Method for triggering user equipment to report assistance information for dynamic waveform switching

Abstract

A method performed by a user equipment comprises performing the steps of: in response to a first waveform switching event, receiving an indication having a configuration from a network entity to trigger an initiation of at least one timer; and sending a report to the network entity according to a first configuration duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching. A method performed by a network device, comprising performing the steps of: in response to a first waveform switching event, sending to a user equipment an indication to configure the user equipment to trigger an initiation of at least one timer; and receiving a report from the user equipment according to a first configuration duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising auxiliary information associated with waveform switching.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This international application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 485,817, filed on February 17, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Some example embodiments generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) access technologies, or beyond 5G, or other communication systems. For example, certain example embodiments may relate to user equipment waveform switching during physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions. Background Art

[0004] Communication systems are constantly evolving. 5G, 5G-Advanced, and future wireless networks aim to support a wide range of services with ever-increasing demands for data rates and throughput, while providing higher levels of reliability and keeping overall system complexity manageable. One factor influencing how these goals are achieved is the waveform used in the air interface. A variety of different waveforms exist. When switching between different waveforms, conditions can change beyond certain thresholds, leading to degradation in network and device performance, such as changes in path loss (PL), power headroom (PH), or transmit power. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 610 may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to: receive, in response to a first waveform switching event, an indication having a configuration from a network entity to trigger the start of at least one timer; and send a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment, a network may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause a network entity to at least: send an indication to a user equipment in response to a first waveform switching event to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer; and receive a report from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus may include: a component for receiving an indication having a configuration from a network entity to trigger the start of at least one timer in response to a first waveform switching event; and a component for sending a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, a network entity may include: a component for sending an indication to a user equipment to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer in response to a first waveform switching event; and a component for receiving a report from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment may include the following steps: in response to a first waveform switching event, receiving an indication with a configuration from a network entity to trigger the start of at least one timer; and sending a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a network entity may include the following steps: in response to a first waveform switching event, sending an indication to a user equipment to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer; and receiving a report from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to at least perform: receiving an indication having a configuration from a network entity to trigger the start of at least one timer in response to a first waveform switching event; and sending a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor of a network entity, causes the network entity to at least perform: sending an indication to a user equipment to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer in response to a first waveform switching event; and receiving a report from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event.

[0013] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, may cause the device to at least perform one or more of the methods described herein. Various exemplary embodiments may provide one or more computer programs comprising instructions that, when executed by a device, may cause the device to perform one or more of the methods described herein. Some exemplary embodiments may provide a device comprising one or more circuit systems configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to properly understand the exemplary embodiments, reference should be made to the following drawings:

[0015] Figure 1 An example of configuring a user equipment for dynamic waveform switching by a network entity is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 An example of triggering a report after expiration of a new timer C2 (or duration (Px2)) is shown, where the new timer C2 starts when the waveform is switched (from W1 to W2);

[0017] Figure 3 An example of calculating the time period (T1, T2) and reporting auxiliary information is shown;

[0018] Figure 4 An example of discarding a legacy PHR (power headroom report) associated with the current waveform W2 according to time period T2 is shown;

[0019] Figure 5 An example is shown in which the report of the assistance information is discarded and another new timer C3 is adjusted;

[0020] Figure 6 A set of apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments is shown; and

[0021] Figure 7A An example is shown when the power headroom (PH) for a target waveform can be determined.

[0022] Figure 7B An example is shown when the power headroom (PH) for the target waveform cannot be determined. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] It will be readily understood that, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, the components of certain example embodiments may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. The same reference numerals may be used in multiple figures to refer to the same elements or functions. The following is a detailed description of some exemplary embodiments of systems, methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer program products for triggering user equipment to report auxiliary information for dynamic waveform switching.

[0024] The present disclosure utilizes new timer conditions for not only dynamically adapting the reporting of two power headrooms (PH) to dynamic waveform switching (DWS) events, but also avoiding unnecessary overhead and outdated reporting.

[0025] Figure 1 An example is shown in which a network entity (NW) 112 configures a user equipment for dynamic waveform switching. Figure 1 The signal flows of FIG. 1 illustrate various embodiments by which a user equipment (UE) 110 may be configured by a network entity (NW) 112 through a detailed description of exemplary steps.

[0026] Figure 2 An example of a report being triggered by UE 110 after expiration of a configured duration (Px2) is shown, where timer C2 starts for duration (Px2) when the waveform is switched (eg, W1 to W2 or W2 to W1). Figure 3 An example of calculating the time periods (T1, T2) for reporting of auxiliary information (R1) is shown.

[0027] refer to Figure 1 , during step 1 (see Figure 1 , block 102): NW 112 (network entity) may send an indication, and UE 110 may receive (eg, via RRC configuration) the following information in the indication: Legacy timer C1 ( Figures 2 to 5 As shown), so that when the previous timer C0 expires (for example, see Figure 3 At t1 in FIG, UE 110 is expected to report the power headroom (PHR) associated with its current waveform W1.

[0028] The second timer C2 ( Figures 2 to 5 ) (i.e., duration (Px2)) can start (see Figure 3 ts1 in ), such that UE 110 may be expected to report assistance information (R1), such as the power headroom associated with both the current waveform W1 and the target waveform W2, or the power headroom associated with the target waveform W2 only, or after the duration (Px2) or expiration of timer C2 (see Figure 3tn1 in FIG1 ), wherein when there is a waveform switching event E1 (such as the UE switches or is scheduled to switch its waveform from W1 to W2 for UL (uplink) transmission), a timer C2 or duration (Px2) may be started (see FIG1 ). Figure 3 ts1 in ).

[0029] Alternatively, during step 1, different configured duration values ​​(Px2, Px3, ...) of one or more timers (C2, C3, ...) may be associated with different waveform switching. In this example, the duration value Px2 of the second timer C2 (see Figure 3 、 Figure 4 ) can be configured by NW 112 (network entity) to switch from waveform W1 to waveform W2 (see Figure 3 ).

[0030] Alternatively, during step 1, the second timer C2 may start at a time offset (Δt) (i.e., ts1+Δt) from the time when the waveform switching (W1 to W2) event occurs. In an example, the time offset (Δt) may be a configured RRC or a dynamically indicated RRC.

[0031] In another example, during step 1, the indication received by UE 110 (eg, via RRC configuration) may include a first threshold (TH1) and a second threshold (TH2) in time units (eg, symbols / slots / ms).

[0032] In an example, during step 1, the indication received by UE 110 (eg, via RRC configuration) may include whether timer C2 is applied.

[0033] In an example, during step 1, if there is another waveform switching event E2 (e.g., switching from W2 to W1) that occurs after the second timer C2 or duration (Px2) starts (ts1) but before the second timer C2 or duration (Px2) expires (tn1), then the indication received by the UE 110 (e.g., via RRC configuration) may include whether the second timer C2 or duration (Px2) is reset / canceled (see Figure 5 ).

[0034] During step 2 (see Figure 1 , block 104 ): NW 112 (network entity) may schedule a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and may indicate a waveform switch (eg, E1 from W1 to W2 ) for the scheduled PUSCH.

[0035] Alternatively, during step 2, the NW 112 may dynamically indicate the duration value (Px2) of the second timer C2 via the downlink control information (DCI) scheduling the PUSCH (see Figure 2 、 Figure 4 ).

[0036] In one example, the NW 112 may pre-configure a list of different duration values ​​(Px1, ..., Pxn) for different timers (C1, ..., Cn), and use one or more bits in the DCI as code points for selecting at least one duration value (e.g., Px2) from the list, where the one or more bits may be a new field in the DCI, or may be several MSBs / LSBs (most significant bits / least significant bits) of one or more existing fields.

[0037] During step 3 (see Figure 1 , block 106 ): UE 110 (user device or user equipment) may use a legacy timer C1 to determine a current duration value (ie, duration Px1 ) for reporting the PH associated with its current waveform W1 .

[0038] UE 110 may determine a new duration value Px2 for the second timer C2 (see Figures 2 to 4 ) for reporting auxiliary information R1 for a DWS (Dynamic Waveform Switching) event E1 (such as from W1 to W2).

[0039] In one example during step 3, UE 110 may apply only one duration value (eg, default duration value Px) of the second timer C2 (indicated in step 1) without considering the waveform (Wx).

[0040] In another example during step 3, UE 110 may apply one duration value (Px) as dynamically indicated in step 2 for each DWS event (E1, E2, ...En).

[0041] In another example during step 3, when the DWS (e.g., E1) switches from a first waveform W1 (e.g., cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM)) to a second waveform W2 (e.g., discrete Fourier transform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM)), the UE 112 may alternatively apply a duration value (Px2) of a second timer C2 (indicated in step 1), and when the DWS event (e.g., E2) switches from the second waveform W2 to the first waveform W1, the UE 112 may also apply another duration value (Px3) of another timer C3 (indicated in step 1).

[0042] Alternatively or additionally, different duration values ​​(Px1, ..., Pxn) of different timers (C1, ..., Cn) may be mapped to different power headroom PH ranges (PH1 ..., PHn) during step 3. UE 110 may then determine a duration value Px2 for a second timer C2 based on the latest PH range (PHx).

[0043] In another example during step 3, when the first DWS (e.g., E1) is from the first waveform W1 (e.g., CP-OFDM) to the second waveform W2 (e.g., DFT-s-OFDM), the UE 110 may apply one duration value (Px2) of the second timer C2 (indicated in step 1), wherein the one duration value (Px2) of the timer C2 may be assigned based on a mapping between the first power headroom PH1 range and the duration value (Px2), and when the second DWS event (E2) switches from the second waveform W2 to the first waveform W1, another duration value (Px3) of another timer C3 may be applied (indicated in step 1), wherein the another duration value (Px3) of the another timer may be assigned based on a mapping between the second power headroom PH2 range and the another duration value (Px3).

[0044] During step 3, UE 110 may determine a start time (ts1) of a configured duration (Px2) using a second timer C2 for reporting assistance information (R1) for a DWS event (E1).

[0045] In one example during step 3 , the second timer C2 may be started at the first symbol or the last symbol of the PUSCH, which may be scheduled with the waveform switching in step 2 .

[0046] In another example during step 3 , the configured duration (Px2) using the second timer C2 may start at the last symbol of the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) that schedules the PUSCH using the waveform switching in step 2 .

[0047] In the example during step 3, depending on the indication in step 1, the UE 110 may determine whether the assistance information (R1) is to be reported after a configured duration (Px2) or expiration of the timer C2 (tn1), such that the assistance information (R1) may include all the assistance information (R1 / W1 / W2) or a portion thereof (R1 / W1), wherein the determination may depend on the time period (T1 or T2) from the time of reporting of the assistance information (R1) using the second timer C2 (i.e., at tn1) to the closest conventional power headroom report PHR using the conventional timer C1 (see Figure 3, whether the difference between the current waveform PHR) is greater than the first threshold (TH1), as indicated in step 1.

[0048] In one example during step 3, if Figure 3 As shown, UE 110 may first calculate: a first time period (T1) starting from the time point (t1) when the previous timer C0 expires to the time point (tn1) when the current second timer C2 expires. A second time period (T2) starting from the time point (tn1) when the current second timer C2 expires to the time point (t2) when the legacy timer C1 is about to expire.

[0049] Figure 3 It is disclosed that UE 110 may calculate time unit T0=min(T1, T2). If time unit T0 is less than a first threshold (TH1), as shown in step 1, UE 110 may report only a portion of the assistance information R1 / W2 (e.g., only the PH associated with the target waveform W2). Otherwise, UE 110 may report all the assistance information R1 / W1 / W2 (e.g., see Figure 4 , PH associated with both waveform W1 and waveform W2).

[0050] Figure 4 An example of discarding a legacy PHR (power headroom report) associated with the current waveform W2 according to a second time period T2 is shown. Alternatively or additionally, assuming that all auxiliary information R1 / W1 / W2 is reported (e.g., PH associated with both waveforms W1 and W2), as shown in step 1, the UE 110 can determine whether the upcoming legacy reporting PHR should be canceled by comparing the second time period T2 with a second threshold (TH2).

[0051] For example, Figure 4 As shown, if the second time period T2 is less than the second threshold (TH2), as shown in step 1, the UE 110 may cancel the conventional reporting PHR of the current waveform W2.

[0052] Figure 5An example of discarding the reporting of assistance information and adjusting the new timer is shown. In this example, if another waveform switching event (or a legacy PHR associated with the current waveform W2 after E1) occurs after the second timer C2 starts (ts1) but before the timer expires (tn1), the UE 110 can determine whether the second timer C2 is reset / canceled depending on the indication in step 1. In one example, if a second DWS event (i.e., waveform switching from W2 to W1) occurs after the second timer C2 (which references the first DWS event E1) starts (ts1) but before the timer expires (tn1), the UE 110 may not report assistance information (R1 / W2) that references the first DWS event (E1) (i.e., waveform switching from W1 to W2).

[0053] Alternatively or additionally, the second timer C2 referring to the second DWS event (E2) (ie, the waveform switching from W2 to W1) may be adjusted (eg, to a smaller value), such as Figure 5 As shown. Figure 5 In another example shown in , if the legacy PHR (power headroom report) associated with the current waveform W2 occurs after the second timer C2 (which refers to the first DWS event E1) starts (ts1) but before the second timer C2 expires (tn1), the UE 110 may not report the auxiliary information (R1 / W2) referring to the first DWS event (E1), but the UE 110 may adjust to the new start time (at ts2) by restarting the second timer C2 from the first symbol or the last symbol of the PUSCH carrying the legacy PHR.

[0054] In step 4 (see Figure 1 , block 108): When the second timer C2 expires (tn1), the UE 110 may report the assistance information R1 (all or part of the assistance information). In one variant of implementation, the assistance information (R1) may be reported before the first dynamic waveform switching event (E1), and the assistance information (R1) may be reported after the first dynamic waveform switching event (E1) using the above method. In another variant of implementation, the second timer C2 may be used to determine a duration value (Px) after which the UE 110 is expected to report the assistance information (R1).

[0055] Figure 7A An example is shown when the power headroom (PH) for a target waveform may be determined. Figure 7AAn example is shown in which it is possible to select the PH of the current waveform (W1) and the two PHs (or two PUSCHs) from the target PUSCH (waveform W2) only when the required transmission (Tx) power for the current PUSCH (waveform W1) is the same as the required Tx power for the target PUSCH (waveform W2), i.e., when all other parameters (except the waveform) of the current PUSCH and the target PUSCH are the same. CMAX， f, c value) or P of target waveform (W2) CMAX，f，c The difference between (Δ P ) to determine the PH of the target waveform (W2).

[0056] Figure 7B An example is shown when the power headroom for the target waveform cannot be determined. Instead, Figure 7B An example is shown in which if the Tx power required for the current PUSCH (waveform W1) is different from the Tx power required for the target PUSCH (waveform W2), the PH and Δ P To determine the PH of the target waveform W2. In fact, in this scenario, the PH of the current waveform W1 and Δ P To determine only the P for the target waveform W2 CMAX，f，c .

[0057] Report the PHR of the current waveform W1, and the PH of the current waveform W1 and the PH (or P CMAX，f，c The difference between the values) not only requires a higher specification impact, but also cannot ensure that the PH-related information of the target waveform W2 can be determined by the network entity (112) or the gNB, at least when the required Tx power for the current PUSCH is different from the required Tx power for the target PUSCH.

[0058] Figure 6 A set of apparatuses according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. According to certain exemplary embodiments, apparatus 620 may further be configured to: after the user equipment determines that uplink access is permitted, perform a radio resource control connection procedure and exchange data with the user equipment. The uplink performance of the user equipment used to determine the second offset value may be based at least on the radio resource control connection procedure and the data exchange with the user equipment.

[0059] Figure 6 It shows that various exemplary embodiments are performed Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BThe steps and functions of the apparatus 610 and 620 are shown in FIG. 1 . In various exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 610 may be an element in a communication network or an element associated with such a network, such as a UE (110), a RedCap UE, a SL UE, a mobile device (ME), a mobile station, a mobile device, a fixed device, an IoT device, or other user equipment. For example, the UE 110 according to various exemplary embodiments described above may be an example of the apparatus 610. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art will understand that the apparatus 610 may include Figure 6 Components or features not shown in FIG. In addition, the apparatus 620 may be a network, a network entity, an element of a core network, or an element in a communication network, or an element associated with such a network, such as a base station, NE, or gNB. For example, the network and gNB 112 according to the various exemplary embodiments described above may be examples of the apparatus 620. It should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the apparatus 620 may include Figure 6 Components or features not shown.

[0060] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B The first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (ie, the user equipment 110) shown in FIG. 1 may include at least one processor 612 and at least one memory 614. Figure 6 The memory 614 may store instructions that, when executed by the processor 612, enable the apparatus 610 to: in response to a first waveform switching event (E1), receive a signal from the network entity 620 (ie, Figure 1 The network entity 112 shown receives an indication with a configuration to trigger the start of at least one timer (e.g., C2) or a first configured duration (Px2); and sends a report (R1) to the network entity including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching (E1) according to the first configured duration (Px2) (i.e., measured from the start (ts1) of the at least one timer (e.g., C2)).

[0061] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the second exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (ie, the user equipment 110 ), the first configured duration ( Px1 ) is based on the current waveform ( W1 ) or the target waveform ( W2 ) after switching.

[0062] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BIn a third exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown, transmission of a report (R1) including assistance information occurs at one of the following times: when a first configured duration (Px2) expires (tn1), when the first configured duration (Px2) expires (tn1) plus a time offset Δt; and no later than when the first configured duration (tn1) expires.

[0063] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In a fourth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown, the report of the assistance information includes power headroom (PH)-related information associated with one or more of the following items: both the current waveform (W1) and the target waveform (W2); only the target waveform (W2); the current waveform (W1), and the difference ΔP between the power headroom of the current waveform (W1) and the power headroom of the target waveform (W2) = (PH1-PH2); the current waveform (W1), the first configured maximum power (P CMAX，f，c1 ), and a second configuration maximum power (P ) associated with the target waveform (W2) CMAX，f，c2 ), or the difference between the first configured maximum power and the second configured maximum power; and the user equipment preferred waveform through layer 1 and / or layer 2 signaling.

[0064] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In a fifth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) shown, in addition to a currently running timer (C1), a first configured duration utilizes at least one timer (C2) (new timer) triggered in the apparatus to report auxiliary information (R1) to a network entity, wherein the currently running timer (C1) is configured in the apparatus for periodic transmission (Tc1…Tcn) of a power headroom report (PHR) associated with a current waveform (W1) to the network entity 610.

[0065] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In a sixth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown, the apparatus 610 is configured to determine, based on a current expiration time point (tn1) of a first configured duration (Px2) within a current time period (Tc1) of a currently running timer (c1), whether to report all or only a portion of the assistance information to the network entity 610.

[0066] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BThe seventh exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown is configured such that when the smaller value (T0) between the first time period (T1) and the second time period (T2) is less than the first threshold (TH1) such that T0 = min(T1, T2) < TH1, only a part of the auxiliary information is reported, where the first time period (T1) is the first time difference between the start time (t1) of the current running timer (C1) and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration (Px2) in the current time period (Tc1), and the second time period (T2) is the time difference between the next start time (t2) of the current running timer (C1) and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration (Px2) in the current time period (Tc1); otherwise, the entire part of the auxiliary information is reported.

[0067] According to as Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B The eighth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown is configured such that when the second time period (T2) within the current time period (Tc1) is less than the second threshold (TH2), the transmission of the power headroom report (PHR) associated with the current waveform (W2) updated after the first waveform switching event (E1) is cancelled in the next time period (Tc2).

[0068] According to as <00002​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In an eleventh exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) shown, when the first configured duration (Px2) is reset or restarted, the apparatus is configured to: cancel transmission of a report (R1), the report including: auxiliary information associated with a first waveform switching event (E1) before a second waveform switching event (E2) occurs.

[0071] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B A twelfth exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) is shown, the apparatus being configured to: reset or restart a first configured duration (Px2) from a first symbol or a last symbol of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carrying a power headroom report (R1) associated with a current waveform (W2) updated after a first waveform switching event (E1).

[0072] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B A thirteenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) is shown, wherein upon expiration (tn1) of at least one timer C1, the apparatus is configured to: send all or part of a report (R1), the report comprising: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event (E1).

[0073] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B The fourteenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown in FIG. 1 is configured to: trigger the start (ts1) of the first configuration duration (Px2) before the initial waveform switching event (E1), and periodically send a report (R1) to the network entity, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the initial waveform switching event (E1) (see FIG. Figure 1 Step 4 in the previous step).

[0074] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B A fifteenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) is shown, the apparatus being configured to apply a single duration value (Px) to a first configured duration (Px2) regardless of any waveform in a waveform switching event (see Figure 1 Step 3 in the previous step).

[0075] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BThe sixteenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., the user equipment 110) shown is configured to: apply the first configured duration value (Px2) to the first configured duration (Px2) when switching from the first waveform W1 to the second waveform W2 in the waveform switching event (E1), and apply the second configured duration value (Px2) to the first configured duration (Px2) when switching from the second waveform (W2) to the first waveform (W1) in the waveform switching event (E1) (see Figure 1 Step 3 in the previous step).

[0076] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B A seventeenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) is shown, wherein the apparatus is configured to apply a configured duration value (Pxn) to a first configured duration (Px2), the configured duration value being mapped to correspond to a power headroom range value of a target waveform (W2).

[0077] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B An eighteenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) is shown, wherein the apparatus is configured to apply a dynamic duration value to a first configured duration (Px2), the dynamic duration value being mapped to a network entity via downlink control information (DCI) scheduling a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0078] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the nineteenth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) shown, the dynamic duration value is selected from a list of values, or from a plurality of bits as a code point in the DCI, wherein the plurality of bits form a new field in the DCI, or several MSBs / LSBs of one or more existing fields in the dynamic duration value.

[0079] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the twentieth exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) shown, the waveform switching event (E1 or E2) may include: switching between a discrete Fourier transform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform and a cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM).

[0080] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BThe twenty-first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 610 (i.e., user equipment 110) shown is configured to determine one or more of the following items: a currently running timer C1, a power headroom of a current waveform to be reported when the currently running timer C1 expires, a first threshold TH1 and a second threshold TH2 in time; and whether the auxiliary information to be reported after at least one timer C2 expires includes all auxiliary information or a portion of the auxiliary information, a report (R1) of auxiliary information from using at least one timer C2, and whether the configured duration of the closest power headroom report (PHR) using the currently running timer (C1) is greater than the indicated first threshold TH1.

[0081] The twenty-second exemplary embodiment discloses Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B The network entity 620 (i.e., the network entity 112) is shown. The network entity 620 may include: at least one processor 622 and at least one memory 624, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity to at least: in response to a first waveform switching event (E1), send an indication to a user equipment 610 (i.e., the UE 110) via a transceiver 626 to configure the user equipment 610 to trigger at least one timer (C2) or the start of a first configured duration (Px2); and receive a report (R1) from the user equipment 610 based on the first configured duration (Px2) measured from the start (ts1) of the first configured duration (Px2), the report including: assistance information associated with the waveform switching event (E1).

[0082] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the twenty-third exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (ie, the network entity 112 ), the first configuration duration ( Px2 ) is based on the current waveform ( W1 ) or the target waveform ( W2 ) after switching.

[0083] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the twenty-fourth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., the network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 to send a report (R1) including auxiliary information, and the sending occurs at one of the following times: when the first configured duration (Px2) expires (tn1); when the first configured duration (Px2) expires (tn1) plus a time offset Δt; and no later than when the first configured duration (Px2) expires (tn1).

[0084] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A、 Figure 7B In a twenty-fifth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., the network entity 112), the transmitted instruction configures the user equipment 620 to report assistance information, the assistance information including power headroom (PH)-related information associated with one or more of the following: both the current waveform (W1) and the target waveform (W2); only the target waveform (W2); the current waveform (W1), and the difference ΔP=(PH1-PH2) between the power headroom of the current waveform (W1) and the power headroom of the target waveform (W2); the current waveform (W1), a first configured maximum power (P CMAX， f, c1) and the second configuration maximum power (P associated with the target waveform (W2) CMAX，f，c2 ) between; and the user equipment preferred waveform through layer 1 and / or layer 2 signaling.

[0085] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the twenty-sixth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 620 (i.e., 110) to trigger at a first configured duration (Px2): in addition to the currently running timer (C1), the first configured duration (Px2) utilizes a timer (C2) in the user equipment, which can be a new timer, to report auxiliary information (R1) to the network entity, wherein the currently running timer (C1) is configured in the user equipment for periodic transmission (Tc1...Tcn) of power headroom reports (PHRs) associated with the current waveform (W1) to the network entity.

[0086] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B The twenty-seventh exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 620 (i.e., 110) to: determine whether to report all or only part of the auxiliary information to the network entity based on the current expiration time point (tn1) of the first configured duration (Px2) within the current time period (Tc1) of the currently running timer (c1).

[0087] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BTwenty-eighth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) as shown, the sent indication configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) such that: when the smaller value (T0) between the first time period (T1) and the second time period (T2) is less than the first threshold (TH1) such that T0 = min(T1, T2) < TH1, only a part of the auxiliary information is reported, where the first time period (T1) is the first time difference between the start time (t1) of the currently running timer (C1) and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration (Px2) in the current time period (Tc1), and the second time period (T2) is the time difference between the next start time (t2) of the currently running timer (C1) and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration (Px2) in the current time period (Tc1); otherwise, the entire part of the auxiliary information is reported.

[0088] According to as Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B Twenty-ninth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) as shown, the sent indication configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) such that: when the second time period (T2) within the current time period (Tc1) is less than the second threshold (TH2), the transmission of the power headroom report (PHR) associated with the current waveform (W2) updated after the first waveform switching event (E1) is cancelled in the next time period (Tc2).

[0089] According to as Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B Thirtieth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) as shown, both the first threshold (TH1) and the second threshold (TH2) are configured by the network entity 620.

[0090] According to as Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B Thirty-first exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) as shown, the sent indication configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) such that: when the second waveform switching event (E2) occurs after the start (ts1) of the first configured duration (Px2) but before the first configured duration (Px2) expires at the current expiration time point (tn1), the first configured duration (Px2) is reset or restarted.

[0091] According to as Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BA thirty-second exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) is shown, wherein when the first configured duration (Px2) is reset or restarted, the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) is configured to: cancel transmission of a report (R1), the report including: auxiliary information associated with a first waveform switching event (E1) before a second waveform switching event (E2) occurs.

[0092] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the thirty-third exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to: reset or restart the first configured duration (Px2) from the first symbol or the last symbol of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carrying the power headroom report (R1) associated with the current waveform (W2) updated after the first waveform switching event (E1).

[0093] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the thirty-fourth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to: send all or part of a report (R1) when the first configured duration (Px2) expires (tn1), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event (E1).

[0094] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the thirty-fifth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to: trigger the start (ts1) of the first configuration duration (Px2) before the initial waveform switching event (E1), and periodically send a report (R1) to the network entity, wherein the report includes: auxiliary information associated with the initial waveform switching event (E1).

[0095] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the thirty-sixth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to apply a single duration value (Px) to a first configured duration (Px2) regardless of any waveform in the waveform switching event.

[0096] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BIn the thirty-seventh exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to: apply the first configured duration value (Px1) to the first configured duration (Px2) when switching from the first waveform W1 to the second waveform W2 in the waveform switching event (E1), and to apply the second configured duration value (Px2) to the first configured duration (Px2) when switching from the second waveform (W2) to the first waveform (W1) in the waveform switching event (E1).

[0097] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the thirty-eighth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to apply the configuration duration value (Pxn) to the first configuration duration (Px2), which is mapped to correspond to the power headroom range value of the target waveform (W2).

[0098] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the thirty-ninth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to apply a dynamic duration value to a first configured duration (Px2), which dynamic duration value is mapped to the network entity via downlink control information (DCI) of a scheduling physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0099] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the fortieth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., the network entity 112) shown, the dynamic duration value is selected from a list of values, or from a plurality of bits as a code point in the DCI, wherein the plurality of bits form a new field in the DCI, or several MSBs / LSBs of one or more existing fields in the dynamic duration value.

[0100] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B In the forty-first exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the waveform switching event (E1 or E2) may include: switching between discrete Fourier transform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform and cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM).

[0101] According to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 7A 、 Figure 7BThe forty-second exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., network entity 112) shown, the indication sent configures the user equipment 610 (i.e., 110) to determine one or more of the following items: a current running timer C1, when the current running timer C1 expires, the power headroom of the current waveform to be reported, a first threshold TH1 and a second threshold TH2 in time; and whether the auxiliary information to be reported after the first configured duration (Px2) expires includes all the auxiliary information or part of the auxiliary information, a report (R1) of the auxiliary information using the first configured duration (Px2), and whether the configured duration of the closest power headroom report (PHR) using the current running timer (C1) is greater than the indicated first threshold TH1.

[0102] According to the forty-third exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 620 (i.e., the UE 110) may include a component for receiving an indication having a configuration from the network entity 620 in response to a first waveform switching event (E1) to trigger the start of at least one timer (C2) or a first configured duration (Px2); and a component for sending a report (R1) to the network entity based on the first configured duration (Px1) measured from the start (ts1) of the at least one timer (C2) or the configured duration (Px2), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event (E1).

[0103] According to the forty-fourth exemplary embodiment of the network entity 620 (i.e., the network entity 112), it includes: a component for sending an indication to the user equipment 610 in response to a first waveform switching event (E1) to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer (C2) or a first configured duration (Px2); and a component for receiving a report (R1) from the user equipment based on the first configured duration (Px1) measured from the start (ts1) of the first configured duration (Px2), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event (E1).

[0104] The forty-fifth exemplary embodiment discloses a method performed by a user equipment 610 (i.e., UE 110), which may include the following steps: in response to a first waveform switching event (E1), receiving an indication with a configuration from a network entity to trigger the start of at least one timer (C2) or a first configured duration (Px2); and sending a report (R1) to the network entity based on the first configured duration (Px1) measured from the start (ts1) of the at least one timer (C2) or the first configured duration (Px2), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event (E1).

[0105] A forty-sixth exemplary embodiment discloses a method performed by a network entity 620 (i.e., UE 112), which may include the following steps: in response to a first waveform switching event (E1), sending an indication to a user equipment 610 (i.e., UE 110) to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer (C2) or a first configured duration (Px2); and receiving a report (R1) from the user equipment based on the first configured duration (Px1) measured from the start (ts1) of the first configured duration (Px2), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event (E1).

[0106] The forty-seventh exemplary embodiment discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 614 storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor 612 of an apparatus 610 (i.e., UE 110), causes the apparatus to at least perform: receiving an indication triggering the start of a first configured duration (Px2) from a network entity 620 (i.e., 112) in response to a first waveform switching event (E1); and sending a report (R1) to the network entity based on the first configured duration (Px2), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event (E1).

[0107] The forty-eighth exemplary embodiment discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 624 storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor 622 of a network entity 620 (i.e., 112), causes the network entity to at least perform: in response to a first waveform switching event (E1), send an indication to a user equipment 610 (UE 110) to configure the user equipment to trigger at least one timer (C2) or the start of a first configured duration (Px2); and receive a report (R1) from the user equipment based on the first configured duration (Px1) measured from the start (ts1) of the first configured duration (Px2), the report including: auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event (E1).

[0108] In some example embodiments, apparatus 610 and / or 620 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage, etc.), one or more radio access components (e.g., modems, transceivers, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some example embodiments, apparatus 610 and / or 620 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other radio access technology.

[0109] like Figure 6As shown in the example of , the devices 610 and / or 620 may include or be coupled to processors 612 and 622, respectively, for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processors 612 and 622 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In fact, as examples, the processors 612 and 622 may include one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Although Figure 6 A single processor 612 (and 622) is shown for each of the devices 610 and / or 620, but multiple processors may be utilized according to other example embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some example embodiments, the devices 610 and / or 620 may include two or more processors, which may form a multi-processor system that can support multi-processing (e.g., in this case, the processors 612 and 622 may represent multiple processors). According to some example embodiments, the multi-processor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled, for example, to form a computer cluster.

[0110] Processors 612 and 622 may perform functions associated with the operation of devices 610 and / or 620, respectively, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of devices 610 and / or 620, including Figures 1 to 5 ,as well as Figure 7A and Figure 7B The process shown in .

[0111] Devices 610 and / or 620 may also include or be coupled to memory 614 and / or 624 (internal or external), respectively, which may be coupled to processors 612 and 622, respectively, for storing information and instructions that can be executed by processors 612 and 622. Memory 614 (and memory 624) may be one or more memories of any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, memory 614 (and memory 624) may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static memory (such as a magnetic or optical disk), a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer-readable medium. The instructions stored in memory 614 and memory 624 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processors 612 and 622 , enable apparatus 610 and / or 620 to perform the tasks described herein.

[0112] In certain example embodiments, the devices 610 and / or 620 may also include or be coupled to a (internal or external) drive or port configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software executed by the processors 612 and 622 and / or the devices 610 and / or 620 to perform Figures 1 to 5 ,as well as Figure 7A and Figure 7B Any of the methods shown in .

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the device 610 may further include or be coupled to one or more antennas 615 for receiving downlink signals and for transmitting from the device 610 via an uplink. The devices 610 and / or 620 may further include transceivers 616 and 626, respectively, configured to transmit and receive information. The transceivers 616 and 626 may further include a radio interface that may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies, including one or more of the following: GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The radio interface may include other components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols carried by the downlink or uplink, such as OFDMA symbols.

[0114] For example, transceivers 616 and 626 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission, and demodulate received information for further processing by other elements of apparatus 610 and / or 620, respectively. In other example embodiments, transceivers 616 and 626 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, apparatus 610 and / or 620 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In certain example embodiments, apparatus 610 and / or 620 may also include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0115] In certain example embodiments, memory 614 and memory 624 store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processors 612 and 622, respectively. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 610 and / or 620. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality for device 610 and / or 620. The components of device 610 and / or 620 may be implemented in hardware or any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to certain example embodiments, device 610 may optionally be configured to communicate with device 620 via a wireless or wired communication link 630 according to any radio access technology (such as NR).

[0116] According to certain example embodiments, processors 612 and 622, and memories 614 and 624 may be included in, or may form part of, a processing circuit system or a control circuit system. Furthermore, in some example embodiments, transceivers 616 and 626 may be included in, or may form part of, a transceiver circuit system.

[0117] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a hardware circuitry implementation only (e.g., analog and / or digital circuitry), a combination of hardware circuitry and software, a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, (multiple) hardware processors and any portion of software (including digital signal processors) that work together to enable a device (e.g., device 610 and / or 620) to perform various functions, and / or (multiple) hardware circuitry and / or (multiple) processors, or portions thereof, that operate using software but may not be present when not required for operation. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" may also cover an implementation of only a hardware circuitry or processor or processors, or portions of a hardware circuitry or processor, and accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry may also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0118] The computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that, when the program is run, are configured to perform some example embodiments. The one or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof. Modifications and configurations required to implement the functionality of some example embodiments may be performed as (multiple) routines, which may be implemented as (multiple) added or updated software routines. (Multiple) software routines may be downloaded to a device.

[0119] For example, the software or computer program code or part thereof may be in source code form, object code form or some intermediate form, and it may be stored on some carrier, distribution medium or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. For example, such carriers may include recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, optoelectronic and / or electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals and software distribution packages. Depending on the processing power requirements, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer, or it may be distributed among multiple computers. The computer readable medium or computer readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0120] In other example embodiments, the functions may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in a device (e.g., device 610 and / or 620), such as through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another example embodiment, the functions may be implemented as a signal, a non-tangible component that may be carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network.

[0121] According to certain example embodiments, an apparatus (such as a node, device, or corresponding component) may be configured as a circuit system, a computer, or a microprocessor (such as a single-chip computer element or a chipset), including at least a memory for providing storage capacity for arithmetic operations, and an operation processor for performing arithmetic operations.

[0122] The features, structures, or characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. For example, the use of the phrases "certain embodiments," "example embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in certain embodiments," "example embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same set of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "cell," "node," "gNB," or other similar language may be used interchangeably throughout this specification.

[0123] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) mean at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0124] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the above disclosure may be practiced using processes in a different order and / or using hardware elements in configurations different from those disclosed. Therefore, although the present disclosure has been described based on these example embodiments, certain modifications, variations, and alternative structures will be apparent to those skilled in the art while remaining within the spirit and scope of the example embodiments. Although the above embodiments refer to 5G NR and LTE technologies, the above embodiments may also be applicable to any other current or future 3GPP technologies, such as Advanced LTE, and / or fourth generation (4G) technologies.

[0125] Partial glossary:

[0126] BWP Bandwidth Part

[0127] CG Configuration Authorization

[0128] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0129] DG Dynamic Authorization

[0130] DL Downlink

[0131] DWS Dynamic Waveform Switching

[0132] MCS Modulation Coding Scheme

[0133] MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0134] NW Network

[0135] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0136] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0137] PH Power Headroom

[0138] PHR Power Headroom Report

[0139] RV Redundancy Version

[0140] RF

[0141] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0142] SLIV start and length indicator value

[0143] TBS transport block size

[0144] TDRA Time Domain Resource Allocation

[0145] UE User Equipment

[0146] UL Uplink

Claims

1. A device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: in response to a first waveform switching event, receive an indication with a configuration from a network entity to trigger the start of at least one timer; and send a report to the network entity according to a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including: auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first configured duration is based on the current waveform or based on the target waveform after the switching.

3. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the transmission of the report including the auxiliary information occurs at one of the following: when the first configured duration expires; when the first configured duration expires plus a time offset; and 4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reporting of the auxiliary information comprises: not later than when the first configured duration expires. Power margin related information associated with one or more of the following: both the current waveform and the target waveform; only the target waveform; The current waveform, the first configuration maximum power (P CMAX，f，c1 ), and a second configuration maximum power (P CMAX，f，c2 ), or the difference between the first configuration maximum power and the second configuration maximum power; the current waveform, and the difference ΔP=(PH1 - PH2) between the power margin of the current waveform and the power margin of the target waveform; and the preferred waveform of the user equipment via layer 1 and / or layer 2 signaling.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in addition to the currently running timer, the first configured duration utilizes a newly triggered timer in the device to report the auxiliary information to the network entity, and the currently running timer is configured in the device for the periodic transmission of the power margin report associated with the current waveform to the network entity.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the device is configured to: determine whether to report all or only a part of the auxiliary information to the network entity according to the current expiration time point of the first configured duration within the current time period of the currently running timer.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the device is configured to: report only a part of the auxiliary information when the smaller value (T0) between the first time period (T1) and the second time period (T2) is less than the first threshold (TH1) such that T0 = min(T1, T2) < TH1, where the first time period (T1) is the first time difference between the start time (t1) of the currently running timer and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration within the current time period (Tc1), and the second time period (T2) is the time difference between the next start time (t2) of the currently running timer and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration within the current time period (Tc1); otherwise, report all parts of the auxiliary information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is configured to cancel the transmission of the power headroom report associated with the current waveform updated after the first waveform switching event in a next time period when the second time period within the current time period is less than a second threshold.

9. The apparatus according to claims 7 to 8, wherein both the first threshold and the second threshold are configured by the network entity.

10. The apparatus according to claims 7 to 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to reset or restart the first configuration duration when a second waveform switching event occurs after the first configuration duration starts but before the first configuration duration expires at the current expiration time point.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein when the first configured duration is reset or restarted, the apparatus is configured to: cancel the transmission of the report, the report comprising: The auxiliary information is associated with the first waveform switching event that occurs before the second waveform switching event.

12. The apparatus of claims 10 to 11, wherein the apparatus is configured to reset or restart the first configured duration from a first symbol or a last symbol of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carrying the power headroom report associated with the current waveform updated after the first waveform switching event.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein upon expiration of the first configured duration, the apparatus is configured to: send all or part of the report, the report comprising: The auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to: trigger the start of the first configured duration before an initial waveform switching event, and periodically send the report to the network entity, the report comprising: The auxiliary information associated with the initial waveform switching event.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claims 1 to 14, wherein the apparatus is configured to apply a single duration value to the first configuration duration regardless of any waveform in the waveform switching event.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to apply a first configured duration value to the first configured duration when switching from a first waveform to a second waveform in the waveform switching event, and to apply a second configured duration value to the first configured duration when switching from the second waveform to the first waveform in the waveform switching event. 17 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to apply a configured duration value to the first configured duration, the configured duration value being mapped to correspond to a power headroom range value of the target waveform.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to apply a dynamic duration value to the first configured duration, the dynamic duration value being mapped to the network entity via downlink control information (DCI) scheduling the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the dynamic duration value is selected from a list of values ​​or from a plurality of bits as code points in the DCI, wherein the plurality of bits form a new field in the DCI or several MSBs / LSBs of one or more existing fields in the dynamic duration value.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the waveform switching event comprises: Switching between discrete Fourier transform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveforms and cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM).

21. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is caused to determine one or more of: The currently running timer is to report the power headroom of the current waveform when the currently running timer expires, a first threshold and a second threshold in time; and whether the assistance information to be reported after the first configuration duration expires includes all assistance information or a portion of the assistance information, Whether the configured duration from the report of the assistance information using the first configured duration and the closest power headroom report using the currently running timer is greater than the indicated first threshold TH1.

22. A network entity comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity to at least: In response to a first waveform switching event, sending an indication to a user equipment to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer; as well as A report is received from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising assistance information associated with the waveform switching event.

23. The network entity according to claim 22, wherein the first configuration duration is based on a current waveform or a target waveform after switching.

24. The network entity according to any one of claims 22 to 23, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to send the report including the assistance information when one of the following occurs: When the first configuration duration expires, When the first configured duration expires plus a time offset; and No later than when the first configured duration expires.

25. The network entity according to any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the instruction configures the user equipment to report the assistance information, the assistance information comprising: Power headroom related information associated with one or more of the following: Both the current waveform and the target waveform; only the target waveform; The current waveform, and a difference ΔP between the power headroom of the current waveform and the power headroom of the target waveform = (PH1-PH2); The current waveform, and the first configured maximum power (P CMAX，f，c1 ) and a second configuration maximum power (P CMAX，f，c2 ) as well as The user equipment prefers the waveform via layer 1 and / or layer 2 signaling.

26. The network entity according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to trigger a first configured duration, the first configured duration utilizing a new timer in the user equipment for reporting the assistance information to the network entity in addition to a currently running timer configured in the user equipment for periodic transmission of power headroom reports associated with the current waveform to the network entity.

27. The network entity of claim 26, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to determine whether to report all or only a portion of the auxiliary information to the network entity based on a current expiration time point of the first configured duration within a current time period of the currently running timer.

28. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to: when the smaller value (T0) between the first time period (T1) and the second time period (T2) is less than the first threshold (TH1) such that T0 = min(T1, T2) < TH1, only report a part of the auxiliary information, wherein the first time period (T1) is the first time difference between the start time (t1) of the current running timer and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration in the current time period (Tc1), and the second time period (T2) is the time difference between the next start time (t2) of the current running timer and the current expiration time point (tn) of the first configured duration in the current time period (Tc1); otherwise, report all parts of the auxiliary information.

29. The network entity according to claim 28, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to: when the second time period within the current time period is less than the second threshold, cancel the transmission of the power headroom report associated with the current waveform updated after the first waveform switching event in the next time period.

30. The network entity according to claims 28 to 29, wherein both the first threshold and the second threshold are configured by the network entity.

31. The network entity according to claims 28 to 30, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to: when a second waveform switching event occurs after the start of the first configured duration but before the first configured duration expires at the current expiration time point, reset or restart the first configured duration.

32. The network entity of claim 10, wherein when the first configured duration is reset or restarted, the user equipment is configured to cancel the transmission of the report, the report comprising: The auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event before the occurrence of the second waveform switching event.

33. The network entity according to claims 31 to 32, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to: reset or restart the first configured duration from the first symbol or the last symbol of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carrying the power headroom report associated with the current waveform updated after the first waveform switching event.

34. The network entity according to claims 22 to 23, wherein the instruction configures the user equipment to send all or part of the report upon expiration of the first configured duration, the report comprising: The auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

35. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the instruction configures the user equipment to: trigger the start of the first configured duration before an initial waveform switching event, and periodically send the report to the network entity, the report comprising: The auxiliary information associated with the initial waveform switching event.

36. The network entity according to claims 22 to 35, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to: apply a single duration value to the first configured duration, regardless of any waveform in the waveform switching event.

37. The network entity according to claim 22, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to: when switching from the first waveform to the second waveform in the waveform switching event, apply the first configured duration value to the first configured duration, and when switching from the second waveform to the first waveform in the waveform switching event, apply a second configured duration value to the first configured duration.

38. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to apply a configured duration value to the first configured duration, the configured duration value being mapped to correspond to a power headroom range value of the target waveform.

39. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to apply a dynamic duration value to the first configured duration, the dynamic duration value being mapped to the network entity via downlink control information (DCI) scheduling the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

40. The network entity of claim 29, wherein the dynamic duration value is selected from a list of values ​​or from a plurality of bits as code points in the DCI, wherein the plurality of bits form a new field in the DCI or a number of MSBs / LSBs of one or more existing fields in the dynamic duration value.

41. The network entity according to any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein the waveform switching event comprises: Switching between discrete Fourier transform orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveforms and cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM).

42. The network entity of claim 30, wherein the indication configures the user equipment to determine one or more of: The current running timer, when the previous running timer expires, is to report the power headroom of the current waveform, a first threshold and a second threshold in time; and whether the assistance information to be reported after the first configuration duration expires includes all assistance information or a portion of the assistance information, Whether the configured duration from the report of assistance information using the first configured duration and the closest power headroom report using the currently running timer is greater than the indicated first threshold.

43. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving an indication having a configuration from a network entity to trigger initiation of at least one timer in response to a first waveform switching event; as well as Means for sending a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising assistance information associated with the first waveform switching event.

44. A network entity comprising: means for sending, in response to a first waveform switching event, to a user equipment an indication configuring the user equipment to trigger initiation of at least one timer; as well as Means for receiving a report from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising assistance information associated with the waveform switching event.

45. A method performed by a user equipment, comprising: In response to a first waveform switching event, receiving an indication from a network entity with a configuration to trigger initiation of at least one timer; as well as Sending a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report including assistance information associated with the first waveform switching event.

46. ​​A method performed by a network device, comprising: In response to a first waveform switching event, sending an indication to a user equipment to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer; as well as A report is received from the user equipment based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising assistance information associated with the waveform switching event.

47. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to at least perform: In response to the first waveform switching event, receiving an indication from a network entity having a configuration to trigger initiation of at least one timer; and Sending a report to the network entity based on a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising: Auxiliary information associated with the first waveform switching event.

48. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a network entity, cause the network entity to at least: In response to the first waveform switching event, sending an indication to a user equipment to configure the user equipment to trigger the start of at least one timer; and Receiving a report from the user equipment according to a first configured duration measured from the start of the at least one timer, the report comprising: Auxiliary information associated with the waveform switching event.

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