Method and apparatus for configuring layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility candidate information in mobile communications

Abstract

Various solutions are described for configuring Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) triggered Mobility (LTM) candidate information. An apparatus receives a radio resource control (RRC) message from a network node of a wireless network. In addition to a container field containing original data of the RRC message, the RRC message includes one or more LTM candidate configurations. The apparatus may then perform an operation on the one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations prior to triggering the LTM cell handover procedure.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This disclosure is part of a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. patent application No. 63 / 485,274, filed on February 16, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly to configuration of layer-1 or layer-2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate information in mobile communications. Background Art

[0004] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0005] In mobile communications, handover refers to the process of transferring an ongoing communication session of a user equipment (UE) from one cell to another in a connected state to ensure seamless connection and service continuity for the user, especially when the user is mobile. rd In the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) up to Release 17, cell handover (also known as serving cell change) was triggered by Layer 3 (L3) measurements and performed through Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. This L3-based mobility involves reconfiguration of upper layers (e.g., the RRC layer and / or the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer) and reset of lower layers (e.g., the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and / or the Physical (PHY) layer), which inevitably results in long delays, large signaling overhead, and long interruption times.

[0006] To reduce latency, signaling overhead, and interruption time during handover, Release 18 introduces lower layer-based mobility (or LTM), which aims to enable cell switching through L1 / L2 signaling. However, since LTM is a newly introduced feature, many details of LTM have not yet been defined, and traditional designs of L3-based mobility may not be applicable to LTM. For example, in conditional handover (CHO), candidate configurations are delivered through signaling messages and provided in a container field as part of the raw data of the signaling message. The raw data in the container field is only parsed when a candidate cell is selected, and only then can the UE extract and use the candidate configuration. That is, the UE cannot obtain and use the candidate configuration until the cell handover is triggered.

[0007] Therefore, how to design the candidate information configuration of LTM has become an important issue. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an appropriate solution to this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious technologies described herein. Selected embodiments are further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] The goal of the present disclosure is to propose a solution or method to solve the above-mentioned problems related to LTM candidate information configuration in mobile communications.

[0010] In one aspect, a method involves an apparatus receiving an RRC message from a network node of a wireless network, wherein the RRC message includes, in addition to a container field containing raw data of the RRC message, one or more LTM candidate configurations. The method also involves the apparatus performing an operation on one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations before triggering an LTM cell handover procedure.

[0011] In one aspect, an apparatus includes a transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network node of a wireless network during operation. The apparatus further includes a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. During operation, the processor performs operations including receiving, via the transceiver, an RRC message from the network node, wherein the RRC message includes, in addition to a container field containing raw data of the RRC message, one or more LTM candidate configurations. The processor may also perform operations including, prior to triggering an LTM cell handover procedure, performing, via the transceiver, an operation on one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations.

[0012] It is worth noting that although the description provided herein may be in certain radio access technologies (RATs), networks and network topologies such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-Advanced), Advanced LTE Enhanced (LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G, NR, Internet of Things (IoT) and Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Beyond 5G (B5G) and Sixth Generation (6G), the concepts, solutions and any variants / derivatives thereof may be implemented, applied and implemented in other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this disclosure. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. It will be understood that in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some components may be shown out of proportion to the dimensions in actual embodiments.

[0014] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of an LTM signaling process according to the disclosed solution.

[0015] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of LTM candidate information configuration according to the first solution proposed in the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of LTM candidate information configuration according to the second solution proposed in the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of LTM candidate information configuration options according to the second solution proposed in the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of configuring LTM candidate information according to the disclosed solution.

[0019] Figure 6 It describes the Figure 5A diagram illustrating an example scenario of an RRC structure format of a general list of L1 measurement configurations is provided.

[0020] Figure 7 It describes the Figure 5 A diagram illustrating an example scenario of an RRC structure format for a separate list of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state configurations is provided.

[0021] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 9 is a flowchart of an example process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter are described in detail below. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrations of the claimed subject matter implemented in various forms. The present disclosure can be implemented in a variety of different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. On the contrary, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that the description of the present disclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, conventional features and technical details are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0024] Overview

[0025] According to the present disclosure, embodiments relate to various technologies, methods, schemes, and / or solutions related to configuring LTM candidate information in mobile communications. According to the present disclosure, many possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in some combination.

[0026] Figure 1 An example scenario 100 of an LTM signaling process according to the present disclosure is described. The scenario 100 involves a user equipment (UE) 110 and a base station (BS) (e.g., a next-generation NB (gNB) or a transmission and reception point (TRP)) 120, which may be part of a wireless network (e.g., a 5G NR network, a 5G network, or a 6G network). Figure 1As shown, when the UE is in the RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state, the signaling process of LTM is performed. At 101, UE 110 sends a measurement report (MeasurementReport) message to BS 120. After receiving the measurement report message, BS 120 decides to use LTM and starts LTM candidate preparation. At 102, BS 120 sends an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message to UE 110, which includes the configuration of one or more LTM candidate cells. At 103, UE 110 stores the configuration of the LTM candidate cells and sends an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message to BS 120. At 104a / 104b, before receiving the LTM cell switching command, UE 110 performs downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL) synchronization and timing advance (TA) acquisition with the candidate cells. At 105, UE 110 performs L1 measurements on the configured LTM candidate cell and sends a lower layer measurement report to BS 120. After receiving the lower layer measurement report, BS 120 decides to perform an LTM cell handover to the target cell. At 106, BS 120 sends a MAC control element (MAC-CE) triggering an LTM cell handover. In response to the triggering of the LTM cell handover, UE 110 switches to the configured LTM candidate target cell. At 107, if the TA is not available, UE 110 performs a random access procedure for the target cell. At 108, UE 110 indicates the successful completion of the LTM cell handover to the target cell.

[0027] In view of the above, to support Rel-18 LTM, the UE may need to use some information about candidate cells before cell handover. For example, the UE may need at least one of the following information: (i) the L1 measurement configuration of the LTM candidate cell, and (ii) the TCI state configuration corresponding to the LTM candidate cell. The information about the LTM candidate cells can be provided in the LTM candidate configuration, which is received outside the container field containing the original data of the RRC message (e.g., RRC reconfiguration message). Therefore, the UE may be able to access the relevant candidate cell information before cell handover (i.e., when the UE is still served by the source cell).

[0028] Specifically, an LTM candidate configuration refers to a configuration associated with an LTM candidate cell, where the LTM candidate configuration can be a complete LTM candidate configuration or an incremental (difference) configuration relative to an LTM reference configuration. The LTM reference configuration refers to a configuration provided by the network to the UE, which is common to all incomplete LTM candidate configurations configured within the same cell group. The UE generates a complete LTM candidate configuration by applying the LTM candidate configuration on top of the LTM reference configuration. For example, the LTM reference configuration can be provided as part of the original data contained in the container field of an RRC message and can be extracted and used from the original data during cell handover.

[0029] According to the first solution proposed in the present disclosure, the required LTM candidate cell information can be included in a common list. For example, there can be a TCI status list of all configured LTM candidate cells, and / or a reference signal list of all configured LTM candidate cells. In addition, or alternatively, the common list can be included in the LTM reference configuration, assuming that the LTM reference configuration is almost unchanged for the UE within a small area. An index can be assigned to each configured LTM candidate cell, including the current serving cell and the LTM candidate cell. For example, "serving cell" can point to one of the indices, which does not need to be 0, and when the cell is switched, "serving cell" can point to another index. Even if the UE performs LTM cell switching, the index of the same cell can remain unchanged, and the RRC reconfiguration message can modify the index or release the candidate cell. Each element in the list is associated with a cell index so that the UE can know which cell the RS comes from. Before the LTM cell switch, the elements associated with the non-serving cell index are for the UE to perform necessary operations on the LTM candidate cell. For example, the UE can read the CSI-SSB-ResourceSet of the non-serving cell to perform L1 measurements on the synchronization signal block (SSB) of the candidate cell, or the UE can read the TCI state list of the non-serving cell to determine which candidate cell's TCI states are included in the UE's active TCI state list. When switching LTM cells, the LTM reference configuration is applied first, and then the LTM candidate configuration is applied. This means that the LTM candidate configuration can further modify the new "serving cell" part of the list. For example, the TCI common list can include TCI states that are quasi co-located (QCLed) with SSBs of different cells, and the TCI state for QCL with CSI-RS is configured using the list in the LTM incremental configuration of each LTM candidate cell.

[0030] Figure 2An example scenario 200 of configuring LTM candidate information according to the first solution proposed in the present disclosure is described. Scenario 200 involves a UE configuring the TCI states of three nearby cells in a common list and also providing a cell index for each TCI state ID. Figure 2 Part (A) shows the change of serving cell when UE moves between these three cells. Figure 2 Part (B) shows that in the common list, as the UE moves between these three cells, the TCI status of the corresponding current serving cell changes at different time points. At the first time point (denoted as t1), the indicated TCI state is TCI state #2, and cell #1 is the serving cell. At the second time point (denoted as t2), the indicated TCI state is TCI state #5, and the serving cell switches to cell #2. Cell #1 remains a candidate cell, and its TCI status remains in the list. At the third time point (denoted as t3), the indicated TCI state is TCI state #10, and the serving cell switches to cell #3. Cell #1 and cell #2 remain candidate cells, and their TCI status remains in the list.

[0031] According to the second solution proposed in the present disclosure, the required LTM candidate cell information can be included in a separate list in each LTM candidate configuration. The UE can read the LTM candidate configuration upon reception to obtain the list. Before cell switching, these separate lists can be used by the UE to perform necessary operations on the LTM candidate cells. For example, the UE can read the CSI-SSB-ResourceSet list of each candidate cell to perform L1 measurement on the SSB of the candidate cell, or the UE can read the TCI state list of each candidate cell to include the TCI state of the candidate cell into the UE's active TCI state list. These separate lists can be included in the original RRC configuration structure of the candidate (for example, in CellGroupConfig). Alternatively, these separate lists can be included outside the candidate RRC reconfiguration (i.e., the original data format of the RRC reconfiguration message stored in the container field (e.g., an octet string)), and there may be another list (with the same name) in the RRC configuration structure for the UE to use after the LTM cell switching.

[0032] Figure 3 An example scenario 300 of configuring LTM candidate information according to the second solution proposed in the present disclosure is described. Scenario 300 involves a UE configuring TCI states of three nearby cells in three separate lists. Figure 3 Part (A) shows the change of serving cell when UE moves between these three cells. Figure 3Part (B) shows the changes in the TCI status of the current serving cell at different time points in a separate list as the UE moves between the three cells. At the first time point (denoted as t1), the indicated TCI status is TCI status #2 of cell #1. At the second time point (denoted as t2), the indicated TCI status is TCI status #1 of cell #2. Cell #1 is still a candidate cell, and its TCI status list is retained. At the third time point (denoted as t3), the indicated TCI status is TCI status #2 of cell #3. Cell #1 and cell #2 are still candidate cells, and their TCI status lists are retained.

[0033] Figure 4 FIG4 is an example scenario 400 illustrating configuration options of LTM candidate information according to the second solution proposed in the present disclosure. The scenario 400 describes two options for providing LTM candidate information. Figure 4 Part (A) shows option 1, where the configuration of LTM candidate information is provided by a list of candidate RRC reconfiguration, Figure 4 Part (B) shows option 2, where the configuration of LTM candidate information is provided by a list inside the candidate RRC reconfiguration and another list outside. Specifically, in option 1, the UE needs to parse the candidate RRC reconfiguration upon reception (not just store it) in order to extract the list. When the UE is served by the source cell, these candidate lists are used to perform necessary operations on the candidates, such as TCI state activation (for DL / UL synchronization) and / or L1 measurement. Once a candidate is selected as the target, its configuration is applied and the list is used for serving cell operation. In option 2, the UE can simply store the candidate RRC reconfiguration upon reception. When the UE is served by the source cell, the list outside the candidate RRC reconfiguration is used to perform necessary operations on the candidates, such as TCI state activation (for DL / UL synchronization) and / or L1 measurement. Once a candidate is selected as the target, its configuration is applied and the list inside the candidate RRC reconfiguration is used for serving cell operation.

[0034] Figure 5 An example scenario 500 for configuring LTM candidate information according to the disclosed solution is described. Scenario 500 describes providing LTM candidate information in combination with the first and second solutions. Specifically, a common list (labeled "ltm-csi-SSB-ResourceList" and "ltm-CandidateId-list") is used to provide L1 measurement configurations for all LTM candidate cells, and a separate list (labeled "TCI-State") is used to provide TCI state configurations, with each configuration corresponding to a corresponding LTM candidate cell. Figure 6 Describes the Figure 5An example scenario 600 of the RRC structure format for a generic list of L1 measurement configurations is provided. In scenario 600, the "ltm-CandidateIdList" field indicates the LTM candidate cell IDs associated with the SSBs in the "ltm-CSI-SSB-ResourceList," and the list has the same number of entries as the "ltm-CSI-SSB-ResourceList." The "ltm-CSI-SSB-ResourceList" field is used to indicate SS / PBCH block resources from one or more LTM candidate cells. Figure 7 It describes the Figure 5 An example scenario 700 of an RRC structure format for a separate list of TCI state configurations is provided. In scenario 700, the "ltm-DL-OrJointTCI-StateToAddModList" field indicates the TCI state list to be added and / or modified. The "ltm-DL-OrJointTCI-StateToReleaseList" field indicates the TCI state list to be removed. The "ltm-UL-TCI-ToAddModList" field indicates the uplink TCI state list to be added and / or modified. The "ltm-UL-TCI-ToReleaseList" field indicates the uplink TCI state list to be removed. The "ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID" field indicates whether the UE should perform UE-based TA measurements when performing a cell handover procedure for an LTM candidate.

[0035] Example Implementations

[0036] Figure 8 An example system 800 is shown having at least an example communication device 810 and an example network device 820 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 810 and the network device 820 can each perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein for configuring LTM candidate information in mobile communications, including the aforementioned scenarios / schemes and the process 900 described below.

[0037] Communication device 810 may be part of an electronic device, such as a UE, including a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, communication device 810 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, laptop, or notebook computer. Communication device 810 may also be part of a machine-type device, such as an IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT device, such as a stationary or fixed device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, communication device 810 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 810 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 810 includes at least Figure 8 The communication device 810 further includes one or more other components that are not related to the solution proposed in the present disclosure (e.g., an internal power supply, a display device and / or a user interface device). Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the above-mentioned other components of the communication device 810 are not shown in the figure. Figure 8 It is not described below.

[0038] The network device 820 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a BS, a small cell, a router, or a gateway. For example, the network device 820 may be implemented in a gNB in ​​a 5G, B5G, 6G, IoT, NB-IoT, or IIoT network. Alternatively, the communication device 820 may be implemented in the form of one or more IC chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more RISC processors, or one or more CISC processors. The communication device 820 includes at least Figure 8 The communication device 820 further includes one or more other components that are not related to the solution proposed in the present disclosure (e.g., an internal power supply, a display device and / or a user interface device). Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the above-mentioned other components of the communication device 820 are not shown in the figure. Figure 8 It is not described below.

[0039] In one aspect, any of the processors 812 and 822 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, even though the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to the processors 812 and 822, in the present disclosure, any of the processors 812 and 822 may include multiple processors in some embodiments and a single processor in other embodiments. In another aspect, any of the processors 812 and 822 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and optionally, firmware) having electronic components, including, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varactors configured for a specific purpose in accordance with the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some embodiments, processor 812 and processor 822 are special-purpose machines specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, including configuration of LTM candidate information in a UE (e.g., represented by communication device 810) and a BS (e.g., represented by network device 820).

[0040] In some embodiments, the communication device 810 further includes a transceiver 816 coupled to the processor 812, capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, the transceiver 816 can wirelessly communicate with different types of BSs of different RATs. In some embodiments, the transceiver 816 is configured with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 816 is configured with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some embodiments, the network device 820 further includes a transceiver 826 coupled to the processor 822, capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, the transceiver 826 can wirelessly communicate with different types of UEs of different RATs. In some embodiments, the transceiver 826 is configured with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 826 is configured with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication. Thus, the communication device 810 and the network device 820 may wirelessly communicate with each other via the transceiver 816 and the transceiver 826, respectively.

[0041] In some embodiments, the communication device 810 further includes a memory 814 coupled to the processor 812 and accessible by the processor 812 and storing data therein. In some embodiments, the network device 820 further includes a memory 824 coupled to the processor 822 and accessible by the processor 822 and storing data therein. Either the memory 814 or the memory 824 includes a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or in addition, either the memory 814 or the memory 824 includes a read-only memory (ROM), such as mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, or in addition, either memory 814 or memory 824 includes a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase change memory.

[0042] Either the communication device 810 or the network device 820 may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other using various schemes proposed in the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, but not limited thereto, a description of the operations, functions, and capabilities of the communication device 810 implemented in or as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and the network device 820 implemented in or as a BS (e.g., BS 120) is provided below.

[0043] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 812 of communication device 810 may receive an RRC message from network device 820 via transceiver 816. Specifically, in addition to a container field containing the original data of the RRC message, the RRC message may also include one or more LTM candidate configurations. Processor 812 may then, via transceiver 816, perform operations on one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations before triggering an LTM cell handover procedure.

[0044] In some embodiments, the one or more LTM candidate configurations include: (i) L1 measurement configurations of one or more LTM candidate cells; and (ii) one or more TCI state configurations corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0045] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement configuration includes a common list for all one or more LTM candidate cells, the common list indicating RS resources from the one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0046] In some implementations, the RS resources include SSB or CSI-RS resources.

[0047] In some embodiments, each of the one or more TCI state configurations includes a TCI state list for a corresponding one of the one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0048] In some embodiments, performing operations on one or more LTM candidate cells includes: (i) performing L1 measurements on the one or more LTM candidate cells based on an L1 measurement configuration; and / or (ii) performing TCI state activation based on one or more TCI state configurations.

[0049] In some embodiments, the TCI state activation includes activating one or more TCI states quasi co-located (QCLed) with the RS of the LTM candidate cell based on the one or more TCI state configurations.

[0050] In some embodiments, during the LTM cell handover process, the one or more LTM candidate configurations are applied on top of the LTM reference configuration. That is, during the LTM cell handover process, a combined configuration combining the one or more LTM candidate configurations and the LTM reference configuration can be applied.

[0051] In some implementations, the processor 812 may further store the container field upon receiving the RRC message and apply another LTM candidate configuration extracted from the container field during the LTM cell handover process. In other words, the another LTM candidate configuration in the container field is a complete configuration and is directly applied during the LTM cell handover process.

[0052] In some implementations, the RRC message comprises an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0053] Example Process

[0054] Figure 9An example process 900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Whether in part or in whole, process 900 represents an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme regarding LTM candidate configuration in mobile communications. Process 900 represents an example implementation of the functionality of communication device 810. Process 900 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more of steps 910 and 920. Although described as discrete steps, the various steps of process 900 may be divided into additional steps, combined into fewer steps, or deleted, as needed. In addition, the steps / sub-steps of process 900 may be performed as follows Figure 9 , or in any other order. Process 900 may be implemented by communication device 810 or any suitable UE. For illustrative purposes only, and not limitation, process 900 is described in the context of communication device 810 as a UE and network device 820 as a base station. Process 900 begins at step 910.

[0055] At 910, process 900 involves processor 812 of communication device 810 receiving an RRC message from network device 820 via transceiver 816. Specifically, in addition to a container field containing raw data of the RRC message, the RRC message also includes one or more LTM candidate configurations. Process 900 continues from 910 to 920.

[0056] At 920 , the process 900 involves the processor 812 , via the transceiver 816 , performing operations on one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations before triggering the LTM cell handover process.

[0057] In some embodiments, the one or more LTM candidate configurations include: (i) L1 measurement configurations of one or more LTM candidate cells; and (ii) one or more TCI state configurations corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0058] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement configuration includes a common list for all one or more LTM candidate cells, the common list indicating RS resources from the one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0059] In some implementations, the RS resources include SSB or CSI-RS resources.

[0060] In some embodiments, each of the one or more TCI state configurations includes a TCI state list for a corresponding one of the one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0061] In some embodiments, performing operations on one or more LTM candidate cells includes: (i) performing L1 measurements on the one or more LTM candidate cells based on an L1 measurement configuration; and / or (ii) performing TCI state activation based on one or more TCI state configurations.

[0062] In some embodiments, the TCI state activation includes activating one or more TCI states that are quasi-co-located with the RS of the LTM candidate cell based on the one or more TCI state configurations.

[0063] In some embodiments, during the LTM cell handover process, the one or more LTM candidate configurations are applied on top of the LTM reference configuration. That is, during the LTM cell handover process, a combined configuration combining the one or more LTM candidate configurations and the LTM reference configuration can be applied.

[0064] In some embodiments, process 400 further involves processor 812 storing the container field upon receiving the RRC message, and applying another LTM candidate configuration extracted from the container field during the LTM cell handover process. In other words, the another LTM candidate configuration in the container field is a complete configuration and is directly applied during the LTM cell handover process.

[0065] In some implementations, the RRC message comprises an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0066] Additional Notes

[0067] The subject matter described in this disclosure is sometimes illustrated as being included in different other components or being connected thereto. It is to be understood that these described architectures are merely examples, and in fact, many other architectures for realizing the same function can be realized. In a conceptual sense, any component arrangement for realizing the same function is effectively "associated" so as to realize the desired function. Therefore, any two components that are combined in this disclosure to realize a specific function can be considered to be "associated" to each other so as to realize the desired function, regardless of architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to realize the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be considered to be "operably coupled" to realize the desired function. The specific example of operable coupling includes but is not limited to physically pairable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or wirelessly interactive components and / or logically interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0068] In addition, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms in this disclosure, those skilled in the art can convert the plural to the singular and / or the singular to the plural to suit the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations may be explicitly set forth in this disclosure.

[0069] Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, terms used in this disclosure, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims), are generally intended to be “open” terms, e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” etc. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that if a specific number of claim recitations is intended, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such a statement, such intent is not present. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of these phrases should not be construed as implying that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite article “a” or “an” will limit any particular claim that includes the introduced claim recitation to embodiments that include only that one recitation, even when the claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and an indefinite article such as “a” or “an,” for example, “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” and “one or more,” and the same is true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, one skilled in the art will recognize that the recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the mere recitation "two recitations" without other modifications means at least two recitations or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in those instances where a similar convention to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, generally, from the perspective of one skilled in the art will understand the convention, this construction contemplates that, for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" will include but is not limited to systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc. In other instances where a similar convention to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, generally, from the perspective of one skilled in the art will understand the convention, this construction contemplates that, for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" will include but is not limited to systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that any conjunction and / or phrase (whether in the specification, claims, or drawings) that actually represents two or more alternative terms should be understood to anticipate the possibility of including one, either, or both of the terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0070] From the foregoing, it should be understood that various embodiments of the present invention have been described in this disclosure for illustrative purposes, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The processor of the apparatus receives a radio resource control (RRC) message from a network node of the wireless network, wherein the RRC message includes, in addition to a container field containing original data of the RRC message, one or more layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate configurations; and Before triggering the LTM cell handover process, the processor performs operations on one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The one or more LTM candidate configurations include: L1 measurement configuration of the one or more LTM candidate cells; and The one or more transmission configurations corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells indicate TCI state configurations.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The L1 measurement configuration includes a common list for all of the one or more LTM candidate cells, the common list indicating reference signal (RS) resources from the one or more LTM candidate cells.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The RS resource includes a synchronization signal block SSB or a channel state information-reference signal CSI-RS resource.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 2, wherein: Each of the one or more TCI state configurations includes a TCI state list for a corresponding one of the one or more LTM candidate cells.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein The performing of operations on the one or more LTM candidate cells includes: Perform L1 measurement on the one or more LTM candidate cells based on the L1 measurement configuration; or TCI state activation is performed based on the one or more TCI state configurations.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The TCI status activation includes: Based on the one or more TCI state configurations, one or more TCI states quasi-co-located with the RS of the LTM candidate cell are activated.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein During the LTM cell handover process, the one or more LTM candidate configurations are applied to the LTM reference configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: The processor stores the container field when receiving the RRC message; as well as The processor applies another LTM candidate configuration extracted from the container field during the LTM cell handover process.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The RRC message includes an RRC reconfiguration message.

11. A device comprising: a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with network nodes of the wireless network during operation; as well as A processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver, wherein during operation, the processor performs operations including: receiving, by the transceiver, an RRC message from the network node, wherein the RRC message includes, in addition to a container field containing original data of the RRC message, one or more LTM candidate configurations; and Before triggering the LTM cell handover process, operations are performed on one or more LTM candidate cells based on the one or more LTM candidate configurations by the transceiver.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The one or more LTM candidate configurations include: L1 measurement configuration of the one or more LTM candidate cells; and One or more TCI state configurations corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein The L1 measurement configuration includes a common list for all of the one or more LTM candidate cells, the common list indicating RS resources from the one or more LTM candidate cells.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein The RS resource includes an SSB or a CSI-RS resource.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein Each of the one or more TCI state configurations includes a TCI state list for a corresponding one of the one or more LTM candidate cells.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein Performing operations on the one or more LTM candidate cells includes: Perform L1 measurement on the one or more LTM candidate cells based on the L1 measurement configuration; or TCI state activation is performed based on the one or more TCI state configurations.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein The TCI status activation includes: Based on the one or more TCI state configurations, one or more TCI states quasi-co-located with the RS of the LTM candidate cell are activated.

18. The device according to claim 11, wherein During the LTM cell handover process, the one or more LTM candidate configurations are applied to the LTM reference configuration.

19. The device according to claim 11, wherein During operation, the processor further performs operations including: storing the container field upon receiving the RRC message; and Another LTM candidate configuration extracted from the container field is applied during the LTM cell switching process.

20. The device according to claim 11, wherein The RRC message includes an RRC reconfiguration message.

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