Offset information storage for neighboring cells

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a technique for configuring and performing channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system. A wireless link may be established between a wireless device and a cellular base station. The wireless device may perform channel state information measurements and reports for one or more non-serving cells. The wireless device may store one or more of timing offset or frequency offset estimation information associated with one or more channel state information measurements for the one or more non-serving cells.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a system, apparatus, and method for configuring and performing channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system.

[0002] Related technical description

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices (such as smartphones and tablet computers) have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices (i.e., user equipment devices or UEs) now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex and sophisticated applications that utilize these capabilities. Additionally, there are many different wireless communication technologies and wireless communication standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (e.g., associated with WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), Bluetooth TM wait.

[0004] The introduction of an ever-increasing number of features and functionalities in wireless communication devices has also created a continuing need for improvements in wireless communications and in wireless communication devices. In particular, it is important to ensure the accuracy of signals transmitted and received by user equipment (UE) devices (e.g., by wireless devices such as cellular phones, base stations, and relay stations used in wireless cellular communications). Furthermore, increasing the functionality of UE devices can place a significant strain on the battery life of the UE devices. Therefore, it is also very important to reduce the power requirements in UE device designs while allowing the UE devices to maintain good transmit and receive capabilities to improve communications. Therefore, improvements are desired in this area. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of apparatus, systems, and methods for configuring and performing channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system are presented herein.

[0006] According to the techniques described herein, it is possible to reduce the latency and signaling burden for configuring channel state information reports for neighboring cells by introducing medium access control-based signaling to update various possible aspects of the aperiodic channel state information reporting configuration for wireless devices. In some embodiments, such signaling may be capable of supporting updating the channel state information reporting configuration associated with a downlink control information channel state information triggering status code point. It may also be or alternatively possible to update the association between the channel state information reporting configuration and one or more channel state information resource configurations. In some cases, it may also be possible to update the reference signal resources associated with the channel state information resource set.

[0007] Also described herein are techniques for supporting configuration of transmit control indicator states for neighboring cells. In some embodiments, such configuration may be performed using any of a number of possible variations for providing a transmit control indicator state list that includes cell identification information identifying which transmit control indicator state entries are associated with which (serving or non-serving) cell. Such techniques may facilitate the use of channel state information reference signals to perform neighboring cell layer 1 measurements, which in turn may have the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of low-latency layer 1 / 2 triggered mobility operations, at least in some cases.

[0008] Furthermore, techniques are described herein for maintaining offset information for channel state information measurements performed on neighboring cells. According to such techniques, a wireless device may temporarily store timing offset and frequency offset information for specific non-serving cells that may be considered as possible candidates for cell handover or transmission control indicator activation, which may reduce or avoid downlink resynchronization time and, therefore, potentially reduce the overall latency of such mobility operations, at least in some cases.

[0009] It should be noted that the techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, cellular telephones, portable media players, tablet computers, wearable devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned flight controllers, automobiles and / or motor vehicles, and various other computing devices.

[0010] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, accompanying drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary base station in communication with an exemplary wireless user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating aspects of an exemplary possible method for rapidly updating aperiodic channel state information configuration for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system according to some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating aspects of an exemplary possible method for configuring a transmission control indicator for a neighboring cell according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating aspects of an exemplary possible method for storing offset information for neighboring cells according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a possible medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) format that may be used to trigger a status update for fast channel state information of a neighboring cell according to some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 9 illustrates aspects of an example scenario in which fast aperiodic channel state information configuration updates may be used according to some embodiments;

[0021] Figure 10 illustrates an example of a possible MAC CE format that may be used for fast channel state information reporting configuration update for neighboring cells according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 11 illustrates examples of possible MAC CE formats that may be used for fast channel state information resource configuration updates for neighboring cells according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figures 12 to 13illustrates examples of possible ASN.1 codes that may be used to configure a transmit control indicator state for a non-serving cell according to some embodiments; and

[0024] Figures 14 and 15 Illustrated are aspects of an example neighbor cell measurement scenario in which selected offset information may be temporarily stored according to some embodiments.

[0025] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to be limiting to the particular forms disclosed, but, on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Acronyms

[0027] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. Definitions of the most commonly used acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are provided below:

[0028] UE: User Equipment

[0029] RF: Radio Frequency

[0030] BS: Base Station

[0031] GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

[0032] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0033] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0034] NR: New Radio

[0035] TX: Send

[0036] RX: Receive

[0037] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0038] TRP: Transmit Receive Point

[0039] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0040] MAC: Media Access Control

[0041] ●DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0042] CSI: Channel State Information

[0043] the term

[0044] The following is a glossary of terms that may appear in this disclosure:

[0045] Memory medium—any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of non-transitory memory or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing a program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network, such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer system for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media, which may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0046] Carrier Medium—memory media as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals (such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals).

[0047] Computer system (or computer)—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), a mainframe computer system, a workstation, a network appliance, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined as any device (or combination of devices) that includes at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0048] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones, TM , based on Android TM phones), tablet computers (e.g., iPad TM 、Samsung Galaxy TM ), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TMPlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, cars and / or motor vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of these devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0049] Wireless Device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0050] Communication device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, where the communication can be wired or wireless. A communication device can be portable (or mobile), or stationary or fixed at a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0051] Base Station (BS)—The term “base station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0052] Processing element (or processor)—refers to any element or combination of elements capable of performing functions in a device (e.g., a user equipment device or a cellular network device). Processing elements may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any combination of the foregoing.

[0053] Wi-Fi—The term "Wi-Fi" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication network or RAT that is served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provides connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi." Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0054] Automatically—refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without requiring user input to directly specify or execute the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to an action being manually performed or specified by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the action. An automatic process may be initiated by user-provided input, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user's actions. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills it out without requiring any user input to specify the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling of a form without participating in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields; they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

[0055] Configured to—Various components may be described as being “configured to” perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad statement that generally means “having a structure” to perform one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently performing the task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad statement that generally means “having a circuit” to carry out one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component may be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently turned on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuitry.

[0056] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to." Representing a component as being configured to perform one or more tasks expressly intends that the component not be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. §112(f).

[0057] Figure 1 and Figure 2 —Exemplary Communication System

[0058] Figure 1 An exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system is illustrated that can implement various aspects of the present disclosure according to some embodiments. Note that, Figure 1The system is only one example of a possible system, and the embodiment may be implemented in any of a variety of systems as desired.

[0059] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102 that communicates with one or more (e.g., any number) user devices 106A, 106B, etc. to 106N via a transmission medium. Each user device may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE) or a UE device. Therefore, user device 106 is referred to as a UE or a UE device.

[0060] Base station 102 may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site and may include hardware and / or software that enables wireless communication with UEs 106A to 106N. If base station 102 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB." If base station 102 is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB." Base station 102 may also be equipped to communicate with network 100 (e.g., a cellular service provider's core network, a telecommunications network such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, base station 102 may facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell." Also as used herein, with respect to a UE, a base station may sometimes be considered to represent the network, taking into account the UE's uplink and downlink communications. Thus, a UE communicating with one or more base stations in a network may also be understood as a UE communicating with the network.

[0061] It is noted that, at least in some 3GPP NR contexts, base station (gNB) functionality may be split between a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In such network deployment contexts, the illustrated base station 102 may support functionality of either or both the CU or DU, at least according to some embodiments. In some instances, the base station 102 may be configured to act as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor (e.g., including IAB donor CU and / or IAB donor DU functionality). In some instances, the base station 102 may be configured to act as an IAB node (e.g., including IAB mobile terminal (MT) and IAB-DU functionality). Other implementations are also possible.

[0062] The base station 102 and the user equipment may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LAA / LTE-U, 5G NR, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0063] Base station 102 and other similar base stations operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards may thus be provided as one or more cell networks that may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE 106 and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0064] Note that the UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using either or both of the 3GPP cellular communication standard or the 3GPP2 cellular communication standard. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may be configured to perform techniques for channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system, such as according to the various methods described herein. The UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to use WLAN, Bluetooth, or other similar communication methods. TM , one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0065] Figure 2An exemplary user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) in communication with a base station 102 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 106 can be a device with wireless network connectivity, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, wearable device, computer or tablet computer, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned aviation controller (UAC), car, or nearly any type of wireless device. UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any method implementation in the method implementation scheme described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an integrated circuit, and / or any of a variety of other possible hardware components configured to (e.g., individually or in combination) perform any method implementation in the method implementation scheme described herein or any part of any method implementation in the method implementation scheme described herein. UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any of a plurality of wireless communication protocols. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using two or more of CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, WLAN, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication standards are also possible.

[0066] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols according to one or more RAT standards. In some embodiments, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain between multiple wireless communication standards. The shared radio component may include a single antenna, or may include multiple antennas (e.g., for a multiple-input, multiple-output, or "MIMO" antenna system) for performing wireless communications. Generally speaking, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0067] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and / or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams). Similarly, BS 102 may also include any number of antennas and may be configured to use the antennas to transmit and / or receive directional wireless signals (e.g., beams). To receive and / or transmit such directional signals, the antennas of UE 106 and / or BS 102 may be configured to apply different "weights" to different antennas. The process of applying these different weights may be referred to as "precoding."

[0068] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating using any of LTE or CDMA2000 1xRTT (or LTE or NR, or LTE or GSM), and shared radio components for communicating using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. TM Each of the radio components communicates independently. Other configurations are also possible.

[0069] Figure 3 —Block diagram of an exemplary UE device

[0070] Figure 3 A block diagram of an exemplary UE 106 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As shown, the UE 106 may include a system on a chip (SOC) 300, which may include components for various purposes. Some or all of the various illustrated components (and / or other device components not illustrated, e.g., in variations and alternative arrangements) may be "communicatively coupled" or "operatively coupled," terms that may be used herein to refer to components that can communicate directly or indirectly when the device is in operation.

[0071] As shown, SOC 300 may include display circuitry 304, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to display 360, and one or more processors 302, which may execute program instructions for UE 106. SOC 300 may also include sensor circuitry 370, which may include components for sensing or measuring any of a variety of possible characteristics or parameters of UE 106. For example, sensor circuitry 370 may include motion sensing circuitry configured to detect motion of UE 106, for example, using a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and / or any of a variety of other motion sensing components. As another possibility, sensor circuitry 370 may include one or more temperature sensing components, for example, for measuring the temperature of each of one or more antenna panels and / or other components of UE 106. Any of a variety of other possible types of sensor circuitry may also or alternatively be included in UE 106, as desired. Processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) and / or other circuits or devices, such as display circuitry 304, radio 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, MMU 340 may be included as part of processor 302.

[0072] As shown, the SOC 300 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), a connector interface 320 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a docking station, a charging station, etc.), a display 360, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, etc.). TM, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). The UE device 106 may include or be coupled to at least one antenna (e.g., 335a), and may include multiple antennas (e.g., illustrated by antennas 335a and 335b) for performing wireless communications with base stations and / or other devices. Antennas 335a and 335b are shown by way of example, and the UE device 106 may include fewer or more antennas. In general, one or more antennas are collectively referred to as antennas 335. For example, the UE device 106 may use antennas 335 with the aid of radio circuitry 330 to perform wireless communications. The communication circuitry may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the UE may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards.

[0073] The UE 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing methods for the UE 106 to perform techniques for channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system, such as those described further herein. The processor 302 of the UE device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). In addition, the processor 302 may be coupled to an ASIC such as a processor 106. Figure 3 The other components shown and / or may interoperate with other components to perform techniques for channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments disclosed herein. The processor 302 may also implement various other applications and / or end-user applications running on the UE 106.

[0074] In some embodiments, radio 330 may include separate controllers dedicated to controlling communications for various corresponding RAT standards. Figure 3 As shown, the radio component 330 may include a Wi-Fi controller 352, a cellular controller (e.g., an LTE and / or LTE-A controller) 354, and a Bluetooth TM Controllers 356, and in at least some embodiments, one or more or all of these controllers may be implemented as respective integrated circuits (ICs or chips) that communicate with each other and with the SOC 300 (and more specifically, with the processor 302). For example, the Wi-Fi controller 352 may communicate with the cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link or WCI interface, and / or the Bluetooth controller 355. TMThe controller 356 may communicate with the cellular controller 354 via a cell-ISM link, etc. Although three separate controllers are illustrated within the radio 330, other implementations may be implemented in the UE device 106 with fewer or more similar controllers for various different RATs.

[0075] Additionally, embodiments are contemplated in which the controller can implement functionality associated with multiple radio access technologies. For example, according to some embodiments, in addition to hardware and / or software components for performing cellular communications, the cellular controller 354 can also include hardware and / or software components for performing one or more activities associated with Wi-Fi (such as Wi-Fi preamble detection and / or generation and transmission of Wi-Fi physical layer preamble signals).

[0076] Figure 4 —Block diagram of an exemplary base station

[0077] Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary base station 102 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 4 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 404 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 that may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450) or to other circuits or devices.

[0078] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. The network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices, such as the UE device 106, as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 . Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE devices 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0079] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transmit and receive points (TRPs). Furthermore, UEs capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0080] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434, and may include multiple antennas. Antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio 430 via communication chain 432. Communication chain 432 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. Radio 430 may be designed to communicate via various wireless telecommunication standards, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, 5G NR SAT, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0081] The base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, the base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communications according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communications according to 5G NR. In this case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communications according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, 5G NR SAT and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0082] As further described later herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement and / or support specific implementations of part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. In the case of certain RATs (e.g., Wi-Fi), the base station 102 may be designed as an access point (AP), in which case the network port 470 may be implemented to provide access to a wide area network and / or one or more local area networks, for example, it may include at least one Ethernet port, and the radio component 430 may be designed to communicate according to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0083] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 404 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more functions of processor 404.

[0084] Furthermore, as described herein, radio 430 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, radio 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 430.

[0085] Reference signal

[0086] A wireless device (such as a user equipment) can be configured to perform various tasks that include using reference signals (RSs) provided by one or more cellular base stations. For example, initial access and beam measurement for the wireless device can be performed based at least in part on synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) provided by one or more cells provided by one or more cellular base stations within communication range of the wireless device. Another type of reference signal commonly provided in cellular communication systems can include channel state information (CSI) RSs. Various types of CSI-RSs can be provided for tracking (e.g., for time and frequency offset tracking), beam management (e.g., CSI-RSs configured with repetitions to assist in determining one or more beams for uplink and / or downlink communications), and / or channel measurement (e.g., CSI-RSs configured in resource sets for measuring the quality of a downlink channel and reporting information related to the quality measurement to a base station), among other possibilities. For example, where CSI-RSs are used for CSI acquisition, the UE can periodically perform channel measurements and transmit channel state information (CSI) to the base station. The base station can then receive and use this channel state information to determine adjustments to various parameters during communication with the wireless device. For example, the base station may use the received channel state information to adjust the coding of its downlink transmissions to improve downlink channel quality. The wireless device may also perform channel state information reporting on reference signals transmitted by neighboring cells, which may be configured by the serving base station to facilitate handover decisions, for example.

[0087] In many cellular communication systems, a base station may periodically transmit some or all of these reference signals (or pilot signals), such as SSBs and / or CSI-RSs. In some cases, aperiodic reference signals (e.g., aperiodic reference signals for aperiodic CSI reporting) may also or alternatively be configured and provided.

[0088] Figures 5 to 7 —Channel state information measurement report for neighboring cells

[0089] To support low-latency and high-reliability mobile services, the ability to quickly shift cells as needed to maintain quality of service has become increasingly important. According to some implementations, techniques for enabling such cell shifting via lower layer signaling, such as 3GPP Release 18 Layer 1 (L1) Layer 2 (L2) Triggered Mobility (LTM) techniques, are under development and are expected to reduce latency and improve reliability for at least some wireless devices.

[0090] Wireless device mobility, whether performed at lower layers (such as might be the case with LTM procedures) or at higher layers (such as might be the case with more conventional handovers managed at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer), often relies, at least in part, on timely and accurate neighboring (non-serving) cell measurements. For example, in order to determine which cell (and potentially which beam of that cell) to target to best provide service to the wireless device, it may be important to know which nearby available cells have good signal strength and / or signal quality. Therefore, similar to the potential latency reduction and reliability increase that can be achieved by supporting more aspects of mobility procedures performed at lower layers, it may also be beneficial to increase support for providing channel state information reporting configuration information at lower layers. For example, such techniques may allow a wireless device to be reconfigured to more quickly perform channel condition measurements for the most relevant non-serving cells and beams, which, in turn, may, at least in some cases, further reduce latency and reliability for the wireless device's mobility operations.

[0091] Therefore, it may be beneficial to specify techniques for supporting channel state information reporting for neighboring cells with low latency and signaling overhead, as well as other techniques for improving accuracy, reducing latency and signaling overhead, and / or increasing reliability of wireless device mobility operations. To illustrate various such possible techniques, Figures 5 to 7 is a flowchart illustrating various methods for configuring and performing channel state information measurement reporting for neighboring cells in a wireless communication system according to at least some embodiments. Figures 5 to 7 The methods may be used individually / independently or in any of various possible combinations.

[0092] Figures 5 to 7 Various aspects of the method may be implemented by a wireless device, for example, in conjunction with one or more cellular base stations (such as the UE 106 and BS 102 illustrated in and described with respect to the various figures herein), or more generally, as needed, in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components illustrated in the above figures. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements.

[0093] Note that although the present invention is described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with 3GPP and / or NR specification documents, Figures 5 to 7 However, such description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figures 5 to 7In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown, Figures 5 to 7 The method can be operated as follows.

[0094] The wireless device may establish a wireless link with a cellular base station. According to some embodiments, the wireless link may include a cellular link based on 5G NR. For example, the wireless device may establish a session with an AMF entity of the cellular network via one or more gNBs that provide radio access to the cellular network. As another possibility, the wireless link may include a cellular link based on LTE. For example, the wireless device may establish a session with a mobility management entity of the cellular network via an eNB that provides radio access to the cellular network. According to various embodiments, other types of cellular links are also possible, and the cellular network may also or alternatively operate according to another cellular communication technology (e.g., UMTS, CDMA2000, GSM, etc.).

[0095] Establishing the wireless link may include establishing an RRC connection with the serving cellular base station, at least according to some embodiments. Establishing the first RRC connection may include configuring various parameters for communication between the wireless device and the cellular base station, establishing environmental information for the wireless device, and / or any of a variety of other possible features, for example, involving establishing an air interface of the wireless device for cellular communication with a cellular network associated with the cellular base station. After establishing the RRC connection, the wireless device may operate in an RRC connected state. In some instances, the RRC connection may also be released (e.g., after a certain period of inactivity relative to data communication), in which case the wireless device may operate in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. In some instances, the wireless device may perform a handover (e.g., while in RRC connected mode) or a cell reselection (e.g., when in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode) to a new serving cell, for example, due to wireless device mobility, changing wireless medium conditions, and / or any of a variety of other possible reasons.

[0096] In some embodiments, a wireless device may establish multiple radio links according to a multi-TRP configuration, for example, with multiple TRPs of a cellular network. In this case, the wireless device may be configured (e.g., via RRC signaling) with one or more transmit control indicators (TCIs), which may correspond to various beams that may be used to communicate with the TRPs. Additionally, it may be the case that one or more configured TCI states may be activated at a specific time by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) of the wireless device.

[0097] In at least some instances, establishing the wireless link can include the wireless device providing capability information of the wireless device. Such capability information can include information related to any of a variety of types of wireless device capabilities.

[0098] Figure 5 More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for providing channel state information configuration information for non-serving cells using medium access control signaling according to some embodiments. As shown, in 502, a wireless device may receive configuration information for neighbor cell channel state information (CSI) reporting from a cellular base station via MAC CE signaling. According to various embodiments, MAC CE signaling may be used to configure any of various possible aspects of CSI reporting for non-serving cells of the wireless device.

[0099] In some embodiments, MAC CE signaling may configure one or more CSI reporting configurations to be associated with a downlink control information (DCI) CSI trigger status code point. For example, one or more CSI reporting configurations associated with a non-serving cell may be configured to be associated with a DCI CSI trigger status code point, such that if the CSI trigger status code point is indicated to the wireless device by the serving cellular base station via DCI signaling, the wireless device is triggered to perform CSI measurement and reporting according to the CSI reporting configuration associated with the CSI trigger status code point.

[0100] In some embodiments, the CSI reporting configuration ID provided by RRC signaling for the CSI reporting configuration may be used to identify the CSI reporting configuration associated with the DCI CSI triggering status code point via MAC CE signaling. Note that if this approach is used, then at least according to some embodiments, it is possible that MAC CE signaling may be used to configure either the serving cell or non-serving cell CSI reporting configuration to be associated with the DCI CSI triggering status code point.

[0101] In another approach, it is possible that the CSI reporting configurations associated with a DCI CSI triggering status code point via MAC CE signaling may be limited to non-serving cell CSI reporting configurations. As one such possibility, a non-serving cell group index-based identifier may be used to identify the CSI reporting configurations associated with a DCI CSI triggering status code point via MAC CE signaling. This non-serving cell group index-based identifier may be determined / assigned by the wireless device and the serving cellular base station only for those CSI reporting configurations associated with non-serving cells. For example, the wireless device may determine which CSI reporting configuration IDs are associated with non-serving cells from among all CSI reporting configuration IDs (e.g., which may have been indicated to the wireless device via RRC signaling and may include both CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with serving cells and CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with non-serving cells). Those CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with non-serving cells may be indexed (e.g., based on their CSI reporting configuration IDs, as one possibility) to determine the non-serving cell group index for the CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with the non-serving cells.

[0102] In some embodiments, MAC CE signaling may configure one or more CSI resource configurations to be associated with a CSI reporting configuration. For example, one or more CSI resource configurations associated with a non-serving cell may be configured to be associated with a CSI reporting configuration such that if the wireless device receives an indication to perform CSI reporting according to the CSI reporting configuration (such as if a DCICSI trigger status code point associated with the CSI reporting configuration is received by the wireless device), CSI measurement and reporting may be performed using the one or more CSI resource configurations associated with the non-serving cell.

[0103] In one possible approach, a CSI reporting configuration may be identified in MAC CE signaling using its CSI reporting configuration ID (e.g., which may have been provided for the CSI reporting configuration via RRC signaling). Similarly, in some embodiments, a CSI resource configuration ID (e.g., which may have been provided for the CSI resource configuration via RRC signaling) may be used to identify the CSI resource configuration associated with the CSI reporting configuration in MAC CE signaling. Note that if this approach is used, then at least according to some embodiments, it is possible that MAC CE signaling may be used to configure either a serving cell or non-serving cell CSI resource configuration to be associated with the CSI reporting configuration.

[0104] In another approach, it is possible that the CSI reporting configurations and / or CSI resource configurations that can be associated with each other via MAC CE signaling are limited to non-serving cell CSI resource configurations and / or non-serving cell CSI reporting configurations. As one such possibility, a non-serving cell group index-based identifier can be used to identify the CSI reporting configuration in MAC CE signaling. This non-serving cell group index-based identifier can be determined / assigned by the wireless device and the serving base station only for those CSI reporting configurations associated with non-serving cells. As another such possibility, a non-serving cell group index-based identifier can be used to identify the CSI resource configuration in MAC CE signaling. This non-serving cell group index-based identifier can be determined / assigned by the wireless device and the serving base station only for those CSI resource configurations associated with non-serving cells. In a manner similar to that previously described herein, such a non-serving cell group index-based identifier can be determined by assigning the non-serving cell group index only to those CSI reporting configurations or CSI resource configurations within a group of non-serving cell CSI reporting configurations or non-serving cell CSI resource configurations, respectively. According to various implementations, the index may be assigned based on the RRC assigned CSI report configuration ID and the RRC assigned CSI resource configuration ID (eg, indexed in ascending order of those identifiers), or may be indexed in any of a variety of other manners.

[0105] In some embodiments, MAC CE signaling may configure one or more reference signal (RS) resources to be associated with a CSI resource set. For example, one or more RS resources associated with a non-serving cell may be configured to be associated with a CSI resource set, such that if the wireless device receives an indication to perform CSI reporting using the CSI resource set, the RS resources associated with the non-serving cell may be used to perform CSI measurement and reporting.

[0106] In at least some embodiments, it is possible that the MAC CE signaling may indicate a reference signal type for the RS resources to be associated with the CSI resource set, the reference signal type being selected, for example, from CSI-RS or CSI-SSB. This may identify whether the CSI resource set is a CSI-RS resource set or a CSI-SSB resource set. The MAC CE signaling may also indicate a CSI resource set ID, which may refer to a CSI-RS resource set ID or a CSI-SSB resource set ID, for example, depending on the type of RS indication signaled by the MAC CE. Additionally, the MAC CE signaling may indicate one or more non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resource IDs or SSB indices included in the CSI resource set (for example, again depending on the type of RS indication).

[0107] For any aspect(s) of non-serving cell CSI reporting for which the MAC CE provides configuration information, it may be the case that the MAC CE signaling indicates a non-serving cell identifier and a bandwidth portion identifier associated with the configuration information for CSI reporting. This may provide an indication from the cellular base station to wireless devices of the non-serving cell to which the CSI reporting configuration information applies, at least according to some embodiments.

[0108] Additionally, in some embodiments, it is possible that a single MAC CE may provide CSI reporting configuration information for multiple non-serving cells. For example, in a scenario where MAC CE signaling configures multiple CSI reporting configurations as associated with a DCICSI trigger status code point, it is possible that those CSI reporting configurations span multiple non-serving cells. To handle such a scenario, at least in some embodiments, it is possible that the MAC CE includes a portion that configures one or more CSI reporting configurations associated with a DCICSI trigger status code point for each applicable non-serving cell. Similarly, in a scenario where MAC CE signaling configures multiple CSI resource configurations as associated with a CSI reporting configuration, it is possible that those CSI resource configurations span multiple non-serving cells. To handle such a scenario, at least in some embodiments, it is possible that the MAC CE includes a portion that configures one or more CSI resource configurations associated with a CSI reporting configuration for each applicable non-serving cell.

[0109] At 504, the wireless device may receive an indication from the cellular base station to trigger an aperiodic CSI report. In some embodiments, this may include receiving a CSI triggering status code point in DCI signaling. The triggered CSI report may include a CSI report (e.g., L1 CSI as one possibility) for at least one non-serving cell, for which the wireless device may have received CSI reporting configuration information via MAC CE signaling, for example.

[0110] In 506, the wireless device may perform aperiodic CSI reporting. According to at least some embodiments, CSI measurement and reporting may be performed based at least in part on configuration information for CSI reporting for a non-serving cell received via MAC CE signaling. For example, this may include receiving, via MAC CE signaling, a DCI CSI triggering status code point configured to be associated with one or more CSI reporting configurations for a non-serving cell. As another example, the one or more CSI reporting configurations triggered by the DCI CSI triggering status code point may have been configured to include one or more CSI resource configurations associated with a non-serving cell via MAC CE signaling. As a further example, the one or more CSI resource configurations associated with the CSI reporting configuration triggered by the DCI CSI triggering status code point may include a CSI resource set that is configured to include one or more RS resources associated with a non-serving cell via MAC CE signaling.

[0111] Thus, at least according to some embodiments, Figure 5 The method can be used to update any or all of the various aspects of CSI reporting (at any of a variety of possible levels) via MAC CE signaling. This can allow, at least in some cases, a wireless device to be quickly reconfigured to perform CSI measurements and reporting for neighboring cells with low latency and reduced signaling overhead, and thus assist the cellular network in more responsively managing and performing handover operations for the wireless device.

[0112] Figure 6 More specifically, it may relate to a method for enabling CSI-RS based measurements of non-serving cells by supporting configuration of a transmit control indicator state for a non-serving cell reference signal according to some embodiments. As shown, in 602, a wireless device may receive TCI state configuration information from a cellular base station serving the wireless device. The TCI state configuration information may configure at least one ("first") TCI state associated with a non-serving cell. For example, the first TCI state may be associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) resource for the non-serving cell. It should be noted that according to various embodiments, the TCI state configuration information may also configure one or more other TCI states, which may also be associated with (the same or different) non-serving cells and / or the one or more other TCI states may be associated with a serving cell for the wireless device.

[0113] There are multiple possible formats in which a cellular base station may provide TCI state configuration information to a wireless device that configures one or more TCI states associated with non-serving cells. As one possibility, a TCI state list may be provided from the cellular base station to the wireless device, where the TCI state list configures both one or more TCI states for a serving cell and one or more TCI states for a non-serving cell. As another possibility, multiple TCI state lists may be provided from the cellular base station to the wireless device, where one TCI state list configures one or more TCI states for a serving cell and another TCI state list configures one or more TCI states for one or more non-serving cells. In this scenario, all TCI states configured for a wireless device for a serving cell may be provided by one TCI state list, while all TCI states configured for a wireless device for non-serving cells may be provided by another TCI state list. Therefore, if TCI states are configured for multiple non-serving cells, all of those TCI states may be grouped together in a TCI state list for non-serving cells. As yet another possibility, it is possible to provide a TCI state list for each non-serving cell for which one or more TCI states are configured. Thus, for a number of non-serving cells for which the cellular base station determines to configure at least one TCI state, a first TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for a first non-serving cell may be provided from the cellular base station to the wireless device, a second TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for a second non-serving cell may be provided from the cellular base station to the wireless device, and so on. In at least some cases, such multiple TCI state lists for non-serving cells may be provided in addition to a TCI state list for a serving cell.

[0114] Note that for any of these methods, it is possible that the TCI state configuration information includes cell identification information of the non-serving cell for which the TCI state is configured. In some embodiments, such identification information may include a physical cell identifier (PCI), which may be a global identifier for the cell. Alternatively, if desired, a logical cell identifier may be used, such as an "additional PCI index" used as a localized identifier for the cell. According to at least some embodiments, this may reduce the signaling burden for identifying the non-serving cell associated with the TCI state entry (e.g., because the logical cell identifier can be signaled with less information than the physical cell identifier), but may come at the expense of supporting a smaller total number of non-serving cells for which the TCI state may be configured.

[0115] In 604, the wireless device may receive an indication to perform CSI measurement and reporting for a CSI reporting configuration including CSI-RS resources associated with a first TCI state. In some embodiments, the indication to perform CSI measurement and reporting may include a CSI triggering state code point received by the wireless device from a cellular base station via DCI signaling. Figure 5 In a similar manner as described above, at least according to some embodiments, a CSI trigger state code point may trigger a CSI report based on one or more CSI reporting configurations associated with the CSI trigger state code point. At least one of those CSI reporting configurations may be associated with a CSI resource configuration including a CSI-RS resource set, the CSI-RS resource set including a CSI-RS resource. At least in some embodiments, the association between the CSI-RS resource and the first TCI state may include quasi-co-location (QCL) of the CSI-RS resource with an SSB resource associated with the first TCI state.

[0116] At 606, the wireless device may use the CSI-RS resources to perform CSI measurements and reporting for the non-serving cell. In some cases, the CSI measurements may include using the CSI-RS resources to measure RSRP (e.g., L1 RSRP) for the non-serving cell and / or any of a variety of other signal strength or signal quality metrics. The CSI measurements may also potentially include one or more other RSRP and / or other measurements, such as for other reference signal resources included in the CSI reporting configuration (e.g., which may be associated with the same non-serving cell, other non-serving cells, and / or other beams of the serving cell, among other possibilities). Such information may be used by the cellular base station for any of a variety of possible purposes, potentially including supporting a determination of whether to perform (and possibly perform) an LTM procedure for the wireless device.

[0117] Thus, at least according to some embodiments, Figure 6 Methods may be used to implement CSI-RS-based CSI measurements for non-serving cells. This may allow, at least in some cases, a wireless device to be configured to utilize narrower beams of CSI-RS (e.g., compared to SSBs) to potentially improve the efficiency of any of the LTM-based handovers and / or various other procedures.

[0118] Figure 7More specifically, it may relate to a method for supporting temporary storage of offset information for non-serving cells after performing CSI measurement and reporting according to some embodiments. As shown in the figure, in 702, the wireless device may perform CSI measurement and reporting for one or more non-serving cells. The CSI measurement and reporting may include measuring RSRP (e.g., L1 RSRP) and / or any of various other signal strength or signal quality metrics for the non-serving cells, and reporting the obtained measurements to the cellular base station. In some cases, among various other possibilities, the method may be implemented according to the present invention. Figures 5 and 6 CSI measurement and reporting may be performed using any of the described techniques. As part of the CSI measurement, it may be the case that the wireless device obtains offset information (e.g., timing offset and / or frequency offset) for a non-serving cell.

[0119] The wireless device may store offset information associated with one or more of the CSI measurements performed for the one or more non-serving cells at 704. In at least some embodiments, the amount of offset information stored by the wireless device may be limited, such as the amount of time the offset information is stored, e.g., to reduce a memory burden on the wireless device for storing offset information for non-serving cells (e.g., which may not be immediately useful to the wireless device).

[0120] In some embodiments, the wireless device may be configured with a specific capability for storing non-serving cell offset information and may report such capability to the serving cellular base station as part of the wireless device capability report. For example, the wireless device may report that it can store offset information for up to a specific number of non-serving cell CSI measurements at a time.

[0121] In some embodiments, the wireless device may perform storage of offset information for non-serving cell CSI measurements based on the wireless device configuration and / or standard specifications, for example, without requiring additional configuration from the cellular base station. In other embodiments, the cellular base station may provide non-serving cell offset storage configuration information to the wireless device to configure how the wireless device handles non-serving cell offset storage. In such a scenario, storage of offset information by the wireless device may be performed at least in part based on such non-serving cell offset storage configuration information.

[0122] For example, according to some embodiments, it may be the case that the wireless device receives non-serving cell offset storage configuration information that indicates that offset information for up to a configured number of channel state information measurements (e.g., which may be equal to or less than the reported capability of the wireless device, at least in some embodiments) is to be stored for up to a configured amount of time. The non-serving cell offset storage configuration information may also indicate how to prioritize which CSI measurement offset information to store. For example, the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information may indicate that offset information for the maximum measured L1 RSRP value from any non-serving cell in the CSI measurement is to be prioritized for storage. As another possibility, the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information may indicate that offset information from different non-serving cells is to be prioritized for storage in descending order of the maximum measured L1 RSRP value in the CSI measurement. Note that scenarios are also possible where the wireless device performs prioritization for which CSI measurements to store offset information (e.g., based on a standard specification, or determined as a design parameter by the wireless device vendor, among other possibilities) without the need for configuration information from the cellular base station.

[0123] In some embodiments, the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information may indicate the length of a timer associated with storing the offset information. Alternatively, the length of such a timer may be pre-configured / fixed, for example, based on a standard specification, or determined as a wireless device design parameter, among other possibilities. In some embodiments, a timer may be used to set a limit on the amount of time that the wireless device stores the non-serving cell offset information. For example, a timer for a given set of non-serving cell offset information may be initiated by the wireless device when a corresponding CSI report is provided to the serving cellular base station, and the offset information may be stored for up to the length of the timer, and then the stored offset information may be discarded when the timer associated with the stored offset information expires.

[0124] In some embodiments, one or more conditions for stopping the timer (e.g., and potentially using or discarding some or all of the stored non-serving cell offset information) before expiration may also be configured (e.g., by a cellular base station, based on a standard specification, based on wireless device design, etc.). As one such possibility, when the wireless device receives an indication of one or more activated TCI states while a timer associated with stored offset information is running, the wireless device may discard any stored offset information corresponding to reference signals not associated with the activated TCI states and may stop the timer based at least in part on receiving the indication of the activated TCI state. As another such possibility, when the wireless device receives a cell handover command while a timer associated with stored offset information is running, the wireless device may discard any stored offset information corresponding to reference signals not associated with a target cell indicated by the cell handover command and may stop the timer based at least in part on receiving the cell handover command.

[0125] In at least some embodiments, if a TCI state for which non-serving cell offset information is stored is activated, the wireless device may be able to use the stored time offset and / or frequency offset information to avoid the need to perform downlink resynchronization for the TCI state, which may reduce the delay in activating the TCI state. Similarly, in some embodiments, if a cell handover command targeting a cell for which non-serving cell offset information is stored is provided, the wireless device may be able to use the stored time offset and / or frequency offset information to avoid the need to perform downlink resynchronization for the target cell. Thus, at least according to some embodiments, Figure 7 The method may be used to achieve reduced latency for at least some mobility operations, potentially including for at least some LTM procedures.

[0126] Figures 8 to 15 and additional information

[0127] Figures 8 to 15 Illustrated possible combination if necessary Figures 5 to 7 However, it should be noted that in Figures 8 to 15 The exemplary details illustrated in and described with respect to these figures are not intended to limit the disclosure as a whole: many variations and alternatives to the details provided herein below are possible and should be considered within the scope of the disclosure.

[0128] Mobile services that require low latency and high reliability performance, such as Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services, are emerging. While the 3GPP 5G standards include at least some design considerations to address these use cases, there is significant value in continuing to provide further enhancements to improve mobility robustness performance for existing and emerging challenging scenarios.

[0129] One area of ​​possible 5G NR mobility enhancements may include Layer 1 (L1) enhancements for inter-cell beam management, including L1 measurement and reporting, and beam indication. For example, it may be possible to address any or all of several possible issues with L1 CSI measurements associated with non-serving cells.

[0130] In CSI measurement based on 3GPP Release 17 Inter-Cell Beam Management (ICBM), it is possible to add the SSB of a non-serving cell to the CSI measurement resource configuration and obtain CSI reports for neighboring cells accordingly. In at least some NR designs, up to 48 CSI reports can be configured for a serving cell and used for different purposes, such as CSI feedback, beam management, time / frequency tracking, etc. In the 3GPP Release 17 ICBM framework, each CSI report can be associated with a CSI resource configuration through RRC signaling. Using RRC signaling may be feasible for CSI feedback for physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduling within a serving cell. However, for the 3GPP Release 18 L1 L2 triggered mobility (LTM) procedure for reducing handover delays, this RRC-based signaling method may cause relatively large delays in CSI resource reconfiguration when the UE moves across different non-serving cells. Therefore, enhancing the 3GPP Release 17 ICBM framework to enable faster CSI reporting and / or resource set updates (e.g., to reduce latency in the LTM process) may be beneficial in at least some cases.

[0131] When performing CSI measurement and reporting for non-serving cells, it may be the case that using CSI-RS for LTM-based handover may be more efficient than using SSB (e.g., utilizing a narrower beam of CSI-RS compared to SSB). However, it may be the case that 3GPP Release 17-based ICBM technology does not support such use of CSI-RS for CSI measurement and reporting of non-serving cells, so enhancements to support such use may be beneficial in at least some cases.

[0132] The UE may need to acquire downlink synchronization with the target cell in order to start communication. Although downlink synchronization may be achieved as part of L1 measurement report generation, it may be the case that the UE does not maintain timing offset (TO) / frequency offset (FO) estimate information for the measured reference signals, for example to minimize buffer size and power consumption, for example because, at least in some embodiments, the UE may measure dozens of neighboring cells for LTM. As a result, once the UE receives a cell handover command, it may have to resynchronize with the network on the downlink. In some embodiments, it may therefore be beneficial to introduce techniques to reduce LTM process delays by selectively maintaining TO / FO information for certain non-serving cells that may be candidates for LTM handover to potentially avoid a downlink resynchronization step.

[0133] Various methods are possible for managing aperiodic CSI (A-CSI) reporting associated with non-serving cells for LTM operation. In some implementations, for LTM-capable UEs, it may be possible to increase the maximum number of A-CSI reports configured by RRC signaling compared to UEs not capable of LTM. A new MAC CE may be introduced to link A-CSI reports associated with non-serving cells (which may also be referred to herein as "NA-CSI" reports) to the CSI trigger status code point in the downlink control information (DCI). Figure 8 An example of such a MAC CE format that can be used to implement fast CSI triggering status update for neighbor cell CSI reporting according to some embodiments is illustrated. The new MAC CE format may include any of a variety of possible fields, and its use may enable faster association between A-CSI reporting configuration and A-CSI triggering status (e.g., compared to RRC-based A-CSI reporting configuration). The new MAC CE may be identified by a MAC subheader with a dedicated logical channel identifier (LCID). Figure 8 As shown, at least in some embodiments, it may have a fixed size, with the following as examples of possible fields.

[0134] A field may indicate the cell identifier of the non-serving cell. This field may indicate the ID of the non-serving cell to which the MAC CE applies. In some embodiments, this may include a global cell identifier. Alternatively, in some designs, an additional PCI index (e.g., a localized logical cell identifier) ​​configured for each non-serving cell by RRC signaling may be used, for example, to reduce signaling overhead for this field. In such scenarios, at least in some embodiments, it may be the case that the field may be 3 bits in length.

[0135] Another field may include a bandwidth part identifier (BWP-ID), which may indicate the downlink BWP associated with the CSI report. In some designs, it is possible that the BWP of non-serving cells in LTM may be fixed (hard-coded) in the standard specification, in which case it is possible that such an information element (IE) is not present in the MAC CE.

[0136] Yet another field may include a CSI triggering status identifier "T i ", the CSI triggering status identifier may indicate the CSI triggering status code point to which the MAC CE applies. It may also include the field "C j " to indicate the corresponding CSI trigger state value T i The associated A-CSI report is selected. For example, for each C j field, a value of "1" may indicate an A-CSI report with CSI report ID "j" and a CSI trigger state value of T i Note that in this design, it may be the case that an A-CSI report with CSI report ID j may be associated with a serving cell or a non-serving cell. As another option, the CSI report association update MAC CE may be restricted to be used only for NA-CSI reports. For example, the NA-CSI reports configured for a UE may be grouped into NA-CSI report groups. The NA-CSI reports within a NA-CSI report group may be indexed starting from "0" in order of increasing A-CSI report ID. In this case, the CSI report ID set to 1 j The field may indicate the A-CSI report with NA-CSI report ID j and CSI trigger status value T in the NA-CSI report group. i associated.

[0137] As shown, it may also be the case that several reserved bits (e.g., bits 5, 6, and 7 of octet 1 and bits 6 and 7 of octet 2) are included in the A-CSI trigger status fast update MAC CE. Note that while the illustrated format represents one possible format, other formats are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, a format extension for updating the trigger status code point to be associated with NA-CSI reports associated with multiple non-serving cells is possible. At least as one possibility, such a format extension may include a value for a given CSI trigger status value T i Provide BWP-ID, cell ID and C for each relevant cell j Fields collection.

[0138] Figure 9Aspects of example scenarios in which such a fast CSI triggered update MAC CE may be used according to some embodiments are illustrated. In the illustrated example, the serving cell 902 ID may be "4" and six neighboring cells may be configured for A-CSI reporting. In this example, it may be assumed that a total of 48 CSI reports are configured for the serving cell and neighboring cells; CSI report IDs #0-41 may be associated with the serving cell, while CSI report IDs #42-47 may be associated one-to-one with each non-serving cell (i.e., may be associated with a NA-CSI report). At least according to some embodiments, if an A-CSI report with CSI report ID j may be associated with a serving cell or a non-serving cell, it may be the case that 8 octets are required for the A-CSI triggered status fast update MAC CE (e.g., N=2+48 / 8=8). At least according to some embodiments, if the A-CSI triggered status fast update MAC CE is restricted to being used only for NA-CSI reporting, it may be the case that 3 octets are required (e.g., ).

[0139] Consider a scenario where the network first associates CSI trigger state “010” with the following A-CSI reports when the UE is at position #1 904: CSI report #45 for cell #5; CSI report #46 for cell #6; CSI report #47 for cell #7. When the UE moves to position #2 906, the network may be able to use the fast CSI trigger update MAC CE format to update the CSI reports associated with the same CSI trigger state “010” to the following, for example: CSI report #42 for cell #1; CSI report #43 for cell #2; CSI report #44 for cell #3, instead of performing an RRC reconfiguration: CSI report #42 for cell #1; CSI report #43 for cell #2; CSI report #44 for cell #3. Note that in order to update multiple non-serving cells using the proposed fast CSI trigger update MAC CE format, it is possible to provide multiple such update MAC CEs (e.g., one for each non-serving cell). Alternatively, as previously noted, for a given CSI trigger state value T i This MAC CE includes BWP-ID, cell ID and C for each relevant cell. j Field sets are possible, for example, to support updating the CSI trigger status value T i A single MAC CE can be used to trigger multiple CSI reports associated with multiple different non-serving cells.

[0140] According to some embodiments, fast CSI reporting may also or alternatively be used to update the MAC CE format, e.g., to map CSI resource configuration to CSI reporting ID faster than using RRC signaling. Figure 10An example of such a MAC CE format that can be used to implement fast CSI resource configuration to CSI report ID mapping update according to some embodiments is illustrated. A new MAC CE can be identified by a MAC subheader with a dedicated LCID. Figure 10 As shown, at least in some embodiments, it may have a fixed size, with the following as examples of possible fields.

[0141] According to some embodiments, a field may be included to indicate a cell identifier for a non-serving cell and a field to indicate a BWP-ID. At least as one possibility, such a field may be associated with Figure 8 The example A-CSI trigger status fast update MAC CE format illustrated in and described with respect to this figure operates in a similar manner.

[0142] In addition, a CSI report configuration ID field “S i " indicates the ID that identifies the unique CSI report configuration. The CSI resource configuration ID field C j The set of fields "C j " can be used to indicate the corresponding CSI report ID S i The selected associated CSI resource configuration. For example, for each C j field, a value of "1" may indicate a CSI resource configuration with CSI resource configuration ID "j" and a CSI report ID S i Note that in this design, it may be the case that the CSI report configuration ID and CSI resource configuration ID provided by RRC signaling are used directly in the MAC CE. As another option, group-based resource and report indexing may be used, for example, to reduce the MAC CE payload size and signaling overhead. For example, CSI report configurations or CSI resource configurations associated with non-serving cells may be formed into groups and may be indexed starting from "0" in order of increasing ID value within the same group. The new ID index within the group may then be used in the MAC CE indication. Thus, for example, in this scenario, the CSI report configuration ID and CSI resource configuration ID set to 1 may be used in the MAC CE indication. j The field may indicate the CSI resource configuration indexed to CSI resource configuration ID j and CSI reporting configuration ID S in the group of non-serving cell CSI resource configurations. i associated.

[0143] Consider again Figure 9In the example scenario illustrated in , for example, CSI report IDs #0-41 and CSI resource configurations #0-41 may be associated with the serving cell, while CSI report IDs #42-47 and CSI resource configurations #42-47 may be associated one-to-one with each non-serving cell. In this case, at least according to some embodiments, if the CSI report configuration ID and CSI resource configuration ID provided by RRC signaling are used directly in the MAC CE, it may be the case that 8 octets are required for the MAC CE update for fast CSI reporting, while if group-based resources and reporting indices are used, it may be the case that 3 octets are required.

[0144] As shown, it may also be the case that several reserved bits (e.g., bits 5, 6, and 7 of octet 1 and bits 6 and 7 of octet 2) are included in the Fast CSI Report Update MAC CE. Note that while the illustrated format represents one possible format, other formats are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, a format extension for updating a CSI report ID to be associated with a CSI resource configuration associated with multiple non-serving cells is possible. At least as one possibility, such a format extension may include a CSI report ID for a given CSI report ID S i Provide BWP-ID, cell ID and C for each relevant cell j Fields collection.

[0145] In some embodiments, a MAC CE may be used to update associated reference signal (RS) resources (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS resources) for a given CSI resource set. Similar to the example fast CSI trigger update and fast CSI report update MAC CE formats described herein, it may be the case that the size of the MAC CE is fixed and identified by a dedicated LCID (or extended LCID (eLCID)) for such a fast CSI resource set update MAC CE format. Figure 11 An example of such a MAC CE format that may be used to implement fast CSI resource set updates according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0146] According to some embodiments, a field may be included to indicate a cell identifier for a non-serving cell and a field to indicate a BWP-ID. At least as one possibility, such a field may be associated with Figure 8 The example A-CSI trigger status fast update MAC CE format illustrated in and described with respect to this figure operates in a similar manner.

[0147] In addition, the RS type field (e.g., 1 bit) may be used to indicate the RS type being updated. For example, a value of "0" may be defined to indicate a CSI-RS resource set, and a value of "1" may be defined to indicate a CSI-SSB-resource set. The CSI-RS-resource set ID or CSI-SSB-resource set ID field may be used to indicate the CSI resource set ID to which the MAC CE applies. NZP-CSI-RS resource ID or SSB index "C i The set of " may indicate NZP-CSI-RS resources or SSB resources associated with a non-serving cell in the same MAC CE. Note that the number of SSBs may depend on the frequency range in which the cell is deployed; for example, in some embodiments, up to 8 SSBs may be configured for 3GPP Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and up to 64 SSBs may be configured for 3GPP Frequency Range 2 (FR2).

[0148] As previously noted, in some embodiments, it may be useful to support CSI measurement and reporting for non-serving cells using CSI-RS. Various approaches to support CSI-RS based CSI reporting associated with non-serving cells (e.g., for LTM operation) may be possible. In some instances, such techniques may include providing a set of TCI states to the UE, where each TCI state (or at least a subset of TCI states) is associated with an SSB on a non-serving cell. Note that the TCI states associated with non-serving cells may also be referred to herein as "N-TCI states" to distinguish these TCI states from the TCI states associated with the serving cell.

[0149] In some implementations, such N-TCI states may be provided within a TCI state list that may include both TCI states and N-TCI states. Figure 12 Example ASN.1 code that may be used for such an N-TCI state configuration according to some embodiments is illustrated. As shown, a non-serving cell ID or a "virtual" ID identifying a serving cell may be included. In some designs, an "additional PCI index" (e.g., a logical cell ID) associated with a non-serving cell may be used in the N-TCI state configuration to link it to a specific non-serving cell, e.g., to reduce overhead compared to using a global cell identifier.

[0150] As another possibility, the UE may be provided with a separate TCI state list that includes only N-TCI states and may include all configured N-TCI states (e.g., it may include those N-TCI states associated with any or all non-serving cells).

[0151] As a further possibility, a separate N-TCI state list may be independently configured for each non-serving cell (e.g., via RRC signaling). In other words, it may be the case that a TCI state list is configured for the serving cell and for each non-serving cell for which a TCI state or N-TCI state is being configured. Figure 13 Example ASN.1 code that can be used for such N-TCI state configuration according to some embodiments is illustrated. As shown, it may be the case that a single PCI is applied to all N-TCI states in the list; in other words, in this approach, per-cell TCI list information can be provided.

[0152] Note that for any or all of these N-TCI state providing methods, at least according to some embodiments, it may be the case that when the referenceSignal is configured as an SSB for both QCL-Type1 and QCL-Type2, the "non-serving cell ID" indicates the physical cell ID (PCI) of the SSB.

[0153] As also previously mentioned herein, it is possible to temporarily retain at least some estimated time offset (TO) and / or frequency offset (FO) information measured on a given reference signal of a non-serving cell using any of a variety of methods. If the UE is performing CSI reporting for LTM operation, such TO / FO preservation techniques may be useful, for example, to potentially reduce or avoid the need to perform downlink synchronization for LTM handover, which may reduce handover signaling overhead and / or latency.

[0154] To balance such potential benefits with possible memory / buffer costs, it may be useful to provide techniques for selecting a limited number of RSs and / or retaining TO / FO information for a limited period of time. In some embodiments, it may be possible to report to the network in the UE capability information the TO / FO parameters and the number of corresponding RSs that the UE can maintain for neighboring cells after measurement (denoted as "M").

[0155] In some embodiments, once they are reported, the network may configure (e.g., using RRC signaling) the UE to retain TO / FO information for up to "N" (where N ≤ M) maximum measured non-serving cell L1-RSRP values. As another possibility, once they are reported, the network may configure the UE to retain TO / FO information for up to "N" (where N ≤ M) non-serving cells, which are selected in descending order of the maximum measured non-serving cell L1-RSRP values. As another possibility, the UE may be configured (e.g., based on standard specifications and / or device design, possibly without explicit network configuration) to always maintain TO / FO information for the M maximum measured L1-RSRP values ​​or for M non-serving cells selected in descending order of the maximum measured L1-RSRP values.

[0156] It may be the case that retention of such TO / FO information for non-serving cells is restricted by one or more conditions. In some embodiments, a timer (e.g., as one possibility, timer "T610") may be introduced, which may operate as follows. The timer may be started when a CSI report including the relevant L1-RSRP result is transmitted. In some instances, the timer may be stopped before expiration upon receipt of a MAC CE updating a unified TCI state. In this scenario, the UE may discard the stored TO / FO value if the corresponding RS is not associated with any activated TCI state. In some instances, the timer may be stopped before expiration upon receipt of a cell handover command MAC CE. In this scenario, the UE may discard the stored TO / FO value if the corresponding RS is not associated with the target cell indicated by the cell handover command. Upon expiration of the timer, the UE may discard all stored TO / FO values ​​associated with the reported L1-RSRP in the most recent instance. Note that, in various embodiments, the length of the timer may be configured by RRC signaling or hard-coded in the standard specification.

[0157] Figures 14 and 15 Various aspects of an example scenario are illustrated according to some embodiments, where TO / FO information is retained for a limited period of time to potentially reduce LTM handover delays. Figure 14 As shown, in the illustrated example scenario, UE 1402 may have 2 candidate cells, cell #1 1404 and cell #2 1406, where each cell is operating with 4 beams, wherein the measured L1-RSRP values ​​for different beams are depicted. Figure 15 As shown, timer T610 may start at the end symbol of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission with a CSI report.

[0158] While timer T610 is running, if the UE is configured to store TO / FO information for up to N=2 maximum measured non-serving cell L1-RSRP values ​​("Option 1"), the TO / FO associated with beam #2 and beam #3 of cell #2 may be stored. Alternatively, if the UE is configured to store TO / FO information for up to N=2 non-serving cells selected in descending order of maximum measured non-serving cell L1-RSRP values ​​("Option 2"), the TO / FO associated with beam #3 of cell #2 and beam #2 of cell #1 may be stored.

[0159] In the first scenario ("Case 1"), at time instance "T1," the UE may receive a TCI state activation MAC CE activating the TCI state associated with beam #2 of cell #2, and the UE may correspondingly stop maintaining the TO / FO associated with any beam other than beam #2 of cell #2. Note that in this case, in "Option 1," the stored TO / FO information for beam #2 of cell #2 may be available for TCI state activation, while in "Option 2," since the stored TO / FO information may not be available for beam #2 of cell #2, the UE may need to perform downlink TO / FO resynchronization.

[0160] In the second scenario ("Case 2"), at time instance "T2," the UE may receive a cell handover command indicating a handover to beam #2 of cell #1, and the UE may correspondingly stop maintaining the TO / FO associated with any beam other than beam #2 of cell #1. Note that in this case, in "Option 2," the stored TO / FO information for beam #2 of cell #1 may be available for cell handover, whereas in "Option 1," since the stored TO / FO information may not be available for beam #2 of cell #1, the UE may need to perform downlink TO / FO resynchronization.

[0161] In a third scenario ("Case 3"), at time instance "T3," timer T610 may expire. In this case, the UE may stop maintaining all TO / FO associated with non-serving cells including cell #1 and cell #2.

[0162] In the following, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0163] A set of embodiments may include a method comprising: by a wireless device: establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station configures a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device via radio resource control (RRC) signaling; receiving channel state information (CSI) report configuration information for the serving cell and the one or more non-serving cells from the cellular base station via RRC signaling; receiving medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling to update an association between one or more CSI report configurations and a code point value of a CSI trigger status field; receiving a CSI trigger status field indication that triggers aperiodic CSI reporting from the cellular base station, wherein the triggered CSI report includes a CSI report for at least one non-serving cell; and performing aperiodic CSI reporting for the at least one non-serving cell based at least in part on the MAC CE signaling received to update the association between the one or more CSI report configurations and the code point value of the CSI trigger status field.

[0164] According to some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more CSI reporting configurations to be associated with a code point value of a CSI triggering status field in downlink control information (DCI).

[0165] According to some embodiments, one or more CSI reporting configurations updated to be associated with the code point value of the CSI triggering status code point in the DCI are identified in the MACCE signaling using a CSI reporting configuration ID provided by RRC signaling for the CSI reporting configuration.

[0166] According to some embodiments, the method also includes: receiving an indication of a set of CSI reporting configuration IDs via RRC signaling, wherein the set of CSI reporting configuration IDs includes CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with serving cells and CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with non-serving cells; determining which CSI reporting configuration IDs are associated with non-serving cells; and determining an identifier based on a non-serving cell group index for the CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with the non-serving cells, wherein the identifier based on the non-serving cell group index is used to identify in MAC CE signaling one or more CSI reporting configurations configured to be associated with a code point value of a CSI trigger status field in a DCI.

[0167] According to some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more CSI resource configurations to be associated with a CSI reporting configuration.

[0168] According to some embodiments, one or more CSI resource configurations are identified in MAC CE signaling using a CSI resource configuration ID provided by RRC signaling, wherein a CSI reporting configuration is identified in MAC CE signaling using a CSI reporting configuration ID provided by RRC signaling.

[0169] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving an indication of a set of CSI reporting configuration IDs via RRC signaling, wherein the set of CSI reporting configuration IDs includes CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with serving cells and CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with non-serving cells; determining which CSI reporting configuration IDs are associated with non-serving cells; and determining an identifier based on a non-serving cell group index for the CSI reporting configuration IDs associated with the non-serving cells, wherein the identifier based on the non-serving cell group index is used to identify the CSI reporting configuration in MAC CE signaling.

[0170] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving an indication of a set of CSI resource configuration IDs via RRC signaling, wherein the set of CSI resource configuration IDs includes CSI resource configuration IDs associated with a serving cell and CSI resource configuration IDs associated with a non-serving cell; determining which CSI resource configuration IDs are associated with the non-serving cell; and determining an identifier based on a non-serving cell group index for the CSI resource configuration IDs associated with the non-serving cell, wherein the identifier based on the non-serving cell group index is used to identify one or more CSI resource configurations configured to be associated with the CSI reporting configuration in MAC CE signaling.

[0171] According to some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more reference signal (RS) resources to be associated with a CSI resource set.

[0172] In accordance with some embodiments, MAC CE signaling indicates a reference signal type for RS resources to be associated with a CSI resource set, wherein the reference signal type is selected from a CSI-RS or a synchronization signal block (SSB) signal, wherein the MAC CE signaling indicates a CSI-RS resource set ID or a CSI-SSB resource set ID of the CSI resource set, wherein the MAC CE signaling indicates one or more NZP-CSI-RS resource IDs or SSB indices.

[0173] According to some embodiments, the MAC CE signaling indicates a non-serving cell identifier and a bandwidth part identifier associated with one or more CSI reporting configurations.

[0174] Another set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to: establish a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station configures a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device via radio resource control (RRC) signaling; receive channel state information (CSI) report configuration information from the cellular base station via RRC signaling; receive medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling to update an association between one or more CSI report configurations and a code point value of a CSI trigger status field; receive a CSI trigger status field indication that triggers an aperiodic CSI report from the cellular base station; and perform CSI measurement and reporting for the cellular base station based at least in part on the MAC CE signaling received to update the association between the one or more CSI report configurations and the code point value of the CSI trigger status field.

[0175] In some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more CSI report configurations associated with a non-serving cell to be associated with a code point value of a CSI trigger status field in downlink control information (DCI), wherein receiving an indication of triggering a non-periodic CSI report includes receiving an indication of the CSI trigger status code point via the DCI signaling.

[0176] According to some embodiments, the MAC CE signaling configures one or more CSI resource configurations associated with the non-serving cell to be associated with a CSI reporting configuration, wherein the indication triggering aperiodic CSI reporting indicates that CSI reporting is to be performed using the CSI reporting configuration.

[0177] In accordance with some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more reference signal (RS) resources associated with a non-serving cell to be associated with a CSI resource set, wherein the indication triggering the non-periodic CSI report indicates the use of a CSI reporting configuration that includes using the CSI resource set to perform CSI reporting.

[0178] Yet another set of embodiments may include a cellular base station comprising: an antenna; a radio operably coupled to the antenna; and a processor operably coupled to the radio; wherein the cellular base station is configured to: establish a wireless link with a wireless device, wherein the cellular base station configures a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device via radio resource control (RRC) signaling; provide channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information for the serving cell and the one or more non-serving cells to the wireless device via RRC signaling; provide medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling to update an association between one or more CSI reporting configurations and a code point value for a CSI trigger status field; provide a CSI trigger status field indication to the wireless device that triggers an aperiodic CSI report, wherein the triggered CSI report includes a CSI report for at least a first non-serving cell; and receive a CSI report for the first non-serving cell from the wireless device, wherein the CSI reporting for the first non-serving cell is performed at least in part based on the MAC CE signaling provided to update the association between the one or more CSI reporting configurations and the code point value for the CSI trigger status field.

[0179] In some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more CSI report configurations associated with a non-serving cell to be associated with a CSI trigger status code point in downlink control information (DCI), wherein providing an indication of triggering a non-periodic CSI report includes providing an indication of the CSI trigger status code point via DCI signaling.

[0180] According to some embodiments, the MAC CE signaling configures one or more CSI resource configurations associated with the non-serving cell to be associated with a CSI reporting configuration, wherein the indication triggering aperiodic CSI reporting indicates that CSI reporting is to be performed using the CSI reporting configuration.

[0181] In accordance with some embodiments, MAC CE signaling configures one or more reference signal (RS) resources associated with a non-serving cell to be associated with a CSI resource set, wherein the indication triggering the non-periodic CSI report indicates the use of a CSI reporting configuration that includes using the CSI resource set to perform CSI reporting.

[0182] According to some embodiments, the MAC CE signaling indicates a non-serving cell identifier and a bandwidth part identifier associated with one or more CSI reporting configurations.

[0183] Yet another set of embodiments may include a method comprising: by a wireless device: establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; receiving transmit control indicator (TCI) state configuration information from the cellular base station, wherein the TCI state configuration information configures at least a first TCI state associated with a non-serving cell; receiving an indication to perform channel state information (CSI) measurement and reporting for a CSI reporting configuration, the channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration including CSI-reference signal (CSI-RS) resources associated with the first TCI state; and performing CSI measurement and reporting for the non-serving cell using the CSI-RS resources.

[0184] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving a TCI state list from a cellular base station, the TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for a serving cell and one or more TCI states for a non-serving cell, wherein the TCI state list configures a first TCI state.

[0185] According to some embodiments, the method also includes: receiving a first TCI state list from a cellular base station, the first TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for a serving cell; and receiving a second TCI state list from a cellular base station, the second TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for one or more non-serving cells, wherein the second TCI state list configures the first TCI state.

[0186] According to some embodiments, the method also includes: receiving a first TCI state list from a cellular base station, the first TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for a first non-service cell; and receiving a second TCI state list from a cellular base station, the second TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for a second non-service cell, wherein one of the first TCI state list or the second TCI state list configures a first TCI state.

[0187] According to some embodiments, a physical cell identifier is used to identify non-serving cells in the TCI state configuration information.

[0188] According to some embodiments, non-serving cells are identified in the TCI state configuration information using a logical cell identifier provided by radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0189] According to some embodiments, the first TCI state is associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) resource for a non-serving cell, where the CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located (QCL) with the SSB resource.

[0190] Yet another set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to: establish a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; receive transmit control indicator (TCI) state configuration information from the cellular base station, wherein the TCI state configuration information configures at least a first TCI state associated with a non-serving cell; receive an indication to perform channel state information (CSI) measurement and reporting for a CSI reporting configuration including CSI-reference signal (CSI-RS) resources associated with the first TCI state; and perform channel state information measurement and reporting for the non-serving cell using the CSI-RS resources.

[0191] According to some embodiments, the TCI state configuration information includes a TCI state list, which configures one or more TCI states for a serving cell and one or more TCI states for a non-serving cell.

[0192] According to some embodiments, the TCI state configuration information includes a TCI state list, which configures one or more TCI states for a serving cell; wherein the TCI state configuration information includes a separate TCI state list, which configures at least one TCI state for each of at least two non-serving cells.

[0193] According to some embodiments, the TCI state configuration information includes a TCI state list, which configures one or more TCI states for a first non-service cell, wherein the TCI state configuration information includes a separate TCI state list, which configures one or more TCI states for a second non-service cell.

[0194] According to some embodiments, the non-serving cell is identified in the TCI state configuration information using one of: a physical cell identifier; or a logical cell identifier provided by radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0195] According to some embodiments, the first TCI state is associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) resource for a non-serving cell, where the CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located (QCL) with the SSB resource.

[0196] Yet another set of embodiments may include a cellular base station comprising: an antenna; a radio operably coupled to the antenna; and a processor operably coupled to the radio; wherein the cellular base station is configured to: establish a wireless link with a wireless device, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; provide transmit control indicator (TCI) state configuration information to the wireless device, wherein the TCI state configuration information configures at least a first TCI state associated with a non-serving cell; provide an indication to the wireless device to perform CSI measurement and reporting for a channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration including CSI-reference signal (CSI-RS) resources associated with the first TCI state; and receive CSI information from the wireless device, wherein the CSI information includes a CSI report for the non-serving cell using the CSI-RS resources.

[0197] According to some embodiments, the cellular base station is also configured to: provide a TCI state list to the wireless device, the TCI state list configuring one or more TCI states for the serving cell and one or more TCI states for the non-serving cell, wherein the TCI state list configures a first TCI state.

[0198] According to some embodiments, the cellular base station is also configured to: provide a first TCI state list to the wireless device, wherein the first TCI state list configures one or more TCI states for the serving cell; and provide a second TCI state list to the wireless device, wherein the second TCI state list configures one or more TCI states for one or more non-serving cells, wherein the second TCI state list configures the first TCI state.

[0199] According to some embodiments, the cellular base station is also configured to: provide a first TCI state list to the wireless device, which first TCI state list configures one or more TCI states for a first non-service cell; and provide a second TCI state list to the wireless device, which second TCI state list configures one or more TCI states for a second non-service cell, wherein one of the first TCI state list or the second TCI state list configures the first TCI state.

[0200] According to some embodiments, a physical cell identifier is used to identify non-serving cells in the TCI state configuration information.

[0201] According to some embodiments, non-serving cells are identified in the TCI state configuration information using a logical cell identifier provided by radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0202] According to some embodiments, the first TCI state is associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) resource for a non-serving cell, where the CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located (QCL) with the SSB resource.

[0203] Yet another set of embodiments may include a method comprising: by a wireless device: establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; performing channel state information measurements and reporting for the one or more non-serving cells; and storing timing and frequency offset information associated with one or more channel state information measurements of the channel state information measurements performed for the one or more non-serving cells.

[0204] According to some embodiments, the method further comprises providing wireless device capability information to the cellular base station, wherein the wireless device capability information indicates a number of reference signals for which the wireless device is capable of storing timing and frequency offset information associated with the non-serving cell.

[0205] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information from a cellular base station, wherein the non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information indicates storing timing and frequency offset information for up to a configured number of channel state information measurements for up to a configured amount of time, wherein storing the timing and frequency offset information is based at least in part on the non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information.

[0206] According to some embodiments, the non-serving cell offset timing and frequency storage configuration information indicates priority storage of timing and frequency offset information of reference signals received with the maximum measured layer one reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) value from any non-serving cell in channel state information measurement.

[0207] According to some embodiments, the non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information indicates that the timing and frequency offset information from different non-serving cells is preferentially stored in descending order of the maximum measured layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) value in the channel state information measurement.

[0208] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: initiating a timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information, wherein the timing and frequency offset information is stored for up to the length of the timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information; and discarding the stored timing and frequency offset information when the timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information expires.

[0209] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving an indication of one or more activated TCI states while a timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information is running; and based at least in part on receiving the indication of one or more activated TCI states while the timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information is running, discarding any stored timing and frequency offset information corresponding to a reference signal not associated with the activated TCI state and stopping the timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information.

[0210] According to some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving a cell switching command while a timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information is running; and based at least in part on receiving an indication of the cell switching command while the timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information is running, discarding any stored timing and frequency offset information corresponding to a reference signal not associated with a target cell indicated by the cell switching command and stopping the timer associated with the stored timing and frequency offset information.

[0211] Yet another set of embodiments may include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to: establish a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell for the wireless device; perform channel state information measurements and reporting for one or more non-serving cells; and store offset information associated with one or more channel state information measurements of the channel state information measurements performed for the one or more non-serving cells.

[0212] According to some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: provide wireless device capability information to the cellular base station, wherein the wireless device capability information indicates a number of non-serving cell reference signals for which the wireless device is capable of storing offset information.

[0213] In accordance with some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determine to prioritize storage of offset information for a maximum measured layer one (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) value from any non-serving cell in a channel state information measurement up to a non-serving cell offset storage capacity for the wireless device.

[0214] According to some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: determine to prioritize storage of offset information from different non-serving cells in descending order of maximum measured layer one (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) values ​​in channel state information measurements up to a non-serving cell offset storage capacity for the wireless device.

[0215] According to some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: initiate a timer associated with stored offset information, wherein the offset information is stored up to the length of the timer; and discard the stored offset information when the timer associated with the stored offset information expires.

[0216] According to some embodiments, the processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: receive non-serving cell offset storage configuration information from a cellular base station, wherein the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information configures a length of a timer associated with storing non-serving cell offset information for the wireless device.

[0217] According to some embodiments, the offset information includes one or more of timing offset information or frequency offset information.

[0218] Yet another set of embodiments may include a cellular base station comprising: an antenna; a radio operably coupled to the antenna; and a processor operably coupled to the radio; wherein the cellular base station is configured to: establish a wireless link with a wireless device, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; receive wireless device capability information from the wireless device, wherein the wireless device capability information indicates a number of non-serving cell reference signals for which the wireless device is capable of storing offset information; provide non-serving cell offset storage configuration information to the wireless device, wherein the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information indicates a duration for storing offset information for up to a configured number of channel state information measurements for up to a configured amount; and configure the wireless device to perform channel state information measurements and reporting for the one or more non-serving cells.

[0219] According to some embodiments, the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information indicates that offset information of the maximum measured layer one (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) value from any non-serving cell in channel state information measurement is preferentially stored.

[0220] According to some embodiments, the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information indicates that offset information from different non-serving cells is preferentially stored in descending order of maximum measured layer one (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) values ​​in channel state information measurement.

[0221] According to some embodiments, the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information configures a timer associated with storing non-serving cell offset information for the wireless device.

[0222] According to some embodiments, the offset information includes one or more of timing offset information or frequency offset information.

[0223] Further example embodiments may include a method comprising performing, by a wireless device, any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0224] Another example embodiment may include a device comprising: an antenna; a radio coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all of the foregoing examples.

[0225] Yet another set of example embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including program instructions that, when executed at a device, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0226] Yet another set of exemplary embodiments may include a computer program comprising instructions for performing any or all portions of any of the foregoing examples.

[0227] Yet another set of exemplary embodiments may include an apparatus comprising means for performing any or all of the elements of any of the preceding examples.

[0228] Yet another set of example embodiments may include an apparatus comprising a processor configured to cause a wireless device to perform any or all of the elements of any of the preceding examples.

[0229] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0230] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods for operating a UE described herein may become the basis for the corresponding method for operating a base station.

[0231] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. In other embodiments, the subject matter may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0232] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory memory element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0233] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium (or a memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any method implementation of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementation of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0234] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method comprising: By wireless device: establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; performing channel state information measurement and reporting for one or more non-serving cells; as well as Timing and frequency offset information associated with one or more of the channel state information measurements performed for the one or more non-serving cells is stored.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Wireless device capability information is provided to the cellular base station, wherein the wireless device capability information indicates a number of reference signals for which the wireless device is capable of storing timing and frequency offset information associated with a non-serving cell.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information from the cellular base station, wherein the non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information indicates storing timing and frequency offset information for up to a configured number of channel state information measurements for up to a configured amount of time duration; The storing of the timing and frequency offset information is based at least in part on the non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information.

4. The method according to claim 3, The non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information indicates that the timing and frequency offset information of the reference signal received with the maximum measured layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) value from any non-serving cell in the channel state information measurement is preferentially stored.

5. The method according to claim 3, The non-serving cell timing and frequency offset storage configuration information indicates that the timing and frequency offset information from different non-serving cells is preferentially stored in descending order of the maximum measured layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) value in the channel state information measurement.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: initiating a timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information, wherein the timing and frequency offset information is stored up to a length of the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information; and The stored timing and frequency offset information is discarded when the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information expires.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: receiving an indication of one or more activated TCI states while the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information is running; as well as Based at least in part on receiving the indication of the one or more activated TCI states while the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information is running, discarding any stored timing and frequency offset information corresponding to reference signals not associated with the activated TCI states and stopping the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: receiving a cell handover command while the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information is running; as well as Based at least in part on receiving an indication of the cell handover command while the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information is running, discarding any stored timing and frequency offset information corresponding to a reference signal not associated with a target cell indicated by the cell handover command and stopping the timer associated with storing the timing and frequency offset information.

9. A baseband processor configured to enable a wireless device to: Establishing a wireless link with a cellular base station, wherein the cellular base station provides a service cell for the wireless device; performing channel state information measurement and reporting for one or more non-serving cells; and Offset information associated with one or more of the channel state information measurements performed for the one or more non-serving cells is stored.

10. The baseband processor of claim 9, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Wireless device capability information is provided to the cellular base station, wherein the wireless device capability information indicates a number of non-serving cell reference signals for which the wireless device is capable of storing offset information.

11. The baseband processor of claim 9, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Determining to prioritize storing offset information of a maximum measured layer one (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) value from any non-serving cell in the channel state information measurement up to a non-serving cell offset storage capability for the wireless device.

12. The baseband processor of claim 9, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: Determining to prioritize storing offset information from different non-serving cells in descending order of maximum measured layer one (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) values ​​in the channel state information measurement up to a non-serving cell offset storage capability for the wireless device.

13. The baseband processor of claim 9, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: initiating a timer associated with storing the offset information, wherein the offset information is stored up to a length of the timer; and The stored offset information is discarded when the timer associated with storing the offset information expires.

14. The baseband processor of claim 13, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to cause the wireless device to: receiving non-serving cell offset storage configuration information from the cellular base station, The non-serving cell offset storage configuration information configures the length of the timer associated with storing non-serving cell offset information for the wireless device.

15. The baseband processor according to claim 9, The offset information includes one or more of timing offset information or frequency offset information.

16. A cellular base station, comprising: antenna; a radio operatively coupled to the antenna; and a processor operatively coupled to the radio; The cellular base station is configured to: establishing a wireless link with a wireless device, wherein the cellular base station provides a serving cell and one or more non-serving cells for the wireless device; receiving wireless device capability information from the wireless device, wherein the wireless device capability information indicates a number of non-serving cell reference signals for which the wireless device is capable of storing offset information; providing non-serving cell offset storage configuration information to the wireless device, wherein the non-serving cell offset storage configuration information indicates a duration for storing offset information for up to a configured number of channel state information measurements for up to a configured amount; as well as The wireless device is configured to perform channel state information measurements and reporting for one or more non-serving cells.

17. The cellular base station according to claim 16, The non-serving cell offset storage configuration information indicates that the offset information of the maximum measured layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) value from any non-serving cell in the channel state information measurement is preferentially stored.

18. The cellular base station according to claim 16, The non-serving cell offset storage configuration information indicates that offset information from different non-serving cells is preferentially stored in descending order of maximum measured layer 1 (L1) reference signal received power (RSRP) values ​​in the channel state information measurement.

19. The cellular base station according to claim 16, The non-serving cell offset storage configuration information configures a timer associated with storing non-serving cell offset information for the wireless device.

20. The cellular base station according to claim 16, The offset information includes one or more of timing offset information or frequency offset information.

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