Apparatus, method and apparatus for uplink transmission

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses equipment, a method and an apparatus for uplink transmission using long CP. The terminal device receives a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status indication from the network device. The new TCI state indication indicates that the new TCI state is to be used for uplink signal transmission. The terminal device then transmits, to the network device, at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) in at least one uplink channel associated with the new TCI state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2214436.4 filed on September 30, 2022. The contents of that previously filed application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for uplink transmission. Background Art

[0004] With the development of communication technology, multiple transmit and receive point (TRP) operations have been introduced to improve the communication performance between terminal devices and network devices. Release 18 (Rel-18) introduces two timing advance (TA) loops for multi-TRP operation and multiple downlink control information (DCI) for multi-TRP enhancement. For multi-TRP operation with two TAs and based on multi-DCI, it supports the configuration of two TA groups (TAGs).

[0005] Two main options are discussed, in one option, the TAG can be associated with the TRP via the control resource set (coreset) pool index, and in the other option, the TAG is associated with the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. In the former option, multiple TRPs can have two or more TAGs associated with different TCI states. In the latter option, the TRP can have two or more TAGs associated with different TCI states. However, TA-related issues may arise during the initialization or activation of additional TA loops, so further improvements in uplink transmission are needed. Summary of the invention

[0006] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for uplink transmission using a long CP.

[0007] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, and the one or more processors are configured to enable the terminal device to: receive a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and send at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP to the network device based on the new TCI state.

[0008] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, and the one or more processors are configured to enable the network device to: send a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to a terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and based on the new TCI state, receive at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP from the terminal device.

[0009] In a third aspect, a method implemented at a terminal device is provided. The method may include: receiving a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and sending at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP to the network device based on the new TCI state.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a network device is provided. The method may include: sending a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to a terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and receiving at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP from the terminal device based on the new TCI state.

[0011] In a fifth aspect, a device of a terminal device is provided. The device may include: a component for receiving a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and a component for sending at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP to the network device based on the new TCI state.

[0012] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided. The device may include: a component for sending a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to a terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and a component for receiving at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP from the terminal device based on the new TCI state.

[0013] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the terminal device to: receive a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and based on the new TCI state, send at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP to the network device.

[0014] In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause a terminal device to: send a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to the terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and based on the new TCI state, receive at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP from the terminal device.

[0015] In a ninth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0016] In a tenth aspect, a computer program comprising instructions is provided, which instructions, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and based on the new TCI state, send at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) to the network device.

[0017] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to at least: send a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to a terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and based on the new TCI state, receive at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP from the terminal device.

[0018] In a twelfth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include a receiving circuit system, which is configured to: receive a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and send at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP to the network device based on the new TCI state.

[0019] In a thirteenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include a sending circuit system, the sending circuit system being configured to: send a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to a terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and based on the new TCI state, receive at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP from the terminal device.

[0020] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1A illustrates an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0023] Figure 1B illustrates another example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0024] Figure 2 An example schematic diagram showing received power of an uplink signal using a conventional CP at two network devices is illustrated;

[0025] Figure 3 An example schematic diagram showing received power of an uplink signal using a long CP at two network devices is illustrated;

[0026] Figure 4 illustrates an example signaling procedure for uplink transmission using a long CP when an additional TCI state is activated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 5 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0028] Figure 6 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a network device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0029] Figure 7 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0030] Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0031] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not represent any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the way described below.

[0033] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0034] In this disclosure, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, those skilled in the art believe that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0035] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. can be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0036] The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "include" and / or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of the features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0037] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0038] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0039] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0040] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0041] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s)) with software, software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions), and

[0042] (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0043] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0044] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol (including but not limited to the third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or higher generation communication protocol). The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0045] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a transmit receive point (TRP), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as a femto, a pico), etc.

[0046] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0047] As described above, configuring two TA loops and two TAGs for multi-TRP operation facilitates multi-TRP enhancement. Multi-TRP operation can be intra-cell multi-TRP operation or inter-cell multi-TRP operation. TRP can be a serving cell or another cell. In some embodiments, a gNB that provides one or more beams for a user equipment for communication can be specified within a cell. In some embodiments, a cell or a cell group that provides services for a user equipment for communication can be specified between cells. In some embodiments, two or more (physical) cells associated with one TRP that provides services for a user equipment, respectively, can be specified between cells, and the TRPs associated with the cells belong to the same or different gNBs.

[0048] In a multi-TRP operation, a TRP among multiple TRPs that performs data transmission to a terminal device may be associated with (multiple) TAGs. In some embodiments, a TAG may be associated with at least one of the following items: a TCI state, a control resource pool index, or a physical cell identifier (PCI). For example, each TRP may provide a cell associated with a TAG having at least one of the following items: a corresponding TCI state, a control resource pool index, or a PCI. The TCI state defines a quasi-co-located (QCL) source and a QCL type for a target reference signal, and may specify a transmission configuration including a QCL relationship between RSs in a downlink reference signal (RS) set. The TCI state may be dynamically sent in a DCI message.

[0049] In Rel-18, two TA loops are introduced for multi-TRP operation based on multi-DCI, and two TAGs can be configured to the terminal device. In the case where there are two or more TAGs associated with different TCI states in a multi-TRP scenario, an additional TA loop may need to be initialized for TA adjustment when the additional TCI state is activated. If the additional TA loop for the additional TCI state has not been initiated, the UE can only use the previous TA loop for the additional TCI state, and sometimes, the uplink data for the additional TCI state may be received at the network device outside the CP length, resulting in a poor received signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) of the uplink data, or even the loss of the data due to timing misalignment. In the case of UL TCI state switching, an additional TA loop also needs to be initialized, and similar problems may occur.

[0050] Therefore, in order to enhance the timing alignment operation and reduce the possibility of uplink data degradation or loss for the additional TA loop, an improved scheme for initializing or activating the additional TA loop when the additional TCI state is activated is needed.

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal device receives a new TCI state indication from a network device. The new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission. Then, the terminal device sends at least one uplink signal using a long CP to the network device based on the new TCI state.

[0052] In this way, uplink signal transmission associated with the new TCI state is performed using a long CP instead of a regular CP. Since the long CP has a longer duration than the regular CP, and therefore the long CP can support twice as much delay as the regular CP. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure can withstand more delays and ensure that uplink transmissions for the new TCI state are detected. Therefore, it can be ensured that uplink transmissions for the new TCI state are less likely to be degraded or lost, and the timing alignment operation can be enhanced.

[0053] For illustrative purposes, reference will be made to Figures 1A to 8 The principles and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for uplink transmission using a long CP are described. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are given to enable those skilled in the art to understand the inventive concept of the present disclosure and implement the solution as proposed herein, rather than limiting the scope of the present application in any way.

[0054] Figure 1A An example network environment 100-1 is illustrated in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The environment 100-1, which may be part of a communication network, includes a terminal device and a network device.

[0055] like Figure 1A As shown, the communication network 100-1 may include a terminal device 110 (hereinafter may also be referred to as a user equipment 110 or UE 110). The communication network 100-1 may also include a network device 120 and a network device 130 (hereinafter may also be referred to as a TRP or BS).

[0056] Each of these network devices may manage one or more cells.Network device 120 may be configured with a plurality of beams 120-1 that provide coverage for corresponding cells, and network device 130 may be configured with a plurality of beams 130-1 that provide coverage for corresponding cells.

[0057] For illustrative purposes, network devices 120, 130 and terminal device 110 constitute a multi-TRP deployment. As shown, network device 120 can directly perform transmission with terminal device 110, and network device 130 can perform transmission with terminal device 110 via reflector 140 (such as a wall). Network devices 120 and 130 have different distances from terminal device 110.

[0058] The network device 120 may be associated with a first TAG associated with a first TCI state and communicate with the terminal device 110 using a first TA loop. The network device 130 may be associated with a second TAG associated with a second TCI state and communicate with the terminal device 110 using a second TA loop.

[0059] In some scenarios, the terminal device 110 may currently be performing a first transmission with the network device 120, and then a second transmission (associated with a second TCI state) between the terminal device 110 and the network device 130 may need to be newly added. However, in this case, since the second TA loop associated with the second TCI state has not yet been initialized, the second transmission still needs to use the first TA loop for the second TCI state in the initial stage.

[0060] Figure 1B Another example network environment 100-2 is illustrated in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The environment 100-2, which may be part of a communication network, includes a terminal device and a network device.

[0061] like Figure 1B As shown, the communication network 100-2 may include a terminal device 110 (hereinafter also referred to as a user equipment 110 or UE 110). The communication network 100-2 may also include a network device 120 (hereinafter also referred to as a TRP or BS).

[0062] Each of these network devices may manage one or more cells. The network device 120 may be configured with a plurality of beams 120-1 and 120-2 that provide coverage for corresponding cells.

[0063] For illustrative purposes, the network device 120 and the terminal device 110 constitute another multi-TRP deployment. As shown in the figure, the network device 120 can directly perform transmission with the terminal device 110 using the beam 120-1 in the first direction, and can also perform transmission with the terminal device 110 via the reflector 140 (such as a wall) using the beam 120-2 in the second direction. The two different transmission paths between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 have different distances.

[0064] For a first path using beam 120-1 in a first direction, network device 120 may be associated with a first TAG associated with a first TCI state and use a first TA loop for transmission with terminal device 110. For a second path using beam 120-2 in a second direction, network device 120 may be associated with a second TAG associated with a second TCI state and use a second TA loop for transmission with terminal device 110.

[0065] In some scenarios, the terminal device 110 is currently using the beam 120-1 associated with the first TCI state for a first transmission with the network device 120, and then the first transmission may need to be switched to use the beam 120-2 associated with the second TCI state to perform signal transmission in the second direction. However, since the second TA loop associated with the second TCI state has not yet been initialized, similar to the activation of the additional TCI, in the initial stage, after the switching of the TCI state, the first transmission still needs to use the first TA loop for the second TCI state.

[0066] For illustrative purposes, Figure 1A and Figure 1B In the network environment shown, the terminal device can measure the timing of the downlink RS for each TCI state. However, the network device 120 or 130 does not know the arrival time (ToA) difference of (multiple) downlink RSs. Therefore, when the network device 120 or 130 schedules the terminal device 110 for uplink transmission in the second TCI state, the only timing known by the terminal device 110 is the timing of the first TA loop for the first TCI state. Therefore, when the terminal device 110 performs uplink transmission for the second TCI state, the timing may not be aligned, resulting in the uplink transmission for the second TCI state may not be accurately decoded or may be lost. In this case, the terminal device 110 can use a long CP to send an uplink signal, as described below.

[0067] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is given for illustrative purposes only and does not represent any limitation. Systems 100-1 and 100-2 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in environments 100-1 and 100-2.

[0068] The communication in the network environments 100-1 and 100-2 may be implemented according to any appropriate (multiple) communication protocols, including but not limited to the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G) or higher, wireless local area network communication protocols (such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc.), and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee and machine type communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), carrier aggregation (CA), dual connectivity (DC) and new radio unlicensed (NR-U) technology.

[0069] For illustrative purposes, reference will also be made to Figure 2 To describe some example scenarios that require a solution as proposed in this article. Figure 2 An example schematic diagram 200 is illustrated, which shows the received power of uplink signals using a conventional CP at two network devices. For illustrative purposes, a TCI state adding scenario is taken as an example, and a similar description can also be applied to a TCI state switching scenario.

[0070] exist Figure 2 In the figure, it is assumed that the terminal device 110 is sending a first uplink transmission belonging to a first TAG to the network device 120 using a first TA loop associated with a first TCI state. As shown, the uplink transmission can be received by the network device 120 within the normal CP duration, that is, the uplink transmission can be successfully received. Afterwards, due to the trigger of the TCI state addition, the terminal device 110 is sending a second uplink transmission belonging to a second TAG associated with a second TCI state to the network device 130.

[0071] However, since the second TA loop for the second TAG has not yet been configured, the second uplink transmission can still use the first TA loop for the first TAG. In this case, the second uplink transmission can be received outside the regular CP. Therefore, due to timing misalignment, the second uplink transmission will be highly degraded or lost at the network device 130.

[0072] In order to address the timing misalignment caused by a new TCI state introduced by, for example, TCI state addition or TCI state switching, in the present disclosure, a second uplink transmission associated with a second TCI state is scheduled to occur in a long CP to withstand more delays and ensure that the uplink transmission for the new TCI state is detected, thereby ensuring that the uplink transmission for the new TCI state is less likely to be degraded or lost and enhancing timing alignment.

[0073] In particular, the inventors note that each subframe includes multiple symbols, some of which have a regular CP length, while other symbols have a longer CP length. The long CP has a longer (approximately twice) duration than the regular CP. Therefore, the present disclosure proposes to intentionally use a long CP to send uplink signals.

[0074] Figure 3 An example schematic diagram 300 is illustrated showing the received power of uplink signals using a long CP at two network devices, respectively. Figure 3 In the present invention, the TCI state adding scenario is still taken as an example, and a similar description can also be applied to the TCI state switching scenario.

[0075] exist Figure 3 In the figure, it is still assumed that the terminal device 110 is using the first TA loop associated with the first TCI state to send the first uplink transmission belonging to the first TAG to the network device 120. As shown in the figure, the uplink transmission can be received by the network device 120 within the long CP duration, that is, the uplink transmission can be successfully received.

[0076] Afterwards, the terminal device 110 will send a second uplink transmission belonging to the second TAG associated with the second TCI state to the network device 130. In this case, although the second uplink transmission still uses the first TAG configuration, since the long CP has a longer duration, the second uplink transmission can be successfully received and thus suffer more delays. Therefore, the network device 130 can detect the second uplink transmission without degradation.

[0077] In some embodiments, systems 100-1 and 100-2 may operate with a specific subcarrier spacing (SCS). For example, some SCS may be 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, or 240kHz. For illustrative purposes, systems 100-1 and 100-2 may operate with a 120kHz SCS, where each subframe includes 112 symbols, 110 of which have a regular CP length of 586ns, and 2 of which have a long CP length of 1107ns.

[0078] Long CP duration opportunities may occur every half subframe (ie, 0.5 ms). Assuming that the network device 120 or 130 will use 1 / 3 of the regular CP length for the target uplink timing, the delay that the network device can estimate within the regular CP is CP normal -1 / 3CP normal ≈391ns, while the estimated delay of network equipment in long CP is CP long -1 / 3CP normal ≈912 ns. Therefore, in the long symbol using the long CP, the network device 120 or 130 can detect more than twice the delay compared to the symbol using the normal CP.

[0079] Next, we will refer to Figures 4 to 8 Some example embodiments of the present disclosure are described to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the principles of the present disclosure.

[0080] Figure 4 An example signaling process 400 for uplink transmission using a long CP when an additional TCI state is activated according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The process 400 may involve the following: Figure 1A and Figure 1B The terminal device 110 and the network devices 120 and 130 shown in FIG. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The process 400 is described with reference to the communication environments 100 - 1 and 100 - 2 of FIG. 1 , but the process can also be applied to other communication scenarios with similar problems.

[0081] In process 400, at 410, the terminal device 110 may receive a new TCI state indication from the network device. The new TCI state indication may indicate that the new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission. In some embodiments, the network device as described above may be a network device that provides a service cell for the terminal device 110, such as the network device 120. Alternatively, the network device may also be the network device 130. Without any limitation, in the following embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by taking the network device 120 as an example of a service cell for the terminal device.

[0082] In some embodiments, the new TCI state indication may indicate any of the following: new uplink signal transmission associated with the new TCI state to the network device 120; or switching the uplink signal transmission to the network device 120 from the previous TCI state to the new TCI state. In other words, the new TCI state indication may indicate a newly added TCI state in a TCI state addition scenario, or may indicate switching to a new TCI state in a TCS state switching scenario.

[0083] Upon receiving the new TCI state indication, the terminal device 110 may identify 420 the new TCI state introduced by, for example, a TCI state addition or switching, and prepare to perform uplink transmissions for the new TCI state.

[0084] The terminal device 110 may then send 430 at least one uplink signal using a long CP to the network device 120 based on the new TCI state. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send 430 at least one uplink signal using a long CP to the network device 120 in at least one uplink channel based on the new TCI state.

[0085] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine or may be configured to send at least one predetermined specific uplink signal / channel for a new TCI state and not send other uplink channels / signals for the new TCI state until a TA command corresponding to the new TCI state is received from the network device 120.

[0086] In some embodiments, at least one predetermined specific uplink signal may include an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. These uplink signals may include one or more of the following: an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS), an uplink demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or an uplink phase tracking reference signal (PTRS).

[0087] In some embodiments, at least one predetermined specific uplink channel may include an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. These uplink channels may include one or more of the following: a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PUCCH with a specific format, or a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

[0088] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using a long CP from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be implicitly triggered. For example, when at least one predetermined uplink signal or at least one predetermined uplink channel is configured with one or more resources, or one or more resource sets (such as SRS resources) for a new TCI state, uplink signal transmission using a long CP from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be triggered.

[0089] Additionally or alternatively, when the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state configured for uplink signal transmission using a long CP, uplink signal transmission using a long CP from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be triggered. In other words, some specific TCI states may be preconfigured to use a long CP by, for example, the terminal device 110 or the network device 120. Therefore, when the new TCI state belongs to a preconfigured specific TCI state, uplink signal transmission using a long CP will be triggered.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, when the new TCI state belongs to a specific TCI state, uplink signal transmission using a long CP from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be triggered. The specific TCI state may correspond to at least one of the following items: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using a long CP, a specific control resource pool index, or a specific PCI. In other words, the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 may preconfigure a certain network device, a control resource pool index, or a PCI to use a long CP. Therefore, if the new TCI state belongs to those TCI states corresponding to the preconfigured specific network device, the control resource pool index, or the PCI, uplink signal transmission using a long CP will be triggered. Therefore, the solution proposed herein may be applied to multi-TRP operation between cells or multi-TRP operation within a cell.

[0091] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using the long CP from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be explicitly triggered. For example, the terminal device 110 may receive a trigger command from the network device 120 for uplink signal transmission using the long CP.

[0092] In some embodiments, the trigger command may be included in the same downlink message containing the new TCI state indication. In some embodiments, the downlink message may include at least one of the following items: DCI, or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE). The trigger command may be represented by a bit field or a bit set to a specific value, for example. Additionally or alternatively, if the downlink message containing the new TCI state indication does not include a trigger command, uplink signal transmission using a long CP for the new TCI state may be omitted.

[0093] In some embodiments, when at least one predetermined condition is met, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be performed by the terminal device 110. For example, when the timing difference between the downlink timing associated with the new TCI state and the previous TCI state is equal to or greater than a predetermined timing difference limit, uplink signal transmission using a long CP is performed by the terminal device 110. In fact, such a timing difference may be less than the predetermined timing difference limit, which may indicate that the problem as proposed herein does not occur, and therefore uplink signal transmission using a long CP may not be performed to reduce unnecessary operations.

[0094] In some embodiments, the predetermined timing difference limit may be configured by the network device 120 or the terminal device 110. Additionally or alternatively, the timing difference limit may be expressed in the TA step. If the new TA value associated with the new TCI state exceeds the autonomously allowed step size for the timing adjustment of the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 will perform uplink signal transmission using a long CP. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine whether it is not necessary to perform uplink transmission using a long CP based on the predetermined timing difference limit.

[0095] Additionally or alternatively, when the duration of the long CP is sufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state, uplink signal transmission using the long CP may be performed by the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, if an uplink transmission for the new TCI state is detected before the timer expires or the maximum number of transmissions is reached, the network device 120 infers that the duration of the long CP is sufficient.

[0096] Additionally or alternatively, when the TA command includes a TAG ID associated with a new TCI state but no valid TA value, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be performed by the terminal device 110. In other words, if the TA command includes a TAG ID associated with a new TCI state but no valid TA value, the terminal device 110 may know that a new TA loop is to be activated and uplink signal transmission using a long CP needs to be performed.

[0097] In existing solutions, the Absolute TA Command (TAC) does not have any TAG ID as it is sent as part of the RA procedure. With the proposed solution, the Medium Access Control MAC Control element CE can carry any identifier that commands an absolute TA value.

[0098] In this case, the absolute TAC may include a TAG ID. Therefore, if the TAG ID corresponds to a TAG ID without a valid TA, the terminal device 110 assumes that the TA loop associated with the TAG ID is to be activated. When the terminal device 110 receives TCI state activation without "valid TAG" information, the UE may activate a timer and trigger a pre-configured uplink SRS transmission associated with an uplink TX opportunity with a long CP.

[0099] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may trigger a random access channel (RACH) transmission based on at least one predetermined fallback condition to request a TA value associated with a new TCI state. The RACH transmission may be a fallback option for initiating a second TA loop for a new TCI state, which would consume excessive resources.

[0100] In the present disclosure, RACH transmission may be a fallback option for initializing a second TA loop for a new TCI state. In some embodiments, RACH transmission may be triggered by a TCI state indication based on at least one predetermined fallback condition. For example, RACH transmission may be triggered when a long CP transmission scheme is not applicable or cannot handle a long relative distance between network devices.

[0101] In some embodiments, when the duration of the long CP is insufficient for timing adjustment for a new TCI state, the terminal device 110 may trigger a RACH transmission to request a TA value associated with the new TCI state. That is, although the long CP can withstand more delays than the regular CP, sometimes the long CP is still insufficient for timing adjustment. In this scenario, even if a long CP transmission scheme is used, there will be a timing misalignment problem, so the RACH process needs to be triggered.

[0102] In some embodiments, if no uplink transmission for the new TCI state is detected before the timer expires or the maximum number of transmissions is reached, the network device 120 can infer that the duration of the long CP is insufficient. In some embodiments, the timer and the maximum number of transmissions can be configured by the network device 120.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, when uplink signal transmission using a long CP has been performed a maximum number of times or has been performed for a predetermined time period, the terminal device 110 may trigger a RACH transmission to request a TA value associated with a new TCI state. If the terminal device 110 still does not receive a TA command corresponding to the new TCI state after the maximum number of times or the predetermined time period, the terminal device 110 may use a RACH transmission to request a TA corresponding to the new TCI state.

[0104] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may optionally send a threshold configuration to the terminal device 110 , where the threshold configuration may specify a maximum number of uplink signal transmissions or a predetermined time period for using a long CP.

[0105] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may generate 440 a TA command for TA adjustment based on at least one uplink signal using a long CP associated with the new TCI state received from the terminal device 110. Additionally, the network device 120 may send 450 a TA command to the terminal device 110. Thereafter, the terminal device 110 may perform TA adjustment for the new TCI state according to the TA information in the TA command.

[0106] In some embodiments, after receiving the TA command, the terminal device 110 may send 470 another uplink signal of the new TCI state using a regular CP to the network device 120 based on the TA command. That is, since the second TA loop has been successfully initialized, subsequent uplink transmissions after the TA adjustment may use a regular CP as usual. In some embodiments, the additional uplink signal may be sent in at least one uplink channel associated with the new TCI state using a regular CP based on the TA command.

[0107] In summary, it can be seen that due to the use of a long CP transmission solution, the embodiments of the present disclosure can withstand more delays and ensure that uplink transmissions for new TCI states are detected. Therefore, it can be ensured that uplink transmissions for new TCI states are less likely to be degraded or lost, thereby enhancing timing alignment TA. Compared with using the RACH process to perform timing alignment, the long CP transmission scheme of the present disclosure can be executed more frequently, use less resources, and greatly reduce the delay for new TCI states, thereby greatly improving system performance.

[0108] For example, with respect to the PRACH configuration index for FR2 in 120kHz, there are eight PRACH opportunities, each of which may have a periodicity of 20 slots. In the present disclosure, the long CP transmission scheme may be performed twice for each subframe with a periodicity of 4 slots. Therefore, the long CP transmission scheme of the present disclosure may reduce the latency for the new TCI state by a factor of 5 compared to the RACH process.

[0109] Figure 5 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a terminal device (eg, terminal device 110) according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1A and Figure 1B The method 500 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 .

[0110] At 510, the terminal device 110 may receive a new TCI state indication from the network device 120. The new TCI state indication may indicate that the new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission. At 520, the terminal device 110 may send at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP to the network device 120 based on the new TCI state.

[0111] In some embodiments, the new TCI state indication may indicate any of: a new uplink signal transmission to network device 120 associated with the new TCI state; or a switch of uplink signal transmission to network device 120 from a previous TCI state to a new TCI state.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send at least one uplink signal using a long CP in at least one uplink channel based on the new TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink signal may include at least one predetermined uplink signal. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink signal may include an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink channel includes at least one predetermined uplink channel. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one predetermined uplink channel may include an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP.

[0113] In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink signal may include one or more of the following: SRS; DMRS; or PTRS. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink channel may include one or more of the following: PUCCH; PUCCH with a specific format; or PUSCH.

[0114] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be triggered when at least one predetermined uplink signal or at least one predetermined uplink channel is configured with one or more resources, or one or more resource sets, for a new TCI state.

[0115] In some embodiments, when the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state configured for uplink signal transmission using a long CP, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be triggered. In some embodiments, when the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state corresponding to at least one of the following items, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be triggered: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using a long CP, a specific control resource set pool index, or a specific physical cell identifier PCI.

[0116] In some embodiments, in method 500, terminal device 110 may receive a trigger command for uplink signal transmission using a long CP from network device 120. In some implementations, the trigger command may be included in the same message that includes the new TCI state indication. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following items: DCI, or MAC CE.

[0117] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be performed when at least one predetermined condition is met. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined condition may include one or more of the following: the timing difference between the downlink timing associated with the new TCI state and the previous TCI state is equal to or greater than a predetermined timing difference limit; or the duration of the long CP is sufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state; or the TA command includes a TA group TAG ID associated with the new TCI state, but no valid TA value.

[0118] In some embodiments, in method 500, terminal device 110 may trigger RACH transmission based on at least one predetermined fallback condition to request a TA value associated with a new TCI state. In some embodiments, at least one predetermined fallback condition may include: the duration of the long CP is insufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state; or uplink signal transmission using the long CP has been performed a maximum number of times or has been performed for a predetermined time period. In some embodiments, in method 500, terminal device 110 may receive a threshold configuration from network device 120, wherein the threshold configuration may specify a maximum number of times or a predetermined time period.

[0119] In some embodiments, in method 500, after sending at least one uplink signal using a long CP, the terminal device 110 may receive a TA command associated with a new TCI state for TA adjustment from the network device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send, based on the TA command, another uplink signal based on the new TCI state using a normal CP to the network device 120. In some embodiments, the other uplink signal may be sent in at least one uplink channel associated with the new TCI state using a normal CP based on the TA command.

[0120] Figure 6 An example flow chart of a method 600 implemented at a network device (eg, network device 120) according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1A and Figure 1B Method 600 is described from the perspective of network device 120 .

[0121] At 610, the network device 120 may send a new TCI state indication to the terminal device 110. The new TCI state indication may indicate that the new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission. At 620, the network device 120 may receive at least one uplink signal using a long CP from the terminal device 110 based on the new TCI state.

[0122] In some embodiments, the new TCI state indication may indicate any of: a new uplink signal transmission to the network device associated with the new TCI state; or a switch of uplink signal transmission to the network device from a previous TCI state to a new TCI state.

[0123] In some embodiments, the network device 120 may receive at least one uplink signal using a long CP in at least one uplink channel based on the new TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink signal may include at least one predetermined uplink signal, and the at least one predetermined uplink signal includes an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink channel includes at least one predetermined uplink channel, and the at least one predetermined uplink channel may include an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink signal may include one or more of the following: SRS; DMRS; or PTRS. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink channel may include one or more of the following: PUCCH; PUCCH with a specific format; or PUSCH.

[0124] In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 configures at least one predetermined uplink signal or at least one predetermined uplink channel with one or more resources, or one or more resource sets for a new TCI state. In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 configures a TCI state for uplink signal transmission using a long CP; and / or configures a TCI state corresponding to at least one of the following items: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using a long CP, a specific control resource set pool index, or a specific PCI.

[0125] In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 sends a trigger command for uplink signal transmission using a long CP to terminal device 110. In some implementations, the trigger command may be included in the same message that includes the new TCI state indication. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following items: DCI, or MAC CE.

[0126] In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 determines that the duration of the long CP is insufficient for timing adjustment for a new TCI state; wherein the new TCI state indication is used to further trigger RACH transmission.

[0127] In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 sends a threshold configuration to terminal device 110, wherein the threshold configuration may indicate a maximum number of uplink signal transmissions or a predetermined time period for using a long CP.

[0128] In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 may generate a TA command for TA adjustment based on at least one received uplink signal associated with a new TCI state and using a long CP; and send the TA command to terminal device 110. In some embodiments, in method 600, network device 120 may receive, based on the TA command, another uplink signal based on the new TCI state and using a normal CP from terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the other uplink signal may be received in at least one uplink channel associated with the new TCI state and using a normal CP based on the TA command.

[0129] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., terminal device 110) capable of performing any operation of method 500 may include a component for performing the corresponding steps of method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0130] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include means for receiving a new TCI state indication from the network device 120. The new TCI state indication may indicate that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission. The apparatus may also include means for sending at least one uplink signal using a long CP to the network device 120 based on the new TCI state.

[0131] In some embodiments, the new TCI state indication may indicate any of: a new uplink signal transmission to network device 120 associated with the new TCI state; or a switch of uplink signal transmission to network device 120 from a previous TCI state to a new TCI state.

[0132] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for transmitting, based on the new TCI state, at least one uplink signal using a long CP in at least one uplink channel. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink signal may include at least one predetermined uplink signal, and the at least one predetermined uplink signal includes an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be transmitted in a symbol with a long CP. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink channel includes at least one predetermined uplink channel, and the at least one predetermined uplink channel includes an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be transmitted in a symbol with a long CP.

[0133] In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink signal may include one or more of the following: SRS; DMRS; or PTRS. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink channel may include one or more of the following: PUCCH; PUCCH with a specific format; or PUSCH.

[0134] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using a long CP may be triggered when at least one predetermined uplink signal or at least one predetermined uplink channel is configured with one or more resources, or one or more resource sets, for a new TCI state.

[0135] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using long CP may be triggered when the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state configured for uplink signal transmission using long CP, or when the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state corresponding to at least one of the following items: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using long CP, a specific control resource set pool index, or a specific physical cell identifier PCI.

[0136] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for receiving a trigger command for uplink signal transmission using a long CP from the network device 120. In some implementations, the trigger command is included in the same message that includes the new TCI state indication. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following items: DCI, or MAC CE.

[0137] In some embodiments, uplink signal transmission using a long CP is performed when at least one predetermined condition is met. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined condition may include one or more of the following: the timing difference between the downlink timing associated with the new TCI state and the previous TCI state is equal to or greater than a predetermined timing difference limit; or the duration of the long CP is sufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state; or the TA command includes a TA group TAG ID associated with the new TCI state, but no valid TA value.

[0138] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for triggering a RACH transmission based on at least one predetermined backoff condition to request a TA value associated with a new TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined backoff condition may include: the duration of the long CP is insufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state; or uplink signal transmission using the long CP has been performed a maximum number of times or has been performed for a predetermined time period.

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving a threshold configuration from the network device 120, wherein the threshold configuration may specify a maximum number of times or a predetermined time period.

[0140] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for receiving a TA command associated with the new TCI state for TA adjustment from the network device 120 after sending the at least one uplink signal using the long CP. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for sending, based on the TA command, an additional uplink signal based on the new TCI state and using the normal CP to the network device 120. In some embodiments, the additional uplink signal may be sent in at least one uplink channel associated with the new TCI state using the normal CP based on the TA command.

[0141] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., network device 120) capable of performing any operation of method 600 may include a component for performing the corresponding steps of method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented as a circuit system or a software module.

[0142] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for sending a new TCI state indication to the terminal device 110. The new TCI state indication may indicate that the new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for receiving at least one uplink signal using a long CP from the terminal device 110 based on the new TCI state.

[0143] In some embodiments, the new TCI state indication may indicate any of: a new uplink signal transmission to the network device associated with the new TCI state; or a switch of uplink signal transmission to the network device from a previous TCI state to a new TCI state.

[0144] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for receiving at least one uplink signal using a long CP in at least one uplink channel based on a new TCI state. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink signal may include at least one predetermined uplink signal, and the at least one predetermined uplink signal includes an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. In some embodiments, the at least one uplink channel includes at least one predetermined uplink channel, and the at least one predetermined uplink channel includes an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be sent in a symbol with a long CP. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink signal may include one or more of the following: SRS; DMRS; or PTRS. In some embodiments, the at least one predetermined uplink channel may include one or more of the following: PUCCH; PUCCH with a specific format; or PUSCH.

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for configuring at least one predetermined uplink signal or at least one predetermined uplink channel with one or more resources or one or more resource sets for a new TCI state. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for: configuring a TCI state for uplink signal transmission using a long CP; and / or configuring a TCI state corresponding to at least one of the following items: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using a long CP, a specific control resource set pool index, or a specific PCI.

[0146] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for sending a trigger command for uplink signal transmission using a long CP to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the trigger command may be included in the same message including the new TCI state indication. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following items: DCI, or MACCE.

[0147] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining that the duration of the long CP is insufficient for timing adjustment for a new TCI state; wherein the new TCI state indication is used to further trigger RACH transmission.

[0148] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for sending a threshold configuration to the terminal device 110, wherein the threshold configuration may indicate a maximum number of times or a predetermined time period for uplink signal transmission using a long CP.

[0149] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for: generating a TA command for TA adjustment based on at least one received uplink signal associated with the new TCI state and using a long CP; and sending the TA command to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving, based on the TA command, an additional uplink signal based on the new TCI state and using a regular CP from the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the additional uplink signal may be received in at least one uplink channel associated with the new TCI state and using a regular CP based on the TA command.

[0150] Figure 7 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as the terminal device 110 shown in FIG. 1 . As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules (such as a transmitter and / or a receiver (TX / RX)) 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0151] TX / RX 740 is used for bidirectional communication. TX / RX 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0152] Processor 710 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0153] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0154] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The computer program 730 may be stored in the ROM 724. The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0155] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program so that the device 700 may execute the following steps: Figures 3 to 6 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0156] In some embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 700 (such as in the memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 830 stored thereon.

[0157] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0158] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above reference Figures 3 to 6 The process 400, method 500 or 600 described. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0159] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the function / operation specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be realized. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0160] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0161] Computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. Computer readable medium can include but is not limited to electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A more specific example of a computer readable storage medium will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term "non-transient" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a restriction on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0162] In addition, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or performing all the operations shown, to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0163] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features or acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: one or more transceivers; as well as One or more processors are communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the terminal device to: receiving a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state is to be used for uplink signal transmission; and Based on the new TCI state, at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) is sent to the network device.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the new TCI status indication indicates any one of the following items: a new uplink signal transmission to the network device associated with the new TCI state; or The uplink signal transmission to the network device is switched from a previous TCI state to the new TCI state.

3. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein sending at least one uplink signal using a long CP based on the new TCI state comprises: Based on the new TCI state, the at least one uplink signal using the long CP is transmitted in at least one uplink channel.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The at least one uplink signal includes at least one predetermined uplink signal, and the at least one predetermined uplink signal includes an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be transmitted in a symbol having the long CP.

5. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein The at least one uplink channel includes at least one predetermined uplink channel, and the at least one predetermined uplink channel includes an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be transmitted in a symbol having the long CP.

6. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one predetermined uplink signal comprises one or more of the following: Uplink sounding reference signal SRS; Uplink demodulation reference signal DMRS; or Uplink Phase Tracking Reference Signal PTRS.

7. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one predetermined uplink channel comprises one or more of the following: Physical uplink control channel PUCCH; PUCCH with a specific format; or Physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

8. A terminal device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein when the at least one predetermined uplink signal or the at least one predetermined uplink channel is configured with one or more resources, or one or more resource sets, for the new TCI state, the uplink signal transmission using the long CP is triggered.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the uplink signal transmission using the long CP is triggered in the following case: When the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state configured for uplink signal transmission using the long CP, or When the new TCI state belongs to a TCI state corresponding to at least one of the following items: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using the long CP, a specific control resource set pool index, or a specific physical cell identifier PCI.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: A trigger command for uplink signal transmission using the long CP is received from the network device.

11. The terminal device of claim 10, wherein the trigger command is included in the same message that includes the new TCI status indication. 12 . The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the uplink signal transmission using the long CP is performed when at least one predetermined condition is satisfied.

13. The terminal device according to claim 12, wherein the at least one predetermined condition comprises one or more of the following: the timing difference between the downlink timing associated with the new TCI state and the previous TCI state is equal to or greater than a predetermined timing difference limit; or The duration of the long CP is sufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state; or The TA command includes the TA group TAG ID associated with the new TCI state, but no valid TA value.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Based on at least one predetermined backoff condition, a random access channel RACH transmission is triggered to request a timing advance TA value associated with the new TCI state.

15. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the at least one predetermined fallback condition comprises: The duration of the long CP is insufficient for timing adjustment for the new TCI state; or The uplink signal transmission using the long CP has been performed a maximum number of times or has been performed for a predetermined period of time.

16. The terminal device according to claim 15, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: A threshold configuration is received from the network device, wherein the threshold configuration specifies the maximum number of times or the predetermined time period.

17. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: After transmitting the at least one uplink signal using the long CP, a TA command associated with the new TCI state for TA adjustment is received from the network device.

18. The terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Based on the TA command, an additional uplink signal based on the new TCI state and using a normal CP is sent to the network device.

19. The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein the message comprises at least one of the following items: downlink control information DCI, or media access control MAC control element CE.

20. A network device comprising: one or more transceivers; as well as One or more processors are communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, and the one or more processors are configured to cause the network device to: Sending a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to the terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and Based on the new TCI state, at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP is received from the terminal device.

21. The network device of claim 20, wherein the new TCI status indication indicates any one of the following: a new uplink signal transmission to the network device associated with the new TCI state; or The uplink signal transmission to the network device is switched from a previous TCI state to the new TCI state.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 21, wherein receiving at least one uplink signal using a long CP based on the new TCI state comprises: Based on the new TCI state, the at least one uplink signal using the long CP is received in at least one uplink channel.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein The at least one uplink signal includes at least one predetermined uplink signal, and the at least one predetermined uplink signal includes an uplink signal scheduled or configured to be transmitted in a symbol having the long CP.

24. The network device according to claim 22, wherein The at least one uplink channel includes at least one predetermined uplink channel, and the at least one predetermined uplink channel includes an uplink channel scheduled or configured to be transmitted in a symbol having the long CP.

25. The network device of claim 23, wherein the at least one predetermined uplink signal comprises one or more of the following: Uplink sounding reference signal SRS; Uplink demodulation reference signal DMRS; or Uplink Phase Tracking Reference Signal PTRS.

26. The network device of claim 24, wherein the at least one predetermined uplink channel comprises one or more of the following: Physical uplink control channel PUCCH; PUCCH with a specific format; or Physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

27. The network device according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein the network device is further configured to: The at least one predetermined uplink signal or the at least one predetermined uplink channel is configured with one or more resources, or one or more resource sets, for the new TCI state.

28. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein the network device is further configured to: configuring a TCI state for uplink signal transmission using the long CP; and / or A TCI state corresponding to at least one of the following items is configured: a specific network device configured for uplink signal transmission using the long CP, a specific control resource set pool index, or a specific physical cell identifier PCI.

29. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 28, wherein the network device is further configured to: A trigger command for uplink signal transmission using the long CP is sent to the terminal device.

30. The network device of claim 29, wherein the trigger command is included in the same message that includes the new TCI status indication.

31. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 30, wherein the network device is further configured to: determining that the duration of the long CP is insufficient for a timing adjustment for the new TCI state; The new TCI status indication is used to further trigger RACH transmission.

32. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 31, wherein the network device is further configured to: A threshold configuration is sent to the terminal device, wherein the threshold configuration indicates a maximum number of times or a predetermined time period for the uplink signal transmission using the long CP.

33. The network device according to any one of claims 20 to 32, wherein the network device is further configured to: generating a TA command for TA adjustment based on the received at least one uplink signal associated with the new TCI state and using the long CP; and Send the TA command to the terminal device.

34. The network device of claim 33, wherein the network device is further caused to: Based on the TA command, an additional uplink signal based on the new TCI state and using a normal CP is received from the terminal device.

35. The network device according to claim 30, wherein the message comprises at least one of the following: downlink control information (DCI) or a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).

36. A method at a terminal device, comprising: receiving a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state is to be used for uplink signal transmission; and Based on the new TCI state, at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) is sent to the network device.

37. A method at a network device, comprising: Sending a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to the terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and Based on the new TCI state, at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP is received from the terminal device.

38. A terminal device, comprising: means for receiving a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state is to be used for uplink signal transmission; as well as A means for sending at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) to the network device based on the new TCI state.

39. A device for a network device, comprising: A component for sending a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to a terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; as well as A means for receiving at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) from the terminal device based on the new TCI state.

40. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: receiving a new transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state indication from a network device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state is to be used for uplink signal transmission; and At least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix (CP) is sent to the network device based on the new TCI state.

41. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: Sending a new transmission configuration indicator TCI state indication to the terminal device, wherein the new TCI state indication indicates that a new TCI state will be used for uplink signal transmission; and Based on the new TCI state, at least one uplink signal using a long cyclic prefix CP is received from the terminal device.

42. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 36 or 37.

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