SubTHz / SCell UL synchronization based on PCell TA

Abstract

A method of wireless communication at a UE is disclosed. The method includes obtaining an indication of a first TA for a PCell, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. The method includes estimating a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. The method includes deriving a second TA for the Scell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the Scell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. The method comprises transmitting, for the network node, data or at least one signal via the Scell based on the second TA.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Israel Patent Application Serial No. 296796, filed on September 23, 2022, entitled “SUBTHZ / SCELL UL SYNCHRONIZATIONBASED ON PCELL TA”, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to timing advance (TA). Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcast. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)) and other requirements. 5GNR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). Certain aspects of 5G NR may be based on 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards. It is necessary to further improve 5G NR technology. In addition, these improvements may also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0006] A simplified summary of one or more aspects is presented below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive review of all contemplated aspects. This summary neither identifies the key or important elements of all aspects, nor describes the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) are provided. The apparatus includes: a memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor is coupled to the memory, and based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to: obtain an indication of a first timing advance (TA) for a primary cell (PCell), wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; estimate a timing offset between the PCell and a secondary cell (SCell); derive a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band; and send data or at least one signal via the SCell for a network node based on the second TA.

[0008] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for wireless communication at a network node are provided. The apparatus includes: a memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor is coupled to the memory, and based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor is configured to: send an indication of a first timing advance (TA) for a primary cell (PCell) to a user equipment (UE), wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; and receive data or at least one signal via a secondary cell (SCell) based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band.

[0009] To achieve the aforementioned and related purposes, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail some exemplary features of one or more aspects. However, these features indicate only some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects can be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0011] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink (DL) channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of uplink (UL) channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0016] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a subTHz wireless communication network.

[0017] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of estimating a timing offset.

[0018] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of deriving TA.

[0019] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication flow between a UE and a base station.

[0020] Figure 8 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method.

[0022] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method.

[0023] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method.

[0024] Fig.12 are diagrams illustrating examples of hardware implementations for exemplary apparatuses and / or network entities.

[0025] Fig.13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary network entity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] A wireless communication system may allow transmission and reception in a sub-THz frequency band. The sub-THz frequency band may allow faster data rates compared to other frequency bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR4). However, wireless communication systems utilizing sub-THz frequencies may have limited coverage and / or higher power specifications compared to wireless communication systems using non-sub-THz frequencies. A UE within a sub-THz deployment may be connected to a PCell associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4 and an SCell associated with sub-THz frequencies. In order to send data / signals on the SCell / sub-THz, the UE may obtain a TA. Obtaining a TA via a RACH process with the SCell / sub-THz may be time consuming and may be associated with increased latency and / or increased power consumption at the UE. Various techniques for deriving an SCell / sub-THz TA based on a PCell TA are described herein. In one example, a UE obtains an indication of a first TA for a PCell, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. The UE estimates a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. The UE derives a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. The UE sends data or at least one signal to the network node via the SCell based on the second TA. By deriving the second TA based on the first TA and the timing offset, the UE may be able to avoid performing a RACH procedure with the SCell / subTHz. Therefore, the latency of sending data / signals via the SCell / subTHz may be lower than the latency associated with a scenario in which the UE obtains the second TA via the RACH procedure. In addition, by avoiding performing a RACH procedure with the SCell / subTHz, the above techniques may be associated with lower power consumption of the UE and / or a lower computational burden on the UE.

[0027] The specific embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are descriptions of various configurations and do not represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0028] Several aspects of telecommunication systems are presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0029] As an example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system", which includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gating logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities described throughout the present disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, or any combination thereof.

[0030] Thus, in one or more example aspects, specific implementations and / or use cases, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. As an example, such computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of these types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0031] Although various aspects, specific implementations and / or use cases are described in this application by the illustration of some examples, additional or different aspects, specific implementations and use cases may be generated in many different arrangements and scenarios. The various aspects, specific implementations and / or use cases described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes and packaging arrangements. For example, various aspects, specific implementations and / or use cases can be generated via integrated chip specific implementations and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication equipment, computing equipment, industrial equipment, retail / purchase equipment, medical equipment, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled devices, etc.). Although some examples may or may not be specifically for use cases or applications, the described examples may have a wide range of applicability. Various aspects, specific implementations and / or use cases may be in the range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level specific implementations, and further to the range of aggregated, distributed or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems in conjunction with one or more technologies herein. In some actual settings, the equipment combined with the various aspects and features described may also include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.) The techniques described herein can be practiced in a wide variety of devices of various sizes, shapes, and configurations, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, etc.

[0032] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged with various components or constituent parts in a variety of ways. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element or network equipment (such as a base station (BS)), or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality can be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR BS, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0033] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0034] Base station operation or network design may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (network configuration such as that initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0035] Figure 1 1 is a diagram 100 illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network. The illustrated wireless communication system includes a disaggregated base station architecture. The disaggregated base station architecture may include one or more CUs 110 that may communicate directly with a core network 120 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 120 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 125 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 115 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 105, or both. The CU 110 may communicate with one or more DUs 130 via corresponding midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 130 may communicate with one or more RUs 140 via corresponding fronthaul links. The RU 140 may communicate with corresponding UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 140.

[0036] Each of the units (i.e., CU 110, DU 130, RU 140, and near-RT RIC 125, non-RT RIC 115, and SMO framework 105) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interfaces of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive signals or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) configured to receive and / or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wireless transmission medium.

[0037] In some aspects, CU 110 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 110. CU 110 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 110 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 110 may be implemented to communicate with DU 130 for network control and signaling.

[0038] DU 130 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 140. In some aspects, DU 130 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least in part according to a functional split such as those defined by 3GPP. In some aspects, DU 130 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 130 or with control functions hosted by CU 110.

[0039] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 140. In some deployments, the RU 140 controlled by the DU 130 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on functional splitting (such as lower layer functional splitting). In such an architecture, the RU 140 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some specific implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 140 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 130. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 130 and the CU 110 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0040] The SMO framework 105 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 105 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 105 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 190) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 110, DU 130, RU 140, and near-RT RIC 125. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 105 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 111) via the O1 interface. In addition, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 105 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 140 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 105 may also include a non-RT RIC 115 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 105 .

[0041] The non-RT RIC 115 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 125. The non-RT RIC 115 may be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 125 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 110, one or more DUs 130, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 125.

[0042] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 125, the non-RT RIC 115 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 125 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 105 or the non-RT RIC 115. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 115 or the near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 115 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 105 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0043] At least one of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 may be referred to as a base station 102. Therefore, the base station 102 may include one or more of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 (each component is indicated by a dotted line to indicate that each component may be included in the base station 102 or may not be included in the base station). The base station 102 provides an access point to the core network 120 for the UE 104. The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, and micro cells. A network including both small cells and macro cells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication link between RU 140 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to RU 140 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from RU 140 to UE 104. The communication link may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be through one or more carriers. For each carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, the base station 102 / UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz, 100MHz, 400MHz, etc.) bandwidth. These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL). Component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0044] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use DL / UL wireless wide area network (WWAN) spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0045] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with a UE 104 (also referred to as a Wi-Fi station (STA)) via a communication link 154, for example, in a 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum, etc. When communicating in an unlicensed spectrum, the UE 104 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether a channel is available prior to communication.

[0046] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz) that is identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0047] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125GHz–24.25GHz). The bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus the features of FR1 and / or FR2 can be effectively extended to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to more than 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR2-2 (52.6GHz-71GHz), FR4 (71GHz-114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0048] In view of the above, unless otherwise specified, if the term "6 GHz or less" is used herein, it may broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specified, if the term "millimeter wave" is used herein, it may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR2-2, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0049] The base station 102 and the UE 104 may each include multiple antennas (such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays) to facilitate beamforming. The base station 102 may send a beamformed signal 182 to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 102 in one or more receive directions. The UE 104 may also send a beamformed signal 184 to the base station 102 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 102 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 102 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of the base station 102 / UE 104. The transmit direction and receive direction of the base station 102 may be the same or may not be the same. The transmit direction and receive direction of the UE 104 may be the same or may not be the same.

[0050] The base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an eNB, an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), a network node, a network entity, a network equipment, or some other suitable term. The base station 102 may be implemented as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, an aggregated (monolithic) base station with a baseband unit (BBU) (including a CU and a DU) and a RU, or as a decomposed base station including one or more of a CU, a DU, and / or a RU. A set of base stations that may include decomposed base stations and / or aggregated base stations may be referred to as a next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN).

[0051] The core network 120 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 161, a session management function (SMF) 162, a user plane function (UPF) 163, a unified data management (UDM) 164, one or more location servers 168, and other functional entities. AMF 161 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and the core network 120. AMF 161 supports registration management, connection management, mobility management, and other functions. SMF 162 supports session management and other functions. UPF 163 supports packet routing, packet forwarding, and other functions. UDM 164 supports the generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, user identity handling, access authorization, and subscription management. One or more location servers 168 are illustrated as including a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 165 and a location management function (LMF) 166. However, in general, the one or more location servers 168 may include one or more location / positioning servers, which may include one or more of the GMLC 165, LMF 166, position determination entity (PDE), serving mobile location center (SMLC), mobile positioning center (MPC), etc. GMLC 165 and LMF 166 support UE location services. GMLC 165 provides an interface for clients / applications (e.g., emergency services) to access UE positioning information. LMF 166 receives measurement and assistance information from NG-RAN and UE 104 via AMF 161 to calculate the location of UE 104. NG-RAN may determine the location of UE 104 using one or more positioning methods. Positioning UE 104 may involve signal measurements, position estimation, and optional speed calculation based on these measurements. Signal measurements may be performed by UE 104 and / or serving base station 102. The measured signals may be based on a satellite positioning system (SPS) 170 (e.g., one or more of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a non-terrestrial network (NTN), or other satellite positioning / positioning systems), LTE signals, wireless local area network (WLAN) signals, Bluetooth signals, a terrestrial beacon system (TBS), sensor-based information (e.g., an atmospheric pressure sensor, a motion sensor), an NR enhanced cell ID (NR E-CID) method, NR signals (e.g., multi-round trip time (multi-RTT), DL angle of departure (DL-AoD), DL time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), UL time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), and UL angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning), and / or one or more of other systems / signals / sensors.

[0052] Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet computers, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare equipment, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as stations, mobile stations, subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, mobile phones, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or some other suitable terminology. In some scenarios, the term UE may also be applied to one or more supporting devices, such as in a device cluster arrangement. One or more of these devices may access the network collectively and / or individually.

[0053] Reference again Figure 1 In some aspects, the UE 104 may be configured with a TA derivation component 198 configured to: obtain an indication of a first TA for a PCell, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; estimate a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell; derive a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band; and send data or at least one signal via the SCell to a network node based on the second TA. In some aspects, the base station 102 may be configured with a TA component 199 configured to: send an indication of a first TA for a PCell to a UE, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; and receive data or at least one signal via the SCell based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. Although the following description may focus on deriving a subTHz TA based on a FR1 / FR2 / FR4 TA, the concepts described herein may be applicable to deriving a TA of an SCell based on a TA of a PCell, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band and the SCell is associated with a second frequency band, and where the second frequency band is larger than the first frequency band.

[0054] Figure 2A FIG200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2BFIG230 is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2C FIG250 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D FIG280 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to either DL or UL, or may be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within that subcarrier set are dedicated to both DL and UL. Figure 2A , Figure 2C In the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (most of which are DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 1 (all of which are UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 1 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe may be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are full DL and full UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of DL, UL and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with the slot format through the received slot format indicator (SFI) (dynamically configured through DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured through radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Note that the following description also applies to the 5G NR frame structure as TDD.

[0055] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D The frame structure is illustrated, and various aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication technologies that may have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a microslot, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 14 or 12 symbols, depending on whether the cyclic prefix (CP) is normal or extended. For a normal CP, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for an extended CP, each time slot may include 12 symbols. The symbol on the DL may be a CP orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbol. The symbol on the UL may be a CP-OFDM symbol (for high throughput scenarios) or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol (for power-constrained scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of time slots within a subframe is based on the CP and parameter set. The parameter set defines the subcarrier spacing (SCS) (see Table 1). Symbol length / duration can be scaled with 1 / SCS.

[0056]

[0057]

[0058] Table 1: Parameter set, SCS and CP

[0059] For normal CP (14 symbols / slot), different parameter sets μ0 to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For extended CP, parameter set 2 allows 4 slots per subframe. Thus, for normal CP and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2 μ timeslots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 4. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=0 is 15kHz, and the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=4 is 240kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D An example is provided for a normal CP with 14 symbols per slot and a parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is about 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP may have a specific parameter set and CP (normal or extended).

[0060] A resource grid may be used to represent the frame structure. Each slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a number of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0061] like Figure 2A As illustrated, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0062] Figure 2BExamples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs) (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs), each CCE including six RE groups (REGs), each REG including 12 consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol of an RB. A PDCCH within a BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). The UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space (e.g., a common search space, a UE-specific search space) during a PDCCH monitoring opportunity on a CORESET, wherein the PDCCH candidates have different DCI formats and different aggregation levels. Additional BWPs may be located at higher and / or lower frequencies on the channel bandwidth. A primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is used by UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also referred to as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not sent over the PBCH (such as the system information block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0063] like Figure 2C As illustrated, some of the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for a particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may send a DM-RS for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a DM-RS for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first or first two symbols of the PUSCH. Depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used, the PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations. The UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures in the comb structure. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0064] Figure 2DExamples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACKs and / or negative ACKs (NACKs)). The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0065] Figure 3 375. The Controller / Processor 375 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in an access network communicating with a UE 350. In the DL, Internet Protocol (IP) packets may be provided to a controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0066] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (which includes the physical (PHY) layer) may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-order phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be separated into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially pre-coded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. Channel estimates may be derived from reference signals and / or channel state feedback sent by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318Tx. Each transmitter 318Tx may modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier for transmission using a corresponding spatial stream.

[0067] At the UE 350, each receiver 354Rx receives a signal through its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354Rx recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0068] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0069] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0070] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 based on a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354Tx. Each transmitter 354Tx may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0071] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318Rx receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318Rx recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the RX processor 370.

[0072] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0073] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 The TA export component 198 combines various aspects.

[0074] At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to perform operations related to Figure 1 The TA component 199 combines various aspects.

[0075] A wireless communication system may allow transmission and reception on a subTHz frequency band. The term "subTHz frequency band" may refer to FR4 and / or FR5. The subTHz frequency band may allow faster data rates compared to other frequency bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR4). However, a wireless communication system utilizing subTHz frequencies may have limited coverage compared to wireless communication systems utilizing other frequency bands. For example, a subTHz wireless communication system may have limited maximum power amplifier (PA) output power characteristics compared to a millimeter wave wireless communication system. For example, a subTHz wireless communication system may have a maximum PA output power that is 10 dB less than that of a millimeter wave wireless communication system. In addition, a subTHz wireless communication system may utilize a higher signal bandwidth compared to a millimeter wave wireless communication system, which may result in insufficient equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of subTHz, which limits the coverage of the subTHz wireless communication system. In one example, a subTHz wireless communication system may have a range that is two to three times smaller than that of a millimeter wave wireless communication system. SubTHz wireless communication systems can reduce PA efficiency by at least two times (compared to millimeter wave wireless communication systems), which can result in lower subTHz link power / energy efficiency. In one example, depending on the power backoff (BO), the subTHz PA efficiency can range from 1-8%. In one example, the PA can transmit at a certain power level. The input power to the PA can vary. The power BO can be configured relative to the power level so that the output of the PA is not saturated. In addition, in order to provide a fast target data rate, due to the higher signal bandwidth associated with subTHz wireless communication, the subTHz wireless communication system can utilize an SCS that is eight times higher than the SCS used for the millimeter wave wireless communication system. Compared with millimeter wave wireless communication systems, subTHz wireless communication systems may have less efficient RF processing, higher power consumption associated with analog-to-digital (A2D) and digital-to-analog (D2A) components with higher sampling rates (i.e., roughly linearly converted to consumed power), higher rate digital processing rates, higher bit rates addressed on the decoder side, and power consumption associated with higher memory and storage devices.

[0076] As a result of the above problems, a subTHz wireless communication system (i.e., a subTHz deployment) may be configured as follows. First, as described above, subTHz may have limited coverage compared to other wireless communication systems. To address this issue, a subTHz wireless communication system may use frequency bands other than the subTHz band (FR1 / FR2 / FR4) to achieve wider coverage. For example, subTHz wireless communication may be deployed in a non-standalone (NSA) / self-contained deployment. The subTHz deployment may target UEs with relatively large data service specifications. Second, as described above, subTHz deployments may be inefficient from a power efficiency perspective compared to other wireless communication systems. To address this issue, a subTHz deployment may utilize lower frequency bands (e.g., FR1 / FR2 / FR4) for relatively small transmissions and control-related signaling and link maintenance procedures. This may be referred to as "traffic offloading." Traffic offloading may be achieved via an access point (AP) configured for subTHz communication, which is placed in a location with a relatively large data volume demand potential. Third, due to power / battery specifications and the relatively high target data volume of subTHz links, the number of simultaneously active subTHz UEs in a certain area may be limited. To address this issue, the AP may provide on-demand high-capacity channels to subTHz eligible UEs that may be registered under a lower frequency band / PCell. The on-demand high-capacity channels may be referred to as sidebands or supplementary high-capacity channels with bursty activity patterns for sparse use in time. SubTHz eligible UEs may be continuously subscribed / connected to a lower frequency band / PCell.

[0077] As described above, UEs within a subTHz deployment may be continuously connected to the PCell. The subTHz link may be dynamically activated for a period of time during which a subTHz eligible UE may send / receive a relatively large amount of information to / from the base station in order to improve power efficiency. If SCell / subTHz is activated for the UE, the UE may obtain the TA of the SCell / ssubTHz in order to send UL data to the base station via / with / through the SCell / sub. The TA is a command transmitted by the base station to the UE to adjust the UL transmission time so that the reception timing on the base station side may be aligned with the time slot / symbol time boundary according to the base station timeline. The UE may send UL symbols in advance according to a TA command that synchronizes the UL timing of each UE transmission (e.g., PUSCH transmission, PUCCH transmission, SRS transmission). A timing advance command (TAC) may inform the UE of the amount of time that the UE is to advance the UL transmission. The UE may obtain the subTHz TA during the RACH process; however, such RACH procedures may be time consuming.

[0078] Various techniques for deriving an SCell / subTHz TA based on a PCell TA are described herein. In one example, a UE obtains an indication of a first TA for a PCell, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. The UE estimates a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. The timing offset may refer to the difference between the timing grid of the PCell and the timing grid of the SCell, which may be partially aligned (e.g., a transmission associated with the PCell may start at time T0, but from the perspective of the SCell, the transmission starts at T1, and therefore the timing offset may be T1-T0). The UE derives a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, where the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. The UE transmits data or at least one signal via the SCell to a network node based on the second TA. By deriving the second TA based on the first TA and the timing offset, the UE may be able to avoid performing a RACH process with the SCell / subTHz. Therefore, the latency of the transmission of data / signals via the SCell / subTHz may be lower than the latency associated with a scenario in which the UE obtains the second TA via the RACH process. Furthermore, by avoiding performing a RACH procedure with SCell / subTHz, the above techniques may be associated with lower power consumption of the UE and / or a lower computational burden on the UE. Additionally, the above techniques may be utilized by different components (e.g., relays, access points, etc.) in a multi-hop link, and thus may simplify TA determination in a multi-hop link.

[0079] Figure 44 is a diagram illustrating an example of a subTHz wireless communication network. The subTHz wireless communication network may include a base station 402. The base station 402 may be configured to operate in a first frequency band (e.g., FR1 / FR2 / FR4) and a second frequency band (e.g., subTHz), wherein the second frequency band is greater than the first frequency band. In other words, the base station 402 may send and receive signals / data to / from a UE and / or a repeater via the FR1 / FR2 / FR4 and / or subTHz frequency bands. In one example, the base station 402 may be associated with an inter-band carrier aggregation (CA) configuration. In such a configuration, FR1 / FR2 / FR4 may be referred to as a "PCell" and the subTHz frequency band may be referred to as an "SCell". The subTHz wireless communication network may be based on point-based coverage of a PCell with a certain range. The SCell / subTHz may rely on the PCell for control and / or scheduling. The UE may have a continuous connection to the PCell while having a discontinuous connection to the SCell / subTHz. For example, for sporadic and typically short sessions, the base station 402 may activate the SCell / subTHz. Such sessions may be associated with a bursty activity pattern. SCell / subTHz synchronization and beam management (BM) may be based on the synchronization / BM characteristics of the PCell. For example, there may be a "hot start" for each subTHz link activation. SCell / subTHz activation may be associated with a relatively fast, low complexity, low power, and / or low latency synchronization and BM process.

[0080] The subTHz wireless communication network may include a UE 404. The UE 404 may include a first radio capable of sending / receiving data / signals via / with / through FR1 / FR2 / FR4 and a second radio capable of sending / receiving signals via / with / through a subTHz frequency band. Alternatively, the UE 404 may include a radio capable of sending / receiving data / signals via / with / through FR1 / FR2 / FR4 and a subTHz frequency band. The UE 404 may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through a PCell link 406, wherein the PCell link 406 is associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4. For subTHz data transmission / reception purposes, the UE 404 may also communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through a SCell / subTHz link 408. The SCell / subTHz link 408 may be associated with a subTHz frequency band. For subTHz control signaling purposes, the UE 404 may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through a SCell / subTHz control link 410. The subTHz wireless communication network may also include a UE 412, which may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the PCell link 406. The UE 412 may not be configured with a radio capable of sending / receiving data / signals in the subTHz frequency band. Alternatively, the UE 412 may not meet the criteria for subTHz communication with the base station 402 (described in more detail below).

[0081] As described above, communications in the subTHz band may be range-limited. The SubTHz range limitation may be bridged via one or more repeaters (single or multi-hop), i.e., the one or more repeaters may facilitate a single or multi-hop between a subTHz UE and a subTHz transceiver of a base station 402. The repeater may enable a line-of-sight channel (LOS) between the base station 402 and the UE. The repeater may enable SubTHz communications to penetrate and / or bypass obstacles that block the LOS channel. In addition, the repeater may extend the effective range of the base station 402. The repeater may receive a wireless signal from the base station and amplify and / or redirect the wireless signal. In one example, the repeater may send different beams in different directions at different points in time based on the wireless signal. The UE may receive the wireless signal via one of the (redirected) different beams.

[0082] In one example, a subTHz wireless communication network may include an access point (AP) 414. AP 414 may be referred to as a repeater, a smart repeater, or a subTHz smart repeater. AP 414 may be associated with a subTHz smart cell. AP 414 may be relatively power efficient and may utilize out-of-band (OOB) control signaling based on PCell. AP 414 may include a redcap (RC) UE 416 for PCell connectivity. RC UE 416 may deliver OOB control / report / feedback. AP 414 may include a broadband (WB) amplification and forwarding (AF) function (referred to as "AF418" in diagram 400) for subTHz data forwarding. AP 414 may also include dedicated NB reference signal (RS) transmit (Tx) / receive (Rx) functionality (referred to as "sync and BR420" in diagram 400) on a subTHz frequency band for complementary time synchronization and / or beam refinement (i.e., inter-band (IB) processing). AP 414 may provide progressive synchronization across hops between repeaters, hop-specific synchronization, and / or BM sessions with customized synchronous RS / SSB microburst scheduling.

[0083] The AP 414 may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the optical fiber link 422. The AP 414 (e.g., through the RC UE 416) may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the PCell link 406 and the SCell / subTHz control link 410. The RC UE 416 may communicate with the AF 418 via / with / through the SCell / subTHz control link 410.

[0084] The subTHz wireless communication network may include a UE 424. The AP 414 and the UE 424 may have a direct connection (i.e., a serving link). The UE 424 may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the PCell link 406 and the SCell / subTHz control link 410. The AF 418 and the UE 424 may communicate via / with / through the SCell / subTHz link 408.

[0085] The subTHz wireless communication network may include a repeater (RP) 426. RP 426 may be referred to as a repeater, a smart repeater, or a subTHz smart repeater. RP 426 may be relatively power efficient and may utilize PCell-based OOB control signaling. RP 426 may be configured to have functionality similar to AP 414. RP 426 may have hardware and / or capabilities different from AP 414. RP 426 may have an intermediate link or a direct link (i.e., a donor link) with base station 402. RP 426 may include an RC UE 428 for PCell connectivity. RC UE 428 may be similar or identical to the above-described RC UE 416. RP 426 may include an AF 430 for subTHz data forwarding. AF 430 may be similar to the above-described AF 418. RP 426 may also include synchronization and BR 432 for complementary time synchronization and / or beam refinement on the subTHz frequency band. Sync and BR 432 may be similar or identical to the above-described Sync and BR 420. RP 426 may provide progressive synchronization across hops between repeaters, hop-specific synchronization, and / or BM sessions with customized synchronization RS / SSB microburst scheduling.

[0086] The RP 426 (e.g., through the RC UE 428) may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the PCell link 406 and the SCell / subTHz control link 410. The RC UE 428 may communicate with the AF 430 via / with / through the SCell / subTHz control link 410. The AF 430 may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the SCell / subTHz link 408.

[0087] The subTHz wireless communication network may include an AP 434. The AP 434 may be referred to as a repeater, a smart repeater, or a subTHz smart repeater. The AP 434 may be relatively power efficient and may utilize PCell-based OOB control signaling. The AP 434 may be configured to have functionality similar to that of the AP 414 and / or the RP 426. The AP 434 may have hardware and / or capabilities different from those of the AP 414 and / or the RP 426. The AP 434 may have a direct connection (i.e., a service link) to the UE. The AP 434 may include an RC UE 428 for PCell connection. The RC UE 436 may be similar to the above-described RC UE 416. The AP 434 may include an AF 438 for subTHz data forwarding. The AF 438 may be similar to the above-described AF 418. The AP 434 may also include synchronization and BR 440 for complementary time synchronization and / or beam refinement on the subTHz frequency band. Sync and BR 440 may be similar or identical to the above-described sync and BR 420. AP 434 may provide progressive synchronization across hops between repeaters, hop-specific synchronization, and / or BM sessions with customized synchronization RS / SSB microburst scheduling.

[0088] The AP 434 (e.g., via the AF 438) may communicate with the AF 430 of the RP 426 via / with / through the SCell / subTHz link 408. The AP 434 (e.g., via the RC UE 436) may communicate with the base station 402 via / with / through the PCell link 406 and the SCell / subTHz control link 410. The RC UE 436 and the AF 438 may communicate via the SCell / subTHz control link 410.

[0089] The subTHz wireless communication network may include a UE 442. The AP 434 and the UE 442 may have a direct connection (i.e., a serving link). The UE 442 may communicate with the base station 402 via / using / through the PCell link 406 and the SCell / subTHz control link 410. The UE 442 and the RC UE 436 may communicate via / using / through the SCell / subTHz link 408.

[0090] In one aspect, a UE (e.g., UE 404, UE 412, UE 424, UE 442) may be configured by base station 402 with eligibility criteria for sending / receiving subTHz communications. If the eligibility criteria are met, the UE may send / receive on the subTHz band. If the eligibility criteria are not met, the UE may send / receive data on a frequency band other than the subTHz band (e.g., FR1 / FR2 / FR4). The eligibility criteria may include that the UE is located within the subTHz coverage of AP 402, AP 414, RP 426, and / or AP 434. The eligibility criteria may include that the mobility condition (e.g., speed) of the UE is less than a threshold (i.e., semi-static subTHz beams and channels). In one example, the channel may be set to static or semi-static (i.e., the semi-static channel may change slowly over time). If the channel is static or semi-static, the serving beam may be used for a relatively long duration. The eligibility criteria may include a UE capable of subTHz communication (e.g., the UE is equipped with a radio capable of sending and receiving subTHz communications). The eligibility criteria may include that the battery resources (eg, remaining battery charge) of the UE satisfy a threshold. The eligibility criteria may include that the amount (ie, quantity) of data to be sent or received by the UE exceeds a threshold amount (ie, quantity).

[0091] In one aspect, a UE may perform SCell / subTHz UL synchronization with a base station based on a PCell synchronization process. The UE may not use a local frequency tracking loop or frequency synchronization for SCell / subTHz. Instead, frequency tracking based on PCell connectivity (and the corresponding parts per million error (referred to herein as "ppm_err")) may be reused / projected onto the subTHz band for UL and / or DL ​​transmissions. In one example, the PCell TA of each component in a multi-hop subTHz link (e.g., the UE and each intermediate smart repeater (RP and AP)) may be used to derive the SCell / subTHz TA of each component in the multi-hop subTHz link. For example, each component may separately determine the corresponding SCell / subTHz based on the PCell TA. In one example, a UE may determine a first SCell / subTHz TA based on a first PCell TA, and a repeater to which the UE is connected may determine a second SCell / subTHz TA based on a second PCell TA. Per-hop synchronization may allow relatively fast and dynamic multi-hop link establishment. Some hops may be reused / shared (via time division multiplexing (TDM)) for different subTHz links / UEs / APs. Newly added hops may utilize complementary synchronization. Per-hop SCell / subTHz TA determination may allow for more accurate UL / beam switching timing and PA on / off switching per hop. Before performing SCell / subTHz UL synchronization, SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization may be established for each component (e.g., UE, RP, AP) in a subTHz link (e.g., a multi-hop subTHz link). SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization may be progressive synchronization. SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization may refer to the process by which a UE (or AP or RP) detects radio boundaries (i.e., the time when a radio frame starts) and OFDM symbol boundaries (i.e., the time when an OFDM symbol starts). In addition, before performing SCell / subTHz UL synchronization, each component in the subTHz link may be continuously connected to the PCell. In this way, the PCell TA of each component may be known.

[0092] Figure 55 is a diagram illustrating an example of estimating a timing offset. Diagram 500 depicts a base station time grid 502, an RP DL time grid 504, an AP DL time grid 506, and a UE DL time grid 508. In one example, base station time grid 502 may correspond to the time grid of base station 402, RP DL time grid 504 may correspond to the time grid of RP 426, AP DL time grid 506 may correspond to the time grid of AP 434, and UE DL time grid 508 may correspond to the time grid of UE 442.

[0093] As will be described below with respect to Figure 500, a UE (or AP or RP) may perform SCell / subTHz UL time synchronization with a base station. Prior to SCell / subTHz UL time synchronization, SCell / subTHz DL synchronization may be performed per hop in a progressive manner covering each hop (i.e., each component) between a base station and a UE configured for subTHz communication. SCell / subTHz DL synchronization may be performed progressively in the DL direction. Per-hop synchronization may be based on a hop-specific synchronization session, i.e., a first hop edge synchronized with a previous link component in the DL direction may send a customized hop-specific synchronization signal to a second hop edge. The second hop edge may receive the customized hop-specific synchronization signal and perform a synchronization process to synchronize with the first hop edge. Coarse timing for subTHz DL synchronization may be based on PCell DL synchronization. SCell / subTHz DL hop-specific synchronization session configuration (for the Tx side and Rx side / hop edge of the synchronization session) may be performed on a PCell link, and the PCell timing may be referred to as a coarse timing reference. During a SCell / subTHz DL synchronization session (which is performed progressively per hop in the DL direction), a fine timing difference (ΔTO) between the PCell and SCell / subTHz timing may be estimated for the SCell / subTHz on the receiving UE / RP / AP (i.e., on each component of the subTHz link) with respect to the configured coarse Rx time of the SCell / subTHz. The SCell / subTHz DL synchronization session may refer to the PCell timing / time slot / control signaling time slot. In one example, complete timing synchronization for the components in the SubTHz link may be obtained as a superposition of the coarse SubTHz timing known based on the PCell timing synchronization and the differential ΔTO estimate for the SCell / subTHz during the synchronization session with respect to the indicated synchronization session start timing. The coarse timing may refer to the PCell timeline. The estimated subTHz timing offset may be valid for a duration until a relative SCell / subTHz and / or PCell channel delay change occurs. The duration may include a relatively short subTHz offload session. Additional SCell / subTHz DL synchronization sessions may be used to update / maintain the timing offset. SCell / subTHz DL synchronization sessions may be scheduled from time to time (e.g., periodically) to accommodate relatively persistent subTHz data offload sessions. For example, the SCell / subTHz may not maintain an independent time tracking loop (TTL), and the time shift / drift captured on the PCell may be propagated to the SCell / subTHz.

[0094] In addition, as will be described below with respect to Figure 500, the UE may perform SCell / subTHz synchronization with the base station based on the PCell synchronization process. The UE may not use a local frequency tracking loop or frequency synchronization for the SCell / subTHz. Instead, frequency tracking (and corresponding ppm_err) based on PCell connectivity may be reused / projected onto the subTHz band. In one example, the PCell TTL and PCell timing may be used as a coarse timing reference for the SCell / subTHz. For example, an independent TTL may not be used on the SCell / subTHz, and a complementary fine timing estimate (incremental timing offset) for the PCell timing may be used for SCell / subTHz time synchronization. SCell / subTHz time synchronization may be performed on a dedicated synchronization RS and / or SSB microburst sent during a SCell / subTHz hop-specific synchronization and BM session (or multiple sessions). SubTHz time synchronization sessions (which may include BM synchronization) can be scheduled by the PCell periodically on each link activation, on each defined time period / along a relatively long-lasting active subTHz-based offload session, or as event-driven synchronization session scheduling in response to a list of events during an active offload session.

[0095] In addition, as will be described below with respect to Figure 500, an SCell / subTHz DL time synchronization session may occur. The SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session for the Rx side of the UE (and the Tx side of the intermediate hop) may be performed on the PCell link and by referencing the PCell timing characteristics. The PCell-based coarse timing synchronization / reference may define the time search boundary / time uncertainty for the subTHz DL local synchronization session activated for each SCell / subTHz link. The fine timing (i.e., ΔTO) for the SCell / subTHz on the receiving UE / RP may be estimated based on the PCell timing / time slot / control signaling time slot with respect to the configured Rx time for the SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session. In one example, the SCell / subTHz may not have an independent TTL. The SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization may be obtained based on the coarse timing of the PCell and the relative TO of the local estimate of the SCell / subTHz. The SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization may be established using a progressive synchronization method on a per-multi-hop link basis.

[0096] As shown in Figure 500, each component (RP, AP, and UE) can be synchronized with the PCell based on the PCell DL transmission 510. The synchronized PCell DL timing can be used as a coarse / initial timing reference for the SCell / subTHz. The UE (or AP or RP) can track the ppm offset. The UE / AP / RP can correct the frequency offset of the SCell / subTHz based on the ppm offset. If the same phase-locked loop (PLL) reference is used for the PCell and SCell / subTHz, and if the PCell and SCell / subTHz utilize a quasi-static channel with UE mobility below a threshold, the UE / AP / RP can adjust the sampling rate to avoid cumulative time drift. PCell and SCell / subTHz transmissions can be propagated for different channels (at least for the AP or UE) and can have relative timing offsets. This may result in a SCell / subTHz DL local Rx timing offset compared to the PCell local Rx timing grid. The UE / AP / RP can estimate such a relative TO. The relative TO can be tracked by the subTHz DL synchronization process during an active traffic offload session.

[0097] Referring to base station time grid 502, the base station may transmit SSB to the RP via subTHz DL transmission 512. Referring to RP DL time grid 504, the RP may receive the SSB. The RP may estimate timing offset ΔT1 based on the SSB. According to equation (I) below, the subTHz DL timing grid may be synchronized at the RP side.

[0098] (I)T RP (subTHz) DL =T RP (PCell) DL -ΔT1

[0099] The base station configuration of the reference PCell time grid may be converted to a subTHz DL grid on the RP side. The RP may receive an acknowledgment provided by the base station for the SSB Rx / search window on the RP side, where the PCell timing may be used as a reference. The RP may receive an acknowledgment provided by the base station for the local SSB Tx on the RP side, where the PCell timing may be used as a reference. The RP may forward data transmissions. The RP may receive an acknowledgment for data forwarding from the base station.

[0100] Referring to the AP DL time grid 506, the AP may receive the SSB forwarded by the RP via the subTHz DL transmission 512. The AP may estimate the timing offset ΔT2 based on the SSB. The subTHz DL timing grid may be synchronized at the AP side according to equation (II) below.

[0101] (II)TAP (subTHz) DL =T AP (PCell) DL -ΔT2

[0102] The base station configuration of the reference PCell time grid may be converted to a subTHz DL grid on the AP side. The AP may receive an acknowledgment provided by the base station for the SSB Rx / search window on the AP side, where the PCell timing may be used as a reference. The AP may receive an acknowledgment provided by the base station for the local SSB Tx on the AP side, where the PCell timing may be used as a reference. The AP may forward data transmissions. The AP may receive an acknowledgment for data forwarding from the base station.

[0103] Referring to the UE DL time grid 508, the UE may receive the SSB forwarded by the AP via the subTHz DL transmission 512. The UE may estimate the timing offset ΔT3 based on the SSB. The subTHz DL timing grid may be synchronized at the AP side according to equation (III) below.

[0104] (III)T UE (subTHz) DL =T UE (PCell) DL -ΔT3

[0105] The base station configuration of the reference PCell time grid may be converted to a subTHz DL grid on the UE side. The UE may receive an acknowledgment provided by the base station for the SSB Rx / search window on the UE side, where the PCell timing may be used as a reference. The UE may receive an acknowledgment provided by the base station for the local SSB Tx on the UE side, where the PCell timing may be used as a reference. The UE may receive data transmission. The UE may receive an acknowledgment for data reception from the base station.

[0106] Although the process shown in diagram 500 depicts an SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session for a UE connected to a base station via an RP and an AP (i.e., 3 links), the process may also be applied to a direct connection between the UE and the SCell / subTHz (i.e., 1 link) as well as other numbers of links (e.g., 2 links, 4 links, etc.).

[0107] Figure 66 is a diagram illustrating an example of deriving a TA. Diagram 600 depicts a base station time grid 602, an RP time grid 604, an AP time grid 606, and a UE time grid 608. In one example, base station time grid 602 may correspond to the time grid of base station 402, RP time grid 604 may correspond to the time grid of RP 426, AP time grid 606 may correspond to the time grid of AP 434, and UE time grid 608 may correspond to the time grid of UE 442.

[0108] As will be discussed below with respect to diagram 600, if there is time reciprocity between the PCell and the SCell / subTHz (or if there is a known time difference between the DL and UL determined via a calibration process), the SCell / subTHz TA can be derived for each subTHz link component (e.g., UE, RP, AP) using the PCell TA for each component and the estimated DL ΔTO between the PCell and SCell / subTHz. The PCell and SCell / subTHz can be co-located. If the PCell and SCell / subTHz are actually co-located, the PCell and SCell / subTHz can be co-located at the same place (e.g., tower / RH), and the transmissions associated with the PCell and SCell / subTHz can originate from the same point in space. The UE / RP / AP can maintain continuous connection with the PCell, and therefore, the UE / RP / AP can obtain the PCell TA from the PCell. The above can be performed in Figure 5 The SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session described in the description of is used to obtain an estimated DLΔTO for each component. The estimated DLΔTO may be valid during a limited time of the subTHz data offloading session. If the length of the subTHz data offloading session exceeds a threshold time, an additional SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session may be scheduled to adjust the estimated DLΔTO. Such an approach may result in the UE / RP / AP obtaining the SCell / subTHz TA without the UE / RP / AP utilizing RS transmission in the UL or another estimation procedure. Therefore, UL synchronization may be achieved by the UE / RP / AP without RACH signal transmission and / or RACH procedures. Registration / initial logical connection related procedures for the SCell / subTHz may be performed on the PCell link before activating the SCell / subTHz. After the UE / RP / AP obtains the SCell / subTHz TA, the UE / RP / AP may use the SCell / subTHz TA for UL transmission via the SCell / subTHz.

[0109] Referring to UE time grid 608, the UE may Figure 6 The timing offset ΔT3 is obtained by using the SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session described in the description of . In addition, since the UE may have a continuous connection with the PCell, the UE may obtain the TA (TA) for the PCell from the PCell. UE (PCell)).

[0110] The UE can use the following equation (IV) to derive the TA (TA) for SCell / subTHz: UE (subTHz)).

[0111] (IV)TA UE (subTHz)=TA UE (PCell)-2ΔT3

[0112] Referring to AP time grid 606, the AP may Figure 5 The timing offset ΔT2 is obtained by using the SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session described in the description of . In addition, since the AP can have a continuous connection with the PCell, the AP can obtain the TA (TA) for the PCell from the PCell. AP (PCell)).

[0113] The AP can use the following equation (V) to derive the TA (TA) for SCell / subTHz AP (subTHz)).

[0114] (V)TA AP (subTHz)=TA AP (PCell)-2ΔT2

[0115] Referring to RP time grid 604, RP can Figure 5 The timing offset ΔT1 is obtained by using the SCell / subTHz DL timing synchronization session described in the description of . In addition, since the RP can have a continuous connection with the PCell, the RP can obtain the TA (TA) for the PCell from the PCell. RP (PCell)).

[0116] RP can derive the TA (TA) for SCell / subTHz using the following equation (VI): RP (subTHz)).

[0117] (VI)TA RP (subTHz)=TA RP (PCell)-2ΔT1

[0118] Although the process shown in diagram 700 depicts an SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session for a UE connected to a base station via an RP and an AP (i.e., 3 links), the process may also be applied to a direct connection between the UE and the SCell / subTHz (i.e., 1 link) as well as other numbers of links (e.g., 2 links, 4 links, etc.).

[0119] In one aspect, the above-described SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session may be used for initial subTHz TA acquisition.In addition to the SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session, a regular TA adaptation procedure for the UE may also be performed (during an active UL offload session).

[0120] In one aspect, due to the lack of direct LOS with the base station, the subTHz channel delay may be different from the PCell channel delay of the AP and UE. In this aspect, the relative TO between subTHz and PCell timing may be considered for both DL synchronization and for SCell / subTHz TA derivation.

[0121] In one aspect, there may be a time shift between PCell and SCell / subTHz frame counts.

[0122] The SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session is associated with various advantages for the UE and the base station. First, since the SCell / subTHz TA can be derived based on the known PCell TA, the SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session can enable the UE to determine the SCell / subTHz without performing a RACH process and the UE does not utilize UL RS transmission. Second, the SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session can enable the UE to determine the SCell / subTHz TA without the UE receiving SCell / subTHz signaling from the base station. As described above, the UE / AP / RP can determine the SCell / subTHz TA autonomously and locally, that is, each UE / AP / RP can evaluate / determine its own SCell / subTHz TA. The SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session can allow relatively fast subTHz link activation / deactivation for qualified UEs, and can be associated with lower complexity, lower power usage, and lower latency penalties. The SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session can support bursty activity mode with dynamic activation / deactivation of subTHz links, which can improve the power efficiency of SubTHz deployments.

[0123] In one aspect, the SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session may not typically be associated with a full-range InitAcq process for subTHz. Instead, the SCell / subTHz UL synchronization session may be associated with a reduced-power subTHz link activation with a reduced range: initial search / synchronization per activation based on scheduled and customized per-hop SSB microbursts (frequency offset (FO), coarse timing, coarse beam / beam list may be known and determined based on PCell connectivity, and configured on the PCell for the Tx and Rx sides of each hop subTHz synchronization session). Information associated with the SCell / subTHz may be sent / received on the PCell (including RRC connection / registration, subTHz offloading, link activation / deactivation, BM / sync RS / LARS, DL / UL scheduling, and UL feedback / reporting).

[0124] Figure 7 700 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication flow between a UE 702 and a base station 704. In one example, the UE 702 may be a UE 404, a UE 424, or a UE 442. In another example, the base station 704 may be a base station 402. The UE 702 and the base station 704 may communicate via FR1 / FR2 / FR4 (i.e., PCell) and via a subTHz band (i.e., SCell). The UE 702 may have a continuous connection to the PCell and a discontinuous connection to the SCell. Communications between the UE 702 and the base station 704 may be sent / received via one or more RPs 706. In one example, the one or more RPs 706 may include an AP 414, a RP 426, and / or an AP 434.

[0125] At 707, the UE 702 may evaluate eligibility criteria for subTHz communication. The eligibility criteria may be or include the eligibility criteria described above in the description of diagram 400. At 708, the UE may send a SCell / subTHz activation request to the base station 704. The SCell / subTHz activation request may include the eligibility criteria. In one example, the SCell / subTHz activation request may include an indication of battery resources of the UE 702, an estimated amount of data to be sent or received by the UE 702, and the like. At 709, the base station 704 may evaluate the eligibility criteria regarding the UE 702. At 710, after determining that the UE 702 meets the eligibility criteria, the BS 704 may send a SCell / subTHz SSB for the UE 702. At 712, the UE 702 may synchronize with the SCell / subTHz based on the SSB sent at 710. At 714, after synchronizing with the SCell / subTHz, the UE 702 may send a synchronization confirmation for the base station 704.

[0126] At 716, the base station may configure a first TA for the PCell. At 718, the base station 704 sends the first TA to the UE 702. At 720, the UE 702 may estimate the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell / subTHz. The UE 702 may estimate the timing offset based on the SCell / subTHz SSB sent at 710. In one example, the UE 702 may perform the above-described Figure 5 The timing offset may be valid for a duration. At 722, UE 702 may derive a second TA for SCell / subTHz based on the first TA and the timing offset. In one example, UE 702 may estimate the timing offset as described above in Figure 6 At 724, UE 702 may transmit a signal and / or at least one signal via SCell / subTHz using a second TA. UE 702 may transmit data and / or at least one signal during the duration.

[0127] Figure 8 800 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104, UE 350, UE 404, UE 424, UE 442, UE 702, device 1204). In one example, the method may be performed by a TA derivation component 198. The method may be associated with various technical advantages at the UE, such as reducing UE power consumption, reducing subTHz signaling via derivation of a subTHz TA based on a FR1 / FR2 / FR4 TA, and reducing latency.

[0128] At 802, the UE obtains an indication of a first TA for a PCell, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. Figure 7 At 718, UE 702 is shown obtaining a first TA for PCell. In one example, the first TA may be Figure 6 In another example, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown in , PCell can be associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4. For example, 802 can be performed by TA derivation component 198.

[0129] At 804, the UE estimates the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. For example, Figure 7 At 720, it is shown that UE 702 can estimate the timing offset. In another example, Figure 5 It is shown that the UE can estimate the timing offset. For example, 804 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0130] At 806, the UE derives a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. Figure 7 At 722, it is shown that the UE 702 can derive a second TA for the SCell / subTHz based on the first TA obtained at 718 and the timing offset estimated at 720. In one example, the second frequency band can be a subTHz frequency band. For example, 806 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0131] At 808, the UE sends data or at least one signal to the network node via the SCell based on the second TA. Figure 7 At 724, it is shown that the UE 702 can transmit data and / or at least a signal via the SCell / subTHz using the second TA derived at 722. In one example, the network node can be the base station 704. For example, 808 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0132] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104, UE 350, UE 404, UE 424, UE 442, UE 702, device 1204). In one example, the method (including various aspects described in detail below) may be performed by a TA derivation component 198. The method may be associated with various technical advantages at the UE, such as reducing UE power consumption, reducing subTHz signaling via derivation of a subTHz TA based on a FR1 / FR2 / FR4 TA, and reducing latency.

[0133] At 912, the UE obtains an indication of a first TA for a PCell, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. Figure 7 At 718, UE 702 is shown obtaining a first TA for PCell. In one example, the first TA may be Figure 6 In another example, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown in , PCell can be associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4. For example, 912 can be performed by TA derivation component 198.

[0134] At 914, the UE estimates the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. For example, Figure 7 At 720, it is shown that UE 702 can estimate the timing offset. In another example, Figure 5 It is shown that the UE can estimate the timing offset. For example, 914 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0135] At 916, the UE derives a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. Figure 7 At 722, it is shown that the UE 702 can derive a second TA for the SCell / subTHz based on the first TA obtained at 718 and the timing offset estimated at 720. In one example, the second frequency band can be a subTHz frequency band. For example, 916 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0136] At 918, the UE sends data or at least one signal to the network node via the SCell based on the second TA. Figure 7 At 724, it is shown that the UE 702 can transmit data and / or at least a signal via the SCell / subTHz using the second TA derived at 722. In one example, the network node can be the base station 704. For example, 918 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0137] In one aspect, the second frequency band may be a subTHz frequency band as FR5. For example, the second frequency band may be Figure 4 and Figure 7 The subTHz frequency band shown in .

[0138] In one aspect, at 912A, obtaining an indication of the first TA may include receiving an indication of the first TA from a network node. For example, Figure 7 At 718, UE 702 can receive a first TA from base station 704. 912A can be performed by TA derivation component 198, for example.

[0139] In one aspect, at 910, the UE may obtain a second indication of a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell before estimating the timing offset, wherein the timing offset may be estimated based on the second indication. Figure 7 The second indication of the timing offset may be the SCell / subTHz SSB obtained by the UE 702 at 710. For example, 910 may be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0140] In one aspect, the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell may be a downlink timing offset. For example, Figure 5 It is shown that the timing offset may be a DL timing offset.

[0141] In one aspect, data or at least one signal may be sent to one or more relays via the SCell. For example, Figure 7 It is shown that data and / or at least one signal can be sent to one or more RPs 706 via the SCell. In another example, the one or more repeaters can be or include Figure 4 414, RP 426, and / or AP 434 shown in FIG.

[0142] In one aspect, each of the one or more relays may be associated with a corresponding TA for communicating via the SCell. Figure 6 It is shown that the AP can be associated with a subTHz AP TA and the RP can be associated with a subTHz RPTA.

[0143] In one aspect, the timing offset may be valid for a duration during which data or at least one signal may be sent. Figure 7 It is shown that the data and / or at least one signal sent at 724 may be sent for a duration.

[0144] In one aspect, the PCell and SCell may be co-located. For example, Figure 6 It is shown that the PCell and SCell may be co-located.

[0145] In one aspect, at 916A, deriving the second TA for the SCell may include calculating the difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset. Figure 6 In the UE time grid 608 in , the subTHz UE TA may be equal to the PCell UE TA minus two times ΔT3.

[0146] In one aspect, at 902, the UE may send a request to activate the SCell before estimating the timing offset. For example, Figure 7 The UE may send an SCell / subTHz activation request as shown at 708. For example, 902 may be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0147] In one aspect, at 904, the UE may receive an SSB associated with the SCell. For example, Figure 7 At 710, it is shown that UE 702 can receive SCell / subTHz SSB 710. In another example, Figure 5 It is shown that SSB can be associated with the subTHz frequency band. For example, 904 can be performed by the TA derivation component 198.

[0148] In one aspect, at 906, the UE may synchronize with the SCell based on the SSB, wherein the timing offset may be estimated based on the SSB. Figure 7 At 712, it is shown that the UE 702 can synchronize with the SCell / subTHz based on the SSB received at 710. In another example, the timing offset estimated at 720 can be estimated based on the SSB received at 710. For example, 906 can be performed by a TA derivation component.

[0149] In one aspect, at 908, the UE may send a confirmation that synchronization with the SCell has been achieved after the SCell is synchronized therewith. For example, Figure 7 The UE 702 may send a synchronization confirmation, as shown at 714. For example, 908 may be performed by a TA derivation component.

[0150] In one aspect, the SSB associated with the SCell may correspond to a specific relay in the set of relays. Figure 5 The subTHz SSBs corresponding to the RP associated with the RP DL time grid 504 and the AP associated with the AP DL time grid 506 are shown.

[0151] In one aspect, the UE may have a continuous connection to the PCell and the UE may have a discontinuous connection to the SCell. Figure 4 It is shown that the UE 404 may have a continuous connection to the PCell via the PCell link 406 , and the UE 404 may have a discontinuous connection to the SCell / subTHz via the SCell / subTHz link 408 and / or the SCell / subTHz control link 410 .

[0152] In one aspect, the first frequency band may be at least one of: FR1, FR2, or FR4. Figure 4It is shown that the first frequency band can be FR1 / FR2 / FR4. In another example, Figure 7 It is shown that the first frequency band may be FR1 / FR2 / FR4.

[0153] Fig.10 1000 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method. The method may be performed by a network node (e.g., base station 102, base station 402, base station 704, network entity 1202). In one example, the method may be performed by TA component 199. The method may be associated with various advantages at the network node, such as reduced signaling overhead.

[0154] At 1002, a network node sends an indication of a first TA for a PCell to a UE, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. Figure 7 At 718, it is shown that the base station 704 can send a first TA for the PCell. Figure 4 In the example shown in , PCell can be associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4. In one example, the first TA can be Figure 6 The PCell UE TA illustrated in FIG. 1002 may be performed by the TA component 199, for example.

[0155] At 1004, the network node receives data or at least one signal via the SCell based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. Figure 7 At 724, the base station 704 receives a signal and / or at least one signal via the SCell / subTHz based on the second TA. Figure 4 In the example shown in , the SCell can be associated with a subTHz frequency band. For example, 1004 can be performed by the TA component 199.

[0156] Fig.11 1100 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method. The method may be performed by a network node (e.g., base station 102, base station 402, base station 704, network entity 1202). In one example, the method (including various aspects described below) may be performed by TA component 199. The method may be associated with various advantages at the network node, such as reduced signaling overhead.

[0157] At 1104, the network node sends an indication of a first TA for a PCell to the UE, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. Figure 7 At 718, it is shown that the base station 704 can send a first TA for the PCell. Figure 4In the example shown in , PCell can be associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4. In one example, the first TA can be Figure 6 The PCell UE TA illustrated in FIG. 1104 may be performed by the TA component 199, for example.

[0158] At 1112, the network node receives data or at least one signal via the SCell based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. Figure 7 At 724, the base station 704 receives a signal and / or at least one signal via the SCell / subTHz based on the second TA. Figure 4 In the example shown in , the SCell can be associated with a subTHz frequency band. For example, 1112 can be performed by the TA component 199.

[0159] In one aspect, the second frequency band may be a subTHz frequency band as FR5. For example, the second frequency band may be Figure 4 and Figure 7 The subTHz frequency band shown in .

[0160] In one aspect, the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell may be a downlink timing offset. For example, Figure 5 It is shown that the timing offset may be a DL timing offset.

[0161] In one aspect, data or at least one signal may be received from one or more repeaters via the SCell. For example, Figure 7 It is shown that data and / or at least one signal can be received via the SCell via one or more RPs 706. In another example, the one or more repeaters can be or include Figure 4 414, RP 426, and / or AP 434 shown in FIG.

[0162] In one aspect, each of the one or more relays may be associated with a corresponding TA for communicating via the SCell. Figure 6 It is shown that the AP can be associated with a subTHz AP TA and the RP can be associated with a subTHz RPTA.

[0163] In one aspect, the timing offset may be valid for a duration during which data or at least one signal may be received. Figure 7 It is shown that the data and / or at least one signal received at 724 may be received over a duration.

[0164] In one aspect, the PCell and SCell may be co-located. For example, Figure 6 It is shown that the PCell and SCell may be co-located.

[0165] In one aspect, the second TA may be the difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset. Figure 6 In the UE time grid 608 in , the subTHz UE TA may be equal to the PCell UE TA minus two times ΔT3.

[0166] In one aspect, at 1106, the network node may receive a request to activate the SCell prior to receiving the data or at least one signal. For example, Figure 7 The base station 704 may receive a SCell / subTHz activation request, as shown at 708. For example, 1106 may be performed by the TA component 199.

[0167] In one aspect, at 1108, the network node may transmit a SSB associated with the SCell. Figure 7 It is shown at 710 that the base station 704 can transmit the SCell / subTHz SSB. For example, 1108 can be performed by the TA component 199.

[0168] In one aspect, at 1110, the network node may receive a confirmation that the UE has synchronized with the SCell after sending the SSB associated with the SCell. For example, Figure 7 At 714 , it is shown that the base station 704 may receive a synchronization confirmation indicating that the UE has synchronized with the SCell. For example, 1110 may be performed by the TA component 199 .

[0169] In one aspect, the network node may have a continuous connection with the UE via a PCell, and the network node may have a discontinuous connection with the UE via an SCell. Figure 4 It is shown that the base station 402 may have a continuous connection to the UE 404 via a PCell link 406 , and the base station 402 may have a discontinuous connection to the UE 404 via a SCell / subTHz link 408 and / or a SCell / subTHz control link 410 .

[0170] In one aspect, the first frequency band may be at least one of: FR1, FR2, or FR4. For example, Figure 4 It is shown that the first frequency band can be FR1 / FR2 / FR4. In another example, Figure 7 It is shown that the first frequency band may be FR1 / FR2 / FR4.

[0171] In one aspect, at 1102, the network node may configure a first TA for the PCell before sending an indication of the first TA, wherein the indication of the first TA may be sent based on the configuration. For example, Figure 7 The base station 704 can configure a first TA for the PCell, as shown at 716. For example, 1102 can be performed by the TA component 199.

[0172] Fig.121200 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1204. The apparatus 1204 may be a UE, a component of a UE, or may implement UE functionality. In some aspects, the apparatus 1204 may include a cellular baseband processor 1224 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to one or more transceivers 1222 (e.g., a cellular RF transceiver). The cellular baseband processor 1224 may include on-chip memory 1224'. In some aspects, the apparatus 1204 may also include one or more subscriber identity module (SIM) cards 1220 and an application processor 1206 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1208 and a screen 1210. The application processor 1206 may include on-chip memory 1206'. In some aspects, the device 1204 may also include a Bluetooth module 1212, a WLAN module 1214, an SPS module 1216 (e.g., a GNSS module), one or more sensor modules 1218 (e.g., an atmospheric pressure sensor / altimeter; a motion sensor such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a gyroscope, and / or an accelerometer; light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radio-aided detection and ranging (RADAR), sound navigation and ranging (SONAR), a magnetometer, audio, and / or other technologies for positioning), an additional memory module 1226, a power source 1230, and / or a camera 1232. The Bluetooth module 1212, the WLAN module 1214, and the SPS module 1216 may include an on-chip transceiver (TRX) (or in some cases, only a receiver (RX)). The Bluetooth module 1212, the WLAN module 1214, and the SPS module 1216 may include their own dedicated antennas and / or communicate using an antenna 1280. The cellular baseband processor 1224 communicates with the UE 104 and / or with the RU associated with the network entity 1202 through the transceiver 1222 via one or more antennas 1280. The cellular baseband processor 1224 and the application processor 1206 may each include a computer-readable medium / memory 1224', 1206', respectively. The additional memory module 1226 may also be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer-readable medium / memory 1224', 1206', 1226 may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 1224 and the application processor 1206 are each responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor 1224 / application processor 1206, enables the cellular baseband processor 1224 / application processor 1206 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 1224 / application processor 1206 when executing the software.The cellular baseband processor 1224 / application processor 1206 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include the memory 360 and / or at least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 1204 may be a processor chip (modem and / or application) and include only the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206, and in another configuration, the device 1204 may be the entire UE (e.g., see. Figure 3 350) and includes additional modules of device 1204.

[0173] As discussed above, the TA deriving component 198 is configured to obtain an indication of a first TA for a PCell, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. The TA deriving component 198 is configured to estimate a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. The TA deriving component 198 is configured to derive a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. The TA deriving component 198 is configured to send data or at least one signal via the SCell based on the second TA for the network node. The TA deriving component 198 may be in the cellular baseband processor 1224, the application processor 1206, or in both the cellular baseband processor 1224 and the application processor 1206. The TA deriving component 198 may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium so as to be implemented by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. As shown, the device 1204 may include a variety of components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for obtaining an indication of a first TA of a user PCell, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for estimating a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for deriving a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for sending data or at least one signal via the SCell based on the second TA for a network node. In one configuration, the component for obtaining an indication of the first TA includes a component for receiving an indication of the first TA from the network node. In one configuration, the apparatus 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes means for obtaining a second indication of a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell prior to estimating the timing offset, wherein the timing offset is estimated based on the second indication. In one configuration, the means for deriving a second TA for the SCell includes means for calculating a difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset.In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for sending a request to activate the SCell before estimating the timing offset. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for receiving an SSB associated with the SCell. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for synchronizing with the SCell based on the SSB, wherein the timing offset is estimated based on the SSB. In one configuration, the device 1204 (and specifically the cellular baseband processor 1224 and / or the application processor 1206) includes a component for sending a confirmation that synchronization with the SCell has been achieved after synchronization with the SCell. The component can be a TA derivation component 198 of the device 1204 configured to perform the functions recorded by the component. As described above, the device 1204 may include the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359. Thus, in one configuration, the components may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and / or the controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the components.

[0174] Fig.131300 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1302. The network entity 1302 may be a BS, a component of a BS, or may implement BS functionality. The network entity 1302 may include at least one of a CU 1310, a DU 1330, or a RU 1340. For example, depending on the layer functionality handled by the TA component 199, the network entity 1302 may include a CU 1310; both a CU 1310 and a DU 1330; each of the CU 1310, the DU 1330, and the RU 1340; the DU 1330; both a DU 1330 and a RU 1340; or a RU 1340. The CU 1310 may include a CU processor 1312. The CU processor 1312 may include an on-chip memory 1312'. In some aspects, the CU 1310 may also include an additional memory module 1314 and a communication interface 1318. CU 1310 communicates with DU 1330 via a midhaul link, such as an F1 interface. DU 1330 may include a DU processor 1332. DU processor 1332 may include on-chip memory 1332'. In some aspects, DU 1330 may also include additional memory modules 1334 and a communication interface 1338. DU 1330 communicates with RU 1340 via a fronthaul link. RU 1340 may include a RU processor 1342. RU processor 1342 may include on-chip memory 1342'. In some aspects, RU 1340 may also include additional memory modules 1344, one or more transceivers 1346, antenna 1380, and communication interface 1348. RU 1340 communicates with UE 104. On-chip memory 1312', 1332', 1342' and additional memory modules 1314, 1334, 1344 may each be considered a computer-readable medium / memory. Each computer readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. Each of processors 1312, 1332, 1342 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the corresponding processor, causes the processor to perform the various functions described above. The computer readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor when executing the software.

[0175] As discussed above, the TA component 199 is configured to send an indication of a first TA for a PCell to a UE, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. The TA component 199 is configured to receive data or at least one signal via the SCell based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. The TA component 199 may be within one or more processors of one or more of the CU 1310, the DU 1330, and the RU 1340. The TA component 199 may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium so as to be implemented by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. The network entity 1302 may include a variety of components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the network entity 1302 includes a component for sending an indication of a first TA for a PCell to a UE, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. In one configuration, the network entity 1302 includes a component for receiving data or at least one signal via the SCell based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. In one configuration, the network entity 1302 includes a component for receiving a request for activating the SCell before receiving the data or at least one signal. In one configuration, the network entity 1302 includes a component for sending an SSB associated with the SCell. In one configuration, the network entity 1302 includes a component for receiving a confirmation that the UE has synchronized with the SCell after sending the SSB associated with the SCell. In one configuration, the network entity 1302 includes a component for configuring a first TA for the PCell before sending an indication of the first TA, wherein the indication of the first TA is sent based on the configuration. The component may be a TA component 199 of the network entity 1302 configured to perform the functions recorded by the component. As described above, the network entity 1302 may include a TX processor 316, an RX processor 370, and a controller / processor 375. Thus, in one configuration, a component may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and / or the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the component.

[0176] A wireless communication system may allow transmission and reception on a subTHz frequency band. The subTHz frequency band may allow faster data rates compared to other frequency bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR4). However, wireless communication systems utilizing subTHz frequencies may have limited coverage and / or higher power specifications compared to wireless communication systems using non-subTHz frequencies. A UE within a subTHz deployment may be connected to a PCell associated with FR1 / FR2 / FR4 and an SCell associated with a subTHz frequency. In order to send data / signals on the SCell / subTHz, the UE may obtain a TA. Obtaining a TA via a RACH process with the SCell / subTHz may be time consuming and may be associated with increased latency and / or increased power consumption at the UE. Various techniques for deriving an SCell / subTHz TA based on a PCell TA are described herein. In one example, a UE obtains an indication of a first TA for a PCell, where the PCell is associated with a first frequency band. The UE estimates a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell. The UE derives a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, where the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band. The UE sends data or at least one signal via the SCell based on the second TA to the network node. By deriving the second TA based on the first TA and the timing offset, the UE may be able to avoid performing a RACH procedure with the SCell / subTHz. Therefore, the latency of the transmission of data / signal via the SCell / subTHz may be lower than the latency associated with the scenario in which the UE obtains the second TA via the RACH procedure. In addition, by avoiding performing a RACH procedure with the SCell / subTHz, the above-mentioned technology may be associated with lower power consumption of the UE and / or a lower computational burden on the UE.

[0177] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the disclosed process / flowchart is merely an illustration of the exemplary method. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the process / flowchart may be rearranged based on design preferences. Further, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The attached method claims provide the elements of the various blocks in a sample order, but are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided.

[0178] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not limited to the various aspects described herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language claims. Unless otherwise specified, reference to an element in the singular form does not mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Terms such as "if", "when" and "while" do not mean a direct temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases, such as "when ......", do not mean an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that if the conditions are met, the action will occur, but no specific or immediate time limit is required for the occurrence of the action. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein is not necessarily interpreted as being preferred or having advantages over other aspects. Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, which may include multiple A, multiple B, or multiple C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combination may contain one or more members of A, B, or C. A set should be interpreted as a set of elements, where the number of elements is one or more. Thus, for a set of X, X will include one or more elements. If the first device receives data from the second device or sends data to the second device, the data may be received / sent directly between the first device and the second device, or indirectly between the first device and the second device through a collection of devices. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will later be known to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims. Words such as "module", "mechanism", "element", "device", etc. cannot replace the word "component". Therefore, no claim element will be understood as a component plus function unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "component for..."

[0179] As used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as referring to a closed set of information, one or more conditions, one or more factors, etc. In other words, the phrase "based on A" (where "A" can be information, a condition, a factor, etc.) should be interpreted as "based at least on A" unless specifically stated differently.

[0180] The following aspects are merely illustrative and may be combined with other aspects or teachings described herein without limitation.

[0181] Aspect 1 is a method for performing wireless communication at a UE, comprising: obtaining an indication of a first TA for a PCell, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; estimating a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell; deriving a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band; and sending data or at least one signal to a network node via the SCell based on the second TA.

[0182] Aspect 2 is a method according to aspect 1, wherein the second frequency band is a sub-THz frequency band, and the sub-THz frequency band is a frequency range 5 (FR5).

[0183] Aspect 3 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 2, wherein obtaining the indication of the first TA includes: receiving the indication of the first TA from the network node.

[0184] Aspect 4 is a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, further comprising: before estimating the timing offset, obtaining a second indication of the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the timing offset is estimated based on the second indication.

[0185] Aspect 5 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell is a downlink timing offset.

[0186] Aspect 6 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the data or the at least one signal is sent to one or more relays via the SCell.

[0187] Aspect 7 is a method according to aspect 6, wherein each of the one or more relays is associated with a corresponding TA for communicating via the SCell.

[0188] Aspect 8 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the timing offset is valid for a duration, wherein the data or the at least one signal is sent during the duration.

[0189] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the PCell and the SCell are co-located.

[0190] Aspect 10 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein deriving the second TA for the SCell comprises: calculating a difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset.

[0191] Aspect 11 is a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, further comprising: sending a request for activating the SCell before estimating the timing offset; receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) associated with the SCell; and synchronizing with the SCell based on the SSB, wherein the timing offset is estimated based on the SSB.

[0192] Aspect 12 is a method according to aspect 11, further comprising: after synchronization with the SCell, sending a confirmation that synchronization with the SCell has been achieved.

[0193] Aspect 13 is a method according to any one of aspects 11 to 12, wherein the SSB associated with the SCell corresponds to a specific relay in a set of relays.

[0194] Aspect 14 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the UE has a continuous connection to the PCell, and wherein the UE has a discontinuous connection to the SCell.

[0195] Aspect 15 is a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 14, wherein the first frequency band is at least one of the following: frequency range 1 (FR1), frequency range 2 (FR2) or frequency range 4 (FR4).

[0196] Aspect 16 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising a memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the memory and being configured to perform a method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 15 based at least in part on information stored in the memory.

[0197] Aspect 17 is an apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 15.

[0198] Aspect 18 is an apparatus according to Aspect 16 or 17, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the data or the at least one signal via the SCell based on the second TA to the network node via the transceiver or at least one of the antennas.

[0199] Aspect 19 is a computer-readable medium (eg, a non-transitory computer-readable medium) comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 15.

[0200] Aspect 20 is a method for performing wireless communications at a network node, comprising: sending an indication of a first TA for a PCell to a UE, wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; and receiving data or at least one signal via an SCell based on a second TA, wherein the second TA is based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band.

[0201] Aspect 21 is a method according to aspect 20, wherein the second frequency band is a subTHz frequency band, and the subTHz frequency band is FR5.

[0202] Aspect 22 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 21, wherein the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell is a downlink timing offset.

[0203] Aspect 23 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 22, wherein the data or the at least one signal is received from one or more relays via the SCell.

[0204] Aspect 24 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 23, wherein each of the one or more relays is associated with a corresponding TA for communicating via the SCell.

[0205] Aspect 25 is a method according to aspect 24, wherein the timing offset is valid for a duration, wherein the data or the at least one signal is received during the duration.

[0206] Aspect 26: The method according to any one of Aspects 20 to 25, wherein the PCell and the SCell are co-located.

[0207] Aspect 27 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 26, wherein the second TA is a difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset.

[0208] Aspect 28 is a method according to any one of Aspects 20 to 27, further comprising: before receiving the data or the at least one signal, receiving a request for activating the SCell; and sending an SSB associated with the SCell.

[0209] Aspect 29 is a method according to aspect 28, further comprising: after sending the SSB associated with the SCell, receiving a confirmation that the UE has been synchronized with the SCell.

[0210] Aspect 30 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 29, wherein the network node has a continuous connection with the UE via the PCell, wherein the network node has a discontinuous connection with the UE via the SCell.

[0211] Aspect 31 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 30, wherein the first frequency band is at least one of the following: FR1, FR2 or FR4.

[0212] Aspect 32 is a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 31, further comprising: before sending the indication of the first TA, configuring the first TA for the PCell, wherein the indication of the first TA is sent based on the configuration.

[0213] Aspect 33 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, the apparatus comprising a memory and at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to the memory and being configured to perform a method according to any one of Aspects 20 to 32 based at least in part on information stored in the memory.

[0214] Aspect 34 is an apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising means for performing a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 32.

[0215] Aspect 35 is an apparatus according to Aspect 33 or 34, wherein the apparatus further comprises at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the indication of the first TA for the PCell to the UE via the transceiver or at least one of the antennas and to receive the data or the at least one signal via the SCell.

[0216] Aspect 36 is a computer-readable medium (eg, a non-transitory computer-readable medium) comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of aspects 20 to 32.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and based at least in part on the information stored in the memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtaining an indication of a first timing advance (TA) for a primary cell (PCell), wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; estimating a timing offset between the PCell and a secondary cell (SCell); deriving a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band; as well as For a network node, data or at least one signal is sent via the SCell based on the second TA. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second frequency band is a sub-THz frequency band, and the sub-THz frequency band is a frequency range 5 (FR5).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein to obtain the indication of the first TA, the at least one processor is configured to: The indication of the first TA is received from the network node.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Prior to estimating the timing offset, a second indication of the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell is obtained, wherein the timing offset is estimated based on the second indication. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell is a downlink timing offset. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data or the at least one signal is transmitted to one or more relays via the SCell. 7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein each of the one or more relays is associated with a respective TA for communicating via the SCell.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the timing offset is valid for a duration, wherein the data or the at least one signal is transmitted during the duration. 9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PCell and the SCell are co-located.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to derive the second TA for the SCell, the at least one processor is configured to: The difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset is calculated.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: sending a request for activating the SCell before estimating the timing offset; receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) associated with the SCell; and Synchronize with the SCell based on the SSB, wherein the timing offset is estimated based on the SSB.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: After the SCell is synchronized, a confirmation is sent that synchronization with the SCell has been achieved.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the SSB associated with the SCell corresponds to a specific relay in a set of relays.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE has a continuous connection to the PCell, and wherein the UE has a discontinuous connection to the SCell.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band is at least one of: frequency range 1 (FR1), frequency range 2 (FR2), or frequency range 4 (FR4).

16. The device according to claim 1 further comprises at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the data or the at least one signal via the SCell based on the second TA to the network node via the transceiver or at least one of the antenna.

17. A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining an indication of a first timing advance (TA) for a primary cell (PCell), wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; estimating a timing offset between the PCell and a secondary cell (SCell); deriving a second TA for the SCell based on the first TA and the timing offset, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band; as well as For a network node, data or at least one signal is sent via the SCell based on the second TA.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, the apparatus comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the memory and based at least in part on the information stored in the memory, the at least one processor configured to: Sending, to a user equipment (UE), an indication of a first timing advance (TA) for a primary cell (PCell), wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; and Data or at least one signal is received via a secondary cell (SCell) based on a second TA based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second frequency band is a sub-THz frequency band, the sub-THz frequency band being a frequency range 5 (FR5).

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the timing offset between the PCell and the SCell is a downlink timing offset.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the data or the at least one signal is received from one or more relays via the SCell.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein each of the one or more relays is associated with a respective TA for communicating via the SCell.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the timing offset is valid for a duration, wherein the data or the at least one signal is received during the duration.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second TA is a difference between the first TA and twice the timing offset.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Before receiving the data or the at least one signal, receiving a request for activating the SCell; and Send a synchronization signal block (SSB) associated with the SCell.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: After sending the SSB associated with the SCell, receiving confirmation that the UE has been synchronized with the SCell.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the network node has a continuous connection with the UE via the PCell, wherein the network node has a discontinuous connection with the UE via the SCell.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Prior to sending the indication of the first TA, the first TA for the PCell is configured, wherein the indication of the first TA is sent based on the configuration.

29. The device according to claim 18 further comprises at least one of a transceiver or an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the indication of the first TA via the SCell based on the second TA and receive the data or the at least one signal via the transceiver or at least one of the antenna.

30. A method for wireless communication at a network node, the method comprising: Sending, for a user equipment (UE), an indication of a first timing advance (TA) for a primary cell (PCell), wherein the PCell is associated with a first frequency band; as well as Data or at least one signal is received via a secondary cell (SCell) based on a second TA based on the first TA and a timing offset between the PCell and the SCell, wherein the SCell is associated with a second frequency band greater than the first frequency band.

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