.g., accessed) a second SCG. The UE notifies the MCG of an upcoming connection transition. Thus, the MCG uses the security counter value to generate a new secondary key, and the MCG sends the security counter value to the UE. In addition, the MCG sends the new secondary key to the second SCG. Accordingly, the UE may generate a secondary key using the security counter value, and the UE and the second SCG may transmit and receive data using the secondary key.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 407,497, filed on September 16, 2022, entitled “KEY FOR CONNECTIVITY TO A CELLGROUP,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to security in wireless communications. Background Art

[0004] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices (such as base stations), which may be referred to as eNodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB) or other suitable terms. Each network communication device (such as a base station) may support wireless communication for one or more user communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terms. A wireless communication system may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing resources of a wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)). In addition, a wireless communication system may support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, and other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)).

[0005] Some wireless communication systems provide methods for UE mobility between cells (such as between secondary cells associated with a primary cell group). However, some technologies for UE mobility encounter delay challenges and overhead challenges that may reduce wireless performance when switching connections between cells. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure relates to methods, devices, and systems for supporting keys for connections to cell groups. For example, a UE determines to transition a connection from a first secondary cell group (SCG) associated with a master cell group (MCG) to a second SCG associated with the MCG. For example, the UE has previously been connected to (e.g., accessed) a second SCG. The UE notifies the MCG (e.g., the primary cell (PCell) of the MCG) of the upcoming connection transition. In at least one implementation, the connection transition represents the impending Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) mobility of the UE from the first SCG to the second SCG. Therefore, the MCG uses a security counter value (e.g., sk-counter) to generate a new secondary key (e.g., based on the master key of the MCG using the security counter value), and the MCG sends the security counter value to the UE. In addition, the MCG sends the new secondary key to the second SCG. Therefore, the UE can use the security counter value to generate a secondary key, and the UE and the second SCG can use the secondary key to send and receive data. In an additional or alternative implementation, the UE may notify the master node (MN) of the MCG of the impending mobility to the PSCell and / or SCG that has been visited, and the MCG may initiate an intra-cell handover procedure to initiate a refresh of a master key (e.g., KgNB). In an additional or alternative implementation, the UE and the SCG increment a security counter value for each visit of the UE to the SCG.

[0007] By utilizing the described techniques, latency issues, overhead issues, and disruption time issues encountered by other types of UE mobility are reduced. In addition, security vulnerabilities that may occur with low-level (e.g., L1 / L2) mobility implementations are mitigated.

[0008] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include initiating a connection procedure by a user equipment (UE) to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; updating a security counter value associated with the first cell group based at least in part on an indication that the UE previously connected to a different cell group; generating a security key for the first cell group based at least in part on the updated security counter value; and enabling data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group using the security key.

[0009] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include: receiving configuration information for connections between multiple cell groups, wherein the configuration information includes a security counter value for a first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the multiple cell groups; determining that the UE was previously connected to a different cell group after receiving the configuration information; and generating a security key using the updated security counter value based at least in part on the determination that the UE was previously connected to a different cell group after receiving the configuration information.

[0010] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include: receiving configuration information from a primary cell group, wherein the configuration information includes configuration information of primary secondary cells for multiple cell groups; performing one or more measurements of one or more measurement objects associated with a first cell group; and initiating a connection process based at least in part on one or more measurements corresponding to a standard; receiving a radio resource control (RRC) configuration identifying one or more measurement objects; initiating a connection process via a low-level mobility process; an updated security counter value includes a security counter value that was not previously used by the UE for connection to the first cell group; using a security key to implement data transmission to ensure data transmission on one or more bearers served by the first cell group; in order to update the security counter value; incrementing the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value; receiving a specified offset value, and incrementing the security counter value by the specified offset value to generate an updated security counter value.

[0011] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include receiving an indication that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; sending a security key to the first cell group; and sending a security counter value for generating the security key to the UE.

[0012] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: sending configuration information for a connection between multiple cell groups to a UE, wherein the configuration information includes a security counter value for a first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the multiple cell groups; the method and apparatus are implemented by a master node of a primary cell group, and wherein the configuration information includes configuration information of primary and secondary cells of the multiple cell groups; generating a security counter value for the first cell group, and generating one or more other security counter values ​​as non-continuous values ​​for one or more other cell groups; receiving an indication that the UE initiates a connection process when the UE is connected to a second secondary cell group in the multiple cell groups; sending configuration information to the UE via RRC signaling; sending configuration information to the UE, the configuration information including one or more measurement objects and one or more criteria for connection to a secondary cell of the first cell group; the indication instructing the UE to initiate a connection process via a low-layer mobility process; the indication indicating that the UE was previously connected to a secondary cell of the first cell group.

[0013] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include sending, by a user equipment (UE), an indication to a master node of a primary cell group that the UE initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; receiving a notification to perform an intra-cell handover with a primary cell of the primary cell group; implementing an intra-cell handover with the primary cell using a master key generated using a received next hop count; receiving a security counter value from the primary cell; and generating a security key using the security counter value, and implementing data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group using the security key.

[0014] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include: the indication also indicates a secondary cell to which the UE was previously connected to the first cell group; receiving multiple security counter values ​​for multiple secondary cell groups including the first cell group; and notification of performing intra-cell switching including an indication of using the primary cell as both the source cell and the target cell for the intra-cell switching.

[0015] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include receiving an indication at a primary cell of a primary cell group that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; initiating an intra-cell handover between the UE and the primary cell of the primary cell group to generate an updated primary key for the primary cell group using a next hop count; sending a secondary key generated at least in part based on the updated primary key to the first cell group; and sending a security counter value used to generate the secondary key to the UE.

[0016] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include: in order to initiate an intra-cell handover, sending a notification to the UE that a primary cell is used as both a source cell and a target cell for the intra-cell handover; the primary cell group includes multiple cell groups, and sending multiple security counter values ​​for the multiple cell groups to the UE.

[0017] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include receiving a security counter value at a first cell group and from a primary cell group; receiving an indication that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; incrementing the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value; and using a security key generated using the updated security counter value to enable data transmission with the UE.

[0018] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may also include: receiving a specified offset value and incrementing a security counter value by the specified offset value to generate an updated security counter value; using the security counter value to determine that the UE was previously connected to the first cell group; determining that the connection process represents a reconnection of the UE to the first cell group; and based at least in part on the reconnection of the UE to the first cell group, incrementing the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting keys for connection to a group of cells in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 2 A system for an inter-gNB handover procedure is illustrated.

[0021] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a system for intra-AMF and UPF switching.

[0022] Figure 4

[0013] A system supporting keys for connections to a group of cells in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 5

[0013] A system supporting keys for connections to a group of cells in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 6

[0013] A system supporting keys for connections to a group of cells in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0025] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Different respective portions of a message supporting keys for connection to a group of cells in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0026] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 An example of a block diagram of a device supporting keys for connection to a group of cells in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Figures 11 to 17 A flow chart of a method of supporting keys for connections to a group of cells according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In a wireless communication system, a serving cell change may be performed when a UE moves from the coverage area of ​​one cell (e.g., SCG) to another cell, for example, where the current serving cell no longer remains a radio viable option. In some implementations, the serving cell change of the UE is triggered by Layer 3 (L3) measurements and is implemented via a reconfiguration triggered by RRC signaling, with synchronization of changes to the PCell and PSCell, and release of the SCell addition where applicable. Such scenarios typically involve a full L2 reset and an L1 reset, resulting in longer latency, greater overhead, and longer interruption time than beam switching mobility. Some proposals for L1 / L2 mobility enhancements have been proposed to enable serving cell changes via L1 / L2 signaling. However, such proposals fail to address security vulnerabilities that may be introduced in low-layer (e.g., L1 / L2) implementations for UE mobility between serving cells.

[0029] Therefore, the present disclosure provides technology to support keys for connections to cell groups. For example, an implementation can provide a high-performance and secure manner for UE mobility between different cells (such as different SCGs associated with an MCG). In an implementation, the UE determines to transition a connection from a first SCG associated with a master cell group (MCG) to a second SCG associated with the MCG. For example, the UE has previously been connected to (e.g., accessed) a second SCG. The UE notifies the MCG (e.g., the primary cell (PCell) of the MCG) of the upcoming connection transition. In at least one implementation, the connection transition represents the impending L1 / L2 mobility of the UE from the first SCG to the second SCG. Therefore, the MCG uses a security counter value (e.g., sk-counter) to generate a new secondary key (e.g., using a security counter value, based on the master key of the MCG), and the MCG sends the security counter value to the UE. In addition, the MCG sends a new secondary key to the second SCG. Therefore, the UE can use the security counter value to generate a secondary key, and the UE and the second SCG can use the secondary key to send and receive data. In addition, the UE uses the security counter values ​​sequentially, such as one value for each access of the UE to the SCG.

[0030] In an additional or alternative implementation, the UE may notify the MN of the MCG of the impending mobility to the PSCell and / or SCG that has been visited, and the MCG may initiate an intra-cell handover procedure to initiate the master key (e.g., K gNB After receiving an intra-cell handover command (e.g., after receiving an RRCReconfiguration message with reconfigurationWithSync for handover to the source cell), the UE may use the nextHopChainingCount value (e.g., the next hop count value) received in the reconfiguration message to refresh the K based on the current gNB key and / or next hop key (NH) to update K gNB The UE may replace nextHopChainingCount with the received value of nextHopChainingCount and derive the value corresponding to K as follows: gNB Key associated with the key:

[0031] · Get ​​the K associated with the current cipheringAlgorithm RRCenc Key and K UPenc Key;

[0032] · Get ​​the K associated with the current integrityProtAlgorithm RRCint Key and K UPint Key.

[0033] MN can derive a new SK for each SCG gNB , and the new SK gNB The UE may be sent (multiple) new sk-counters for each SCG in the SCG, and the UE may also generate SK for each SCG when performing mobility to the SCG. gNB .

[0034] In an additional or alternative implementation, the UE and the SCG increment the security counter value for each access of the UE to the SCG. For example, for each instance of the UE accessing the SCG, the UE and the SCG increment the security counter value by 1 and / or increment the signaled offset value.

[0035] Thus, by utilizing the described techniques, latency issues, overhead issues, and disruption time issues encountered by other types of UE mobility are reduced. In addition, security vulnerabilities that may arise with low-level (eg, L1 / L2) mobility implementations are mitigated.

[0036] Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to device diagrams and flow charts.

[0037] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting keys for connection to a cell group according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network entities 102, one or more UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The wireless communication system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technologies, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100 may support radio access technologies other than 5G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100 may support technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA).

[0038] One or more network entities 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form a wireless communication system 100. One or more of the network entities 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a radio access network (RAN), a base transceiver station, an access point, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms. The network entity 102 and the UE 104 may communicate via a communication link 110, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, send signaling) via a Uu interface.

[0039] The network entity 102 may provide a geographic coverage area 112 for which the network entity 102 supports services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area 112. For example, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may support wireless communications of signals associated with services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) according to one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, the network entity 102 may be mobile, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 112 may be associated with different network entities 102. The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0040] One or more UEs 104 may be dispersed throughout the geographic region of the wireless communication system 100. UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a remote unit, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable term. In some implementations, UE 104 may be referred to as other examples such as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client. Additionally or alternatively, UE 104 may be referred to as other examples such as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device. In some implementations, UE 104 may be stationary in the wireless communication system 100. In some other implementations, UE 104 may be mobile in the wireless communication system 100.

[0041] One or more UEs 104 may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1 Some examples of UE 104 are illustrated in FIG. UE 104 may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as network entity 102, other UE 104, or network equipment (e.g., core network 106, packet data network 108, relay device, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or another network device), such as Figure 1 Additionally or alternatively, UE 104 can support communication with other network entities 102 or UE 104, which can act as a relay in the wireless communication system 100.

[0042] The UE 104 may also be capable of supporting wireless communications directly with other UEs 104 via a communication link 114. For example, the UE 104 may support wireless communications directly with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, V2X deployments, or cellular V2X deployments, the communication link 114 may be referred to as a side link. For example, the UE 104 may support wireless communications directly with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0043] The network entity 102 may support communication with the core network 106, or with another network entity 102, or with both. For example, the network entity 102 may interface with the core network 106 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). The network entities 102 may communicate with each other via the backhaul links 116 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or another network interface). In some implementations, the network entities 102 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., between the network entities 102). In some other implementations, the network entities 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 106). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include subcomponents, such as access network entities, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). The ANC may communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transport entities (which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transport reception points (TRPs)).

[0044] In some implementations, the network entity 102 may be configured in a disaggregated architecture that may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed between two or more network entities 102, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, the network entity 102 may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) (e.g., a near real-time RIC (near real-time (RT) RIC), a non-real-time RIC (non-RT RIC)), a service management and orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0045] The RU may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio unit (RRU), or a transmission reception point (TRP). In a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the network entity 102 may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entity 102 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CU (VCU), virtual DU (VDU), virtual RU (VRU)).

[0046] The functional split between CU, DU and RU can be flexible, and different functions can be supported depending on the functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combination thereof) executed at the CU, DU or RU. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack can be adopted between the CU and the DU so that the CU can support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host upper protocol layer (e.g., Layer 3 (L3), Layer 2 (L2)) functions and signaling (e.g., RRC, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). The CU can be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and the one or more DUs or RUs can host lower protocol layers, such as Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer) functions and signaling, and can each be at least partially controlled by the CU.

[0047] Additionally or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between the DU and the RU such that the DU may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU may support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs). In some implementations, the functional split between the CU and the DU or between the DU and the RU may be within the protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of the CU, DU, or RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU, DU, or RU).

[0048] The CU may be further functionally split into CU control plane (CU-CP) functionality and CU user plane (CU-UP) functionality. The CU may be connected to one or more DUs via a medium-range communication link (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u), and the DU may be connected to one or more RUs via a fronthaul communication link (e.g., an open fronthaul (FH) interface). In some implementations, the medium-range communication link or the fronthaul communication link may be implemented based on interfaces (e.g., channels) between layers of a protocol stack supported by a corresponding network entity 102 communicating via such a communication link.

[0049] The core network 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connection, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)), and user plane entities that route packets or interconnections to external networks (e.g., serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 served by one or more network entities 102 associated with the core network 106.

[0050] The core network 106 may communicate with the packet data network 108 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). The packet data network 108 may include an application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server 118. The UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a PDU session, etc.) with the core network 106 via the network entity 102. The core network 106 may use the established session (e.g., the established PDU session) to route traffic (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between the UE 104 and the application server 118. The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the core network 106).

[0051] In the wireless communication system 100, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may use the resources of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some implementations, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 may support various frame structures (e.g., multiple frame structures). The network entity 102 and the UE 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more digital technologies.

[0052] One or more digital technologies may be supported in the wireless communication system 100, and the digital technologies may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefixes. A first digital technology (e.g., μ = 0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A first digital technology (e.g., μ = 0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second digital technology (e.g., μ = 1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third digital technology (e.g., μ = 2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth digital technology (e.g., μ = 3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth digital technology (e.g., μ = 4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0053] The time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame can have a duration, for example, a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame can include multiple subframes. For example, each frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe can have a duration, for example, a duration of 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame can have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame can have the same duration.

[0054] Additionally or alternatively, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of time slots. Each time slot may include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots used for a subframe may depend on the digital technology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a time slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable to a 60kHz subcarrier spacing), a time slot may include 12 symbols. For a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix, the relationship between the number of symbols per time slot, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame may depend on the digital technology. It should be understood that references to a first digital technology (e.g., μ=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0055] In the wireless communication system 100, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. based on frequency or wavelength. By way of example, the wireless communication system 100 can support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz-24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz-114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz-71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz-300 GHz). In some implementations, the network entity 102 and the UE 104 can perform wireless communications on one or more operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 can be used by the network entity 102 and the UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices for cellular communication services (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the network entity 102 and the UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0056] FR1 may be associated with one or more digital technologies (e.g., at least three digital technologies). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first digital technology (e.g., μ=0) including a 15kHz subcarrier spacing, a second digital technology (e.g., μ=1) including a 30kHz subcarrier spacing, and a third digital technology (e.g., μ=2) including a 60kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or more digital technologies (e.g., at least 2 digital technologies). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third digital technology (e.g., μ=2) including a 60kHz subcarrier spacing, and a fourth digital technology (e.g., μ=3) including a 120kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0057] Based on the implementation of the key for connection to the cell group, UE 104(1) determines to transition the connection to SCG 120. For example, UE 104(1) determines that SCG 120 can provide a higher quality wireless connection than the current secondary cell group, and / or UE 104(1) is physically moving toward SCG 120. Therefore, UE 104(1) and network entity 102(1) of MCG 122 send a connect message 124 to enable UE 104(1) to send and receive data with SCG 120. For example, as part of the connect message 124, UE 104(1) notifies MCG 122 that UE 104(1) implements mobility toward SCG 120 to connect to SCG 120. In addition, as part of the connect message 124, MCG 122 sends a security counter value to UE 104(1). For example, the MCG 122 generates a secondary key (eg, based on the master key of the MCG 122 ) using the security counter value and sends a key message 126 to the network entity 102 ( 2 ) of the SCG 120 .

[0058] Thus, UE 104 ( 1 ) generates secondary key 128 using the security counter value, and UE 104 ( 1 ) and SCG 120 may utilize secondary key 128 for wireless transmissions 130 , eg, sending and receiving data between UE 104 ( 1 ) and SCG 120 .

[0059] In some wireless communication systems, conditional PSCell change (CPC) / conditional PSCell addition (CPA), the CPC / CPA configured UE will release the CPC / CPA configuration when completing random access toward the target PSCell. Therefore, without prior CPC / CPA reconfiguration and reinitialization from the network, the UE may not have the opportunity to perform subsequent CPC / CPA. This may increase the delay for cell changes and increase signaling overhead, such as in the case of frequent SCG changes when operating FR2. Therefore, multi-RAT (MR) dual connectivity (DC) (MR-DC) with selective activation of cell groups aims to enable subsequent CPC / CPA after an SCG change without reconfiguring and reinitializing CPC / CPA preparation from the network. This can result in a reduction in signaling overhead and interruption time for SCG changes.

[0060] Currently, conditional handover (CHO) and MR-DC cannot be configured at the same time. This limits the usefulness of these two features when MR-DC is configured. However, this alone may not be enough to optimize MR-DC mobility, because the radio link quality of the conditionally configured PSCell may not be sufficient or may not be the best candidate PSCell when the UE accesses the target PCell, and this may affect the UE throughput. To alleviate this throughput impact, some implementations for CHO+MRDC may consider CHO including a target MCG as well as multiple candidate SCGs for CPC / CPA.

[0061] Except for some wireless communication systems, network-controlled mobility can be applied to UEs in the RRC_CONNECTED state and can be classified into two types of mobility: cell-level mobility and beam-level mobility. Beam-level mobility can include intra-cell beam-level mobility and inter-cell beam-level mobility.

[0062] Figure 2 A system 200 for an inter-gNB handover procedure is illustrated. In various scenarios, cell-level mobility involves triggering explicit RRC signaling, e.g., for handover. For an inter-gNB handover, the signaling procedure may consist of at least the basic components shown in system 200, as described below:

[0063] 1. The source gNB initiates a handover and sends a handover request (HANDOVER REQUEST) through the Xn interface.

[0064] 2. The target gNB performs admission control and provides the new RRC configuration as part of the HANDOVERREQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE.

[0065] 3. The source gNB provides the RRC configuration to the UE by forwarding the RRCReconfiguration message received in the Handover Request Acknowledgement. The RRCReconfiguration message includes at least the cell identifier (ID) and the information required to access the target cell, so that the UE can access the target cell without reading system information. For some cases, the information required for contention-based and contention-free random access may be included in the RRCReconfiguration message. The access information to the target cell may include beam-specific information (if any).

[0066] 4. The UE moves the RRC connection to the target gNB and responds with RRCReconfigurationComplete. In implementation, user data may also be sent in step 4 if permission is granted.

[0067] In the scenario for dual active protocol stack (DAPS) handover, the UE may continue downlink user data reception from the source gNB until the source cell is released, and may continue uplink user data transmission to the source gNB until a successful random access procedure is performed to the target gNB. In addition, the source and target PCells may be used during the DAPS handover. Carrier aggregation (CA), DC, supplementary uplink (SUL), multiple TRPs, EHC, CHO, unified data fusion (UDC), NR sidelink configuration, and V2X sidelink configuration may be released by the source gNB before the handover command is sent to the UE, and may not be configured by the target gNB until the DAPS handover is completed, for example, at the earliest in the same message that releases the source PCell.

[0068] A handover mechanism triggered by RRC may involve the UE resetting at least the MAC entity and re-establishing the RLC, except for DAPS handover, where upon receiving the handover command, the UE may:

[0069] - Create a MAC entity for the target;

[0070] - Establishing a RLC entity for the target and the associated Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH) logical channel for each Data Radio Bearer (DRB) configured with DAPS;

[0071] - For each DRB configured with DAPS, reconfigure the PDCP entities for the source and target to have separate security and robust header compression (ROHC) functions and associate them with the RLC entities configured by the source and target, respectively;

[0072] - Keep the rest of the source configuration until the source is released.

[0073] In some wireless communication systems, both RRC-managed handover with PDCP entity re-establishment and RRC-managed handover without PDCP entity re-establishment may be supported. For DRBs using RLC Acknowledged Mode (AM) mode, PDCP may be re-established with a security key change, or a data recovery procedure may be initiated without a key change. For DRBs using RLC Unacknowledged Mode (UM) mode, PDCP may be re-established with a security key change, or may remain intact without a key change. For SRBs, PDCP may remain intact, discard its stored PDCP PDU / SDU without a key change, or be re-established with a security key change.

[0074] Data forwarding, in-sequence delivery, and duplication avoidance during handover can be successful when the target gNB uses the same DRB configuration as the source gNB. Timer-based handover failure procedures can be supported in NR. RRC connection re-establishment procedures can be used to recover from handover failures, except for certain CHO or DAPS handover scenarios:

[0075] - When DAPS handover fails, if the source link has not been released, the UE can fall back to the source cell configuration, resume the connection with the source cell, and report the DAPS handover failure via the source without triggering RRC connection re-establishment.

[0076] -When the initial CHO execution attempt fails or handover fails, the UE may perform cell selection, and if the selected cell is a CHO candidate cell, and if the network configures the UE to attempt CHO after handover / CHO failure, the UE may attempt CHO execution once, otherwise a re-establishment may be performed.

[0077] In some scenarios, the handover of the integrated access and backhaul (IAB) mobile termination (MT) in standalone mode follows the same procedure as described for the UE. After the backhaul is established, the handover of the IAB-MT is part of the intra-CU topology adaptation process. Modifications to the configuration of the backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) sublayer and higher protocol layers above the BAP sublayer may be implemented.

[0078] In some wireless communication scenarios, beam-level mobility does not require triggering explicit RRC signaling. For example, beam-level mobility can be intra-cell or inter-cell, and the latter is called inter-cell beam management (ICBM). For ICBM, the UE can receive or send UE-specific channels / signals via a TRP associated with a physical cell identity (PCI) different from the serving cell's PCI, while non-UE-specific channels or signals can be received via a TRP associated with the serving cell's PCI. The gNB can provide the UE with a measurement configuration via RRC signaling, which contains the configuration of SS / PBCH block (SSB) / channel state information (CSI) resources and resource sets, reports and triggering states for triggering channel and interference measurements, and reports. In the case of ICBM, the measurement configuration may include SSB resources associated with a PCI different from the serving cell's PCI. Beam-level mobility can then be handled at lower layers with the help of physical layer and MAC layer control signaling, and RRC may not be required to know which beam is being used at a given point in time.

[0079] In the scenario, SSB-based beam-level mobility is based on the SSB associated with the initial downlink (DL) bandwidth part (BWP) and can be configured for the initial DL BWP and for the DLBWP containing the SSB associated with the initial DL BWP. For other DL BWPs, beam-level mobility can be performed based on CSI reference signals (RS).

[0080] Figure 3 A system 300 for intra-AMF and UPF handover is illustrated. In some scenarios, intra-NR RAN handover performs the preparation and execution phases of the handover process, which is performed without the participation of the 5GC, for example, the preparation messages are exchanged directly between the gNBs. During the handover completion phase, the release of resources at the source gNB can be triggered by the target gNB. System 300 depicts a handover scenario in which neither the AMF nor the UPF is changed:

[0081] 0. The UE context within the source gNB contains information about roaming and access restrictions that was provided at connection establishment or at the last Timing Advance (TA) update.

[0082] 1. The source gNB configures the UE measurement procedure and the UE reports according to the measurement configuration.

[0083] 2. The source gNB decides to handover the UE based on the MeasurementReport and Radio Resource Management (RRM) information.

[0084] 3. The source gNB issues a Handover Request message to the target gNB, passing a transparent RRC container with the necessary information to prepare the handover on the target side. This information includes at least the target cell ID, KgNB*, the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) of the UE in the source gNB, the RRM configuration including the UE inactivity time, the basic access stratum (AS) configuration including antenna information and DL carrier frequency (antennaInfo and Carrier Frequency), the current QoS flow to DRB mapping rules applied to the UE, SIB1 from the source gNB, UE capabilities for different RATs, PDU session related information, and may include measurement information reported by the UE, the measurement message including beam related information (if available). The PDU session related information includes slice information and (multiple) QoS flow level QoS profiles. The source gNB may also request DAPS handover for one or more DRBs. In some scenarios, after issuing the Handover Request, the source gNB will not reconfigure the UE, including performing reflective QoS flow to DRB mapping.

[0085] 4. Admission control may be performed by the target gNB. If slice information is sent to the target gNB, slice-aware admission control may be performed. If a PDU session is associated with an unsupported slice, the target gNB may reject such a PDU session.

[0086] 5. The target gNB prepares for the handover with L1 / L2 and sends a Handover Request Acknowledgement to the source gNB, which includes a transparent container that will be sent to the UE as an RRC message to perform the handover. The target gNB also indicates whether the DAPS handover is accepted.

[0087] NOTE 2: Data forwarding may be initiated once the source gNB receives the Handover Request Acknowledgement or once the transmission of the Handover Command is initiated in the downlink.

[0088] NOTE 3: For DRBs configured with DAPS, downlink PDCP SDUs are forwarded with the sequence number (SN) assigned by the source gNB until the SN allocation is handed over to the target gNB in ​​step 8b, for which normal data forwarding follows the specified procedure.

[0089] 6. The source gNB triggers Uu handover by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, which contains information for accessing the target cell: at least the target cell ID, the new C-RNTI, and the target gNB security algorithm identifier for the selected security algorithm. The RRCReconfiguration message may also include a set of dedicated random access channel (RACH) resources, associations between RACH resources and (multiple) SSBs, associations between RACH resources and (multiple) UE-specific CSI-RS configurations, common RACH resources, and system information of the target cell.

[0090] NOTE 4: For DRBs configured with DAPS, the source gNB may not stop sending downlink packets until it receives a HANDOVER SUCCESS message from the target gNB in ​​step 8a.

[0091] Note 4a: CHO may not be configured simultaneously with DAPS switching.

[0092] 7a. For DRBs configured with DAPS, the source gNB sends an EARLY STATUS TRANSFER message. The DL COUNT value conveyed in the EARLY STATUS TRANSFER message indicates the PDCP SN and hyperframe number (HFN) of the first PDCP service data unit (SDU) forwarded by the source gNB to the target gNB. The source gNB does not stop allocating SNs to downlink PDCP SDUs until the source gNB sends an SN STATUS TRANSFER message to the target gNB in ​​step 8b.

[0093] 7. For DRBs that are not configured with DAPS, the source gNB sends an SN Status Transfer message to the target gNB to convey the uplink PDCP SN receiver status and the downlink PDCP SN transmitter status of the DRBs (i.e., for RLC AM) for which PDCP status preservation is applicable. The uplink PDCP SN receiver status includes at least the PDCP SN of the first lost uplink (UL) PDCP SDU and may include a bitmap of the reception status of out-of-sequence UL PDCP SDUs that the UE needs to retransmit in the target cell (if any). The downlink PDCP SN transmitter status indicates the next PDCP SN that the target gNB can assign to a new PDCP SDU that does not yet have a PDCP SN.

[0094] Note 5: In case of DAPS handover, the uplink PDCP SN receiver state and the downlink PDCP SN transmitter state for DRBs with RLC-AM and not configured with DAPS may be transferred through the SN STATUS TRANSFER message in step 8b instead of step 7.

[0095] NOTE 6: For DRBs configured with DAPS, the source gNB may additionally send (multiple) early state transfer messages between step 7 and step 8b to notify the discarding of the PDCP SDUs that have been forwarded. The target gNB may not send the forwarded downlink PDCP SDUs to the UE, whose COUNT is less than the communicated DL COUNT value, and discard the downlink PDCP SDUs if transmission has not been attempted.

[0096] 8. The UE synchronizes with the target cell and completes the RRC handover procedure by sending an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the target gNB. In case of DAPS handover, the UE does not detach from the source cell after receiving the RRCReconfiguration message. The UE releases the source resources and configuration and stops DL / UL reception / transmission with the source after receiving an explicit release from the target node.

[0097] Note 6a: From the RAN perspective, a DAPS handover is considered to be completed only after the UE has released the source cell as explicitly requested from the target node. RRC suspension, subsequent handover or inter-RAT handover cannot be initiated until the source cell is released.

[0098] 8a / 8b In case of DAPS handover, the target gNB sends a handover success message to the source gNB to inform the UE that it has successfully accessed the target cell. In return, the source gNB sends an SN state transfer message for the DRB configured with DAPS, the description in step 7 applies to this DRB, and normal data forwarding follows the specified process.

[0099] NOTE 7: If configured with DAPS, then in step 8b, the uplink PDCP SN receiver status and the downlink PDCP SN transmitter status are also conveyed in the SN STATUS TRANSFER message for the DRB with RLC-UM.

[0100] NOTE 8: For DRBs configured with DAPS, the Source gNB shall not stop delivering uplink QoS flows to the UPF until it sends an SN STATUS TRANSFER message in step 8b. The Target gNB shall not forward QoS flows of successfully received in-sequence uplink PDCP SDUs to the UPF until it receives an SN STATUS TRANSFER message in which the ULHFN and the first missing SN in the Uplink PDCP SN Receiver Status indicate the start of uplink PDCP SDDs to be delivered to the UPF. The Target gNB shall not deliver any uplink PDCP SDUs with a UL COUNT lower than the provided count.

[0101] 9. The target gNB sends a PATH SWITCH REQUEST message to the AMF to trigger the 5GC to switch the DL data path towards the target gNB and establish an NG-C interface instance towards the target gNB.

[0102] 10.5GC switches the DL data path towards the target gNB. The UPF sends one or more “end marker” packets on the old path to the source gNB per PDU session / tunnel, and may then release any U-plane / Transport Network Layer (TNL) resources towards the source gNB.

[0103] 11.AMF confirms the Path Switch Request message with a PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message.

[0104] 12. After receiving the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message from the AMF, the target gNB sends a UECONTEXT RELEASE to inform the source gNB about the success of the handover. The source gNB may then release the radio and C-plane related resources associated with the UE context. Any ongoing data forwarding may continue.

[0105] Depending on the scenario, the RRM configuration may include both beam measurement information associated with (multiple) SSBs (for Layer 3 mobility) and (multiple) CSI-RS for (multiple) reported cells, if both types of measurements are available. In addition, if CA is configured, the RRM configuration may include a list of the best cells on each frequency for which measurement information is available. And the RRM measurement information may also include beam measurements for the listed cells belonging to the target gNB.

[0106] The common RACH configuration for beams in the target cell may be associated only with the SSB(s). The network may have dedicated RACH configurations associated with the SSB(s) and / or have dedicated RACH configurations associated with the CSI-RS(s) within the cell. The target gNB may include one of the following RACH configurations in the handover command to enable the UE to access the target cell:

[0107] i) Common RACH configuration;

[0108] ii) Common RACH configuration + dedicated RACH configuration associated with SSB;

[0109] iii) Common RACH configuration + dedicated RACH configuration associated with CSI-RS.

[0110] In some scenarios, dedicated RACH configuration is used together with a quality threshold for using the RACH resource(s). When dedicated RACH resources are provided, they may be prioritized by the UE and the UE will not switch to contention-based RACH resources as long as the quality threshold for the dedicated resources is met. The order of accessing dedicated RACH resources may depend on the UE implementation.

[0111] After receiving a handover command requesting a DAPS handover, the UE may suspend the source cell SRB, stop sending and receiving any RRC control plane signaling towards the source cell, and establish an SRB for the target cell. After a successful DAPS handover is performed, the UE may release the source cell SRB configuration after receiving a source cell release indication from the target cell. When a DAPS handover to the target cell fails and if the source cell link is available, the UE may revert back to the source cell configuration and resume the source cell SRB for control plane signaling transmission.

[0112] In the scenario, the mobility procedure (handover) may depend on the measurement of the UE. The measurement configuration may include the following parameters:

[0113] 1. Measurement objects: A list of objects on which the UE can perform measurements.

[0114] - For intra-frequency and inter-frequency measurements, the measurement object indicates the frequency / time position and subcarrier spacing of the reference signal to be measured. Associated with this measurement object, the network may configure a list of cell-specific offsets, a list of "excluded listed" cells, and a list of "allowed listed" cells. Excluded listed cells may not be applicable for event evaluation or measurement reporting. Allowed listed cells are applicable for event evaluation or measurement reporting.

[0115] -The measObjectId of the mobile originated (MO) corresponding to each serving cell is indicated by servingCellMO within the serving cell configuration.

[0116] -For inter-RAT E-UTRA measurements, the measurement object is a single E-UTRA carrier frequency. Associated with this E-UTRA carrier frequency, the network may configure a list of cell-specific offsets and a list of "excluded" cells. Excluded cells may not be applicable for event evaluation or measurement reporting.

[0117] - For inter-RAT UTRA frequency division duplex (FDD) measurements, the measurement object is a set of cells on a single UTRA-FDD carrier frequency.

[0118] -For NR side link measurements of L2 U2N relay UE, the measurement object is a single NR side link frequency to be measured.

[0119] -Content-based random access channel (RACH) access (CBRA) measurement for NR sidelink communication, the measurement object is a set of (multiple) transmission resource pools on a single carrier frequency used for NR sidelink communication.

[0120] - For CBRA measurements for NR side link discovery, the measurement object is a set of (multiple) discovery dedicated resource pools or (multiple) transmission resource pools, which are also used for NR side link discovery on a single carrier frequency for NR side link discovery.

[0121] - For cross-link interference (CLI) measurement, the measurement object indicates the frequency / time location of the sounding reference signal (SRS) resources and / or the CLI received signal strength indicator (RSSI) resources, and the subcarrier spacing of the SRS resources to be measured.

[0122] 2. Report configuration: A list of report configurations, where there can be one or more report configurations per measurement object. Each measurement report configuration can consist of the following items:

[0123] - Reporting criteria: The criteria that triggers the UE to send a measurement report. This can be periodic or can be described by a single event.

[0124] - RS type: RS (synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block or CSI-RS) used by the UE for beam and cell measurement results.

[0125] - Reporting format: The quantities per cell and per beam (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) that the UE includes in the measurement report, as well as other associated information, such as the maximum number of cells to be reported and the maximum number of beams per cell.

[0126] In the case of conditional reconfiguration, each configuration can consist of the following items:

[0127] - Execution Criteria: The criteria used by the UE for conditional reconfiguration execution.

[0128] - RS type: RS (SS / PBCH block-based or CSIRS-based) used by the UE to obtain beam and cell measurement results for evaluating conditional reconfiguration execution conditions.

[0129] 3. Measurement identities: For measurement reporting, a list of measurement identities, where each measurement identity links one measurement object with one reporting configuration. By configuring multiple measurement identities, more than one measurement object can be linked to the same reporting configuration, and more than one reporting configuration can be linked to the same measurement object. The measurement identity is also included in the measurement report that triggers the report, acting as a reference to the network. For conditional reconfiguration triggering, one measurement identity is linked to exactly one conditional reconfiguration trigger configuration. And up to 2 measurement identities can be linked to one conditional reconfiguration execution condition.

[0130] 4. Parameter configuration: The parameter configuration defines the measurement filter configuration used for all event evaluations and related reporting, as well as for periodic reporting of this measurement. For NR measurements, the network can configure up to 2 parameter configurations, with a reference in the NR measurement object to the configuration to be used. In each configuration, different filter coefficients can be configured for different measurement parameters, for different RS types, and for measurements per cell and per beam.

[0131] 5. Measurement gap: A period that the UE can use to perform measurements.

[0132] Depending on the scenario, the UE in RRC_CONNECTED maintains a measurement object list, a report configuration list, and a measurement identity list according to specified signaling and procedures. The measurement object list may include (multiple) NR measurement objects, (multiple) CLI measurement objects, inter-RAT objects, and L2 U2N relay objects. Similarly, the report configuration list may include NR, inter-RAT, and L2U2N relay report configurations. Any measurement object can be linked to any report configuration of the same RAT type. Some report configurations may not be linked to measurement objects. Similarly, some measurement objects may not be linked to report configurations.

[0133] Some scenarios for enhanced UE mobility may result in the UE receiving configuration for more than one PSCell (or alternatively, SCG configuration, with each PSCell associated with one or more SCells) and being able to "move" between different PSCells within the group of PSCells without a change in PCell or primary / master cell group, while the MCG remains available. The UE may have established more than one data radio bearer (DRB) and for each DRB the UE receives a security configuration (referred to as SecurityConfig) from the master. For UEs provided with sk-counter, keyToUse may indicate whether the UE is using the master key (K gNB ) or use the secondary key (SK eNB or SK gNBThe secondary key can be derived from the primary key and sk-Counter. When the secondary key needs to be refreshed (for example, between MN and K gNB When the UE is in NR-DC, the network may provide sk-Counter to the UE configured with SCG, such as when there is no DRB using the secondary key (SK gNB ) is established in order to allow configuration of SRB3. When using SN terminated MCG bearers, the network may also provide sk-Counter to the UE, such as if no SCG is configured.

[0134] Since security may be weakened due to L1 L2 based mobility between PSCell groups, the UE uses the master key K gNB A security vulnerability may exist in the scenario of returning to a previously visited PSCell and / or SCG that has been changed. For example, this scenario may cause the same sk-counter to be used again with the same K gNB Used together, this may lead to potential security vulnerabilities, such as when other security input parameters (e.g., SN, HFN, direction, etc.) are also reused.

[0135] Therefore, the present disclosure provides solutions to provide techniques for inter-cell mobility based on secure lower layers (e.g., L1 / L2) for mobility latency reduction. For example, the described techniques enable UEs to achieve low-layer inter-cell mobility without exposing the UE and the network to security risks that may be caused in such scenarios.

[0136] Figure 4 A system 400 that supports keys for connections to a cell group in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. For example, the system 400 illustrates a dual connectivity scenario. Depending on the implementation, the NG-RAN supports New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) operation, in which a UE in RRC_CONNECTED is configured to utilize radio resources provided by two different schedulers located in two different NR nodes, both of which provide NR access, as shown in the system 400. The first node is called the master node (MN), and together with one or more cells (SCells) and the PCell from the master node, this first cell group is called the master cell group, or MCG for short. The second node added to the UE by the MN is called a secondary node (SN); together with one or more cells (SCells) and the PSCell from the secondary node, this second cell group is called a secondary cell group, or SCG for short. When the UE is configured with an SCG, the UE is configured with two MAC entities: one MAC entity for the MCG, and one MAC entity for the SCG.

[0137] Some definitions of terms applicable to this disclosure are as follows:

[0138] En-gNB: The node that provides the NR user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE and acts as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0139] Primary cell group: In MR-DC, the service cell group associated with the primary node, including the SpCell (PCell) and optionally one or more SCells.

[0140] Master Node: In MR-DC, a radio access node that provides a control plane connection to the core network. This radio access node can be a master eNB (in EN-DC), a master ng-eNB (in NG-RAN-E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (NGEN-DC)), a master gNB (in NR-DC and NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC)), etc.

[0141] MCG bearer: In MR-DC, a radio bearer with an RLC bearer (or two RLC bearers, such as in case of CA packet duplication) in the MCG.

[0142] MN terminated bearer: In MR-DC, a radio bearer for which PDCP is located in the MN.

[0143] MCG Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB): In MR-DC, a direct SRB between the MN and the UE.

[0144] Multi-radio dual connectivity: Dual connectivity between E-UTRA and an NR node, or between two NR nodes.

[0145] Next generation eNB (Ng eNB): A node that connects 5G UEs to the 5G Core Network (CN) using a 4G LTE air interface such as that defined in TS 38.300.

[0146] PCell: SpCell of the primary cell group.

[0147] PSCell: SpCell of the secondary cell group.

[0148] RLC bearer: RLC and MAC logical channel configuration of radio bearers in a cell group.

[0149] Secondary cell group: In MR-DC, the service cell group associated with the secondary node includes the SpCell (PSCell) and optionally one or more SCells.

[0150] Secondary Node: In MR-DC, a radio access node that has no control plane connection to the core network and provides additional resources to the UE. The radio access node can be an en-gNB (in EN-DC), a secondary ng-eNB (in NE-DC), or a secondary gNB (in NR-DC and NGEN-DC).

[0151] SCG bearer: In MR-DC, a radio bearer with an RLC bearer (or two RLC bearers in case of CA packet duplication) in the SCG.

[0152] SN terminated bearer: In MR-DC, a radio bearer for which PDCP is located in the SN.

[0153] SpCell: the primary cell of a primary cell group or a secondary cell group.

[0154] SRB3: In EN-DC, NGEN-DC and NR-DC, direct SRB between SN and UE.

[0155] Split bearer: In MR-DC, a radio bearer with RLC bearer in both MCG and SCG.

[0156] Figure 5 A system 500 is illustrated that supports keys for connections to a group of cells in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Depending on the implementation, a UE 104 may receive configurations for more than one PSCell from a MN (and / or an optional SCG configuration, with each PSCell associated with one or more SCells) from MCG-1, and may move (e.g., change connections) between different PSCells within the PSCell group without changes in PCells or primary / master cell groups, as shown in system 500. For example, in system 500, a UE 104 is provided by MCG-1 with configurations for SCG-1, SCG-2, SCG-3, and SCG-4. For example, a UE 104 may have established more than one DRB, and for each DRB, the UE 104 receives a security configuration from MCG-1, which may be referred to as SecurityConfig. For a UE 104 provided with sk-counter, keyToUse may indicate whether the UE is using a master key (K ) for a particular DRB. gNB ) or use the secondary key (SK eNB or SK gNB The secondary key can be derived from the primary key and sk-Counter. When the secondary key needs to be refreshed (for example, between MN and K gNBWhen UE 104 is in NR-DC, the network may provide sk-Counter to the UE configured with SCG, such as when no DRB uses the secondary key (SK gNB ) is established to allow configuration of SRB3. When using SN terminated MCG bearers, the network may also provide sk-Counter to the UE, such as if no SCG is configured.

[0157] Security issues may arise when the UE 104 returns to a previously visited (e.g., previously connected) PSCell and / or SCG. For example, in the system 500, after UE 104 mobility from SCG-1 to SCG-2 and from SCG-3 to SCG-4, SCG-2 is being revisited by the UE 104. In some scenarios, if the MCG (MCG-1) remains the same and the master key K is received after the RRC configuration when the UE 104 configures SCG 1-SCG 4, gNB This may cause the same sk-counter to be associated with the same K again. gNB Used together, this may lead to potential security vulnerabilities, such as when other security input parameters (e.g., SN, HFN, direction, etc.) may also be reused.

[0158] Figure 6 A system 600 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an implementation, the UE notifies a primary cell group (PCell) about impending L1 / L2 mobility to a previously visited PSCell and / or SCG. For example, in the system 500, while the UE 104 is still on SCG-4, the UE 104 determines that a radio quality measurement of one of the Scells of SCG-2 exceeds a quality threshold and / or the UE 104 initiates or is about to initiate L1 / L2 mobility toward SCG-2. Thus, in the system 600, at step 602, the UE 104 may notify MCG-1 (e.g., PCell) about the impending L1 / L2 mobility using L1, L2, or L3 (RRC) measurement reports, and / or may use new signaling, such as a new MAC control element (CE) or L1 report on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). After receiving this information, at 604, MCG-1 (eg, PCell) may provide SCG-2 with a new key SK generated using sk-counter-new signaled from MCG-1. gNB, and UE identity / Xn context so that the intended PSCell and / or SCG-2 can use the correct counter value to derive security keys for UE 104. In addition, at 606, MCG-1 can provide a new sk-counter (e.g., sk-counter-new) to UE 104, which will be used for mobility to the intended (previously visited) PSCell / SCG-2, such as using RRC reconfiguration messages, new MAC CEs, and / or other signaling types. At 608, UE 104 connects to SCG-2, and UE 104 and SCG-2 use SK gNB To communicate (eg, send and receive data).

[0159] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Different corresponding portions of a message 700 supporting keys for connection to a cell group in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In implementation, the message 700 may be implemented as an RRC reconfiguration message. For example, consider that the RRC reconfiguration contains "M" SCG configurations (CellGroupConfig), and the MN of the MCG is preparing to provide more than one PSCell and / or SCG configuration for the UE. Therefore, for each and / or some of the PSCell-M and / or SCG-M, the MN may provide "N" (max-sk-counter ≥ N ≥ 1) sk-counters that may be used in sequence. M,N , from sk-counter M,1 Initially, there is one for each occurrence of the UE in a PSCell or SCG. Therefore, there may be more than one sk-counter included in the CellGroupConfig for each included SCG. For example, the CellGroupConfig includes "N" sk-counters directly internally at the top level for each SCG configuration, or as part of the SpCellConfig for one or more corresponding PScells, as shown in field 702 of message 700.

[0160] In an alternative or additional implementation, the sk-counter-list may be included in the ReconfigurationWithSync along with one or more newUE-Identities (as a value of "N"), such as one for each occurrence of the UE in the PSCell. In addition, the MN may send to the SCG(s) included in the RRC reconfiguration message (e.g., message 700) generated for the UE: the SK generated using the sk-counter-list gNB List, used to generate the first SKgNB The first counter is used to generate the second SK gNB In implementation, the UE and SCG (eg, UE 104 and SCG-2 in the above example) may discard the sk-counter used to derive the security key when the UE leaves SCG-2.

[0161] In implementation, the UE may notify the MN about the impending mobility to the already visited PSCell and / or SCG, after which the MCG may initiate an intra-cell handover procedure to initiate the master key K gNB itself. For example, in an intra-cell handover, the MN sends an RRC reconfiguration including ReconfigurationWithSync to and from the current serving cell index (e.g., via message 700), for example, using the current PCell as both the source cell and the target cell for the handover. In addition, together with the intra-cell handover command, the MN may provide an sk-counter-list for each of the SCGs configured for L1 / L2 mobility.

[0162] Alternatively or additionally, based on an intra-cell handover, a previously received sk-counter (e.g., received before receiving an intra-cell handover command including ReconfigurationWithSync) is considered valid and can be used again when needed (e.g., starting from the first counter provided for each SCG) to derive security keys. Depending on the implementation, the UE and SCG will remember the sk-counter values ​​(e.g., sk-counter-list) even after one or more sk-counter values ​​have been used to derive security keys.

[0163] In an alternative or additional implementation, the MAC CE may be used to signal an intra-cell handover command including a ReconfigurationWithSync that contains at least some of the information included in the SpCellConfig, and the remaining information (e.g., information elements (IEs) not provided using the MAC CE) may be used from a previously received (e.g., last received) RRC reconfiguration including the SCG.

[0164] In an implementation, for each instance that the UE revisits a PSCell and / or SCG, the UE and the SCG may increment (e.g., by 1 and / or a signaled offset) the value of the received sk-counter. For example, the MN configures the sk-counter for the SCG non-continuously so that a finite increment in the sk-counter will not result in an sk-counter being configured for a different SCG (e.g., for two different SCGs simultaneously). The SCG and the UE may retain the last signaled value of newUE-Identity, which was initially provided transparently by the SCG via the MCG, for subsequent accesses, unless the primary gNB notifies the SCG to release the configuration for the UE and / or until a timer at the SCG expires. In an alternative or additional implementation, more than one newUE-Identity may have been provided, one for each sequential appearance of the UE in a PSCell and / or SCG.

[0165] In the above implementation, the UE may determine whether a candidate and / or target cell (e.g., Scell) for mobility belongs to a specific SCG. For this purpose, the UE may determine in the last received RRC reconfiguration which SCG the PCI or CellIdentity of the candidate and / or target cell belongs to. In addition, the SCG may store the previous UE-identity and the new UE-identity to be used for the same UE, such as to enable different UE identities to be distinguished.

[0166] Fig. 9 An example of a block diagram 900 of a device 902 (e.g., an apparatus) supporting keys for connection to a cell group in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device 902 may be an example of a UE 104 as described herein. The device 902 may support wireless communications with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, or any combination thereof. The device 902 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for sending and receiving communications (such as a processor 904, a memory 906, a transceiver 908, and an I / O controller 910). These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., a bus).

[0167] The processor 904, the memory 906, the transceiver 908, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. For example, the processor 904, the memory 906, the transceiver 908, or various combinations thereof or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0168] In some implementations, the processor 904, memory 906, transceiver 908, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, which is configured to or otherwise supports components for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the processor 904 and the memory 906 coupled to the processor 904 may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., the processor 904 executes instructions stored in the memory 906). For example, in the context of the UE 104, the transceiver 908 and the processor coupled to the transceiver 908 are configured to cause the UE 104 to perform various described operations and / or combinations thereof.

[0169] For example, according to examples disclosed herein, the processor 904 and / or the transceiver 908 may support wireless communications at the device 902. For example, the processor 904 and / or the transceiver 908 may be configured to and / or otherwise support components for: initiating a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; updating a security counter value associated with the first cell group based at least in part on an indication that the UE previously connected to a different cell group; generating a security key for the first cell group based at least in part on the updated security counter value; and enabling data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group using the security key.

[0170] In addition, in some implementations, the processor is also configured to receive configuration information for connections between multiple cell groups, the configuration information including a security counter value for a first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the multiple cell groups; the processor is also configured to: determine that the UE was previously connected to a different cell group after receiving the configuration information; and generate a security key using the updated security counter value based at least in part on the determination that the UE was previously connected to a different cell group after receiving the configuration information; the processor is also configured to: receive configuration information from a primary cell group, the configuration information including configuration information for primary and secondary cells of multiple cell groups.

[0171] In addition, in some implementations, the processor is also configured to: perform one or more measurements of one or more measurement objects associated with the first cell group; and initiate a connection process based at least in part on one or more measurements corresponding to the standard; the processor is also configured to receive an RRC configuration identifying one or more measurement objects; the processor is also configured to initiate a connection process via a low-level mobility process; the updated security counter value includes a security counter value that was not previously used by the UE for connection to the first cell group; the processor is also configured to use a security key to implement data transmission to ensure data transmission on one or more bearers served by the first cell group; in order to update the security counter value, the processor is also configured to increment the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value; the processor is also configured to receive a specified offset value and increment the security counter value by the specified offset value to generate an updated security counter value.

[0172] In another example, according to the examples disclosed herein, the processor 904 and / or the transceiver 908 may support wireless communication at the device 902. For example, the processor 904 and / or the transceiver 908 may be configured to or otherwise support components for: sending an indication to a primary node of a primary cell group that the UE initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; receiving a notification to perform an intra-cell handover with a primary cell of the primary cell group; using a primary key generated using the received next hop count to implement an intra-cell handover with the primary cell; receiving a security counter value from the primary cell; and using the security counter value to generate a security key, and using the security key to implement data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group.

[0173] In addition, in some implementations, the indication also indicates a secondary cell to which the UE was previously connected to the first cell group; the processor is also configured to receive multiple security counter values ​​for multiple secondary cell groups including the first cell group; and the notification of performing intra-cell switching includes an indication of using the primary cell as both the source cell and the target cell for the intra-cell switching.

[0174] According to the examples disclosed herein, a processor 904 of a device 902 (such as a UE 104) may support wireless communications. The processor 904 includes at least one controller coupled to at least one memory, and is configured and / or operable to cause the processor to perform various operations described herein with reference to the device 902 (e.g., UE 104). For example, the processor 904 may be configured and / or operable to: initiate a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; update a security counter value associated with the first cell group based at least in part on an indication that the UE previously connected to a different cell group; generate a security key for the first cell group based at least in part on the updated security counter value; and enable data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group using the security key.

[0175] The processor 904 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 904 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 904. The processor 904 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., a memory 906) to cause the device 902 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0176] The memory 906 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 906 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, which includes instructions that, when executed by the processor 904, cause the device 902 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as system memory or another type of memory). In some implementations, the code may not be directly executable by the processor 904, but may cause the computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 906 may include, among other things, a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0177] I / O controller 910 can manage input signals and output signals for device 902. I / O controller 910 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 2402. In some implementations, I / O controller 910 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 910 can utilize an operating system, such as Or another known operating system. In some implementations, I / O controller 910 may be implemented as part of a processor such as processor M08. In some implementations, a user may interact with device 902 via I / O controller 910 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 910.

[0178] In some implementations, the device 902 may include a single antenna 912. However, in some other implementations, the device 902 may have more than one antenna 912 (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which are capable of concurrently sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 908 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 912, wired or wireless links, as described herein. For example, the transceiver 908 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 908 may also include a modem that modulates packets, provides the modulated packets to one or more antennas 912 for transmission, and demodulates packets received from one or more antennas 912.

[0179] Fig.10 An example of a block diagram 1000 of a device 1002 (e.g., an apparatus) supporting keys for connection to a cell group in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device 1002 may be an example of a network entity 102 as described herein. The device 1002 may support wireless communications with one or more network entities 102, UEs 104, or any combination thereof. The device 1002 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for sending and receiving communications (such as a processor 1004, a memory 1006, a transceiver 1008, and an I / O controller 1010). These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., a bus).

[0180] The processor 1004, the memory 1006, the transceiver 1008, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. For example, the processor 1004, the memory 1006, the transceiver 1008, or various combinations thereof or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0181] In some implementations, the processor 1004, the memory 1006, the transceiver 1008, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, which is configured to or otherwise supports components for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the processor 1004 and the memory 1006 coupled to the processor 1004 may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., the processor 1004 executes instructions stored in the memory 1006). For example, in the context of the network entity 102, the transceiver 1008 and the processor 1004 coupled to the transceiver 1008 are configured to cause the network entity 102 to perform various described operations and / or combinations thereof.

[0182] For example, according to examples disclosed herein, the processor 1004 and / or the transceiver 1008 may support wireless communications at the device 1002. For example, the processor 1004 and / or the transceiver 1008 may be configured to or otherwise support components for: receiving an indication that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; sending a security key to the first cell group; and sending a security counter value for generating a security key to the UE.

[0183] In addition, in some implementations, the processor is also configured to send configuration information for connection between multiple cell groups to the UE, the configuration information including a security counter value for the first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the multiple cell groups; the device includes a master node of the primary cell group, and the configuration information includes configuration information of primary and secondary cells for the multiple cell groups; the processor is configured to generate a security counter value for the first cell group, and to generate one or more other security counter values ​​as non-continuous values ​​for one or more other cell groups; the processor is configured to receive an indication that the UE initiates a connection process when the UE is connected to a second secondary cell group in the multiple cell groups; the processor is configured to send configuration information to the UE via RRC signaling; the processor is also configured to send configuration information to the UE, the configuration information including one or more measurement objects and one or more standards for connection to the secondary cell of the first cell group; the indication indicates that the UE initiates a connection process via a low-layer mobility process; the indication indicates that the UE was previously connected to a secondary cell of the first cell group.

[0184] In another example, according to examples disclosed herein, the processor 1004 and / or the transceiver 1008 may support wireless communication at the device 1002. For example, the processor 1004 and / or the transceiver 1008 may be configured to or otherwise support components for: receiving, at a primary cell of a primary cell group, an indication that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group; initiating an intra-cell handover between the UE and the primary cell of the primary cell group to generate an updated primary key of the primary cell group using a next hop count; sending a secondary key generated at least partially based on the updated primary key to the first cell group; and sending a security counter value used to generate the secondary key to the UE.

[0185] In addition, in some implementations, to initiate an intra-cell handover, the processor is configured to send a notification to the UE to use the primary cell as both the source cell and the target cell for the intra-cell handover; the primary cell group includes multiple cell groups, and the processor is further configured to send multiple security counter values ​​for the multiple cell groups to the UE.

[0186] In another example, according to examples disclosed herein, the processor 1004 and / or the transceiver 1008 may support wireless communications at the device 1002. For example, the processor 1004 and / or the transceiver 1008 may be configured to or otherwise support components for: receiving a security counter value at a first cell group and from a primary cell group; receiving an indication that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; incrementing the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value; and enabling data transmission with the UE using a security key generated using the updated security counter value.

[0187] In addition, in some implementations, the processor is also configured to receive a specified offset value and increment the security counter value by the specified offset value to generate an updated security counter value; the processor is also configured to: use the security counter value to determine that the UE was previously connected to the first cell group; determine that the connection process represents a reconnection of the UE to the first cell group; and increment the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value based at least in part on the reconnection of the UE to the first cell group.

[0188] The processor 1004 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 1004 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1004. The processor 1004 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1006) to cause the device 1002 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0189] The memory 1006 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 1006 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, which includes instructions that, when executed by the processor 1004, cause the device 1002 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as system memory or another type of memory). In some implementations, the code may not be directly executable by the processor 1004, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 1006 may include, among other things, a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0190] I / O controller 1010 can manage input signals and output signals for device 1002. I / O controller 1010 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 2402. In some implementations, I / O controller 1010 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 1010 can utilize an operating system, such as Or another known operating system. In some implementations, I / O controller 1010 can be implemented as part of a processor such as processor M06. In some implementations, a user can interact with device 1002 via I / O controller 1010 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 1010.

[0191] In some implementations, the device 1002 may include a single antenna 1012. However, in some other implementations, the device 1002 may have more than one antenna 1012 (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which are capable of concurrently sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 1008 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 1012, wired or wireless links, as described herein. For example, the transceiver 1008 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1008 may also include a modem that modulates packets, provides the modulated packets to one or more antennas 1012 for transmission, and demodulates packets received from one or more antennas 1012.

[0192] Fig.11 A flow chart of a method 1100 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The operations of the method 1100 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1100 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. Figures 1 to 10 The UE 104 described herein performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0193] At 1102, the method may include receiving configuration information for a connection between a plurality of cell groups, the configuration information including a security counter value for a first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the plurality of cell groups. The operations of 1102 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1102 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0194] At 1104, the method may include using the configuration information to implement a wireless connection with one or more cell groups. The operations of 1104 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1104 may be implemented as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0195] Fig.12 1 is a flowchart of a method 1200 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. Figures 1 to 10The UE 104 described herein performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0196] At 1202, the method may include initiating, by the UE, a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group. The operations of 1202 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1202 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0197] At 1204, the method may include updating a security counter value associated with the first cell group based at least in part on an indication that the UE was previously connected to a different cell group. The operations of 1204 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1204 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0198] At 1206, the method may include generating a security key for the first cell group based at least in part on the updated security counter value. The operations of 1206 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1206 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0199] At 1208, the method may include using the security key to enable data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group. The operations of 1208 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1208 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0200] Fig.13 1300 is a flowchart of a method 1300 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. Figures 1 to 10 The described network entity 102 performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0201] At 1302, the method may include generating configuration information including a security counter value for a first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in a plurality of cell groups. The operations of 1302 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1302 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0202] At 1304, the method may include sending configuration information to the UE. The operations of 1304 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1304 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0203] Fig.14 1400 is a flowchart of a method 1400 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. Figures 1 to 10 The described network entity 102 performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0204] At 1402, the method may include receiving an indication that the UE initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group. The operations of 1402 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1402 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0205] At 1404, the method may include sending a security key to the first cell group. The operations of 1404 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1404 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0206] At 1406, the method may include sending a security counter value for generating a security key to the UE. The operations of 1406 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1406 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0207] Fig.151 is a flow chart of a method 1500 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. Figures 1 to 10 The UE 104 described herein performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0208] At 1502, the method may include sending, by the UE and to a primary node of the primary cell group, an indication that the UE initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group. The operations of 1502 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1502 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0209] At 1504, the method may include receiving a notification to perform an intra-cell handover with a primary cell of a primary cell group. The operations of 1504 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1504 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0210] At 1506, the method may include implementing an intra-cell handover with the primary cell using a master key generated using the received next hop count. The operations of 1506 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1506 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0211] At 1508, the method may include receiving a security counter value from the primary cell. The operations of 1508 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1508 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0212] At 1510, the method may include using the security counter value to generate a security key, and using the security key to implement data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be implemented as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0213] Fig.16A flow chart of a method 1600 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by the apparatus described herein or components thereof. Figures 1 to 10 The described network entity 102 performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0214] At 1602, the method may include receiving, at a primary cell of a primary cell group, an indication that a UE initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of a first cell group. The operations of 1602 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1602 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0215] At 1604, the method may include initiating an intra-cell handover between the UE and a primary cell of the primary cell group to generate an updated primary key for the primary cell group using the next hop count. The operations of 1604 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1604 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0216] At 1606, the method may include sending a secondary key generated at least in part based on the updated primary key to the first cell group. The operations of 1606 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1606 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0217] At 1608, the method may include sending a security counter value used to generate a secondary key to the UE. The operations of 1608 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1608 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0218] Fig.17 1700 is a flowchart of a method 1700 for supporting keys for connections to a cell group according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by the devices described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by the devices described herein. Figures 1 to 10 The described network entity 102 performs. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0219] At 1702, the method may include receiving a security counter value at a first cell group and from a primary cell group. The operations of 1702 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1702 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0220] At 1704, the method may include receiving an indication that the UE initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group. The operations of 1704 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1704 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0221] At 1706, the method may include incrementing the security counter value to generate an updated security counter value. The operations of 1706 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1706 may be implemented as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0222] At 1708, the method may include using a security key generated using the updated security counter value to enable data transmission with the UE. The operations of 1708 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1708 may be performed as described in reference to Figure 1 The described device is used to perform

[0223] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods may be combined.

[0224] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0225] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium or sent via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0226] Computer-readable media include both non-transient computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. Non-transient storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, non-transient computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to carry or store desired program code components in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, or any other non-transient medium of a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor.

[0227] Any connection may be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave), the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of computer-readable medium. As used herein, disks and optical disks include CDs, laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, wherein disks generally reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0228] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of" or "one or both of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (e.g., A and B and C). In addition, as used herein, the phrase "based on" may not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" may be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on." In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, a "set" may include one or more elements.

[0229] When referring to a network entity, the terms "transmit," "receive," or "communicate" may refer to any part of a network entity of a RAN (e.g., base station, CU, DU, RU) that communicates with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities).

[0230] The descriptions set forth herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe example configurations and do not represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "used as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "better than other examples." The specific implementation includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid confusing the concepts of the described examples.

[0231] The description herein is provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; as well as at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: Initiating a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; updating a security counter value associated with the first group of cells based at least in part on a determination that the UE was previously connected to a different group of cells; generating a security key for the first group of cells based at least in part on the updated security counter value; as well as Data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group is achieved using the security key.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive configuration information for a connection between multiple cell groups, wherein the configuration information includes the security counter value for the first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the multiple cell groups.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determining that the UE was previously connected to the cell group after receiving the configuration information; and Based at least in part on the determination that the UE was previously connected to the group of cells after receiving the configuration information, the security key is generated using the updated security counter value.

4. The UE according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: The configuration information is received from a primary cell group, wherein the configuration information includes configuration information of primary and secondary cells for the plurality of cell groups.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: performing one or more measurements of one or more measurement objects associated with the first group of cells; and The connection process is initiated based at least in part on the one or more measurements corresponding to a standard. 6 . The UE of claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive a radio resource control (RRC) configuration identifying the one or more measurement objects. 7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to initiate the connection procedure via a low level mobility procedure.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the updated security counter value comprises a security counter value not previously used by the UE for connection to the first group of cells.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to use the security key to implement the data transmission to ensure data transmission on one or more bearers served by the first cell group.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein to update the security counter value, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to increment the security counter value to generate the updated security counter value.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive a specified offset value and increment the security counter value by the specified offset value to generate the updated security counter value.

12. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receiving an indication that a user equipment (UE) initiates a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; and Sending a security key to the first cell group.

13. The network entity of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to send configuration information for a connection between multiple cell groups to the UE, wherein the configuration information includes a security counter value for the first cell group and one or more other security counter values ​​for one or more other cell groups in the multiple cell groups.

14. The network entity according to claim 13, wherein the network entity comprises a master node of a primary cell group, and wherein the configuration information comprises configuration information of primary and secondary cells for the plurality of cell groups.

15. The network entity of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to: generate the security counter value for the first cell group, and generate the one or more other security counter values ​​for the one or more other cell groups as non-continuous values.

16. The network entity of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to: receive an indication that the UE initiates the connection procedure when the UE is connected to a second cell group among the plurality of cell groups.

17. The network entity of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to send the configuration information to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

18. The network entity of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to send configuration information to the UE, the configuration information comprising one or more measurement objects and one or more criteria for connection to the secondary cell of the first cell group.

19. A processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled to the at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: Initiating a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; updating a security counter value associated with the first group of cells based at least in part on an indication that a user equipment (UE) was previously connected to the group of cells; generating a security key for the first group of cells based at least in part on the updated security counter value; as well as Data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group is achieved using the security key.

20. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Initiating a connection procedure to connect to a secondary cell of the first cell group; updating a security counter value associated with the first group of cells based at least in part on a determination that the UE was previously connected to a different group of cells; generating a security key for the first group of cells based at least in part on the updated security counter value; as well as Data transmission to the secondary cell of the first cell group is achieved using the security key.

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