Improving SCELL activation through cell conditions and TCI enhancements

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer readable media are disclosed for performing operations including: receiving an indication from a base station to activate a secondary cell (SCell); determining whether the SCell comprises a semi-unknown SCell related to the UE or not; and performing an SCell activation procedure based at least in part on the determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Wireless communication networks provide an integrated communication platform and telecommunication services to wireless user equipment. Example telecommunication services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, Internet access, and / or other services. Wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with wireless user equipment using wireless network protocols (such as those described in various telecommunication standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). Example wireless communication networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and 5th Generation New Radio (5G NR). Wireless communication networks use technologies such as OFDM, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), advanced channel decoding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features to facilitate mobile broadband services. Summary of the Invention

[0002] This disclosure describes techniques for improving secondary cell (SCell) activation through cell condition and Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) enhancements. According to one aspect of the disclosure, new semi-unknown (or semi-known) conditions are defined for target Frequency Range 2 (FR2) SCell. In some specific implementations, the semi-unknown conditions may be determined based on an indication from a User Equipment (UE) (such as an indication of the measurement state of the SCell or a report of previously performed L3 measurements, etc.). Alternatively or in addition, the semi-unknown conditions may be defined based on the time interval between the RRC configuration of the SCell to the UE and the MAC CE command for activating the SCell at the UE. By defining semi-unknowns at both the UE and the network, the amount of time required for SCell activation can be reduced. For example, on the UE side, when the SCell is semi-unknown, the UE may skip or omit one or more measurement operations (e.g., L3 measurements and / or beam measurements, etc.), thereby reducing the SCell activation delay relative to the activation of an unknown SCell. A similar reduction is also achieved on the network side because when the SCell is semi-unknown, the network can perform earlier scheduling and / or directly activate the TCI of the UE.

[0003] This disclosure also describes techniques for default TCI determination with backward compatibility. In this way, the uncertainty time for TCI activation can be saved without causing conflicts in traditional systems.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method to be performed by a UE includes: receiving an indication for activating a secondary cell (SCell) from a base station; determining, by the UE, whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE; and performing an SCell activation procedure at least partially based on the determination of whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

[0005] Generally speaking, in one aspect, a method to be performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving an indication for activating a secondary cell (SCell) from a base station; determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE; and performing an SCell activation procedure at least partially based on the determination of whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE.

[0006] In some specific embodiments, the method includes determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on the measurement status of the SCell.

[0007] In some specific embodiments, when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE, the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE, and when the UE has performed at least one of a cell synchronization operation or a cell measurement operation for the SCell, the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0008] In some specific embodiments, the method includes: receiving a request for the measurement status of the SCell from the base station; and in response to the request, reporting the measurement status of the SCell to the base station, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with the L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE. In some specific embodiments, the request is an aperiodic request received before receiving the indication for activating the SCell.

[0009] In some specific embodiments, the method includes reporting the measurement status of the SCell to the base station in response to receiving the indication for activating the SCell, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with the L1-RSRP measurement of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0010] In some specific embodiments, the method includes: receiving a request for the measurement status of the SCell from the base station; and in response to the request, reporting the measurement status of the SCell and the strongest measured synchronization signal block (SSB) index of the SCell to the base station, where the UE and the base station are configured to skip the L3 measurement, L1 measurement, and L1 measurement report of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0011] In some specific embodiments, the method includes reporting the measurement status of the SCell and the strongest measured SSB index of the SCell to the base station in response to receiving an indication for activating the SCell, where the UE and the base station are configured to skip the L3 measurement, L1 measurement, and L1 measurement report of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0012] In some specific embodiments, the method includes determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on whether the UE has performed an L3 measurement on the SCell.

[0013] In some specific embodiments, the method includes: determining that the UE has performed the L3 measurement on the SCell; and reporting the L3 measurement result to the base station, where the UE and the base station are configured to skip the L3 measurement, L1 measurement, and L1 measurement report of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the UE has performed the L3 measurement on the SCell.

[0014] In some specific embodiments, the method includes: receiving a request for one or more L3 measurements of one or more component carriers from the base station; and reporting the strongest L3 measurement result among the one or more L3 measurements, or one or more L3 measurement results that meet a threshold among the L3 measurement results, to the base station.

[0015] In some specific embodiments, the method includes determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on the time interval between the configuration of the SCell for the UE and the indication for activating the SCell. In some specific embodiments, if the time interval is greater than the SCell measurement period, the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. In some specific embodiments, if the time interval is greater than a threshold configured by the base station, the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

[0016] In some specific implementations, the method includes skipping one or more measurement operations during the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. In some specific implementations, the one or more measurement operations skipped during the activation of the SCell include at least one of L1 measurement operations or L3 measurement operations.

[0017] In some specific implementations, the method includes determining a delay of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. In some specific implementations, the delay of the SCell activation procedure is reduced compared to the SCell activation delay of an SCell that is unknown to the UE.

[0018] Generally speaking, in one aspect, a method to be performed by a base station includes: sending an indication for activating an SCell to a UE; determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE; and performing the SCell activation procedure at least partially based on the determination of whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE.

[0019] In some specific implementations, the method includes determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on the measurement status of the SCell received from the UE. In some specific implementations, when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE, the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

[0020] In some specific implementations, the method includes: sending a request for the measurement status of the SCell to the UE; and in response to the request, receiving the measurement status of the SCell from the UE, where the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurement and continue with the L1-RSRP measurement of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE. In some specific implementations, the request is an aperiodic request sent before sending the indication for activating the SCell.

[0021] In some specific implementations, the method includes receiving the measurement status from the UE in response to the indication for activating the SCell, where the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurement and continue with the L1-RSRP measurement of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0022] In some specific implementations, the method includes: sending a request for the measurement status of the SCell to the UE; and in response to the request, receiving from the UE the measurement status of the SCell and the strongest measured SSB index of the SCell, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurement, L1 measurement, and L1 measurement reporting and continue with the TCI activation of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0023] In some specific implementations, the method includes receiving from the UE the measurement status in response to an indication for activating the SCell, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurement and continue with the L1-RSRP measurement of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

[0024] In some specific implementations, the method includes: receiving, during the SCell activation procedure, an L3 measurement report for the SCell from the UE, where the L3 measurement has been performed by the UE before sending the indication for activating the SCell; and in response to receiving the L3 measurement, sending a TCI status activation command to the UE at least partially based on the L3 measurement.

[0025] In some specific implementations, the method includes: sending a request for one or more L3 measurements for one or more component carriers to the UE; and receiving from the UE the strongest L3 measurement report among the one or more L3 measurement reports, or one or more L3 measurement reports that meet a threshold in the L3 measurement report.

[0026] In some specific implementations, the method includes skipping one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

[0027] In some specific implementations, the method includes adjusting the timing of one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. In some specific implementations, adjusting the timing of the one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure includes adjusting the timing for the UE to receive the L1-RSRP report. In some specific implementations, adjusting the timing of the one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure includes adjusting the timing for sending a TCI status activation command to the UE.

[0028] Generally speaking, in one aspect, a method to be performed by a UE includes: determining a mechanism for TCI activation in an SCell based on an information element (IE); and using the mechanism to activate the TCI status in the SCell.

[0029] In some specific embodiments, the mechanism includes a timer that specifies a time range for waiting to receive a TCI command from the network after receiving an SCell activation command from the network.

[0030] In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: in response to receiving the SCell activation command from the network, starting the timer; determining that the TCI command is received from the network before the timer expires; and activating the TCI state based on the TCI command.

[0031] In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: in response to receiving the SCell activation command from the network, starting the timer; determining that the TCI command has not been received before the timer expires; and selecting the TCI state for activation from the multiple TCI states and based on the measurement of the multiple TCI states. In some specific embodiments, the measurement is an L1-RSRP measurement.

[0032] In some specific embodiments, the time range is pre-configured by the radio network or pre-configured in the UE.

[0033] In some specific embodiments, the IE is TCIWaitingTime-r18.

[0034] In some specific embodiments, the mechanism is a network configuration that indicates whether the TCI activation of the SCell is explicitly indicated.

[0035] In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: receiving the network configuration from the radio network; determining whether the TCI activation of the SCell is explicitly indicated based on the network configuration; receiving a TCI command from the radio network; and activating the TCI state based on the TCI command.

[0036] In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: receiving the network configuration from the radio network; determining that the TCI activation of the SCell is not explicitly indicated based on the network configuration; and selecting the TCI state for activation from the multiple TCI states and based on the measurement of the multiple TCI states.

[0037] Generally speaking, in one aspect, a non-transitory computer storage medium is programmed with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any one of the foregoing aspects and specific embodiments.

[0038] Generally speaking, in one aspect, a system includes at least one processor and at least one storage device, and the at least one storage device stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the foregoing aspects and specific implementations.

[0039] Generally speaking, in one aspect, a device includes at least one baseband processor configured to perform any of the foregoing aspects and specific implementations.

[0040] Details of one or more implementations of these systems and methods are set forth in the following figures and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the specification, the figures, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 Illustrates an example secondary cell (SCell) activation procedure according to some specific implementations.

[0042] Figure 2 Illustrates an example scenario for activating an SCell according to some specific implementations.

[0043] Figure 3 Illustrates a wireless network according to some specific implementations.

[0044] Figures 4 to 6 Illustrates a flowchart of an example method according to some specific implementations.

[0045] Figure 7 Illustrates a user equipment (UE) according to some specific implementations.

[0046] Figure 8 Illustrates an access node according to some specific implementations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] To increase network capacity and data rate, some wireless communication networks utilize carrier aggregation, in which multiple serving cells are aggregated together to serve a UE. When using carrier aggregation, the network can configure the UE with a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells) (e.g., via radio resource control (RRC) signaling). Once configured, the SCell can be dynamically activated and deactivated (e.g., via a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) command) in response to changes in network traffic, movement of the UE, or any of various other reasons.

[0048] During SCell activation, the UE performs a series of operations to prepare the UE and the SCell for subsequent communication. For example, Figure 1Illustrates the SCell activation procedure 100 according to some specific implementations. Initially, the UE receives 102 an SCell activation command from the network (e.g., from a base station). The SCell activation command can be in the form of a MAC CE command indicating the SCell to be activated (sometimes referred to as the target SCell). Upon receiving the SCell activation command, the UE can confirm the command to the network via Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest - ACK (HARQ - ACK) during a period 104 (T HARQ ). Then, the UE decodes the SCell activation command during a period 106, which can be up to 3 ms in this example.

[0049] Then, the UE performs cell synchronization operations during a period 108, and then performs cell measurement operations and time and frequency (T / F) tracking during a period 110. In this example, the period 108 is up to T FirstSSB_MAX + 15*T SMTC_MAX , and the period 110 is up to 8*Trs. From here, the UE performs L1 Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements on some or all of the Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) in the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) received from the target SCell during a period 112 (T L1-RSRP,measure ). After completing the L1 - RSRP measurements, the UE generates an L1 - RSRP report during a period 114 (T L1-RSRP,report ) and sends 116 the L1 - RSRP report to the network.

[0050] The network selects the best beam for transmission to the UE based on the received report. Once the transmission beam is selected, the network can indicate the SSB (e.g., SSB index) corresponding to the selected beam via a MAC - CE Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state activation command sent to the UE after an uncertainty period (T UNCERTAINTY_MAC ). In some examples, the network may also perform semi - persistent Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI - RS) resource set activation. Upon receiving the TCI state activation command, the UE sends a HARQ - ACK confirming the command and performs a fine timing procedure on the identified SSB for the target SCell. In this example, the TCI state activation (and semi - persistent CSI - RS resource set activation) occurs during a period 118, which can be up to T HARQ + max(T uncertainty_MAC + T FineTiming + 2 ms, T uncertainty_SP ).

[0051] After the TCI state is activated, the UE can perform CSI measurement and reporting procedures. Generally speaking, the CSI reporting procedure may include: receiving CSI-RS sent from the target SCell; and performing measurements on the received CSI-RS to generate a CSI report (or Channel Quality Index (CQI) report) during time period 120 (TCSI_reporting). Then, the UE sends report 122 to the network, thus completing the activation of the SCell.

[0052] As can be seen from the discussion of the SCell activation procedure 100, the amount of time required to perform SCell activation may be significant. To improve efficiency and ensure consistent operation across various devices, 3GPP has standardized the operations (and resulting delays) performed by the UE and the network during the activation of the SCell in various scenarios. For example, Figure 2 Scenario 200 for activating an SCell in frequency range 2 (FR2) is illustrated, and Table 1 illustrates the corresponding SCell activation delays for the respective scenarios, as defined in Section 8.3.2, Version 17 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.133.

[0053]

[0054] As Figure 2 shown, in some cases, the operations and delays associated with SCell activation may depend in part on whether the SCell is known or unknown to the UE. For example, when the UE activates an unknown SCell in FR2 according to case 2-2-1, the SCell activation delay is 6 ms + T FirstSSB_MAX + 15 * T SMTC_MAX + 8 * T rs + T L1-RSRP,measure + T L1-RSRP,report + T HARQ + max(T uncertainty_MAC + T FineTiming + 2 ms, T uncertainty_SP ), as illustrated by the SCell activation procedure 100 shown Figure 1 above. On the other hand, if the SCell is known to the UE (case 2-1-1), the UE and the network can skip some operations in the SCell activation procedure (such as cell synchronization, cell measurement and T / F tracking, L1-RSRP measurement or beam measurement, and L1-RSRP reporting), and the SCell activation delay can be reduced to 3 ms + max(T uncertainty_MAC + T FineTiming + 2 ms, T uncertainty_SP ).

[0055] For the FR2 SCell to be eligible as a known SCell for the UE, the UE must transmit a valid L3-RSRP report before receiving the SCell activation command, as described in Section 8.3.2 of Release 17 of 3GPP TS 38.133. Otherwise, the SCell is considered unknown to the UE. However, classifying the SCell as known or unknown in this way may lead to inefficiencies and redundant measurements. For example, if the UE has measured the SCell but has not had the opportunity to report the measurement to the network, the SCell will be considered unknown to the UE. Therefore, when activating the UE, the UE will need to revert to the unknown procedure, resulting in repeated measurements and a longer SCell activation.

[0056] Another issue regarding SCell activation concerns TCI activation. Currently, a UE activating an unknown FR2 SCell needs to wait for a certain period (e.g., Figure 1 the T in uncertainty_MAC ) to receive the TCI command from the network. To save the uncertainty time in SCell activation, a default TCI determination method can be considered. This default can be based on the best L1-RSRP, eliminating the need for the UE to wait for the TCI activation command from the network. For example, during the activation of an unknown FR2-SCell, if no MAC CE or RRC indication for TCI is transmitted to the UE, the TCI of the PDCCH / PDSC / CSI-RS can be associated with the best L1-RSRP report. As another example, during SCell activation, only the TCI from the CSI-RS for CQI needs to be configured. The PDCCH / PDSCH can follow the same TCI status information as the CSI-RS. In this way, PDCCH / PDSCH TCI configuration can be saved, and the SCell activation delay can be reduced accordingly. However, using this default may present backward compatibility issues. For example, after the L1-RSRP report, some networks may still wish to activate a specific TCI for the UE. Additionally, the 3GPP standard currently does not provide a method for the UE to know whether to use the default TCI determination or wait for the TCI activation command from the network.

[0057] The present disclosure describes techniques for improving SCell activation through cell conditions and TCI enhancements. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, new semi-unknown (or semi-known) conditions are defined for a target FR2 SCell. In some specific implementations, the semi-unknown conditions can be determined based on an indication from the UE, such as an indication of the measurement status of the SCell or a report of previously performed L3 measurements, etc. Alternatively or in addition, the semi-unknown conditions can be defined based on the time interval between the RRC configuration of the SCell to the UE and the MAC CE command for activating the SCell at the UE. By defining semi-unknowns at both the UE and the network, the amount of time required for SCell activation can be reduced. For example, on the UE side, when the SCell is semi-unknown, the UE can skip or omit one or more measurement operations (e.g., L3 measurements and / or beam measurements, etc.), thereby reducing the SCell activation delay relative to the activation of an unknown SCell. A similar reduction is also achieved on the network side because when the SCell is semi-unknown, the network can perform earlier scheduling and / or directly activate the TCI of the UE.

[0058] The present disclosure also describes techniques for default TCI determination with backward compatibility. In this way, the uncertainty time for TCI activation can be saved without causing conflicts in traditional systems.

[0059] Although aspects may be described herein in the context of the activation of SCell operable in FR2, aspects of the present disclosure may also be applied to the activation of SCell operating in other frequency ranges, such as FR1.

[0060] Figure 3 Wireless network 300 is illustrated according to some specific implementations. Wireless network 300 includes a UE 302 and a base station 304 connected via one or more channels 306A, 306B over an air interface 308. The UE 302 and the base station 304 communicate using a system that supports control for managing the access of the UE 302 to the network via the base station 304.

[0061] In some specific implementations, the wireless network 300 can be a non-standalone (NSA) network that combines long-term evolution (LTE) and fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication standards as defined by the technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, the wireless network 300 can be an E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR dual-connectivity (EN-DC) network or an NR-EUTRA dual-connectivity (NE-DC) network. However, the wireless network 300 can also be a standalone (SA) network that only combines 5G NR. In addition, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth-generation (6G) systems), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n; IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.11ac; or other currently or future-developed IEEE 802.11 technologies), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc. Although terms commonly associated with 5G NR may be used herein to describe aspects, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, such as 3G, 4G, and / or systems after 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0062] In the wireless network 300, the UE 302 and any other UE in the system can be, for example, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a machine-type device such as a smart meter for healthcare or a dedicated device, a smart transportation system, or any other wireless device with or without a user interface. In the network 300, the base station 304 provides the UE 302 with a network connection to a wider network (not shown). This UE 302 connection is provided via an air interface 308 in the base station service area provided by the base station 304. In some specific implementations, such a wider network can be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider or can be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with the base station 304 is supported by an antenna integrated with the base station 304. The service area is divided into multiple sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors can be physically associated with fixed antennas or can be assigned to a physical area with tunable antennas or antenna settings that can be adjusted during a beamforming process for directing signals to a specific sector.

[0063] UE 302 includes control circuit 310 coupled to transmit circuit 312 and receive circuit 314. Transmit circuit 312 and receive circuit 314 may each be coupled to one or more antennas. Control circuit 310 may include various combinations of dedicated circuits and baseband circuits. Transmit circuit 312 and receive circuit 314 may be respectively adapted to transmit and receive data, and may include radio frequency (RF) circuits or front-end module (FEM) circuits.

[0064] In various embodiments, aspects of transmit circuit 312, receive circuit 314, and control circuit 310 may be integrated in various ways to achieve the operations described herein. Control circuit 310 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as operations related to the UE described elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, control circuit 310 may determine whether an SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on, for example, the measurement state of the SCell and / or the time interval between the configuration of the SCell for the UE and the SCell activation command, as described herein. Control circuit 310 may also perform (or assist in performing) the SCell activation procedure at least in part based on whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

[0065] Transmit circuit 312 may perform the various operations described in this specification. For example, transmit circuit 312 may send an indication of the measurement state of an SCell, an indication that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell, and / or other information related to determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell to base station 304. Transmit circuit 312 may also send information related to the activation of the SCell (e.g., L1 and / or L3 measurements, HARQ-ACK, etc.) to base station 304. Additionally, transmit circuit 312 may transmit multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. The multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and carrier aggregation. Transmit circuit 312 may be configured to receive block data from control circuit 310 for transmission across air interface 308.

[0066] The receiving circuit 314 may perform various operations described in this specification. For example, the receiving circuit 314 may receive from the base station 304 a request for information (such as SCell measurement status) related to determining whether an SCell is a semi-unknown SCell of the UE. The receiving circuit 314 may also receive from the base station 304 an indication for activating the SCell (e.g., MAC CE SCell activation command), a TCI state activation command, and other information related to SCell activation. Additionally, the receiving circuit 314 may receive multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface 308 and relay these physical channels to the control circuit 310. The multiple downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM and carrier aggregation. The transmitting circuit 312 and the receiving circuit 314 may transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, videos, etc.) structured within data blocks carried by the physical channels.

[0067] Figure 3 The base station 304 is also illustrated. In a particular implementation, the base station 304 may be an NG radio access network (RAN) or 5G RAN, E-UTRAN, a non-terrestrial cell, or a traditional RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN" etc. may refer to the base station 304 operating in the NR or 5G wireless network 300, and the term "E-UTRAN" etc. may refer to the base station 304 operating in the LTE or 4G wireless network 300. The UE 302 utilizes connections (or channels) 306A, 306B, each connection including a physical communication interface or layer.

[0068] The base station 304 circuitry may include a control circuit 316 coupled to a transmit circuit 318 and a receive circuit 320. The control circuit 316 may perform various operations described in this specification, including determining whether an SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for a UE, and performing (or assisting in performing) an SCell activation procedure at least in part based on whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. The transmit circuit 318 and the receive circuit 320 may each be coupled to one or more antennas that may be used to effect communication via the air interface 308. The transmit circuit 318 and the receive circuit 320 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station 304. The transmit circuit 318 may transmit a downlink physical channel including a plurality of downlink subframes. The transmit circuit 318 may also transmit to the UE 302 a request for information related to determining whether an SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE, such as an SCell measurement status. The transmit circuit 318 may also transmit to the UE 302 an indication for activating the SCell (e.g., a MAC CE SCell activation command), a TCI state activation command, and other information related to SCell activation. The receive circuit 320 may receive a plurality of uplink physical channels from various UEs including the UE 302. The receive circuit 320 may also receive from the UE 302 an indication of the measurement status of the SCell, an indication that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell, and / or other information related to determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell. The receive circuit 320 may also receive from the UE 302 information related to the activation of the SCell (e.g., L1 and / or L3 measurements, HARQ-ACK, etc.).

[0069] In Figure 3 one or more channels 306A, 306B are shown implementing a communication-coupled air interface and may conform to a cellular communication protocol such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, an advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) protocol, LTE-based unlicensed spectrum access (LTE-U), a 5G protocol, an NR protocol, an NR-based unlicensed spectrum access (NR-U) protocol, and / or any other communication protocol discussed herein. In a particular implementation, the UE 302 may directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface and may include one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0070] As discussed above, the operations and delays associated with SCell activation may depend in part on whether the SCell is known or unknown to the UE. In 3GPP TS 38.133, Section 8.3.2, it is defined whether an SCell operating in FR2 is considered known or unknown to the UE as follows:

[0071] For the activation of the first SCell in the FR2 frequency band, the SCell is known if the SCell has met the following conditions:

[0072] During the period equal to 4 s for a UE supporting power class 1 and equal to 3 s for a UE supporting power classes 2 / 3 / 4, before the UE receives the last activation command for the PDCCH TCI, PDSCH TCI (when applicable), and semi-persistent CSI-RS for CQI reporting (when applicable):

[0073] The UE has transmitted a valid L3-RSRP measurement report with the SSB index of the SCell,

[0074] The activation command is received after the L3-RSRP report and no later than the time when the UE receives the MAC-CE command for TCI activation,

[0075] During the period from the L3-RSRP report to the valid CQI report, according to the cell identity conditions specified in clauses 9.2 and 9.3 of TS 38.133 [6], the reported SSB with the index is still detectable, and a TCI state is selected based on one of the SSB indices in the latest reported SSB index.

[0076] Otherwise, the first SCell in the FR2 frequency band is unknown. If the activation command for the configuration message of the TCI for the PDCCH TCI, PDSCH TCI (when applicable), semi-persistent CSI-RS for CQI reporting (when applicable), and periodic CSI-RS for CQI reporting (when applicable) is based on the latest valid L1-RSRP report, the requirements for the unknown SCell apply.

[0077] Classifying the SCell as known or unknown in the manner described in Release 17 of the 3GPP standard may result in inefficiencies and redundant measurements. For example, if the UE has measured the SCell but has not had the opportunity to report the measurement to the network, the SCell will be considered unknown to the UE. Therefore, when activating the UE, the UE will need to revert to the unknown procedure, resulting in repeated measurements and longer SCell activation.

[0078] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, new conditions for semi-unknown (or semi-known) are defined for a target FR2 SCell. When the SCell is determined to be semi-unknown to the UE, as described herein, the UE and the network can reduce the amount of time required for SCell activation. For example, on the UE side, when the SCell is semi-unknown, the UE can skip or omit one or more measurement operations (e.g., L3 measurements and / or beam measurements, etc.), thereby reducing the SCell activation delay relative to the activation of an unknown SCell. A similar reduction is also achieved on the network side because when the SCell is semi-unknown, the network can perform earlier scheduling and / or directly activate the UE's TCI. If the SCell is determined not to be semi-unknown (or known) to the UE, the UE and the network can default to unknown SCell operations.

[0079] In some specific implementations, the semi-unknown condition can be determined based on an indication from the UE, rather than, for example, a formal L3 report required before receiving an activation command for treating the SCell as a known SCell. For example, the semi-unknown condition can be determined based on the measurement status of the target SCell. Such a measurement status can be determined based on whether the UE has performed one or more measurement operations (such as cell synchronization operations and / or cell measurement operations, etc.) for the SCell before receiving a MAC CE activation command identifying the target SCell. The value of the measurement status can include, for example, "measured" or "not measured", where the measured value indicates a semi-unknown SCell, and the not measured value indicates a non-semi-unknown or unknown SCell. Other values can include "valid measurement" or "no valid measurement", or "known" or "unknown", etc.

[0080] In some specific implementations, the network (e.g., a base station) can use an aperiodic trigger or other trigger to trigger the UE to request the measurement status of the target SCell. The aperiodic trigger can be DCI-based, or MAC-based, or RRC-based. In an example use case, before the network transmits an SCell activation command to the UE, the network transmits an aperiodic request to the UE to inquire about the measurement status of the SCell, and the UE responds to indicate the measurement status. If, based on the measurement status, the SCell is semi-unknown to the UE, the network and the UE can skip the L3 measurement and directly proceed to the L1-RSRP measurement.

[0081] In some specific implementations, the UE may automatically indicate the measurement status when receiving a MAC CE command for initiating SCell activation. In an example use case, the network transmits a MAC CE SCell activation command to the UE; when the UE receives and decodes the MAC CE message to activate the target SCell, the UE will feedback the measurement status of the target SCell to the network. If the SCell is semi-unknown to the UE based on the measurement status, the network and the UE may skip the L3 measurement and directly proceed to the L1-RSRP measurement.

[0082] In some specific implementations, the network may transmit an aperiodic trigger to the UE, and the UE may indicate both the measurement status of the target FR2 SCell and the strongest (e.g., highest power) measured SSB index. In an example use case, before the network transmits an SCell activation command to the UE, the network transmits an aperiodic request to the UE to query the measurement status of the SCell, and the UE responds to indicate the measurement status and the strongest measured SSB index. Then, the network and the UE may skip the L3 / L1 measurement and directly proceed to the TCI activation phase based on the measurement status of the SCell.

[0083] In some specific implementations, when the UE receives a MAC CE SCell activation command, the UE may automatically indicate both the measurement status and the strongest measured SSB index. In an example use case, the network transmits an SCell activation command to the UE; when the UE receives and decodes the MAC CE message to activate the target SCell, the UE will feedback the measurement status of the target SCell and the strongest measured SSB index to the network. Then, the network and the UE may skip the L3 / L1 measurement and directly proceed to the TCI activation phase based on the measurement status of the SCell.

[0084] In some specific implementations, the semi-unknown condition and / or measurement status of the target SCell can be determined based on whether the UE has performed the L3 measurement procedure or generated the L3 report for the target SCell before receiving the SCell activation command. If the UE transmits the L3 report to the network after receiving the MAC CE SCell activation command, both the network and the UE can assume that the UE will skip one or more measurement operations, such as those for unknown SCells (e.g., L3 cell search / measurement and beam measurement), and perform the SCell activation procedure as if the SCell were known to the UE. In an example use case, the network can transmit the SCell activation command to the UE, and the UE can initiate the SCell activation procedure according to the unknown SCell procedure. If the UE has previously performed the L3 measurement for the target SCell (e.g., before receiving the MAC CE SCell activation command), the UE reports the L3 result to the network during the SCell activation procedure. Then, both the UE and the network can assume that the UE will skip the unfinished L3 and / or L1 measurements, and the network can directly send the TCI state activation command to the UE.

[0085] In some specific implementations, the network can transmit an aperiodic request for L3 measurements (e.g., L3-RSRP) on different component carriers to the UE. In response, the UE can report the best (e.g., highest power) L3-RSRP or all L3-RSRPs above a certain threshold (e.g., power threshold) based on the aperiodic request.

[0086] In some specific implementations, the semi-unknown condition can be defined and determined based on the time interval between the RRC configuration (e.g., SCell addition) of the SCell to the UE and the MAC CE SCell activation command (e.g., SCell activation). If the interval is greater than at least one SCell measurement period, the SCell can be considered semi-unknown to the UE; and the network and the UE can skip the L3 measurement and directly go to the L1-RSRP measurement. As a non-limiting example, the measurement period can be the specified measurement sample *scaling factor* SMTC periodicity.

[0087] In some specific implementations, the network configures the interval during which the SCell is considered semi-unknown to the UE. For example, the network can trigger a timer for the UE; if the timer expires, the measurement result of the SCell should be assumed to be available, and the SCell should be considered semi-unknown to the UE. This is because even if the UE has not transmitted the L3 report of the measurement result to the network, the network can assume that the UE has had enough time to perform the measurement on the target SCell. Based on this assumption, the network and the UE can skip the L3 measurement and directly go to the L1-RSRP measurement.

[0088] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a default TCI determination with backward compatibility may be defined. For example, in some implementations, the UE may be configured with a time range for waiting for TCI from the network. If there is no incoming TCI command from the network within the time range, the UE may default to using the maximum L1-RSRP related TCI for CQI measurements and PDCCH of the target SCell. The time range may be pre-configured by the network, or may be pre-defined in the 3GPP standard (e.g., 10ms).

[0089] In some implementations, when the network configures the SCell (e.g., in the SCell add command), the network will indicate whether the TCI of the SCell will be explicitly indicated or whether it can be based on the maximum L1-RSRP related TCI. If the network does not provide this indication, the UE can fall back to waiting for the TCI activation command from the network.

[0090] As a non-limiting example, one or both of the foregoing options may be incorporated into the 3GPP standard using the TCIWaitingTime-r18 IE and / or explicitTCI-r18 IE shown below:

[0091]

[0092] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 according to some specific implementations is illustrated. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes the method 400 in the context of other figures in this specification. For example, the method 400 may be performed by Figure 1 It should be understood that the method 400 may be performed by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some specific implementations, the steps of the method 400 may be executed in parallel, in combination, in a loop, or in any order.

[0093] The operations of the method 400 include receiving an indication for activating an SCell (402). For example, the UE 102 may receive a MAC CE SCell activation command from the base station 104 indicating a target SCell.

[0094] At 404, it is determined whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE. In some specific implementations, determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE is based on the measurement status of the SCell. For example, when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE, the SCell can be a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE; otherwise, the SCell can be considered unknown with respect to the UE. In some specific implementations, the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE when the UE has performed at least one of a cell synchronization operation or a cell measurement operation for the SCell.

[0095] In some specific implementations, determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE is based on the time interval between the configuration of the SCell for the UE and the indication for activating the SCell. In some specific implementations, if the time interval is greater than the SCell measurement period, the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. In some specific implementations, if the time interval is greater than a threshold configured by the base station, the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

[0096] At 406, an SCell activation procedure is performed at least in part based on determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE. Such a procedure can be performed by, for example, the UE 102 and the base station 104, etc. In some specific implementations, performing the SCell activation procedure at least in part based on determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE includes skipping one or more measurement operations during the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. One or more measurement operations skipped during the activation of the SCell can include at least one of an L1 measurement operation or an L3 measurement operation. In some specific implementations, performing the SCell activation procedure at least in part based on determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE includes determining a delay of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell for the UE. In some specific implementations, the delay of the SCell activation procedure is reduced relative to the SCell activation delay of an SCell that is unknown for the UE.

[0097] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 according to some specific implementations is illustrated. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes method 500 in the context of other figures in this specification. For example, method 500 can be performed by Figure 1be performed by the base station 104. It should be understood that the method 500 may be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of system, environment, software, and hardware, as the case may be. In some specific implementations, the various steps of the method 500 may be run in parallel, combined, looped, or run in any order.

[0098] The operations of the method 500 include sending an indication for activating the SCell (502). For example, the base station 104 may send a MAC CE SCell activation command indicating the target SCell to the UE 102.

[0099] At 504, it is determined whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE. In some specific implementations, determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE is based on the measurement status of the SCell received from the UE. For example, when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE, the SCell may be a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE; otherwise, the SCell may be considered unknown with respect to the UE. In some specific implementations, in response to an aperiodic request from the UE, the measurement status is received from the UE. In some specific implementations, in response to the indication for activating the SCell, the measurement status is automatically received from the UE.

[0100] At 506, the SCell activation procedure is performed at least in part based on determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE. Such a procedure may be performed by, for example, the UE 102 and the base station 104, etc. In some specific implementations, performing the SCell activation procedure at least in part based on determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE includes skipping one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE. In some specific implementations, performing the SCell activation procedure at least in part based on determining whether the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE includes adjusting the timing of one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell is a semi-unknown SCell with respect to the UE. Adjusting the timing of one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure may include adjusting the timing for the UE to receive the L1-RSRP report, adjusting the timing for sending the TCI state activation command to the UE, or both, etc.

[0101] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 according to some specific implementations. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes the method 600 in the context of other figures in this specification. For example, the method 600 may be performed by Figure 1be performed by the UE 102. It should be understood that the method 600 may be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of system, environment, software, and hardware, as the case may be. In some specific embodiments, the various steps of the method 600 may be run in parallel, combined, looped, or run in any order.

[0102] The operations of the method 600 include determining a mechanism for TCI activation in the SCell based on the IE (602). For example, the UE 102 may determine a mechanism for TCI activation in the SCell based on the IE received from the base station 104. In some specific embodiments, the mechanism is a timer that specifies a time range for waiting to receive a TCI command from the network after receiving an SCell activation command from the network. In some specific embodiments, the mechanism is a network configuration indicating whether the TCI activation of the SCell is explicitly indicated. In some specific embodiments, the IE includes the TCIWaitingTime-r18 IE and / or the explicitTCI-r18 IE.

[0103] At 604, the mechanism is used to activate the TCI state in the SCell (604). In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: starting a timer in response to receiving an SCell activation command from the network; determining that a TCI command is received from the network before the timer expires; and activating the TCI state based on the TCI command. In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: starting a timer in response to receiving an SCell activation command from the network; determining that a TCI command has not been received before the timer expires; and selecting a TCI state for activation from multiple TCI states based on measurements of the multiple TCI states (e.g., L1-RSRP measurements). In some specific embodiments, the time range is pre-configured by the radio network or pre-configured in the UE.

[0104] In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: receiving a network configuration from the radio network; determining that the TCI activation of the SCell is explicitly indicated based on the network configuration; receiving a TCI command from the radio network; and activating the TCI state based on the TCI command. In some specific embodiments, using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: receiving a network configuration from the radio network; determining that the TCI activation of the SCell is not explicitly indicated based on the network configuration; and selecting a TCI state for activation from multiple TCI states based on measurements of the multiple TCI states.

[0105] Figure 7 illustrates a UE 700 according to some specific embodiments. The UE 700 may be similar toFigure 3 UE 302, and is substantially interchangeable therewith.

[0106] UE 700 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, computer, tablet, industrial wireless sensor (e.g., microphone, pressure sensor, thermometer, motion sensor, accelerometer, inventory sensor, voltage / current meter, etc.), video device (e.g., camera, video camera, etc.), wearable device (e.g., smart watch), loose IoT device.

[0107] UE 700 may include a processor 702, an RF interface circuit 704, a memory / storage 706, a user interface 708, sensors 710, driver circuitry 712, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 714, an antenna structure 716, and a battery 718. The components of UE 700 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of integrated circuits, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic components, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. Figure 7 The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of UE 700. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may exist, and different arrangements of the shown components may occur in other specific implementations.

[0108] The components of UE 700 may be coupled to various other components by one or more interconnects 720, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc., that allows various circuit components (on common or different chips or chip sets) to interact with each other.

[0109] Processor 702 may include processor circuitry, such as baseband processor circuitry (BB) 722A, central processing unit circuitry (CPU) 722B, and graphics processing unit circuitry (GPU) 722C. Processor 702 may include any type of circuit or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, or functional procedures from memory / storage 706) to cause UE 700 to perform the operations described herein.

[0110] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 722A may access the communication protocol stack 724 in the memory / storage 706 to communicate via a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally speaking, the baseband processor circuit 722A may access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at the Physical (PHY) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and non-access stratum. In some embodiments, the PHY layer operations may additionally / alternatively be performed by components of the RF interface circuit 704. The baseband processor circuit 722A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compliant network. In some embodiments, the waveforms for NR may be based on cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) "CP-OFDM" in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM "DFT-S-OFDM" in the uplink.

[0111] The memory / storage 706 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that include instructions (e.g., the communication protocol stack 724) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 702 to cause the UE 700 to perform the various operations described herein. The memory / storage 706 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 700. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage in the memory / storage 706 may be located on the processor 702 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 706 is located external to the processor 702 but is accessible thereto via a memory interface. The memory / storage 706 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as but not limited to dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0112] The RF interface circuit 704 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front-end module (RFEM) that allows the UE 700 to communicate with other devices via a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 704 may include various elements arranged in a transmit path or a receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0113] In the receive path, the RFEM can receive a radiated signal from the air interface via the antenna structure 716 and continue to filter and amplify the signal (using a low-noise amplifier). The signal can be provided to the receiver of the transceiver, which downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processor 702.

[0114] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver upconverts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM can amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna 716. In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit 704 can be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with the NR access technology.

[0115] The antenna 716 can include antenna elements to convert an electrical signal into radio waves to travel through the air and convert the received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements can be arranged into one or more antenna panels. The antenna 716 can have antenna panels with omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple-input / multiple-output communication. The antenna 716 can include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. The antenna 716 can have one or more panels that are designed for a specific frequency band within the bands included in FR1 or FR2.

[0116] The user interface 708 includes various input / output (I / O) devices that are designed to enable a user to interact with the UE 700. The user interface 708 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. The input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual component for accepting input, particularly including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, or a headset, etc. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual component for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry can include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly including one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators such as light-emitting diodes "LED") and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs such as a display device or a touchscreen (e.g., a liquid crystal display "LCD", an LED display, a quantum dot display, a projector, etc.), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced by the operation of the UE 700.

[0117] The sensor 710 may include a device, module, or subsystem aimed at detecting events or changes in its environment and transmitting information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors particularly include: inertial measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including three-axis accelerometers, three-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; liquid level sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detectors, etc.); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices; and so on.

[0118] The driver circuit 712 may include software elements and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 700. The driver circuit 712 may include individual drivers, thereby allowing other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within or connected to the UE 700. For example, the driver circuit 712 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 710 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 710, a driver for obtaining the actuator position of an electromechanical component or controlling and allowing access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0119] The PMIC 714 may manage the power supplied to various components of the UE 700. Specifically, with respect to the processor 702, the PMIC 714 may control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0120] In some specific implementations, the PMIC 714 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 700. The battery 718 may power the UE 700, but in some examples, the UE 700 may be installed in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 718 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 718 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0121] Figure 8An access node 800 (e.g., a base station or gNB) is shown according to some implementations. Access node 800 can be similar to base station 304 and can be substantially interchangeable therewith. Access node 800 can include a processor 802, RF interface circuitry 804, core network (CN) interface circuitry 806, memory / storage circuitry 808, and antenna structures 810.

[0122] The components of access node 800 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 812. Processor 802, RF interface circuitry 804, memory / storage circuitry 808 (including communication protocol stack 814), antenna structures 810, and interconnects 812 may be similar to those described with reference to Figure 7 Like-named elements are shown and described.For example, processor 802 may include processor circuits such as baseband processor circuit (BB) 816A, central processor unit circuit (CPU) 816B, and graphics processor unit circuit (GPU) 816C.

[0123] The CN interface circuit 806 may provide connectivity to a core network (e.g., a 5GC using a 5th Generation Core Network (5GC) compatible network interface protocol such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol). Network connectivity may be provided to / from the access node 800 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit 806 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 806 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0124] As used herein, the terms "access node", "access point", etc. may be described as equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP or TRP, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms "NG RAN node", etc. may refer to an access node 800 (e.g., a gNB) operating in an NR or 5G system, and the terms "E-UTRAN node", etc. may refer to an access node 800 (e.g., an eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system. According to various specific implementations, the access node 800 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

[0125] In some specific implementations, all or part of the access node 800 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer and as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In a V2X scenario, the access node 800 may be or act as a "road side unit". The term "road side unit" or "RSU" may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity for V2X communication. An RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on.

[0126] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted to include the phrase "configured to". A component described as configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

[0127] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more of the operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. As another example, the circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth in the example section below.

[0128] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings, or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0129] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to cover all such variations and modifications.

[0130] As is well known, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprises: receiving an indication for activating a secondary cell (SCell) from a base station; determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell regarding the UE; and performing an SCell activation procedure at least partly based on determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell regarding the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprises determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on a measurement state of the SCell.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein when the measurement state indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE, the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE, and wherein when the UE has performed at least one of a cell synchronization operation or a cell measurement operation for the SCell, the measurement state indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

4. The method according to claim 2, the method further comprises: receiving a request for the measurement state of the SCell from the base station; and reporting the measurement state of the SCell to the base station in response to the request, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement state indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the request includes an aperiodic request received before receiving the indication for activating the SCell.

6. The method according to claim 2, the method further comprises: reporting the measurement state of the SCell to the base station in response to receiving the indication for activating the SCell, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement state indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

7. The method according to claim 2, the method further comprises: receiving a request for the measurement state of the SCell from the base station; and reporting the measurement state of the SCell and the strongest measured synchronization signal block (SSB) index of the SCell to the base station in response to the request, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements, L1 measurements and L1 measurement reports of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement state indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

8. The method according to claim 2, the method further comprises: reporting the measurement state of the SCell and the strongest measured synchronization signal block (SSB) index of the SCell to the base station in response to receiving the indication for activating the SCell, Wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip the L3 measurement, L1 measurement, and L1 measurement reporting of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

9. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on whether the UE has performed an L3 measurement on the SCell.

10. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising: determining that the UE has performed the L3 measurement on the SCell; and reporting the L3 measurement result to the base station, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip the L3 measurement, L1 measurement, and L1 measurement reporting of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the UE has performed the L3 measurement on the SCell.

11. The method according to claim 9, the method further comprising: receiving, from the base station, a request for one or more L3 measurements of one or more component carriers; and reporting to the base station the strongest L3 measurement result among the one or more L3 measurements, or one or more L3 measurement results that meet a threshold among the L3 measurement results.

12. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on the time interval between the configuration of the SCell for the UE and the indication for activating the SCell.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein if the time interval is greater than the SCell measurement period, the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein if the time interval is greater than a threshold configured by the base station, the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

15. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising skipping one or more measurement operations during the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the one or more measurement operations skipped during the activation of the SCell include at least one of an L1 measurement operation or an L3 measurement operation.

17. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising determining a delay of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the delay of the SCell activation procedure is reduced relative to the SCell activation delay of an SCell that is unknown to the UE.

19. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any of the preceding claims.

20. A system, the system comprising at least one processor and at least one storage device storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

21. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising at least one baseband processor configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

22. A method to be performed by a base station, the method comprising: sending an indication for activating a secondary cell (SCell) to a user equipment (UE); determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell regarding the UE; and performing an SCell activation procedure at least partly based on determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell regarding the UE.

23. The method according to claim 22, the method further comprising determining whether the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE based on a measurement status of the SCell received from the UE.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE, the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

25. The method according to claim 23, the method further comprising: sending a request for the measurement status of the SCell to the UE; and receiving, in response to the request, the measurement status of the SCell from the UE, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the request comprises an aperiodic request sent before sending the indication for activating the SCell.

27. The method according to claim 23, the method further comprising: receiving the measurement status from the UE in response to the indication for activating the SCell, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

28. The method according to claim 23, the method further comprising: sending a request for the measurement status of the SCell to the UE; and receiving, in response to the request, the measurement status of the SCell and the strongest measured synchronization signal block (SSB) index of the SCell from the UE, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements, L1 measurements and L1 measurement reports and continue with TCI activation of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

29. The method according to claim 23, the method further comprises: receiving, in response to the indication for activating the SCell, the measurement status from the UE, wherein the UE and the base station are configured to skip L3 measurements and continue with the L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the SCell activation procedure when the measurement status indicates that the SCell has been measured by the UE.

30. The method according to claim 22, further comprises: receiving, during the SCell activation procedure, an L3 measurement report for the SCell from the UE, the L3 measurement having been performed by the UE before sending the indication for activating the SCell; and sending, in response to receiving the L3 measurement, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) status activation command to the UE at least partially based on the L3 measurement.

31. The method according to claim 22, the method further comprises: sending a request for one or more L3 measurements for one or more component carriers to the UE; and receiving, from the UE, the strongest L3 measurement report among the one or more L3 measurement reports, or one or more L3 measurement reports that meet a threshold in the L3 measurement reports.

32. The method according to claim 22, the method further comprises skipping one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

33. The method according to claim 22, the method further comprises adjusting the timing of one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure in response to determining that the SCell includes a semi-unknown SCell for the UE.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein adjusting the timing of the one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure comprises adjusting the timing for the UE to receive an L1-RSRP report.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein adjusting the timing of the one or more operations of the SCell activation procedure comprises adjusting the timing for sending a transmission configuration indication (TCI) status activation command to the UE.

36. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 35.

37. A system, the system comprising at least one processor and at least one storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 35.

38. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising at least one baseband processor configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 35.

39. A method to be performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprises: Mechanism for determining a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation for a Secondary Cell (SCell) based on an Information Element (IE); and Using the mechanism to activate a TCI state in the SCell.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the mechanism includes a timer that specifies a time range for waiting to receive a TCI command from the network after receiving an SCell activation command from the network.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: In response to receiving the SCell activation command from the network, starting the timer; Determining that the TCI command is received from the network before the timer expires; and Activating the TCI state based on the TCI command.

42. The method according to claim 40, wherein using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: In response to receiving the SCell activation command from the network, starting the timer; Determining that the TCI command has not been received before the timer expires; and Selecting the TCI state for activation from among a plurality of TCI states and based on measurements of the plurality of TCI states.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the measurement is a Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurement.

44. The method according to claim 40, wherein the time range is pre-configured by the radio network or pre-configured in the UE.

45. The method according to claim 40, wherein the IE is TCIWaitingTime-r18.

46. The method according to claim 39, wherein the mechanism includes a network configuration indicating whether the TCI activation of the SCell is explicitly indicated.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: Receiving the network configuration from the radio network; Determining based on the network configuration that the TCI activation of the SCell is explicitly indicated; Receiving a TCI command from the radio network; and Activating the TCI state based on the TCI command.

48. The method according to claim 46, wherein using the mechanism to activate the TCI state in the SCell includes: Receiving the network configuration from the radio network; Determining based on the network configuration that the TCI activation of the SCell is not explicitly indicated; and Selecting the TCI state for activation from among a plurality of TCI states and based on measurements of the plurality of TCI states.

49. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 39 to 48.

50. A system, the system comprising at least one processor and at least one storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 39 to 48.

51. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising at least one baseband processor configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 39 to 48.

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