SSB-free SCell activation indication

Abstract

An apparatus may be configured to: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied; and in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, transmitting an active state indication with respect to the at least one secondary cell. An apparatus may be configured to: send an indication to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell; and receiving, from the user equipment, an activation status indication with respect to the at least one secondary cell.

Description

Background Art

[0001] In network communications, the use of carrier aggregation is well known. Technical Field

[0002] The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to secondary cell or secondary cell group (SCG) activation, and more particularly to activation of a no-sync signal block configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The following summary is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0004] According to one aspect, a device includes: 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: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell.

[0005] According to one aspect, a method includes: receiving, with a user equipment, an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0006] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for performing the following items: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0007] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following items: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell are met; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0008] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive an indication to activate at least one SCG; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one SCG are satisfied; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one SCG. The SCG may include a primary SCell (PSCell).

[0009] According to one aspect, a method includes receiving, with a user equipment, an indication to activate at least one SCG; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one SCG are satisfied; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one SCG in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0010] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes means for receiving an indication to activate at least one SCG; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one SCG are satisfied; and in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one SCG. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0011] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: causing receipt of an indication to activate at least one SCG; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one SCG are satisfied; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, causing transmission of an activation status indication regarding the at least one SCG. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0012] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell / SCG; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell / SCG are satisfied; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell / SCG. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0013] According to one aspect, a method includes receiving, with a user equipment, an indication to activate at least one secondary cell / SCG; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell / SCG are satisfied; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell / SCG in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0014] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes means for: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell / SCG; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell / SCG are satisfied; and in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell / SCG. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0015] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: causing reception of an indication to activate at least one secondary cell / SCG; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell / SCG are satisfied; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, causing transmission of an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell / SCG. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0016] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: send an indication to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell; and receive an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0017] According to one aspect, a method includes: sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; and receiving an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0018] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes means for: sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; and receiving an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0019] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing an indication of activating at least one secondary cell to be sent to a user equipment; and causing an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0020] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: send an indication to a user equipment (UE) to activate at least one SCG; and receive an activation status indication of the at least one SCG from the UE. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0021] According to one aspect, a method includes: sending an indication to activate at least one SCG to a user equipment; and receiving an activation status indication of the at least one SCG from the user equipment. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0022] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes means for: sending an indication to a user equipment to activate at least one SCG; and receiving an activation status indication of the at least one SCG from the user equipment. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0023] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: causing an indication of activating at least one SCG to be sent to a user equipment; and causing an activation status indication of at least one SCG to be received from the user equipment. The SCG may include a PSCell.

[0024] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The foregoing aspects and other features will be explained in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example system in which example embodiments may be practiced;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0028] Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the steps as described herein;

[0029] Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the steps as described herein;

[0030] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating the steps as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0032] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0033] 5G fifth generation

[0034] 5GC 5G core network

[0035] 6G Sixth Generation

[0036] AGC Automatic Gain Control

[0037] AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

[0038] Carrier Aggregation (CA)

[0039] CBM Independent Beam Management

[0040] CP Cyclic Prefix

[0041] cRAN Cloud Radio Access Network

[0042] CU Central Unit

[0043] CSI Channel Status Report

[0044] CSI-RS Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0045] D2D device to device

[0046] DU Distributed Unit

[0047] eNB (or eNodeB) evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station)

[0048] EN-DC E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity

[0049] en-gNB or En-gNB provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and acts as a secondary node in EN-DC

[0050] E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, also known as LTE radio access technology

[0051] FR1 frequency range 1

[0052] FR2 frequency range 2

[0053] gNB (or gNodeB) is used for 5G / NR base stations, i.e., nodes that provide NR user plane and control plane protocol terminals to UEs and are connected to 5GC via the NG interface

[0054] I / F interface

[0055] IoT

[0056] L1 Layer 1

[0057] L1-RSRP RSRP measured according to L1 rules

[0058] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0059] MAC Media Access Control

[0060] MCG Master Cell Group

[0061] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0062] MRTD Maximum Receive Time Difference

[0063] ng or NG new generation

[0064] ng-eNB or NG-eNB next generation eNB

[0065] NR New Radio

[0066] N / W or NW network

[0067] O-RAN Open Radio Access Network

[0068] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0069] PCell Primary Cell

[0070] PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0071] PHY Physical Layer

[0072] PL path loss

[0073] ProSe Proximity Services

[0074] QCL quasi-co-sited

[0075] RAN Radio Access Network

[0076] RF

[0077] RLC Radio Link Control

[0078] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0079] RRH Remote Radio Head

[0080] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0081] RS reference signal

[0082] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0083] RTD Receive Time Difference

[0084] RU Radio Unit

[0085] Rx Receiver

[0086] SCell Secondary Cell

[0087] SCG Secondary Cell Group

[0088] SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol

[0089] SGW Service Gateway

[0090] SL Sidelink

[0091] SMF session management functions

[0092] SMTC SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration

[0093] SNR signal-to-noise ratio

[0094] SSB Synchronous Signal Block

[0095] SS-RSRP is based on RSRP of SSB

[0096] TP throughput

[0097] TRP Transmission Point

[0098] Tx Transmitter

[0099] UE User Equipment (e.g., wireless device, typically a mobile device)

[0100] UPF User Plane Function

[0101] V2I Vehicle to Infrastructure

[0102] V2N Vehicle to Network

[0103] V2P Vehicle to Pedestrian

[0104] V2V Vehicle-to-Vehicle

[0105] V2X: Vehicle-to-Everything Connection

[0106] VNR Virtualized Network Function

[0107] Go to Figure 1 , which shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and (a plurality of) network elements 190 are shown. Figure 1In the example of FIG, user equipment (UE) 110 wirelessly communicates with wireless network 100. A UE is a wireless device that can access wireless network 100. UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected by one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 can be address, data, or control buses and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, or other optical communication device. "Circuitry" can include dedicated hardware or hardware associated with software executable thereon. One or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. One or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. UE 110 includes module 140, which includes one or both of components 140-1 and / or 140-2, which can be implemented in a variety of ways. Module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as as part of one or more processors 120. Module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, one or more memories 125 and computer program code 123 may be configured to, together with one or more processors 120, cause user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations described herein. UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via wireless link 111.

[0108] In addition to network communications, or if wireless communication with the network is unavailable or impossible, UE 110 may be able to perform sidelink communications with other UEs. For example, UE 110 may perform sidelink communications with another UE, which may include some or all of the features of UE 110 and / or may include additional features. Alternatively, UE 110 may also communicate with other UEs via short-range communication technologies (such as Bluetooth).

[0109] In this example, RAN node 170 is a base station that provides access to wireless network 100 via wireless devices such as UE 110. RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also known as New Radio (NR), and / or 5G-Advanced (i.e., NR Rel-18 and higher), and / or 6G. In 5G, RAN node 170 may be an NG-RAN node, which is defined as a gNB or ng-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations to UEs and is connected to the 5GC (such as, for example, network element(s) 190) via an NG interface. An ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations to UEs and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface. An NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, and may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and distributed unit(s) (gNB-DU), with DU 195 shown. Note that a DU may include, be coupled to, and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols for a gNB or the RRC and PDCP protocols for an en-gNB, and controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface with the gNB-DU. The F1 interface is shown as reference 198, although reference 198 also illustrates links between remote and centralized elements of the RAN node 170, such as the link between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and their operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. A gNB-CU supports one or more cells. A cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface 198 with the gNB-CU. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of the RU, but some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under the control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long Term Evolution), or any other suitable base station, access point, access node, or node.

[0110] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / W I / Fs) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected via one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor(s) 152, the memory 155, and the network interface 161. Note that the DU 195 may also include its own memory(s) and processor(s), and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0111] RAN node 170 includes module 150, which includes one or both of components 150-1 and / or 150-2, which can be implemented in a variety of ways. Module 150 can be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, for example, as part of one or more processors 152. Module 150-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 150 can be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, one or more memories 155 and computer program code 153 are configured to, together with one or more processors 152, cause RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Note that the functionality of module 150 can be distributed, such as between DU 195 and CU 196, or implemented solely in DU 195.

[0112] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, for example, link 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0113] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, a wireless channel, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE, or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation for 5G, and other elements of the RAN node 170 may be physically located at a different location from the RRH / DU, and the one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented, for example, as optical cables or other suitable network connections to connect other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., central unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference 198 also indicates those suitable network link(s).

[0114] Note that the descriptions herein indicate that a "cell" performs a function, but it should be clear that the equipment that forms the cell will perform that function. A cell constitutes part of a base station. That is, each base station can have multiple cells. For example, for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, there can be three cells, each covering one-third of a 360-degree area, so that the coverage area of ​​a single base station covers a roughly elliptical or circular shape. In addition, each cell can correspond to a single carrier, and a base station can use multiple carriers. Therefore, if there are three 120-degree cells and two carriers per carrier, the base station has a total of 6 cells.

[0115] The wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190 that include core network functions and provide connectivity to another network, such as a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet), via one or more links 181. Such core network functions for 5G may include access and mobility management function(s) (AMF(s),) and / or user plane functions (UPF(s),) and / or session management function(s) (SMF(s). Such core network functions for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions. These are merely illustrative functions that may be supported by the network element(s) 190, and it is noted that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled to the network element 190 via a link 131. Link 131 may be implemented, for example, as an NG interface for 5G, an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. Network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 180 interconnected by one or more buses 185. One or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. One or more memories 171 and computer program code 173 are configured to work with one or more processors 175 to cause network element 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0116] The wireless network 100 can implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity (virtual network). Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as external virtualization, which combines multiple networks or parts of networks into virtual units, and internal virtualization, which provides network-like functionality as software containers on a single system. For example, a network can be deployed in a remote cloud, with virtualized network functions (VNFs) running on, for example, data center servers. For example, network core functions and / or radio access networks (e.g., CloudRAN, O-RAN, edge cloud) can be virtualized. Note that the virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization are still implemented at some level using hardware, such as processors 152 or 175, and memories 155 and 171, and such virtualized entities also produce technical effects.

[0117] It may also be noted that the operations of the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by multiple cooperating devices (eg, cRAN).

[0118] Computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be components for performing storage functions. Processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Processors 120, 152, and 175 may be components for performing functions, such as controlling UE 110, RAN node 170, and other functions as described herein.

[0119] In general, various example embodiments of the user device 110 may include, but are not limited to, a cellular telephone, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capabilities, a portable computer with wireless communication capabilities, an image capture device, such as a digital camera with wireless communication capabilities, a gaming device with wireless communication capabilities, a music storage and playback device with wireless communication capabilities, an Internet device that allows wireless Internet access and browsing, a tablet computer with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals that incorporate such functionality. Additionally, various examples of the user device 110 may include, but are not limited to, devices integrated into a vehicle, infrastructure associated with vehicle travel, wearable devices used by pedestrians or other non-vehicle users of the road, user devices unrelated to traffic users, and user devices configured to participate in sidelink scenarios, such as public safety user devices and / or other commercial user devices.

[0120] Having thus introduced a suitable but non-limiting technical background for the practice of example embodiments of the present disclosure, the example embodiments will now be described in more detail.

[0121] The features as described herein generally relate to network synchronization signal block-less (SSB-less) secondary cell (SCell) and / or secondary cell group (SCG) operation. The features as described herein may also apply to primary SCell (PSCell) without SSB. However, the features as described herein may also be applied to other scenarios (e.g., secondary cell or PSCell activated via SSB); the example embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to SSB-less SCell operation. In R18, WI for network energy saving for NR is supported at RAN#98 in RP-223540, where one of the objectives is to specify SSB-less SCell operation for inter-band carrier aggregation (CA) for FR1 co-located cells, as described in clause 4.1:

[0122] “SCell operation without SSB for inter-band CA for FR1 and co-located cells, if found feasible by RAN4 studies, where the UE measures SSB transmitted on the PCell or another SCell for SCell time / frequency synchronization (including downlink AGC), and L1 / L3 measurements, including potential enhancements to the SCell activation procedure if necessary [RAN4, RAN2]…”

[0123] RAN1 has evaluated proposals for network energy savings during the research phase, and the results are documented in Technical Report TR38.864 v0.5.0 (R1-2213007). Regarding SSB-free operation, the idea is to reuse the current SCell without using the SSB requirements defined for in-band scenarios as a baseline. In this scenario, RAN4 has defined UE behaviors and requirements based on the assumption that the UE can achieve time and frequency synchronization from other serving cells and does not need to acquire these behaviors and requirements for the expected / new / target / to-be-activated SCell. These requirements have been defined and apply only under certain specific conditions.

[0124] Based on current RAN4 requirements, RAN1 has the following assumptions documented in TR for network energy saving (TR38.864 6.1.6.4 Higher layer procedures):

[0125] "In intra-band CA, the SCell without SSB is considered as the baseline, i.e., for the serving cell without transmission of SS / PBCH blocks, the UE obtains time and frequency synchronization with the serving cell based on the reception of SS / PBCH blocks on the SpCell or SCell of the cell group.

[0126] Depending on other WG inputs, more detailed discussions on higher layer procedures for RAN2 may be needed in the WI phase.”

[0127] Since WI considers inter-band CA for FR1, it is obvious that what is discussed is the SCell that is not adjacent to the active serving cell (eg, PCell) in frequency.

[0128] Features as described herein may relate to SCell activation delay requirements for collocated SSB-less SCells for inter-band CA.However, example embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to FR1 and co-located cells and may be extended to FR2 or non-co-located cells.

[0129] In the existing TS38.133 specification, the SCell activation delay requirement is defined for intra-band adjacent SCells without SSBs. As described below (TS38.133 Section 8.3.2 defines the SCell activation requirements for intra-band SCells without SSBs), because the UE assumes the same timing, beam information, and channel propagation conditions as the PCell, it only takes 3ms to activate the intra-band adjacent SCell without SSBs. Therefore, the SCell does not require a dedicated activation step. The UE can blindly rely on the network using the same configuration and timing as the PCell. Applying this assumption, the UE will start using the SCell.

[0130] "If the activated SCell belongs to FR1 and if there is at least one active serving cell adjacent to the SCell on that FR1 band, then if the UE is not provided with SSB configuration (absoluteFrequencySSB) or SMTC configuration for the target SCell, then Tactivation_time is 3ms for UEs supporting scellWithoutSSB, provided:

[0131] - The RTD between the target SCell and the adjacent active serving cell is within ±260ns, and

[0132] - the difference in received power from the adjacent active serving cell is less than or equal to 6dB, and

[0133] - The RS(s) of the SCell being activated are of QCL-Type A with the TRS(s) of the SCell being activated, and the TRS(s) of the SCell being activated are of another QCL-Type C with the SSB(s) of any active serving cell adjacent to the SCell being activated on the FR1 band"

[0134] However, this requirement is defined under a list of additional conditions, including reception time difference (RTD) on the UE side, power time difference (on the UE side), and quasi co-location (QCL) state. Taking RTD as an example, the RTD between the serving cell (e.g., PCell) and the expected / new / target / to-be-activated SCell may need to be within 260ns (as observed by the UE), which is much smaller than the maximum allowed reception time difference (MRTD), which is 33us for inter-band CA (38.133 Section 7.6.4):

[0135] “For inter-band NR carrier aggregation,

[0136] - The UE shall be able to handle at least the relative receive timing differences between the slot timings of all carrier pairs in FR1 and FR2-1 to be aggregated at the UE receiver as shown in Table 7.6.4-2 below.

[0137] - The UE shall be able to handle at least the relative receive timing differences between the subframe timings of all carrier pairs in FR1 and FR2-2 to be aggregated at the UE receiver as shown in Table 7.6.4-2 below"

[0138] Refer to Table 7.6.4-2: Maximum receive timing difference requirements for inter-band NR carrier aggregation, reproduced here as Table 1:

[0139]

[0140] Table 1

[0141] The current 260ns MRTD requirement is based on intra-band adjacent CA, where the current MRTD is based on a network phase synchronization requirement of 260ns and assumes that the PL delay difference between the PCell and the SCell being activated is negligible (eg, zero).

[0142] Applying similar requirements directly for inter-band CA may not be straightforward because FR1 covers a wide frequency range where path loss (PL) delay, reflections, and PL loss may differ between carriers used in CA (e.g., 900 MHz and 6 GHz). This may mean that not all inter-band SCells may meet the currently defined side conditions, and therefore only certain SCells may be activated using the reused PCell information. If any side condition is not met, how to activate an SCell without SSB is not discussed or defined. If the SCell cannot be activated because the current side conditions are not met, the behavior of the UE is also unclear.

[0143] Note that these conditions, QCL information, and assumptions are configured by the network based on network deployment and assumptions (but used by the UE). The RTD and power difference conditions are determined by the UE based on UE conditions at the SCell activation time and are known only to the UE. Furthermore, how these conditions are determined by the UE (if evaluated at all by the UE) is a UE implementation decision. The network currently does not know whether one, some, or all of the conditions are met, and therefore does not know whether the 3ms activation delay requirement applies.

[0144] In practice, and in actual deployments, when an SCell without SSB is activated, the network will have to wait for a "valid" channel state report (CSI) for the SCell, without knowing when or whether the CSI report will be received. Therefore, the current approach is a trial-and-error approach, which is not system-efficient. In the event that the network does not receive a "valid" indication or any CSI report, the network does not know whether the CSI report was lost or whether it was not even sent by the UE.

[0145] As mentioned above, the features described herein may be discussed in the context of the ongoing 3GPP NR Wi-Fi based on inter-band collocated PCells and SCells. However, this is a non-limiting example; scenarios in NR and 6G are also possible.

[0146] In an example embodiment, the UE may send an SCell activation success / failure indication to the network when the SCell is activated by the network. In an example embodiment, a failure indication may be indicated when one or more of the necessary conditions for activation on the UE side are not met. In an example embodiment, a success indication may be indicated when one or more of the necessary conditions for activation on the UE side are met. The network may begin scheduling the UE upon / after receiving the success indication.

[0147] In an example embodiment, based on direct UE feedback during SCell activation, the network can determine the activation procedure based on an activation failure or success indication. Optionally, the failure / success indication may need to be sent within a time period after receiving the SCell activation command. Otherwise, if the network does not receive a failure / success indication within this time period, the network can default to assuming that the accompanying conditions are met and the SCell activation process is continuing / in progress (hence, it is successful).

[0148] In an example embodiment, if some of the accompanying conditions are not met, the UE may send an activation failure indication. Upon receiving the failure indication, the network may determine / understand that the UE cannot activate the SCell, for example, because the accompanying conditions for reusing the PCell or other SCell information for activating the SCell without SSB are not met (e.g., are at least partially different).

[0149] In an example embodiment, the failure indication network may be used by the network, for example, to trigger transmission of one or more reference signals, such as SSBs and / or CSI-RS on the intended / new / target / to-be-activated SCell for a period of time in order to assist in SCell activation (i.e., assisted SSB transmission). Alternatively, the network may stop activating the SCell without SSBs and deconfigure / remove the SCell from inter-band CA. In an example embodiment, if the UE indicates an activation failure to the network, the UE may stop / cancel the SCell activation procedure, for example, via a SCell reconfiguration or SCell removal message (e.g., see Figure 2 Example 1(220)).

[0150] In an example embodiment, the UE may also indicate which of the additional conditions is not met (see, for example, Figure 2 Example 2 (230)). For example, the UE may not be able to activate the SCell because the RTD observed by the UE exceeds a threshold, or because the power difference between the serving cell and the expected / new / target / to-be-activated SCell observed by the UE is not within a threshold, or because the SNR of the expected / new / target / to-be-activated SCell is below a threshold, or for any combination of these reasons.

[0151] In an example embodiment, the assistance / cause information may help the network better understand the conditions on the UE side so as to align the activation behavior at the UE (e.g., see Figure 2Example 2 (230)). For example, if the UE indicates that the failure is due to RTD exceeding a threshold, but the power difference condition is met, this may mean that the PCell timing cannot be reused, but the AGC may be set with reference to the (multiple) PCell power settings. In this case, the network may trigger a single SSB or CSI-RS to help the UE with time / frequency synchronization on the SCell without SSB in order to activate the SCell. In another example, if the UE indicates that the failure is due to the power difference not being within a threshold, but the RTD condition is met, this may mean that the timing between the PCell and the SCell remains good, and therefore the PCell timing may be reused. In this case, the network may trigger at least two SSBs or CSI-RS to help the UE with AGC on the SCell without SSB in order to activate the SCell. Longer activation delays may be expected. It is expected that the activation delay may be longer. In another example, if the UE indicates that the failure is because the power or RTD condition is not met, this may mean that the UE may not reuse the PCell information for SCell activation. In this case, the network may trigger multiple SSBs or CSI-RS to help the UE with legacy SCell activation. In another example, if the UE indicates that the failure is due to the SNR of the expected / new / target / to-be-activated SCell being below a threshold, it may mean that the SCell activation delay requirement may not be met, so the network may stop the SCell activation and remove or de-configure the SCell from the cell list.

[0152] In an example embodiment, the assistance / cause information may help the network take appropriate actions, such as deactivating the SCell (or even deconfiguring or removing the SCell from the CA list). This may have the technical effect of helping the network (which may release all relevant reserved resources for the SCell, such as in the PCell UL) and the UE (which may not have to measure the activated / deactivated SCell).

[0153] In an example embodiment, the UE may indicate to the network a preference for whether to trigger SSB to continue activation. For example, the UE may suggest terminating the activation process. In response to this suggestion, the network may not trigger SSB on the SCell without SSB, but instead configure the SCell.

[0154] Now refer to Figure 2, showing an example of an activation status (success / failure) indication and the following activation process. At 208, the UE (202) may be connected to the PCell (204). At 210, the cell may be added as an SCell (206), for example, via an RRC configuration message, and the UE may operate in a carrier aggregation (212) with a configured deactivated SCell (206). For example, cell 1 (206) may be added as an SCell for inter-band CA. As a default setting, cell 1 (206) may be in a deactivated state when added. Alternatively, cell 1 (206) may be configured to be activated. At 214, the network (204) may send an SCell activation command to the UE (202) to activate the SCell (206).

[0155] In Example 1 (220), at 222, the UE (202) may evaluate the accompanying conditions, including RTD, power difference, SNR, etc. At 224, if any of the accompanying conditions are not met, then at 226, the UE (202) may initiate an activation status indication indicating "failure" to the network (204). In other words, based on the status of at least one of the accompanying conditions, the UE (202) may send the activation status indication. This may indicate to the network (204) that the SCell (206) cannot be properly activated. As a result, the network (204) may know / determine that the activation of the SCell (206) is not successful, and at 228, the activation may be stopped and / or the SCell may be removed from the CA list. In one alternative, the SCell (206) may remain on the CA list, and the UE (202) may maintain the SCell (206) in a semi-activated state, wherein the UE (202) may continue to activate the SCell (e.g., by evaluating when conditions for activation are met), and once the SCell (206) is activated, the UE (202) may indicate the status (success) to the network (204). In another alternative, if any accompanying conditions are met (e.g., RTD is met), the UE (202) may initiate an activation status indication indicating "success" to the network (204). This may indicate that the activation process is ongoing, and the network may begin scheduling the UE upon receiving the "success" indication.

[0156] In an example embodiment, the UE may send an activation status indication when at least one condition for activation of the SCell is not met. Alternatively, the UE may send an activation status indication when at least one condition for activation of the SCell is met. Alternatively, the UE may send an activation status indication regardless of whether at least one condition for activation of the SCell is met; in other words, the activation status indication may always be sent after evaluation of at least one condition for activation.

[0157] In Example 2 (230), at 232, the UE (202) may evaluate incidental conditions, including RTD, power difference, SNR, etc. If any incidental conditions are not met, then at 234, the UE (202) may initiate an activation status indication indicating "failure" to the network (204), and at 236, may also indicate the reason for the activation failure (e.g., if SCell activation failed due to RTD conditions, power imbalance conditions, and / or SNR conditions). Upon receiving the failure indication from the UE (202), the network (204) may take appropriate action. For example, such action may trigger the transmission of an "auxiliary" reference signal (RS) (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) for a period of time to assist the UE in SCell activation (e.g., SSB and / or CSI-RS at 238 / 240). For example, cell 1 (206) may optionally send RS to the UE (202) at 238 and 240. The RS and / or how long the RS (e.g., SSB) will be transmitted can be determined based on the cause (242). For example, if the activation failure is due to RTD, the network (204) can trigger one or more SSBs to the UE (202) to acquire time and frequency synchronization. For example, if the activation failure is due to power imbalance, the network (204) can trigger the transmission of one or more (e.g., at least 2) SSBs to the UE (202) for SCG. For example, if the activation failure is due to RTD and power imbalance, the network (204) can trigger the transmission of one or more SSBs to the UE (202) to acquire time and frequency synchronization or measure accuracy. For example, if the activation failure is due to SNR, the network can stop SCell activation and deconfigure or remove the SCell (206). After receiving the (multiple) RSs, the UE (202) can determine and perform activation steps (e.g., AGC, time / frequency synchronization, measurement, etc.) based on the cause indication. At 246, the UE (202) may send a CSI report to the PCell (204) indicating completion of the SCell activation procedure for Cell 1 (206). In an alternative embodiment, the UE may indicate to the network that the activation was successful.

[0158] In Example 3 (250), at 252, the UE (202) may evaluate the accompanying conditions, including RTD, power difference, SNR, etc. If any of the accompanying conditions are not met (254), at 256, the UE (202) may initiate an activation status indication indicating "failure" to the network (204), and at 258, may also indicate a preference for continuing or stopping the activation process, or may indicate a preferred type of auxiliary RS (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS), or a preferred auxiliary RS (e.g., an index of (multiple) RS). If the UE (202) indicates to continue despite the failure, at 264, the network (204) may trigger the transmission of auxiliary SSB or CSI-RS (e.g., 260, 262) (possibly according to the preference indicated by the UE (202), if such a preference is given), so that the UE (202) can return to (multiple) traditional activation procedures. At 266, the UE (202) may determine and perform the activation steps. For example, at 268, the UE (202) may return to the traditional activation process based on the auxiliary RS sent on cell 1. At 270, the UE (202) may send a CSI report about cell 1 (206) to the PCell (204). In an alternative embodiment, the UE may indicate to the network that the activation was successful.

[0159] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to sidelink UEs, for example in scenarios where the network or cell is turned off / on for UEs configured to perform sidelink (SL) operations. NR SL methods may be implemented to provide communication between a vehicle and a network, (multiple) infrastructure, other (multiple) vehicles, or other (multiple) road users in the surrounding / direct area. Such communication may enable proximity services (ProSe), or the transmission of information about the surrounding environment between devices in close proximity, such as device-to-device (D2D) communication technology. Such direct communication is available even when network coverage is not available. Additionally or alternatively, the NR SL method may relate to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the automotive industry (e.g., for accident risk reduction and a safer driving experience). These use cases may include message exchanges between vehicles (V2V), vehicles and pedestrians (V2P), vehicles and infrastructure (V2I), and / or vehicles and networks (V2N), and may be referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X). The allocation of V2V resources (i.e., time and frequency resources) in a cellular environment can be controlled by the cellular network structure or performed autonomously by individual vehicles (e.g., their UE devices). The sidelink can use the same or different carrier frequencies or frequency bands as the cellular communication.

[0160] Figure 3Potential steps of an example method 300 are shown. Example method 300 may include receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell, 310; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met, 320; and, in response to determining that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell, 330. Example method 300 may be performed, for example, by a UE. Method 300 may be applicable to both SCGs and SCells. SCGs may include PSCells.

[0161] Figure 4 Potential steps of an example method 400 are shown. Example method 400 may include: sending an indication to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell, 410; and receiving an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment, 420. Example method 400 may be performed, for example, by a PCell, a base station, a network element, a gNB, an eNB, etc. Method 400 may be applicable to both SCGs and SCells. An SCG may include a PSCell.

[0162] Figure 5 Potential steps of an example method 500 are shown. Example method 500 may include: receiving, with a user equipment, an indication to activate at least one secondary cell, 510; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied, 520; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell, 530. Example method 500 may be performed, for example, by a UE. Method 500 may be applicable to both SCGs and SCells. SCGs may include PSCells.

[0163] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell.

[0164] The one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell may include at least one of the following: a reception time difference condition, a timing condition, a channel propagation condition, a power difference condition, a quasi-co-location condition, a beam information condition, or a signal-to-noise ratio condition.

[0165] The activation status indication may be sent within a predetermined time period after receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell.

[0166] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate an activation failure, wherein the example apparatus may be further configured to: in response to the activation status indication, receive an indication that at least one secondary cell has been one of: deconfigured, deactivated, or removed from a carrier aggregation list.

[0167] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate an activation failure.

[0168] The activation status indication may include at least an indication of at least one condition of the one or more conditions being unsatisfied.

[0169] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to continue activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0170] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication for triggering at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

[0171] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least one indication of: a preferred auxiliary reference signal, a preferred type of the auxiliary reference signal, or an index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

[0172] The example apparatus may be further configured to receive at least one reference signal from at least one secondary cell.

[0173] The at least one reference signal may include at least one of: a synchronization signal block or a channel state information reference signal.

[0174] The example apparatus may also be configured to determine, based at least in part on at least one of the one or more conditions not being met, to perform at least one activation step, wherein the at least one activation step may include at least one of: time and frequency synchronization with at least one secondary cell, automatic gain control with at least one secondary cell, channel measurement, or activation of at least one secondary cell based on one or more synchronization signal blocks.

[0175] The example apparatus may also be configured to: continue to monitor one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions are met, send an activation status indication configured to indicate successful activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0176] The example apparatus may be further configured to, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is satisfied, send an activation status indication indicating that activation was successful.

[0177] The activation status indication indicating successful activation may include at least an indication of at least one condition being satisfied among the one or more conditions.

[0178] The example apparatus may be further configured to receive a network schedule in response to at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0179] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to stop activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0180] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided, comprising: receiving, with a user equipment, an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0181] The one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell may include at least one of the following: a reception time difference condition, a timing condition, a channel propagation condition, a power difference condition, a quasi-co-location condition, a beam information condition, or a signal-to-noise ratio condition.

[0182] The activation status indication may be sent within a predetermined time period after receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell.

[0183] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, further comprising: in response to the activation status indication, receiving an indication that at least one secondary cell has been one of the following: deconfigured, deactivated, or removed from a carrier aggregation list.

[0184] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate an activation failure.

[0185] The activation status indication may include at least an indication of at least one condition of the one or more conditions being unsatisfied.

[0186] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to continue activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0187] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication for triggering at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

[0188] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least one indication of: a preferred auxiliary reference signal, a preferred type of the auxiliary reference signal, or an index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

[0189] The example method may also include receiving at least one reference signal from at least one secondary cell.

[0190] The at least one reference signal may include at least one of: a synchronization signal block or a channel state information reference signal.

[0191] The example method may also include: determining to perform at least one activation step based at least in part on at least one of the one or more conditions not being met, wherein the at least one activation step may include at least one of the following: time and frequency synchronization with at least one secondary cell, automatic gain control with at least one secondary cell, channel measurement, or activation of at least one secondary cell based on one or more synchronization signal blocks.

[0192] The example method may also include continuing to monitor one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions are met, sending an activation status indication configured to indicate successful activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0193] The example method may also include, responsive to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is satisfied, sending an activation status indication indicating that the activation was successful.

[0194] The activation status indication indicating successful activation may include at least an indication of at least one condition being satisfied among the one or more conditions.

[0195] The example method may also include receiving a network schedule in response to at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0196] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to stop activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0197] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a circuit system configured to: receive, using a user device, an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; a circuit system configured to: determine whether one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell are met; and a circuit system configured to: send an activation status indication regarding at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0198] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a processing circuit system; a memory circuit system including computer program code, the memory circuit system and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processing circuit system, enable the apparatus to: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell.

[0199] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuitry implementations only (such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuitry only); and (b) combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry(ies) with software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; and (c) hardware circuitry and or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or microprocessor(s). ) part of a microprocessor that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portions of a hardware circuit or processor and their (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or networking device.

[0200] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include components for performing the following: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0201] The one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell may include at least one of the following: a reception time difference condition, a timing condition, a channel propagation condition, a power difference condition, a quasi-co-location condition, a beam information condition, or a signal-to-noise ratio condition.

[0202] The activation status indication may be sent within a predetermined time period after receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell.

[0203] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, wherein the component may be further configured to perform: in response to the activation status indication, receiving an indication that at least one secondary cell has been one of the following: deconfigured, deactivated, or removed from the carrier aggregation list.

[0204] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate an activation failure.

[0205] The activation status indication may include at least an indication of at least one condition of the one or more conditions being unsatisfied.

[0206] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to continue activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0207] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication for triggering at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

[0208] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least one indication of: a preferred auxiliary reference signal, a preferred type of the auxiliary reference signal, or an index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

[0209] The component may also be configured to perform: receiving at least one reference signal from at least one secondary cell.

[0210] The at least one reference signal may include at least one of: a synchronization signal block or a channel state information reference signal.

[0211] The component may also be configured to perform: determining to perform at least one activation step based at least in part on at least one of the one or more conditions not being met, wherein the at least one activation step may include at least one of the following: time and frequency synchronization with at least one secondary cell, automatic gain control with at least one secondary cell, channel measurement, or activation of at least one secondary cell based on one or more synchronization signal blocks.

[0212] The component may also be configured to: continue to monitor one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions are met, send an activation status indication configured to indicate successful activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0213] The component may be further configured to perform, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is satisfied, sending an activation status indication indicating that the activation was successful.

[0214] The activation status indication indicating successful activation may include at least an indication of at least one condition being satisfied among the one or more conditions.

[0215] The component may be further configured to perform: receiving a network schedule in response to at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0216] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to stop activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0217] A processor, memory, and / or example algorithms (which may be encoded as instructions, programs, or code) may be provided as example means for providing or causing performance of operations.

[0218] According to an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell.

[0219] According to an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following items: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, sending an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell.

[0220] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying machine-executable instructions for performing operations including: causing receipt of an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell are met; and causing sending of an activation status indication regarding at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met.

[0221] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by an apparatus, the apparatus performs at least the following items: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell are satisfied; and sending an activation status indication regarding at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied.

[0222] A computer-implemented system comprises: at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least: receive an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determine whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are met; and, in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not met, send an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell.

[0223] A computer-implemented system includes: means for causing receipt of an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; means for determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied; and means for causing transmission of an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell in response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied.

[0224] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: send an indication to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell; and receive an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0225] The activation status indication is received within a predetermined time period after sending the indication to activate the at least one secondary cell.

[0226] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate an activation failure, wherein the example apparatus may further be configured to, in response to the activation status indication, send an indication to the user equipment that at least one secondary cell has been one of: deconfigured, deactivated, or removed from the carrier aggregation list.

[0227] The activation status indication can be configured to indicate activation failure and may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, wherein the one or more conditions may include at least one of the following: a reception time difference condition, a timing condition, a channel propagation condition, a power difference condition, a quasi-co-location condition, a beam information condition, or a signal-to-noise ratio condition.

[0228] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to continue activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0229] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication for triggering at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

[0230] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least one indication of: a preferred auxiliary reference signal, a preferred type of the auxiliary reference signal, or an index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

[0231] The example apparatus may also be configured to, in response to the activation status indication, cause the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0232] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, wherein the example apparatus may also be configured to: determine the type of at least one reference signal based at least in part on at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0233] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, wherein the example apparatus may also be configured to: determine the duration of at least one reference signal based at least in part on at least one condition that is not met among the one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0234] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a reception time difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the example apparatus may be further configured to cause the at least one secondary cell to transmit a reference signal to the user equipment.

[0235] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a power difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the example apparatus may be further configured to cause the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least two reference signals to the user equipment.

[0236] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a power difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not met, and an indication that a reception time difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not met, wherein the example apparatus may also be configured to cause at least one secondary cell to send at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0237] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a signal-to-noise ratio condition for at least one secondary cell is not met, wherein the example apparatus may be further configured to cause the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0238] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a signal-to-noise ratio condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the example apparatus may be further configured to deactivate activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0239] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate successful activation, and may include at least an indication of at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0240] The example apparatus may be further configured to send a schedule to the user equipment in response to at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0241] The activation status indication may include at least an indication for stopping activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0242] According to one aspect, an example method may be provided, including: sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; and receiving an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0243] The activation status indication is received within a predetermined time period after sending the indication to activate the at least one secondary cell.

[0244] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, further comprising: in response to the activation status indication, sending an indication to the user equipment that at least one secondary cell has been one of the following: deconfigured, deactivated, or removed from the carrier aggregation list.

[0245] The activation status indication can be configured to indicate activation failure and may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, wherein the one or more conditions may include at least one of the following: a reception time difference condition, a timing condition, a channel propagation condition, a power difference condition, a quasi-co-location condition, a beam information condition, or a signal-to-noise ratio condition.

[0246] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to continue activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0247] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication for triggering at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

[0248] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least one indication of: a preferred auxiliary reference signal, a preferred type of the auxiliary reference signal, or an index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

[0249] The example method may further include causing the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least one reference signal to the user equipment in response to the activation status indication.

[0250] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, and also include: determining the type of at least one reference signal based at least in part on at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0251] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, and also include: determining the duration of at least one reference signal based at least in part on at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0252] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication that a reception time difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, and further include: enabling the at least one secondary cell to send a reference signal to the user equipment.

[0253] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a power difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, and further include causing the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least two reference signals to the user equipment.

[0254] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a power difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied and a reception time difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, and further includes causing at least one secondary cell to send at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0255] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a signal-to-noise ratio condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, and further include causing the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0256] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a signal-to-noise ratio condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, and may also include an indication for stopping activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0257] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate successful activation, and may include at least an indication of at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0258] The example method may further include sending a schedule to the user equipment in response to at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0259] The activation status indication may include at least an indication for stopping activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0260] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to send an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment and circuitry configured to receive an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0261] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include: a processing circuit system; a memory circuit system including computer program code, wherein the memory circuit system and the computer program code are configured to, together with the processing circuit system, enable the apparatus to: send an indication to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell; and receive an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0262] According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include means for: sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; and receiving an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell from the user equipment.

[0263] The activation status indication is received within a predetermined time period after sending the indication to activate the at least one secondary cell.

[0264] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate an activation failure, wherein the component may be further configured to perform: in response to the activation status indication, sending an indication to the user equipment that at least one secondary cell has been one of the following: deconfigured, deactivated, or removed from the carrier aggregation list.

[0265] The activation status indication can be configured to indicate activation failure and may include at least: an indication of at least one condition that is not met among one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell, wherein the one or more conditions may include at least one of the following: a reception time difference condition, a timing condition, a channel propagation condition, a power difference condition, a quasi-co-location condition, a beam information condition, or a signal-to-noise ratio condition.

[0266] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication to continue activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0267] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least an indication for triggering at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

[0268] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate activation failure, and may include at least one indication of: a preferred auxiliary reference signal, a preferred type of the auxiliary reference signal, or an index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

[0269] The component may also be configured to execute: in response to the activation status indication, causing at least one secondary cell to transmit at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0270] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication of at least one condition of the one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell that is not met, wherein the component may also be configured to perform: determining the type of at least one reference signal based at least in part on at least one condition of the one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell that is not met.

[0271] The activation status indication may include at least: an indication of at least one condition of the one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell that is not met, wherein the component may also be configured to perform: determining the duration of at least one reference signal based at least in part on at least one condition of the one or more conditions for activation of at least one secondary cell that is not met.

[0272] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a reception time difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the component may be further configured to execute: causing the at least one secondary cell to transmit a reference signal to the user equipment.

[0273] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a power difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the component may be further configured to perform: causing the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least two reference signals to the user equipment.

[0274] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a power difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not met and a reception time difference condition for at least one secondary cell is not met, wherein the component may also be configured to execute: causing at least one secondary cell to send at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0275] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a signal-to-noise ratio condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the component may be further configured to execute: causing the at least one secondary cell to transmit at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

[0276] The activation status indication may include at least an indication that a signal-to-noise ratio condition for at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the component may be further configured to execute: stopping activation of the at least one secondary cell.

[0277] The activation status indication may be configured to indicate successful activation, and may include at least an indication of at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0278] The component may also be configured to perform: sending a schedule to the user equipment in response to at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

[0279] The activation status indication may include at least an indication for stopping activation of at least one secondary cell.

[0280] According to an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause an indication of activating at least one secondary cell to be sent to a user equipment; and cause an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0281] According to an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing an indication of activating at least one secondary cell to be sent to a user equipment; and causing an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0282] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying machine-executable instructions for performing operations including: causing an indication to be sent to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell; and causing an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0283] According to another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by an apparatus, the apparatus at least performs the following items: causes an indication of activating at least one secondary cell to be sent to a user equipment; and causes an activation status indication of at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0284] A computer-implemented system includes: at least one processor and at least one non-volatile memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least: cause an indication of activating at least one secondary cell to be sent to a user equipment; and cause an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0285] A computer-implemented system includes: means for causing an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to be sent to a user equipment; and means for causing an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

[0286] As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a restriction on the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal), not on the persistence of data storage (eg, RAM versus ROM).

[0287] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only. Those skilled in the art may devise various alternatives and modifications. For example, the features described in the various dependent claims may be combined with one another in any suitable combination. Furthermore, features from the different embodiments described above may be selectively combined into new embodiments. Therefore, this specification is intended to encompass all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied; and In response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell is sent.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell include at least one of the following: Receiving time difference conditions, Timing conditions, Channel propagation conditions, Power difference condition, Quasi-co-location condition, Beam information conditions, or Signal-to-noise ratio conditions. 3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the activation status indication is sent within a predetermined time period after receiving the indication to activate the at least one secondary cell. 4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the activation status indication comprises at least: An indication of at least one of the one or more conditions that is not satisfied.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: In response to the activation status indication, receiving an indication that the at least one secondary cell is one of the following: Deconfigured, deactivated, or Removed from the carrier aggregation list.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and at least comprises: An indication to continue the activation of the at least one secondary cell.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and at least comprises: An indication for triggering the at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure, and includes at least one indication of: The preferred auxiliary reference signal, The preferred type of auxiliary reference signal, or The index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: At least one reference signal is received from the at least one secondary cell.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises at least one of: Synchronous signal block, or Channel State Information Reference Signal.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Determining to perform at least one activation step based at least in part on the at least one condition of the one or more conditions not being satisfied, wherein the at least one activation step comprises at least one of the following: time and frequency synchronization with the at least one secondary cell, an automatic gain control of the at least one secondary cell, Channel measurement, or Activation of the at least one secondary cell based on one or more synchronization signal blocks.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 12, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: continuing to monitor the one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell; and In response to a determination that the one or more conditions are satisfied, an activation status indication configured to indicate successful activation of the at least one secondary cell is sent.

14. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: In response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is satisfied, an activation status indication is sent indicating that the activation was successful.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the activation status indication indicating successful activation comprises at least: An indication of at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: In response to the at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied, a network schedule is received.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and at least comprises: An indication for stopping the activation of the at least one secondary cell.

18. A method comprising: receiving, by user equipment, an indication for activating at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied; as well as In response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell is sent.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell include at least one of the following: Receiving time difference conditions, Timing conditions, Channel propagation conditions, Power difference condition, Quasi-co-location condition, Beam information conditions, or Signal-to-noise ratio conditions.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the activation status indication is sent within a predetermined time period after receiving the indication to activate the at least one secondary cell.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the activation status indication comprises at least: An indication of at least one of the one or more conditions that is not satisfied.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure, further comprising: In response to the activation status indication, receiving an indication that the at least one secondary cell is one of the following: Deconfigured, deactivated, or Removed from the carrier aggregation list.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least: An indication to continue the activation of the at least one secondary cell.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least: An indication for triggering the at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and includes at least one indication of: The preferred auxiliary reference signal, The preferred type of auxiliary reference signal, or The index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

27. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 26, further comprising: At least one reference signal is received from the at least one secondary cell.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises at least one of: Synchronous signal block, or Channel State Information Reference Signal.

29. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 28, further comprising: Determining to perform at least one activation step based at least in part on the at least one condition of the one or more conditions not being satisfied, wherein the at least one activation step comprises at least one of the following: time and frequency synchronization with the at least one secondary cell, an automatic gain control of the at least one secondary cell, Channel measurement, or Activation of the at least one secondary cell based on one or more synchronization signal blocks.

30. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 29, further comprising: continuing to monitor the one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell; as well as In response to a determination that the one or more conditions are satisfied, an activation status indication configured to indicate successful activation of the at least one secondary cell is sent.

31. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, further comprising: In response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is satisfied, an activation status indication is sent indicating that the activation was successful.

32. The method according to claim 31 , wherein the activation status indication indicating successful activation comprises at least: An indication of at least one of the one or more conditions being satisfied.

33. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least: An indication for stopping the activation of the at least one secondary cell.

34. An apparatus comprising means for performing: receiving an indication to activate at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied; and In response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell is sent.

35. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 18 to 33.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing reception of an indication for activating at least one secondary cell; determining whether one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell are satisfied; and In response to a determination that at least one of the one or more conditions is not satisfied, an activation status indication regarding the at least one secondary cell is caused to be sent.

37. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; and An activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell is received from the user equipment.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the activation status indication is received within a predetermined time period after sending the indication to activate the at least one secondary cell.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 or 38, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: In response to the activation status indication, sending an indication to the user equipment that the at least one secondary cell is one of the following: Deconfigured, deactivated, or Removed from the carrier aggregation list.

40. The apparatus according to any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least: an indication of at least one condition among one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell being unsatisfied, wherein the one or more conditions include at least one of the following: Receiving time difference conditions, Timing conditions, Channel propagation conditions, Power difference condition, Quasi-co-location condition, Beam information conditions, or Signal-to-noise ratio conditions.

41. The apparatus according to any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least: An indication to continue the activation of the at least one secondary cell.

42. The apparatus according to any one of claims 37 to 41, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least: An indication of triggering the at least one secondary cell to send at least one synchronization signal block or at least one channel state information reference signal.

43. The apparatus according to any one of claims 37 to 42, wherein the activation status indication is configured to indicate activation failure and comprises at least one indication of: The preferred auxiliary reference signal, The preferred type of auxiliary reference signal, or The index of the preferred auxiliary reference signal.

44. The apparatus of any one of claims 39 to 43, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: In response to the activation status indication, the at least one secondary cell is enabled to send at least one reference signal to the user equipment.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the activation status indication comprises at least: an indication that at least one condition among one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The type of the at least one reference signal is determined based at least in part on the at least one condition that is not satisfied among the one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell.

46. ​​The apparatus according to claim 44 or 45, wherein the activation status indication comprises at least: an indication that at least one condition among one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell is not satisfied, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: A duration of the at least one reference signal is determined based at least in part on the at least one condition of the one or more conditions for activation of the at least one secondary cell that is not satisfied.

47. The apparatus according to any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein the activation status indication comprises at least: An indication for stopping the activation of the at least one secondary cell.

48. A method comprising: Sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; as well as An activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell is received from the user equipment.

49. An apparatus comprising means for performing: sending an indication to activate at least one secondary cell to a user equipment; and An activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell is received from the user equipment.

50. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing an indication to be sent to a user equipment to activate at least one secondary cell; and The method causes an activation status indication of the at least one secondary cell to be received from the user equipment.

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