Handling of reception timing differences for in-band carriers

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to processing of RTD of an in-band carrier. A first device receives, from a second device, an indication indicating that information of an RTD related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell being non-co-located in a frequency band with the serving cell. And the first equipment sends the information of the RTD to the second equipment. In this manner, information of the RTD of the non-co-located cell may be indicated to the network for optimizing network scheduling and system performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for handling communications of receive timing differences (RTDs) of in-band carriers. Background Art

[0002] It is well known that for frequency range 1 (FR1) intra-band carrier aggregation (CA), assuming different carriers or cells are co-located, the expected maximum receive time difference (MRTD) is 3μs considering similar propagation delays. When non-co-located scenarios are introduced, if the MRTD for intra-band CA follows the value of 33μs defined for inter-band CA assuming non-co-located carriers, such a longer MRTD may cause potential performance degradation. This will bring challenges to network scheduling and system performance. Summary of the invention

[0003] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for handling RTD of in-band carriers.

[0004] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the first device to at least: receive an indication from a second device, the indication indicating that information about a reception timing difference related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, and the first cell and the serving cell are not co-located in a frequency band; and send the information about the reception timing difference to the second device.

[0005] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the second device to at least: send an indication to a first device, the indication indicating that information about a reception timing difference related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell are not co-located in a frequency band; and receive information about the reception timing difference from the first device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method for communication is provided, comprising: receiving, at a first device, an indication from a second device, the indication indicating that information on a receive timing difference related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in a frequency band; and sending the information on the receive timing difference to the second device.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises: at a second device, sending an indication to a first device, the indication indicating that information on a reception timing difference related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in a frequency band; and receiving information on the reception timing difference from the first device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a device for communication is provided. The device includes: a component for receiving an indication from a second device at a first device, the indication indicating that information of a reception timing difference related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in a frequency band; and a component for sending the information of the reception timing difference to the second device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a device for communication is provided. The device includes: a component for sending an indication at a second device to a first device, the indication indicating that information of a reception timing difference related to a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in a frequency band; and a component for receiving the information of the reception timing difference from the first device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0012] 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 be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0015] Figure 2 A diagram illustrating example RTDs between intra-band carriers in a non-co-sited scenario in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0016] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating a process for communication for RTD processing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an example process of adding a cell as a secondary cell (SCell) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 5A A diagram illustrating an example process of activating a cell configured as an SCell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 5B A diagram illustrating an example process of deactivating a cell configured as an SCell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an example method implemented at a first device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example method implemented at a second device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only for illustrative purposes, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the modes described below.

[0026] 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.

[0027] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. In addition, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an example embodiment, it should be considered that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0028] 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, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] The term used herein is only used to describe the purpose of specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit example embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly states otherwise, the singular form "one", "one" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms. It will also be understood that the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "comprises" and / or "comprising", when used herein, specify the existence of the features, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or their combinations. As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of the list of two or more elements>" and similar wording, wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or", representing at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0031] (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry)

[0032] as well as

[0033] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0034] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and

[0035] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) and

[0036] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0037] 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 (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" also covers, for example, 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, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0038] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any appropriate 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 appropriate generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), future sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems, using which the present disclosure can be embodied. This should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above-mentioned systems.

[0039] 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 therefrom. 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 new radio (NR) next generation NodeB (also known as gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as a femto node, a micro node), etc. The RAN split architecture includes a gNB-CU (centralized unit, hosting RRC, SDAP and PDCP) that controls multiple gNB-DUs (distributed units, hosting RLC, MAC and PHY).

[0040] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that can perform wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local 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 client device (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 (such as remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (such as robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0041] Although in various example embodiments, the functions described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes, in other example embodiments, the functions may be implemented in a user equipment device (such as a mobile phone or tablet or laptop or desktop or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). The user equipment device may, for example, be equipped with corresponding functions as associated with fixed and / or (multiple) wireless network nodes as required. The user equipment device may be a user device and / or a control device, such as a chipset or processor, configured to control the user device when installed in the user device. Examples of such functions include boot server functions and / or home subscriber servers, which may be implemented in the user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to perform from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0042] Until the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17, only the co-location scenario was assumed in the RRM requirements for intra-band non-contiguous NR-CA in FR1 and for intra-band EN-DC. For intra-band EN-DC, the MRTD requirement is defined based on the UE's asynchronous EN-DC capability. As an MRTD requirement for intra-band non-contiguous NR-CA in FR1, the UE should be able to handle a relative receive timing difference of at least 3us between the timeslot timings of different carriers to be aggregated at the UE, as shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 shows example MRTD requirements for intra-band non-contiguous NR CA according to conventional solutions.

[0043] Table 1

[0044]

[0045] However, from the operator's perspective, UE requirements for non-co-located deployments are critical to enhancing NR-CA / EN-DC available areas. Recently, it has been approved to define UE requirements to support intra-band NR-CA / EN-DC deployments in non-co-located scenarios.

[0046] In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for processing RTD of an in-band carrier in a non-co-located scenario. In the solution, a first device receives an indication from a second device indicating that information about RTD associated with a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, wherein the first cell and the serving cell are not co-located in a frequency band. The first device evaluates the RTD associated with the reception timing of the serving cell and the arrival timing of the first cell on the same frequency band. Then, the first device sends the information about the RTD to the second device.

[0047] In this way, the terminal device can evaluate the RTD for non-co-located carriers and indicate the RTD to the network. With such an indication, the network can control scheduling to minimize performance degradation. In addition, the reception timing on the frequency band can be adjusted to minimize performance degradation.

[0048] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of an example communication environment 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the communication environment 100 may include a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130. The second device 120 may provide a group of cells (e.g., cells 121 and 122 are shown) to serve one or more devices. The third device 130 may also provide a group of cells (for convenience, only one cell 131 is shown) to serve one or more devices.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may be located in the cell 121 and served by the second device 120. The first device 110 may be configured with CA. The first device 110 may be served by the second device 120 and may be connected to both the cells 121 and 122 of the second device 120. For example, the cell 121 may be used as a primary cell (PCell) and the cell 122 may be used as an SCell. In this case, the cell 121 and the cell 122 are co-located.

[0051] In some embodiments, the second device 120 and the third device 130 operate in the same frequency band (eg, FR1). The first device 110 is not served by the third device 130, and the cell 131 is not co-located with the cells 121 and 122. In some embodiments, the second device 120 and the third device 130 may be the same device.

[0052] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and cells given in the embodiment is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation of the present disclosure. The communication environment 100 may include any appropriate number of first devices and / or second devices and / or third devices and / or cells that are suitable for implementing the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may be a terminal device, and the second and third devices 120 and 130 may be network devices.

[0053] For illustrative purposes only, and without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure, some embodiments will be described in the context that the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second and third devices 120 and 130 are network devices. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the first device 110 may be a network device and any one of the second and third devices 120 and 130 may be a terminal device. In other words, the principles and spirit of the present disclosure may be applied to both uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, any one of the first device 110, the second device 120 and the third device 130 can communicate with each other via a wireless communication channel. The communication within the network 100 can meet any suitable standard, including but not limited to LTE, LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. In addition, the communication can be performed according to any generation communication protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) or sixth generation (6G) communication protocols.

[0055] As mentioned above, assuming that different carriers or cells are co-located for FR1 intra-band CA, and considering similar propagation delays, the expected MRTD is 3us. Table 2 shows an example subcarrier spacing (SCS) supported by NR.

[0056] Table 2

[0057] SCS(kHz) <![CDATA[Useful symbol time T u (μs)]]> <![CDATA[Cyclic Prefix (CP) T CP (μs)]]> 15 66.7 4.7 30 33.3 2.3 60 16.7 1.2 120 8.33 0.59 240 4.17 0.29

[0058] As can be seen from Table 2, in the case of 15kHz SCS, the 3μs MRTD ensures that the RTD at the terminal device is within the CP length (e.g., 4.7μs), so that data on multiple carriers can be processed or decoded without any interference. When the SCS is 30kHz or 60kHz, the RTD can exceed the CP length, which will show potential performance degradation. For intra-band carriers, a single receive chain has been assumed, so the terminal device is expected to receive data from multiple carriers on one band using a single timing, which is referred to as the receive timing on the intra-band in the following context.

[0059] When non-co-sited scenarios are introduced, if MRTD should follow the value defined for inter-band CA assuming non-co-sited carriers, a longer MRTD (e.g., 33 μs) will be used in FR1 for non-co-sited intra-band CA scenarios. Compared to 3 μs, which only affects a small number of symbols, such a 33 μs MRTD may extend the potential performance degradation to a maximum of 3 symbols based on SCS. This will have a significant negative impact on system throughput. Here, a 33 μs MRTD is used as an example, assuming a propagation delay of 9 km. In practice, for non-co-sited intra-band CA, the distance may be less than 9 km, so the MRTD can be adjusted between 3 μs and 33 μs accordingly.

[0060] Figure 2 An example RTD between intra-band carriers in a non-co-sited scenario is shown to illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure in which they may be implemented. In this example, the terminal device is configured with non-co-sited intra-band CA, where three carriers operate at 15kHz, 30kHz, and 60kHz, respectively. The carrier operating at 15kHz corresponds to the PCell, and the carriers operating at 30kHz and 60kHz correspond to cell 1 and cell 2, respectively.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, there is a time difference RTD1 between the arrival timing of PCell and cell 1, and there is a time difference RTD2 between the arrival timing of PCell and cell 2. In the worse case, if the RTD is 33μs, and the terminal device operates intra-band CA according to the timing on the PCell using 15kHz SCS, the data received from cell 2 using 60kHz SCS will be processed or decoded with a timing offset of more than 2 symbols from cell 2. Since the terminal device is already required to process only within 3μs RTD according to existing requirements, the data transmission on cell 1 or 2 may not be correctly received by the terminal device because its offset exceeds the UE requirement. The larger the RTD that the terminal device is experiencing, the more severe the performance degradation.

[0062] In addition, it can be observed that the performance degradation depends on the SCS applied in cell 1 or 2. With 30kHz SCS on cell 1, symbol #1 will be interrupted because RTD1 moves almost the entire symbol #1 out of the receive window of the in-band carrier. With 60kHz SCS on cell 2, RTD2 moves symbols #2, 3 out of the receive window and also affects symbol #1. The performance degradation on cell 2 with 60kHz SCS is more severe than the performance degradation on cell 1 with 30kHz SCS.

[0063] Given the potential performance degradation, the network may need to avoid scheduling terminal devices on interrupted symbols to ensure data transmission performance. However, the network is not always able to understand the RTD actually experienced on the terminal device side, or the receive timing applied to the in-band carrier. Especially in non-co-site scenarios, the network cannot predict on which symbols and how many symbols the performance degradation will occur. It will be very challenging to determine whether and where to schedule a terminal device with good system performance.

[0064] It should also be mentioned that even under the same RTD conditions, different UE architectures are expected to perform differently in terms of the performance degradation experienced. Therefore, some UE implementations will be more robust to RTD and can compensate for the performance degradation to some extent. However, some UE implementations may experience intolerable performance degradation and scheduling should not be allowed.

[0065] In any case, the non-co-location scenario for FR1 intra-band CA results in a longer RTD at the terminal device side, which may cause performance degradation over potentially multiple symbols. This brings challenges to network scheduling and system performance.

[0066] Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for processing RTD of in-band carriers. Figure 3 is described.

[0067] It should be noted that the present solution can be applied to intra-band CA scenarios and can also be applied to intra-band EN-DC if the terminal device does not indicate that it is capable of asynchronous frequency division duplex (FDD)-FDD EN-DC operation. In the context of the present disclosure, RTD may refer to the time difference between the reception timing on the intra-band and the reception timing of the carrier on the band. The term "band" may be used interchangeably with "frequency band".

[0068] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a process 300 for communication for RTD processing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, the process 300 will refer to Figure 1 Process 300 may involve: Figure 1The first device 110 and the second device 120 are shown. It is assumed that the first device 110 is served by the second device 120.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, the second device 120 sends 310 an indication to the first device 110, which indicates that information about the RTD between the non-co-located cell (also referred to as the first cell herein for convenience, e.g., cell 131) and the serving cell or information about the RTD between the non-co-located cell and the in-band reception timing is to be reported. In some embodiments, the serving cell may be a PCell. In some embodiments, the serving cell may be an SCell co-located with the PCell. It should be understood that the reception timing of the serving cell is used as the reception timing in the band.

[0070] In some embodiments, the information of the RTD may include a reference timing for the RTD (ie, the reception timing on the in-band). In other words, the first device 110 may be instructed to report which cell timing is used as the reception timing on the in-band.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the reception timing of a PCell (e.g., cell 121) as the reference timing. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the reception timing of a primary secondary cell (PSCell) as the reference timing. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the reception timing of an SCell (e.g., cell 122) as the reference timing, where the SCell is one of the SCells in the set of SCells co-located with the PCell or the PSCell in the frequency band. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may use a default or predetermined reception timing (e.g., PCell) as the reference timing.

[0072] In some embodiments, the RTD information may include information indicating whether the RTD between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets the predetermined requirement (also referred to as first information herein for convenience). In other words, the first device 110 may be instructed to report whether the RTD meets the predetermined requirement.

[0073] In some embodiments, if the RTD is below a threshold, the first device 110 may determine that the RTD meets a predetermined requirement. If the RTD is above a threshold, the first device 110 may determine that the RTD does not meet a predetermined requirement. In some embodiments, if the RTD is equal to a threshold, the first device 110 may determine that the RTD does not meet a predetermined requirement. In some embodiments, if the RTD is equal to a threshold, the first device 110 may determine that the RTD meets a predetermined requirement.

[0074] In some embodiments, the RTD information may include information of a symbol set that will experience performance degradation on the first cell (also referred to herein as second information for convenience). In other words, the first device 110 may be instructed to report the information of the symbol set.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the number of symbols in the symbol set as the information of the symbol set. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine the index of the symbol (eg, each symbol) in the symbol set as the information of the symbol set. For example, if the cell 121 is Figure 2 PCell in, and cell 131 is Figure 2 If cell 121 is cell 1 in the Figure 2 PCell in, and cell 131 is Figure 2 If it is cell 2 in the , the symbol set may include symbols #1, 2, and 3 of cell 2.

[0076] In some embodiments, the RTD information may include information indicating the level of performance degradation (also referred to herein as third information for convenience). In other words, the first device 110 may be instructed to report the level of performance degradation. For example, the first device 110 may indicate how severe the performance degradation is expected to be and whether scheduling restrictions are expected on the first cell.

[0077] For example, if the reception timing of the first cell is offset by only a few μs (e.g., Figure 2 The performance degradation is not serious, and the first device 110 may only indicate a slight performance degradation, which may not prevent the second device 120 from scheduling the first device 110. As another example, if the reception timing of the first cell is offset by a lot, such as Figure 2 2, then the performance degradation cannot be compensated by the first device 110. In this case, the first device 110 may indicate severe performance degradation, which may prevent the second device 120 from scheduling the first device 110 (e.g., on the relevant symbols) or prevent the first device 110 from reacting to scheduling on the relevant symbols. Depending on the level of performance degradation, the second device 120 may be able to behave differently when scheduling the first device 110.

[0078] In some embodiments, the information of RTD may include information indicating the level of RTD (also referred to herein as fourth information for convenience). In other words, the first device 110 may be indicated to report the level of RTD.

[0079] In some embodiments, the level of RTD can be associated with CP (e.g., CP length). For example, RTD can be less than or equal to CP length. As another example, RTD can be between CP length and twice of CP length. As another example, RTD can be greater than twice of CP length. It should be understood that these examples are only for illustration, and any other suitable manner is also feasible.

[0080] It should be understood that the second device 120 can instruct the first device 110 to report any combination of the above information of the RTD and any other suitable information of the RTD.

[0081] Continue to refer Figure 3 In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 311 an indication to the first device 110 indicating whether the first cell is co-located or non-co-located with the serving cell in the frequency band. If the indication indicates that the first cell is non-co-located with the serving cell, the first device 110 may determine that information about an RTD related to the first cell and the serving cell is to be reported, and may evaluate 320 the RTD. If the indication indicates that the first cell is co-located with the serving cell, the first device 110 may not evaluate the RTD.

[0082] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 312 a configuration for performing inter-frequency measurements on the first cell to the first device 110. Upon receiving the configuration, the first device 110 may determine that information of RTD related to the first cell and the serving cell is to be reported and may evaluate 320 the RTD.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send 313 a configuration indicating that the first cell is to be configured as an SCell to the first device 110. Upon receiving the configuration, the first device 110 may determine that information of an RTD related to the first cell and the serving cell is to be reported and may evaluate 320 the RTD.

[0084] In some embodiments where the first cell has been configured as a SCell, the second device 120 may send 314 to the first device 110 a configuration indicating that the first cell is to be activated based on the evaluation of the RTD.

[0085] In some embodiments for RTD evaluation, the first device 110 can evaluate RTD based on measurement or monitoring of downlink reference signals from the serving cell and the first cell. It should be understood that RTD evaluation can be performed in any suitable manner, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect. Therefore, the information of RTD can be obtained.

[0086] refer to Figure 3, the first device 110 may send 330 the RTD information to the second device 120. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send a measurement report including the RTD information to the second device 120. It should be understood that any other suitable manner is also feasible.

[0087] Based on the information of the RTD, the second device 120 may manage 340 the scheduling of the first device 110. For illustration, some example embodiments will be described in conjunction with Figures 4 to 5B is described.

[0088] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example process 400 of adding a cell as an SCell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 400 will refer to FIG. Figure 1 Process 400 may involve: Figure 1 1 and 130. Assume that the first device 110 is served by the second device 120 via cells 121 and 122. Cell 121 is used as a PCell, and cell 122 is used as an SCell. Cell 121 is co-located with cell 122. Cell 131 (i.e., the first cell) is not connected to the first device 110 and is not co-located with cells 121 and 122. Cells 121, 122, and 131 are located on the same frequency band.

[0089] like Figure 4 As shown, the second device 120 (via the PCell) may send 410 an indication to the first device 110 that the cell 131 is not co-located. The second device 120 may also send 420 a configuration for performing inter-frequency measurements on the cell 131 to the first device 110. Based on the configuration for inter-frequency measurements, the first device 110 may detect and measure the cell 131.

[0090] The first device 110 may then evaluate 430 the RTD of the cell 131. Figure 4 , the first device 110 may measure 431 a downlink reference signal from the cell 121. The first device 110 may measure 432 a downlink reference signal from the cell 122. The first device 110 may measure 433 a downlink reference signal from the cell 131. Then, the first device 110 may determine 434 information of the RTD of the cell 131 based on the measurement of the downlink reference signals from the cells 121, 122, and 131.

[0091] like Figure 4 As shown, the first device 110 may send 440 RTD information to the second device 120 (via a PCell or SCell configured with a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). Figure 3 The description is similar and therefore will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0092] If the information of the RTD indicates that severe performance degradation may be caused, the second device 120 may not configure 450 the first cell 131 as an SCell. If the information of the RTD indicates that no or slight performance degradation may be caused, the second device 120 may send 450' indicating that the first cell is added as a configuration of the SCell (also referred to herein as SCell configuration).

[0093] For example, if the RTD is lower than or equal to a threshold, the second device 120 may send an SCell configuration. In another example, if a slight performance degradation is indicated, the second device 120 may send an SCell configuration. In yet another example, if the RTD is lower than or equal to the CP length, the second device 120 may send an SCell configuration. It should be understood that the above conditions may be used in any suitable combination to determine the transmission of an SCell configuration.

[0094] Figure 5A FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example process 500A for activating a cell configured as an SCell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 500A will refer to Figure 1 Process 500A may involve: Figure 1 1 and 1. The first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 130 are shown. It is assumed that the first device 110 is served by the second device 120 via cells 121 and 122. Cell 121 is used as a PCell, and cell 122 is used as an SCell. Cell 121 is co-located with cell 122. Cell 131 (i.e., the first cell) is configured as an SCell and is not co-located with cells 121 and 122. Cells 121, 122, and 131 are located on the same frequency band.

[0095] like Figure 5A As shown, the second device 120 (via the PCell) may send 510 an indication to the first device 110 indicating that the cell 131 is not co-located. The second device 120 may send 520 an SCell configuration to the first device 110 indicating that the cell 131 is to be configured as an SCell.

[0096] Based on receiving the SCell configuration, the first device 110 may evaluate 530 the RTD of the cell 131. Figure 5A, the first device 110 may measure 531 a downlink reference signal from the cell 121. The first device 110 may measure 532 a downlink reference signal from the cell 122. The first device 110 may measure 533 a downlink reference signal from the cell 131. Then, the first device 110 may determine 534 information of the RTD of the cell 131 based on the measurement of the downlink reference signals from the cells 121, 122, and 131.

[0097] like Figure 5A As shown, the first device 110 may send 540 RTD information to the second device 120 (via the PCell or the SCell configured with the PUCCH). Figure 3 The description is similar and therefore will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0098] If the information of the RTD indicates that no or slight performance degradation may be caused, the second device 120 may send 550 a command to activate the first cell. For example, the second device 120 may send a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) (e.g., an SCell activation command) to activate the cell 131. It should be noted that the command may take any other suitable form. If the information of the RTD indicates that severe performance degradation may be caused, the second device 120 may not activate 550' the first cell.

[0099] Figure 5B FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example process 500B for deactivating a cell configured as an SCell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the process 500B will refer to Figure 1 Process 500B may involve: Figure 1 1 and 130. Assume that the first device 110 is served by the second device 120 via cells 121 and 122. Cell 121 is used as a PCell, and cell 122 is used as an SCell. Cell 121 is co-located with cell 122. Cell 131 (i.e., the first cell) is configured as an SCell and is not co-located with cells 121 and 122. Cells 121, 122, and 131 are on the same frequency band.

[0100] like Figure 5B As shown, the second device 120 (via the PCell) may send 560 an indication to the first device 110 indicating that the cell 131 is not co-located. The second device 120 may send 561 an SCell configuration to the first device 110 indicating that the cell 131 is to be configured as an SCell.

[0101] Continue to refer Figure 5B, the second device 120 may send 562 to the first device 110 a command indicating that the cell 131 is activated. For example, the second device 120 may send a MAC CE to activate the cell 131. It should be noted that the command may take any other suitable form.

[0102] Based on receiving the command, the first device 110 may evaluate 570 the RTD of the cell 131. Figure 5B , the first device 110 may measure 571 a downlink reference signal from the cell 121. The first device 110 may measure 572 a downlink reference signal from the cell 122. The first device 110 may measure 573 a downlink reference signal from the cell 131. Then, the first device 110 may determine 574 information of the RTD of the cell 131 based on the measurement of the downlink reference signals from the cells 121, 122, and 131.

[0103] like Figure 5B As shown, the first device 110 can send 580 RTD information to the second device 120 (via PCell). Other details and combinations of RTD information Figure 3 The description is similar, so for the sake of brevity it will not be repeated here.

[0104] If the RTD information indicates that severe performance degradation may be caused, the second device 120 may send 590 a command to deactivate the first cell. For example, the second device 120 may send a MAC CE to deactivate the cell 131. It should be noted that the command may take any other suitable form. If the RTD information indicates that no or slight performance degradation may be caused, the second device 120 may not deactivate 590' the first cell. Figure 4 , 5A Other details of the 5B process are Figure 3 The description is similar and therefore omitted here for brevity.

[0105] Using the above process, the RTD information of non-co-located in-band carriers can be indicated to the network, and network scheduling and system performance may be improved. It should be noted that Figures 3 to 5B The above process shown is merely an example and may have additional or fewer operations. It should also be noted that Figures 4 to 5B The processes shown above may be performed separately or in any suitable combination.

[0106] Corresponding to the above process, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication method. Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example method 600 implemented at a first device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 600 will refer to Figure 1 is described.

[0107] At block 610, the first device 110 receives an indication from the second device 120 that information about RTD related to the first cell and the serving cell is to be reported, wherein the first cell and the serving cell are not co-located in the frequency band. In some embodiments, the serving cell is a cell in a set of co-located PCells and SCells in the frequency band.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive an indication from the second device 120 that the first cell is not co-located with a serving cell in the frequency band. In this manner, the first device 110 may begin evaluating the RTD.

[0109] At block 620 , the first device 110 sends information of the RTD to the second device 120 .

[0110] In some embodiments, the information of RTD includes at least one of the following items: a reference timing for RTD, first information indicating whether the RTD between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets predetermined requirements, second information on a set of symbols that will experience performance degradation on the first cell, third information indicating the level of performance degradation, or fourth information indicating the level of RTD.

[0111] In some embodiments, the reference timing is one of the following: the reception timing of the PCell or PSCell, the reception timing of the SCell in the SCell set co-located with the PCell or PSCell in the frequency band, or a predetermined reception timing. In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of symbols in the symbol set, or the index of the symbol in the symbol set. In some embodiments, the level of the reception timing difference is associated with the cyclic prefix.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a configuration for inter-frequency measurement on the first cell from the second device 120. Based on receiving the configuration, the first device 110 may evaluate and send information of the RTD. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell based on the information of the RTD from the second device 120. In some embodiments, if the information of the received timing difference indicates that no or slight performance degradation is caused, the first device 110 may receive a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell from the second device 120.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a configuration indicating that the first cell is configured as an SCell from the second device 120. Based on the received configuration, the first device 110 may evaluate and send information of the RTD. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a command from the second device 120 indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell will be activated based on the information of the RTD. In some embodiments, if the information of the received timing difference indicates that no or slight performance degradation is caused, the first device 110 may receive a command from the second device 120 indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell will be activated.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a configuration indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is activated from the second device 120. Based on receiving the configuration, the first device 110 may evaluate and send information of the RTD. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a command indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is to be deactivated from the second device 120 based on the information of the RTD. In some embodiments, if the information of the received timing difference indicates that no or slight performance degradation is caused, the first device 110 may receive a command indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is to be deactivated from the second device 120.

[0115] By using the method 600, the terminal device can indicate the RTD information of the non-co-located cell to the network.

[0116] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example method 700 implemented at a second device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 700 will refer to Figure 1 is described.

[0117] At block 710, the second device 120 sends an indication to the first device 110 that information about RTD related to the first cell and the serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in the frequency band. In some embodiments, the serving cell is one of the co-located PCells and SCells in the frequency band.

[0118] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send an indication to the first device 110 indicating that the first cell is not co-located with the serving cell in a frequency band.

[0119] At block 720 , the second device 120 receives information of the RTD from the first device 110 .

[0120] In some embodiments, the information of RTD includes at least one of the following: a reference timing for RTD, first information indicating whether the RTD between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets predetermined requirements, second information of a set of symbols that will experience performance degradation on the first cell, third information indicating the level of performance degradation, or fourth information indicating the level of RTD.

[0121] In some embodiments, the reference timing is one of the following: the reception timing of the PCell or PSCell, the reception timing of the SCell in the SCell set co-located with the PCell or PSCell in the frequency band, or a predetermined reception timing. In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of symbols in the symbol set, or the index of the symbol in the symbol set. In some embodiments, the level of the reception timing difference is associated with the cyclic prefix.

[0122] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a configuration for inter-frequency measurement on the first cell to the first device 110. Based on the received RTD information, the second device 120 may manage scheduling for the first device 110. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell to the first device 110 based on the RTD information. In some embodiments, if the received timing difference information indicates that no or slight performance degradation is caused, the second device 120 may send a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell to the first device 110.

[0123] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a configuration indicating that the first cell is to be configured as an SCell to the first device 110. Based on the received RTD information, the second device 120 may manage scheduling for the first device 110. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a command indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is to be activated to the first device 110 based on the RTD information. In some embodiments, if the information of the received timing difference indicates that no or slight performance degradation is caused, the second device 120 may send a command indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is to be activated to the first device 110.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a configuration indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is activated to the first device 110. Based on the received RTD information, the second device 120 may manage the scheduling of the first device 110. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send a command indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is to be deactivated to the first device 110 based on the RTD information. In some embodiments, if the information of the received timing difference indicates that no or slight performance degradation is caused, the second device 120 may send a command indicating that the first cell configured as the SCell is to be deactivated to the first device 110.

[0125] Using the method 700 , the network device can manage scheduling for the terminal device based on the received information of the RTD of the non-co-located cell.

[0126] It should be noted that the operations of methods 600 to 700 are combined with Figures 3 to 5B The operations described correspond, so for the sake of brevity, other details are not repeated here.

[0127] The example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide corresponding devices. In some embodiments, a device capable of performing method 600 (e.g., first device 110) 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 in a circuit system or a software module.

[0128] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving an indication from a second device at a first device, the indication indicating that information of a receive timing difference associated with a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, wherein the first cell and the serving cell are not co-located in a frequency band; and a component for sending the information of the receive timing difference to the second device.

[0129] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving an indication from the second device that the first cell is not co-located with the serving cell in a frequency band.

[0130] In some embodiments, the information on the received timing difference includes at least one of the following items: a reference timing for the received timing difference, first information indicating whether the received timing difference between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets predetermined requirements, second information on a set of symbols on the first cell that will experience performance degradation, third information indicating a level of performance degradation, or fourth information indicating a level of the received timing difference.

[0131] In some embodiments, the reference timing is one of the following: the reception timing of the PCell or PSCell, the reception timing of the SCell in the SCell set co-located with the PCell or PSCell in the frequency band, or a predetermined reception timing. In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of symbols in the symbol set, or the index of the symbol in the symbol set. In some embodiments, the level of the reception timing difference is associated with the cyclic prefix.

[0132] In some embodiments, the means for receiving the indication may include means for receiving, from the second device, a configuration for inter-frequency measurements on the first cell.

[0133] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for receiving, from the second device, a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell based on the information of the reception timing difference.

[0134] In some embodiments, the means for receiving an indication may include: a means for receiving a configuration from the second device indicating that the first cell is to be configured as a secondary cell; or a means for receiving a configuration from the second device indicating that the first cell configured as a secondary cell is activated.

[0135] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for receiving a command indicating that the first cell configured as the secondary cell is activated or deactivated from the second device based on the information of the reception timing difference.

[0136] In some embodiments, the serving cell is one of the sets of primary cells, primary secondary cells, and secondary cells co-located in the frequency band.

[0137] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of executing method 700 (eg, second device 120) may include a component for executing the corresponding steps of method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0138] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending an indication to the first device, the indication indicating that information of a reception timing difference related to the first cell and the serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in the frequency band; and a component for receiving the information of the reception timing difference from the first device.

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for sending an indication to the first device that the first cell is not co-located with the serving cell in the frequency band.

[0140] In some embodiments, the information on received timing difference includes at least one of the following items: a reference timing for the received timing difference, first information indicating whether the received timing difference between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets predetermined requirements, second information on a set of symbols that will experience performance degradation on the first cell, third information indicating a level of performance degradation, or fourth information indicating a level of received timing difference.

[0141] In some embodiments, the reference timing is one of the following: the reception timing of the PCell or PSCell, the reception timing of the SCell in the SCell set co-located with the PCell or PSCell in the frequency band, or a predetermined reception timing. In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following: the number of symbols in the symbol set, or the index of the symbol in the symbol set. In some embodiments, the level of the reception timing difference is associated with the cyclic prefix.

[0142] In some embodiments, the means for sending the indication may include means for sending a configuration for inter-frequency measurements on the first cell to the first device.

[0143] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a means for sending a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell to the first device based on the information of the reception timing difference.

[0144] In some embodiments, the means for sending an indication may include: means for sending a configuration indicating that the first cell is to be configured as a secondary cell to the first device; or means for sending a configuration indicating that the first cell configured as a secondary cell is to be activated to the first device.

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: a component for sending a command indicating that the first cell is activated or deactivated to the first device based on the information of the received timing difference.

[0146] In some embodiments, the serving cell is a cell in a set of a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, and a secondary cell co-located in a frequency band.

[0147] Figure 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120 or the third device 130 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0148] The communication module 840 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0149] Processor 810 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 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0150] The memory 820 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) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0151] Computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 810. Program 830 may be stored in ROM 820. Processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 830 into RAM 820.

[0152] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830, so that the device 800 may execute the Figures 1 to 7 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0153] In some embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 9 Examples of computer readable medium 900 in the form of CD, DVD are shown. The computer readable medium has program 830 stored thereon.

[0154] 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, which may be performed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described in block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0155] 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 those included in a program module) that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced Figure 6 to Figure 7 Described method 600 or 700.Usually, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or realize specific abstract data types.The functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules according to the needs of various embodiments.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.

[0156] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented when executed by the processor or controller. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0157] 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.

[0158] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0159] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, it should not be understood that these operations are required to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all the operations shown are required to be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments 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 separately in multiple embodiments or implemented in any suitable sub-combination.

[0160] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: receiving an indication from a second device, the indication indicating that information of a receive timing difference associated with a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell being non-co-located with the serving cell in a frequency band; as well as The information of the reception timing difference is sent to the second device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: An indication is received from the second device indicating that the first cell is not co-located with the serving cell in the frequency band.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the information of the reception timing difference comprises at least one of the following items: a reference timing for the received timing difference, first information indicating whether the reception timing difference between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets a predetermined requirement, second information of a set of symbols that will experience performance degradation on said first cell, third information indicating the level of performance degradation, or Fourth information indicating a level of the reception timing difference.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the reference timing is one of the following: The reception timing of the primary cell or the primary and secondary cells, the reception timing of a secondary cell in a set of secondary cells co-located with the primary cell or the primary and secondary cells in the frequency band, or Scheduled reception timing.

5. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the second information comprises at least one of the following items: the number of symbols in the symbol set, or The index of the symbol in the symbol set. The first device of claim 3 , wherein the level of the receive timing difference is associated with a cyclic prefix.

7. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first device is caused to receive the indication by: A configuration for inter-frequency measurement on the first cell is received from the second device.

8. The first device according to claim 7, wherein the first device is further caused to: Based on the information of the reception timing difference, a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell is received from the second device.

9. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first device is caused to receive the indication by: receiving, from the second device, a configuration indicating that the first cell is to be configured as a secondary cell; or A configuration indicating that the first cell configured as a secondary cell is activated is received from the second device.

10. The first device according to claim 9, wherein the first device is further caused to: Based on the information of the reception timing difference, a command indicating that the first cell configured as a secondary cell is activated or deactivated is received from the second device. 11 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the serving cell is one of a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, and a set of secondary cells co-located in the frequency band.

12. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: sending an indication to a first device, the indication indicating that information of a receive timing difference associated with a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell and the serving cell being non-co-located in a frequency band; as well as The information of the reception timing difference is received from the first device.

13. The second device according to claim 12, wherein the second device is further caused to: An indication is sent to the first device indicating that the first cell is not co-located with the serving cell in the frequency band.

14. The second device according to claim 12, wherein the information of the reception timing difference comprises at least one of the following items: a reference timing for the received timing difference, first information indicating whether the reception timing difference between the timing of the first cell and the reference timing meets a predetermined requirement, second information of a set of symbols that will experience performance degradation on said first cell, third information indicating the level of performance degradation, or Fourth information indicating a level of the reception timing difference.

15. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the reference timing is one of the following: The reception timing of the primary cell or the primary and secondary cells, the reception timing of a secondary cell in a set of secondary cells co-located with the primary cell or the primary and secondary cells in the frequency band, or Scheduled reception timing.

16. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the second information comprises at least one of the following items: the number of symbols in the symbol set, or The index of the symbol in the symbol set.

17. The second device of claim 14, wherein the level of the receive timing difference is associated with a cyclic prefix.

18. The second device according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the second device is caused to send the indication by: A configuration for inter-frequency measurement on the first cell is sent to the first device.

19. The second device according to claim 18, wherein the second device is further caused to: Based on the information of the reception timing difference, a configuration indicating that the first cell is added as a secondary cell is sent to the first device.

20. The second device according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the second device is caused to send the indication by: Sending a configuration indicating that the first cell is to be configured as a secondary cell to the first device; or A configuration indicating that the first cell configured as a secondary cell is activated is sent to the first device.

21. The second device according to claim 20, wherein the second device is further caused to: Based on the information of the received timing difference, a command indicating that the first cell is activated or deactivated is sent to the first device.

22. The second device according to any one of claims 12 to 21, wherein the serving cell is one of a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, and a set of secondary cells co-located in the frequency band.

23. A method of communication, comprising: At a first device, receiving an indication from a second device, the indication indicating that information of a receive timing difference associated with a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell being non-co-located with the serving cell in a frequency band; as well as The information of the reception timing difference is sent to the second device.

24. A method of communication, comprising: At the second device, sending an indication to the first device, the indication indicating that information of a receive timing difference associated with a first cell and a serving cell is to be reported, the first cell being non-co-located with the serving cell in a frequency band; as well as The information of the reception timing difference is received from the first device.

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