Power headroom for secondary cells

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to equipment, a method, a device and a computer readable storage medium for virtual power headroom (PH) calculation for a secondary cell (SCell). The method comprises: obtaining, by a terminal device, information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the terminal device is connected with at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculating, by the terminal device, a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for calculating virtual power headroom (PH) for a secondary cell (SCell). Background Art

[0002] A user equipment (UE) has been specified to be able to trigger and perform a power headroom report (PHR). Basically, the PHR can indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmission power and the estimated power of an uplink (UL) transmission on one or more cells associated with the UE. The UE can determine whether the PH value for an active serving cell is based on actual transmissions occurring on that serving cell or on a reference format also known as "virtual PH". Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for calculating virtual PH for SCell.

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: obtain information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, where the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculate a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus of a terminal device connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell to at least receive, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, where the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: obtaining, by a terminal device, information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, where the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculating, by the terminal device, a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: in a network device, a serving terminal device is connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, and a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell is received from the terminal device by the network device, where the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for obtaining information indicating one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, where the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell; and means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for serving a terminal device is provided, which is connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell. The apparatus includes means for receiving from the terminal device a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, where the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

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

[0011] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent through the following description. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, where:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 An example signaling diagram for virtual PH calculation for a SCell according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 5 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0018] Figure 6 shows a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0020] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein may be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0021] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, 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 pertains.

[0022] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not necessarily every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0024] As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases, where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0025] As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, performing the step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after A occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0026] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example 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 "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "contains" and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as only analog implementations and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, for example (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) any part of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory that work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions, and (c) a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not needed for operation.

[0028] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As another example, as used in this application, the term circuit also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or a processor (or processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuit also covers a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a network device, or other computing or network device.

[0029] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (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 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) communication protocol and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, of course, there will also be future types of communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the foregoing systems.

[0030] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, Node B (Node B or NB), evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), NR NB (also referred to as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), radio head (RH, wireless head), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low power node (such as femto), pico, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network device, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite), aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terms and technologies applied. In some example embodiments, the radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE towards the parent node, and the DU part of the IAB node behaves like a base station towards the next-hop IAB node.

[0031] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices 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, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. A terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0032] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource", or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication, e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, spatial domain resources, code domain resources, or any other resource capable of communication, etc. In the following, unless otherwise specified, resources in the frequency domain and time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0033] Figure 1 An example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. As Figure 1 shown, the communication network 100 may include a terminal device 110. In the following, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as a UE.

[0034] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. In the following, the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB. The terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120.

[0035] It should be understood that Figure 1The number of network devices and terminal devices shown is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0036] In some example embodiments, the link from the network device 120 to the terminal device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the terminal device 110 is the TX device (or transmitter), and the network device 120 is the RX device (or receiver).

[0037] The communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology known currently or developed in the future.

[0038] As described above, it has been specified that a user equipment (UE) may trigger and execute a PHR. The PHR procedure is used to provide a type 1 PH, a type 2 PH, or a type 3 PH to the serving gNB. The type 1 PH may indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmission power and the estimated power for the physical uplink shared channel (such as the transmission for each active serving cell). The type 2 PH may indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmission power and the estimated power for UL-SCH and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions on a special cell (SpCell) of other media access control (MAC) entities. The type 3 PH may indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmission power and the estimated power for the sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission for each active serving cell.

[0039] The PHR procedure may be triggered in various scenarios. For example, if a timer associated with the PHR procedure (i.e., phr-ProhibitTimer or phr-PeriodicTimer) expires and / or the path loss change meets a threshold, etc.

[0040] The UE can determine whether the PH value of the active serving cell is based on the actual transmission occurring on that serving cell or on a reference format also known as "virtual PH".

[0041] In addition, the UE can also be configured with multiple Timing Advance Groups (TAGs), where each TAG has its own timing and reference point. Serving cells with the same UL timing applied and using the same timing reference cell are grouped in a TAG. Each TAG can include at least one serving cell with configured UL. For the primary TAG, the UE can use the Primary Cell (PCell) as the timing reference, except in some cases where it can also use the shared spectrum channel access of the SCell. In the secondary TAG, the UE can use any of the active SCells of that TAG as the timing reference cell, but it should not be changed unless necessary.

[0042] The calculation of the virtual PH can be based on the parameters provided to the UE within the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) / Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration. However, if the SCell is not used as the cell for performing random access (RA) for UL timing of the TAG, the SCell may not be provided with a PRACH / RACH configuration. Therefore, it may be necessary to discuss how the UE calculates the virtual PH for a serving cell without a PRACH / RACH configuration. In some examples, one or more parameters for the calculation of the virtual PH can include preambleReceivedTargetPower or msg3-DeltaPreamble. In this case, these parameters can be provided in the PRACH / RACH configuration. Therefore, in some examples, hereinafter, when referring to the PRACH / RACH configuration, it can equivalently represent the configuration of preambleReceivedTargetPower and / or msg3-DeltaPreamble.

[0043] The solution of the present disclosure proposes a mechanism for calculating the virtual PH for a serving cell (e.g., SCell). In this solution, a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell obtains information indicating one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, and calculates the PH value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell. In this way, the network device can know which parameters the UE uses to calculate the virtual PH or the PH value based on the reference format, and thus can more accurately utilize the received PH value for SCell scheduling.

[0044] Figure 2FIG. 0 shows an example signaling diagram for virtual PH calculation for SCell 200 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, FIG. 200 will be discussed with reference to, for example, using a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. Figure 1 For example, FIG. 200 will be discussed by using a terminal device 110 and a network device 120.

[0045] Now refer to Figure 2 . In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device may be configured 202 by a network device to have UL Carrier Aggregation (CA), including one or more serving cells having UL configurations in the same TAG. In this case, the terminal device 110 may be connected to a plurality of serving cells including at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell.

[0046] If a PHR procedure is triggered 204 at the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may start calculating PH values for all active serving cells.

[0047] In this scenario, the terminal device 110 may determine which parameters are used to calculate the PH values for the active serving cells. For example, for the calculation of virtual PH, the terminal device 110 may determine whether to obtain a RACH or PRACH configuration for the SCell. If there is no RACH or PRACH configuration for the SCell, the terminal device 110 may decide to use the parameters configured for other serving cells to calculate the PH value for the SCell.

[0048] In the case where the terminal device is connected to the first serving cell and the second serving cell (i.e., SCell), if the terminal device 110 determines that there is no corresponding parameter configured for the second serving cell and the first serving cell is configured with the corresponding parameter, the terminal device 110 may determine that the corresponding parameter will be used to calculate the PH value for the second serving cell.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell may be within a Primary Cell Group (MSG). In this case, the first serving cell may be a PCell, and the second serving cell may be an SCell. In another example, the first serving cell and the second serving cell may be SCells.

[0050] In some other embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell may be within a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). In this case, the first serving cell may be a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell), and the second serving cell may be an SCell. In another example, the first serving cell and the second serving cell may be SCells.

[0051] That is to say, the first serving cell can be a PCell, an SCell, or a PSCell (PCell and PSCell can also be collectively referred to as special cells (SpCell)).

[0052] As described above, the terminal device 110 can be configured with multiple TAGs, where each TAG has its own timing and reference point. Serving cells with the same timing advance applied to UL and using the same timing reference cell are grouped in a TAG. For the primary TAG, the terminal device 110 can use the PCell as the timing reference, while in the secondary TAG, the terminal device 110 can use any of the activated SCells in the TAG as the timing reference.

[0053] In some embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell can be within the same TAG. That is to say, if the TAG is the primary TAG, the first serving cell can be a PCell or a PSCell, that is, the first serving cell can be a SpCell. If the TAG is the secondary TAG, the first serving cell can be an SCell.

[0054] In some exemplary embodiments, if the TAG contains multiple serving cells with RACH or PRACH configurations, the terminal device 110 can use the corresponding parameters in the RACH or PRACH configuration configured for the serving cell with a specified identifier, for example, the lowest or highest serving cell ID (i.e., ServCellIndex) or SCell ID (i.e., SCellIndex). That is to say, the terminal device 110 can determine the first serving cell based on the corresponding identifiers of one or more candidate serving cells, where the corresponding parameters in the RACH or PRACH configuration from the candidate serving cells can be used by the terminal device 110 to calculate the PH value for the second serving cell.

[0055] In some other embodiments, the network device 120 can also indicate which of the PCell, PSCell, SpCell, or SCell configured with RACH or PRACH configuration is allowed for the terminal device 110 to use to calculate the PH value for the SCell. That is to say, the network device 120 can explicitly indicate which serving cell is the first serving cell for the terminal device 110 to calculate the PH value for the second serving cell. In some examples, in the case where both the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within the secondary TAG, the network device 120 can explicitly indicate which serving cell is the first serving cell for the terminal device 110 to calculate the PH value for the second serving cell. In this case, the network device 120 can indicate only the first serving cell configured with RACH or PRACH configuration within the same TAG.

[0056] In some other embodiments, the terminal device 110 may use the parameters of the SpCell (i.e., the primary cell or the primary-secondary cell), regardless of whether the SCell is configured with RACH or PRACH configuration. That is, even if the second serving cell is configured with RACH or PRACH configuration, the terminal device 110 may use the corresponding parameters configured for the first serving cell to calculate the PH value for the second serving cell. For example, such a mechanism may be required when the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within the primary TAG. However, it should be understood that this mechanism may also be applied when the second serving cell is within the secondary TAG.

[0057] After determining which parameters are used for the calculation of the PH value, the terminal device 110 may calculate the PH value 206 for the SCell (e.g., the second serving cell) by using the corresponding parameters of the determined serving cell configured with RACH or PRACH configuration (e.g., the first serving cell).

[0058] In some other embodiments, the terminal device 110 may indicate 208 the PHR to the network device 120 by using the calculated PH value for the SCell.

[0059] In this way, the UE behavior associated with the PHR process can be defined, and the network side can know which parameters the UE uses to calculate the virtual PH or PH value based on the reference format, and thus can more accurately utilize the received PH value for SCell scheduling.

[0060] For example, the solutions proposed in the present disclosure may affect the standards as follows:

[0061] In some embodiments, if the SpCell and the SCell are in the same TAG or the same cell group, the PH value may be calculated as follows. Table 1: Example of the impact of the standard

[0062] In some embodiments, if the PCell is always used to calculate the PH value for the SCell, or to perform the PHR process, the PH value may be calculated as follows. Table 2: Example of the impact of the standard

[0063] In some embodiments, if the network side can indicate which serving cell is used to calculate the PH value for the SCell, or to perform the PHR process, the PH value may be calculated as follows. Table 3: Example of the impact of the standard

[0064] In addition, the possible RRC configurations of the ph-ReferenceCell can be as shown below. Table 4: Example RRC configurations

[0065] Figure 3 The flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 in Figure 1 the following.

[0066] At block 310, the terminal device 110 obtains information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, where the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell.

[0067] At block 320, the terminal device 110 calculates a PH value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within an MSG or an SCG.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell within an MCG or an SCG.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of the following within an MCG or an SCG: a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are configured within the same TAG.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG, and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is determined or selected based on one of the lowest serving cell index, the highest serving cell index, or the secondary cell index.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive an indication from a network device indicating that the first serving cell will be used for the second serving cell to calculate a power headroom value.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the information includes a physical random access channel PRACH configuration or a random access channel RACH configuration for the first serving cell.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary secondary cell within the MCG or SCG, regardless of whether the plurality of serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may calculate a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, regardless of whether the second serving is configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to a virtual power headroom value.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to a power headroom value based on a reference format.

[0082] Figure 4 FIG. 400 is a flowchart of an example method implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, method 400 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 in Figure 1 below.

[0083] At block 410, in the network device 120 serving a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the network device 120 receives a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, where the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within the MSG or SCG.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell within the MCG or SCG.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of the following within the MCG or SCG: a special cell, a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, or a secondary cell.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are configured within the same TAG.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary secondary cell.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG, and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may send an indication to the terminal device indicating that the first serving cell will be used for the second serving cell to calculate the power headroom value.

[0091] In some example embodiments, one or more parameters are associated with the physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration or the random access channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary secondary cell within the MCG or SCG, regardless of whether the plurality of serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0093] In some example embodiments, if the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to the virtual power headroom value.

[0094] In some example embodiments, a device (e.g., Figure 1 the terminal device 110) capable of performing any of the methods 300 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 300. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the unit may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 the terminal device 110.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the device includes: a component for obtaining information indicating one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, where the device is at least connected to the first serving cell and the second serving cell; and a component for calculating the power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within the MSG or SCG.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell within the MCG or SCG.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of the following within the MCG or SCG: a special cell, a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, or a secondary cell.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are configured within the same TAG.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary secondary cell.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG, and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is determined or selected based on one of the lowest serving cell index, the highest serving cell index, or the secondary cell index.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving from a network device an indication that the first serving cell will be used for the second serving cell to calculate a power headroom value.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the information includes a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration or a random access channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary secondary cell within the MCG or SCG, regardless of whether the plurality of serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the component for calculating the PH value may include a component for calculating the power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, regardless of whether the second service is configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the power headroom value of the second serving cell is related to a virtual power headroom value.

[0109] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., Figure 1 the network device 120 in Figure 1 that can perform any one of the methods 400) may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as or included in

[0110] In some example embodiments, the apparatus serves a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell. The apparatus includes components for receiving, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, where the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within an MSG or an SCG.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell within an MCG or an SCG.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of the following within an MCG or an SCG: a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell and the second serving cell are configured within the same TAG.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG, and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for sending, to the terminal device, an indication indicating that the first serving cell will be used for the second serving cell to calculate the power headroom value.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the information includes a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration or a random access channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell within an MCG or an SCG, regardless of whether the plurality of serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0120] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processor 510.

[0121] The communication module 540 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 540 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 540 can include at least one antenna.

[0122] As a non-limiting example, the processor 510 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and can include one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 500 can have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is clocked subordinate to a synchronous master processor over time.

[0123] The memory 520 can 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) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), an optical disc, a laserdisc, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that will not persist during a power outage duration.

[0124] The computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 510. The instructions of the program 530 can include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 530 can be stored in the memory, such as ROM 524. The processor 510 can execute any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 530 into the RAM 522.

[0125] The example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of the program 530, such that the device 500 can execute any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 2 to 4 The example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0126] In some example embodiments, program 530 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 500 (such as in memory 520) or other storage devices accessible to device 500. Device 500 may load program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0127] Figure 6 An example of a computer-readable medium 600 is shown that may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk. Program 530 is stored on computer-readable medium 600.

[0128] In general, the 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 executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, 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.

[0129] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules and executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Generally, program modules include 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 program modules may be combined or split as needed among program modules. The machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0130] The program code for performing the methods 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, such that when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0131] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier so that the device, apparatus, or processor can perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0132] The computer-readable media can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium will include an electrical connection having 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 disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0133] Furthermore, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations 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 should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0134] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or method acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: obtain information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculate a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within a primary cell group (MSG) or a secondary cell group (SCG).

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell within the MCG or the SCG.

4. The device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first serving cell is one of the following: a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell, within the MCG or the SCG.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first serving cell and the second serving cell are configured within the same timing advance group (TAG).

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is one of the following: a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the TAG is a secondary TAG, and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the first serving cell is determined or selected based on one of the following: the lowest serving cell index or the highest serving cell index, or a secondary cell index.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the device is further caused to: receive from a network device an indication that the first serving cell will be used for the second serving cell to calculate the power headroom value.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the information includes a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration or a random access channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the first serving cell is one of the following within the MCG or the SCG: a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell, regardless of whether multiple serving cells are configured with information indicating the one or more parameters.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein the device is further caused to: calculate the power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, regardless of whether the second service is configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

13. The device according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to a virtual power headroom value.

15. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus serving a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell to at least: receive, from the terminal device via the apparatus, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first serving cell and the second serving cell are within a master cell group (MSG) or a secondary cell group (SCG).

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell within the MCG or the SCG.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the first serving cell is one of the following: a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell, within the MCG or the SCG.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 - 18, wherein the first serving cell and the second serving cell are configured within the same timing advance group (TAG).

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is one of the following: a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the TAG is a secondary TAG, and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: send to the terminal device an indication that the first serving cell will be used for the second serving cell to calculate the power headroom value.

23. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 - 22, wherein the one or more parameters are associated with a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration or a random access channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

24. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 - 23, wherein the first serving cell is one of the following within the MCG or the SCG: a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell, regardless of whether the plurality of serving cells are configured with information indicating the one or more parameters.

25. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 - 24, wherein if the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value, the power headroom value for the second serving cell relates to a virtual power headroom value.

26. A method, comprising: obtaining, by a terminal device, information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and The terminal device calculates a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

27. A method, comprising: in a network device serving a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, receiving, by the network device, from the terminal device a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

28. An apparatus, comprising: means for obtaining information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell; and means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

29. An apparatus, serving a terminal device, connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: obtain information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the device is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell; and calculate a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device serving the terminal device to be connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the device performing at least the following: receive, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

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