Mobility configuration handling in wireless communications

Abstract

The invention relates to mobility configuration handling in wireless communications. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after PCell mobility to a primary cell (PCell), a communication device may consider that at least one first primary-secondary cell (PSCell) is valid for a Pcell based on the at least one first PSCell being related to the PCell, and consider that at least one second PSCell is invalid for the Pcell based on the at least one second PSCell being independent of the PCell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates to mobility configuration handling in wireless communication. BACKGROUND

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a technology allowing high-speed packet communications. Many schemes have been proposed for LTE objectives including those aimed at lowering user and provider costs, improving service quality, and expanding and improving coverage and system capacity. As a higher layer requirement, 3GPP LTE needs to reduce cost per bit, increase service availability, use frequency bands flexibly, have a simple structure, and have open interfaces and appropriate power consumption of terminals.

[0003] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 3GPP have started working on the requirements and specifications for New Radio (NR) systems. 3GPP must identify and develop the technology components needed for successful standardization of a new RAT that will meet the urgent market needs and the more long-term requirements set by the ITU Radio communication Sector (ITU-R) International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)-2020 process. Further, NR should be able to use any spectrum band between 450 and 7000 MHz, even higher frequencies can be used in the future. Further, NR should be able to use any spectrum band between 450 and 7000 MHz, even higher frequencies can be used in the future.

[0004] The goal of NR is a single technical framework addressing all usage scenarios, requirements and deployment scenarios including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), etc. NR should inherently be forward compatible.

[0005] In wireless communication, a communication device can perform mobility based on mobility configuration. For example, the mobility can include conditional mobility. For the conditional mobility, the communication device can receive a plurality of mobility configurations, and apply a mobility configuration satisfying an execution condition. Since there can be various mobility configurations in the conditional mobility, mobility configuration handling can be required. SUMMARY

[0006] TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0007] An aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for mobility configuration handling in a wireless communication system.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a method performed by a communication device adapted to operate in a wireless communication system comprises the steps of: receiving one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; performing a conditional primary cell mobility to a first primary cell based on that an execution condition for the first primary cell is fulfilled; and after the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: considering at least one first primary secondary cell to be valid for the first primary cell based on that the at least one first primary secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell; and considering at least one second primary secondary cell to be invalid for the first primary cell based on that the at least one second primary secondary cell is not associated with the first primary cell.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a method performed by a network node configured to operate in a wireless communication system comprises the steps of: transmitting, to a communication device, one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; and performing, after a conditional primary cell mobility to a first primary cell based on that an execution condition for the first primary cell is fulfilled, a data transmission to the first primary cell, wherein after the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell, the communication device is configured to: consider at least one first primary secondary cell to be valid for the first primary cell based on that the at least one first primary secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell; and consider at least one second primary secondary cell to be invalid for the first primary cell based on that the at least one second primary secondary cell is not associated with the first primary cell.

[0010] According to various embodiments, there are provided devices implementing the above-described methods.

[0011] The disclosure can have various advantageous effects.

[0012] For example, a user equipment (UE) can distinguish which candidate primary secondary cell (PSCell) is valid after a conditional handover (CHO) is completed, and the UE can keep using the valid candidate PSCell for a next conditional PSCell change (CPC) after the CHO. Thus, mobility robustness in secondary node (SN) mobility can be improved.

[0013] The advantageous effects that can be obtained through the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-listed advantageous effects. For example, there can be various technical effects that can be understood and / or derived by those of ordinary skill in the related art from the present disclosure. Therefore, the specific effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those explicitly described herein, but can include various effects that can be understood or derived from the technical features of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 An example of a communication system to which implementations of the present disclosure is applied is shown.

[0015] Figure 2 An example of a wireless device to which implementations of the present disclosure is applied is shown.

[0016] Figure 3 An example of a UE to which implementations of the present disclosure is applied is shown.

[0017] Figure 4 And Figure 5 An example of a protocol stack in a 3GPP-based wireless communication system to which implementations of the present disclosure is applied is shown.

[0018] Figure 6 An example of a frame structure in a 3GPP-based wireless communication system to which implementations of the present disclosure is applied is shown.

[0019] Figure 7 An example of a data flow in a 3GPP NR system to which implementations of the present disclosure is applied is shown.

[0020] Figure 8 An example of a dual connectivity (DC) architecture to which technical features of the present disclosure can be applied is shown.

[0021] Figure 9 An example of a conditional mobility procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 10 An example of a procedure for conditional SN change according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 11 An example of a signaling procedure for LTM according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Figure 12 An example of a method performed by a communication device for handling configuration of a PSCell candidate after PCell mobility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 13An example of a configuration process for disposing of PSCell candidates after PCell mobility, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0026] Figure 14 An example of a method for configuring an invalid PSCell candidate after PCell mobility is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 15 An example of a configuration for removing invalid PSCell candidates after PCell mobility, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The following technologies, devices, and systems can be applied to a variety of wireless multiple access systems. Examples of multiple access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Multi-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (MC-FDMA) systems. CDMA can be implemented using radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented using radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Packet Radio Service (GPRS), or Enhanced Data Rate Evolution of GSM (EDGE). OFDMA can be implemented using radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, or Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA). UTRA is part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) is part of the Evolved UMTS (E-UMTS) using E-UTRA. 3GPP LTE uses OFDMA in the downlink (DL) and SC-FDMA in the uplink (UL). The evolution of 3GPP LTE includes LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro, and / or 5G New Radio (NR).

[0029] For ease of description, the implementation of this disclosure is primarily described with respect to 3GPP-based wireless communication systems. However, the technical features of this disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, although the following detailed description is based on a mobile communication system corresponding to a 3GPP-based wireless communication system, the aspects of this disclosure, which are not limited to 3GPP-based wireless communication systems, are applicable to other mobile communication systems.

[0030] For any terms and techniques used in this disclosure that are not specifically described, please refer to wireless communication standards documents published prior to this disclosure.

[0031] In this disclosure, "A or B" may mean "A only", "B only", or "both A and B". In other words, in this disclosure, "A or B" can be interpreted as "A and / or B". For example, in this disclosure, "A, B or C" may mean "A only", "B only", "C only", or "any combination of A, B and C".

[0032] In this disclosure, a forward slash ( / ) or a comma (,) can mean "and / or". For example, "A / B" can mean "A and / or B". Therefore, "A / B" can mean "A only", "B only", or "both A and B". For example, "A, B, C" can mean "A, B, or C".

[0033] In this disclosure, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A", "only B" or "both A and B". Furthermore, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" in this disclosure may be interpreted as the same as "at least one of A and B".

[0034] Additionally, in this disclosure, "at least one of A, B, and C" may mean "A only", "B only", "C only" or "any combination of A, B, and C". Furthermore, "at least one of A, B, or C" or "at least one of A, B, and / or C" may mean "at least one of A, B, and C".

[0035] Furthermore, the brackets used in this disclosure may mean "for example". Specifically, when shown as "Control Information (PDCCH)", "PDCCH" can be cited as an example of "Control Information". In other words, "Control Information" in this disclosure is not limited to "PDCCH", and "PDCCH" can be cited as an example of "Control Information". Additionally, even when shown as "Control Information (i.e., PDCCH)", "PDCCH" can be cited as an example of "Control Information".

[0036] The technical features described individually in a single figure in this disclosure can be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0037] While not limited thereto, the various descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed herein can be applied to various fields requiring wireless communication and / or connectivity between devices (e.g., 5G).

[0038] In the following description, the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals in the following drawings and / or description may refer to the same and / or corresponding hardware blocks, software blocks and / or functional blocks.

[0039] Figure 1 An example of a communication system that applies the implementation of this disclosure is shown.

[0040] Figure 1 The 5G use cases shown are merely illustrative, and the technical features of this disclosure can be applied to... Figure 1 Other 5G use cases not shown.

[0041] The three main demand categories for 5G include: (1) enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), (2) massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and (3) ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC).

[0042] Reference Figure 1 The communication system 1 includes wireless devices 100a to 100f, a base station (BS) 200, and a network 300. Although Figure 1 An example of a 5G network as a network of communication system 1 is illustrated, but the implementation of this disclosure is not limited to 5G systems and can be applied to future communication systems other than 5G systems.

[0043] BS 200 and network 300 can be implemented as wireless devices, and a particular wireless device can operate as a BS / network node relative to other wireless devices.

[0044] Wireless devices 100a to 100f represent devices that perform communication using radio access technology (RAT) (e.g., 5G NR or LTE) and may be referred to as communication / radio / 5G devices. Wireless devices 100a to 100f may include, but are not limited to, robots 100a, vehicles 100b-1 and 100b-2, extended reality (XR) devices 100c, handheld devices 100d, home appliances 100e, Internet of Things (IoT) devices 100f, and artificial intelligence (AI) devices / servers 400. For example, vehicles may include vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, autonomous vehicles, and vehicles capable of communication between vehicles. Vehicles may include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones). XR devices may include augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) / mixed reality (MR) devices and may be implemented in the form of head-mounted displays (HMDs), head-up displays (HUDs) installed in vehicles, televisions, smartphones, computers, wearable devices, home appliances, digital signage, vehicles, robots, etc. Handheld devices may include smartphones, smart tablets, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches or smart glasses), and computers (e.g., laptops). Home appliances may include TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines. IoT devices may include sensors and smart meters.

[0045] In this disclosure, wireless devices 100a to 100f may be referred to as user equipment (UE). UE may include, for example, cellular phones, smartphones, laptop computers, digital broadcasting terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), navigation systems, tablet PCs, ultrabooks, vehicles, vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities, connected cars, UAVs, AI modules, robots, AR devices, VR devices, MR devices, holographic devices, public safety devices, MTC devices, IoT devices, medical devices, FinTech devices (or financial devices), security devices, weather / environment devices, devices related to 5G services, or devices related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

[0046] Wireless devices 100a to 100f can connect to network 300 via BS 200. AI technology can be applied to wireless devices 100a to 100f, and wireless devices 100a to 100f can connect to AI server 400 via network 300. Network 300 can be configured using 3G, 4G (e.g., LTE), 5G (e.g., NR), and super 5G networks. While wireless devices 100a to 100f can communicate with each other via BS 200 / network 300, wireless devices 100a to 100f can also perform direct communication with each other without going through BS 200 / network 300 (e.g., sidelink communication). For example, vehicles 100b-1 and 100b-2 can perform direct communication (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) / vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication). IoT devices (e.g., sensors) can perform direct communication with other IoT devices (e.g., sensors) or other wireless devices 100a to 100f.

[0047] Wireless communication / connections 150a, 150b, and 150c can be established between wireless devices 100a to 100f and / or between wireless devices 100a to 100f and BS 200 and / or between BS 200. Here, wireless communication / connections can be established via various RATs (e.g., 5G NR) such as uplink / downlink communication 150a, sidelink communication (or device-to-device (D2D) communication) 150b, and inter-base station communication 150c (e.g., relay, integrated access and backhaul (IAB)). Wireless devices 100a to 100f and BS 200 / wireless devices 100a to 100f can transmit / receive radio signals to / from each other via wireless communication / connections 150a, 150b, and 150c. For example, wireless communication / connections 150a, 150b, and 150c can transmit / receive signals via various physical channels. Therefore, at least a portion of various configuration information configuration processes, various signal processing processes (e.g., channel coding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and resource mapping / demapping), and resource allocation processes for transmitting / receiving radio signals can be performed based on various proposals of this disclosure.

[0048] NR supports multiple parameter sets (and / or multiple subcarrier spacings (SCS)) to support a variety of 5G services. For example, if the SCS is 15 kHz, wide-area coverage can be supported in traditional cellular bands, while if the SCS is 30 kHz / 60 kHz, dense urban areas, lower latency, and wider carrier bandwidth can be supported. If the SCS is 60 kHz or higher, bandwidths greater than 24.25 GHz can be supported to overcome phase noise.

[0049] NR bands can be defined as two types of frequency ranges: frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2). The numerical values ​​of the frequency ranges can vary. For example, the two types (FR1 and FR2) of frequency ranges can be shown in Table 1 below. For ease of explanation, in the frequency ranges used in NR systems, FR1 can represent "the range below 6 GHz," FR2 can represent "the range above 6 GHz," and can be referred to as millimeter wave (mmW).

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051]

[0052] As described above, the frequency range of the NR system can be varied. For example, FR1 may include a frequency band from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz as shown in Table 2 below. That is, FR1 may include a frequency band of 6 GHz (or 5850 MHz, 5900 MHz, 5925 MHz, etc.) or higher. For example, the 6 GHz (or 5850 MHz, 5900 MHz, 5925 MHz, etc.) or higher frequency band included in FR1 may include unlicensed frequency bands. Unlicensed frequency bands can be used for various purposes, such as for vehicle communications (e.g., autonomous driving).

[0053] [Table 2]

[0054]

[0055] Here, the radio communication technologies implemented in the wireless devices of this disclosure may include narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technologies for low-power communication and LTE, NR, and 6G. For example, NB-IoT technology may be an example of low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technology, implemented in specifications such as LTE Cat NB1 and / or LTE Cat NB2, and may not be limited to the names mentioned above. Additionally and / or alternatively, the radio communication technologies implemented in the wireless devices of this disclosure may communicate based on LTE-M technology. For example, LTE-M technology may be an example of LPWAN technology and may be referred to by various names such as enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC). For example, LTE-M technology may be implemented in at least one of various specifications, such as 1) LTE Cat 0, 2) LTE Cat M1, 3) LTE Cat M2, 4) LTE non-bandwidth limited (non-BL), 5) LTE-MTC, 6) LTE machine-type communication, and / or 7) LTE M, and may not be limited to the names mentioned above. Additionally and / or alternatively, the radio communication technologies implemented in the wireless devices of this disclosure may include at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, and / or LPWAN, which take into account low-power communication, and may not be limited to the names mentioned above. For example, ZigBee technology may generate personal area networks (PANs) associated with small / low-power digital communication based on various specifications (such as IEEE 802.15.4) and may be referred to by various names. Figure 2 An example of a wireless device that applies the implementation of this disclosure is shown.

[0056] exist Figure 2 In this context, the first wireless device 100 and / or the second wireless device 200 can be implemented in various forms depending on the usage / service. For example, {the first wireless device 100 and the second wireless device 200} can correspond to... Figure 1 The first wireless device 100 to 100f and the second wireless device 200 may be configured from various elements, devices / components and / or modules.

[0057] The first wireless device 100 may include at least one transceiver (e.g., transceiver 106), at least one processing chip (e.g., processing chip 101), and / or one or more antennas 108.

[0058] The processing chip 101 may include at least one processor (e.g., processor 102) and at least one memory (e.g., memory 104). Additionally and / or alternatively, the memory 104 may be located outside the processing chip 101.

[0059] Processor 102 can control memory 104 and / or transceiver 106, and can be adapted to implement the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts described in this disclosure. For example, processor 102 can process information in memory 104 to generate first information / signal, and then transmit a radio signal including the first information / signal via transceiver 106. Processor 102 can receive a radio signal including a second information / signal via transceiver 106, and then store the information obtained by processing the second information / signal in memory 104.

[0060] Memory 104 may be operatively connected to processor 102. Memory 104 may store various types of information and / or instructions. Memory 104 may store firmware and / or software code 105, which implements code, commands, and / or command sets that, when executed by processor 102, execute the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. For example, firmware and / or software code 105 may implement instructions that, when executed by processor 102, execute the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. For example, firmware and / or software code 105 may control processor 102 to execute one or more protocols. For example, firmware and / or software code 105 may control processor 102 to execute one or more layers of wireless interface protocols.

[0061] In this document, processor 102 and memory 104 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement RAT (e.g., LTE or NR). Transceiver 106 may be connected to processor 102 and transmit and / or receive radio signals via one or more antennas 108. Each transceiver 106 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. Transceiver 106 may be used interchangeably with radio frequency (RF) units. In this disclosure, first wireless device 100 may represent a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0062] The second wireless device 200 may include at least one transceiver (e.g., transceiver 206), at least one processing chip (e.g., processing chip 201), and / or one or more antennas 208.

[0063] The processing chip 201 may include at least one processor (e.g., processor 202) and at least one memory (e.g., memory 204). Additionally and / or alternatively, the memory 204 may be located outside the processing chip 201.

[0064] Processor 202 can control memory 204 and / or transceiver 206, and can be adapted to implement the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts described in this disclosure. For example, processor 202 can process information in memory 204 to generate third information / signal, and then transmit a radio signal including the third information / signal via transceiver 206. Processor 202 can receive a radio signal including a fourth information / signal via transceiver 106, and then store the information obtained by processing the fourth information / signal in memory 204.

[0065] Memory 204 may be operatively connected to processor 202. Memory 204 may store various types of information and / or instructions. Memory 204 may store firmware and / or software code 205, which implements code, commands, and / or command sets that, when executed by processor 202, execute the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. For example, firmware and / or software code 205 may implement instructions that, when executed by processor 202, execute the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. For example, firmware and / or software code 205 may control processor 202 to execute one or more protocols. For example, firmware and / or software code 205 may control processor 202 to execute one or more layers of wireless interface protocols.

[0066] In this document, processor 202 and memory 204 may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement RAT (e.g., LTE or NR). Transceiver 206 may be connected to processor 202 and transmit and / or receive radio signals via one or more antennas 208. Each of transceivers 206 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. Transceivers 206 may be used interchangeably with RF units. In this disclosure, second wireless device 200 may represent a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0067] The hardware elements of wireless devices 100 and 200 will be described in more detail below. One or more protocol layers may be implemented by, but are not limited to, one or more processors 102 and 202. For example, one or more processors 102 and 202 may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as the Physical (PHY) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer). One or more processors 102 and 202 may generate one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs), one or more Service Data Units (SDUs), messages, control information, data, or information in accordance with the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. One or more processors 102 and 202 may generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information, according to the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure, and provide the generated signals to one or more transceivers 106 and 206. One or more processors 102 and 202 may receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers 106 and 206 and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure.

[0068] One or more processors 102 and 202 may be referred to as controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or microcomputers. One or more processors 102 and 202 may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. As an example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), one or more programmable logic devices (PLDs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) may be included in one or more processors 102 and 202. For example, one or more processors 102 and 202 may be configured by a set of communication control processors, application processors (APs), electronic control units (ECUs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and memory control processors.

[0069] One or more memories 104 and 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102 and 202 and store various types of data, signals, messages, information, programs, code, instructions, and / or commands. One or more memories 104 and 204 may be configured with random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard disk drive, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. One or more memories 104 and 204 may be located internally and / or externally to one or more processors 102 and 202. One or more memories 104 and 204 may be connected to one or more processors 102 and 202 via various technologies such as wired or wireless connections.

[0070] One or more transceivers 106 and 206 can transmit user data, control information, and / or radio signals / channels mentioned in the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers 106 and 206 can receive user data, control information, and / or radio signals / channels mentioned in the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers 106 and 206 can be connected to one or more processors 102 and 202 and transmit and receive radio signals. For example, one or more processors 102 and 202 can perform control to enable one or more transceivers 106 and 206 to transmit user data, control information, or radio signals to one or more other devices. One or more processors 102 and 202 can perform control to enable one or more transceivers 106 and 206 to receive user data, control information, or radio signals from one or more other devices.

[0071] One or more transceivers 106 and 206 may be connected to one or more antennas 108 and 208. Additionally or alternatively, one or more transceivers 106 and 206 may include one or more antennas 108 and 208. One or more transceivers 106 and 206 may be adapted to transmit and receive user data, control information, and / or radio signals / channels mentioned in the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed herein via one or more antennas 108 and 208. In this disclosure, one or more antennas 108 and 208 may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports).

[0072] One or more transceivers 106 and 206 can convert received user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., from RF band signals to baseband signals, so that the received user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., can be processed by one or more processors 102 and 202. One or more transceivers 106 and 206 can also convert user data, control information, radio signals / channels, etc., processed by one or more processors 102 and 202 from baseband signals to RF band signals. For this purpose, one or more transceivers 106 and 206 may include (analog) oscillators and / or filters. For example, one or more transceivers 106 and 206, under the control of one or more processors 102 and 202, can up-convert OFDM baseband signals to OFDM signals using their (analog) oscillators and / or filters and transmit the up-converted OFDM signals at the carrier frequency. One or more transceivers 106 and 206 can receive OFDM signals on a carrier frequency and, under the control of one or more processors 102 and 202, downconvert the OFDM signals to OFDM baseband signals via their (analog) oscillators and / or filters.

[0073] although Figure 2 Although not shown, wireless devices 100 and 200 may also include additional components. The additional components 140 may be configured differently depending on the type of wireless devices 100 and 200. For example, the additional components 140 may include at least one of a power unit / battery, input / output (I / O) devices (e.g., audio I / O ports, video I / O ports), drive devices, and computing devices. The additional components 140 may be coupled to one or more processors 102 and 202 via various technologies such as wired or wireless connections.

[0074] In the implementations of this disclosure, the UE can be used as a transmitting device in the uplink (UL) and a receiving device in the downlink (DL). In the implementations of this disclosure, the BS can be used as a receiving device in the UL and a transmitting device in the DL. For ease of description, it is primarily assumed below that the first wireless device 100 is used as the UE and the second wireless device 200 is used as the BS. For example, a processor 102 connected to, installed on, or started in the first wireless device 100 can be adapted to perform UE actions according to the implementations of this disclosure or to control the transceiver 106 to perform UE actions according to the implementations of this disclosure. A processor 202 connected to, installed on, or started in the second wireless device 200 can be adapted to perform BS actions according to the implementations of this disclosure or to control the transceiver 206 to perform BS actions according to the implementations of this disclosure.

[0075] In this disclosure, BS is also referred to as Node B (NB), eNode B (eNB), or gNB.

[0076] Figure 3 An example of a UE that applies the implementation of this disclosure is shown.

[0077] Reference Figure 3 UE 100 can correspond to Figure 2 The first wireless device 100.

[0078] The UE 100 includes a processor 102, a memory 104, a transceiver 106, one or more antennas 108, a power management module 141, a battery 142, a display 143, a keypad 144, a subscriber identification module (SIM) card 145, a speaker 146, and a microphone 147.

[0079] Processor 102 may be adapted to implement the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. Processor 102 may be adapted to control one or more other components of UE 100 to implement the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure. A radio interface protocol layer may be implemented in processor 102. Processor 102 may include an ASIC, other chipsets, logic circuits, and / or data processing means. Processor 102 may be an application processor. Processor 102 may include at least one of a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a modem (modulator and demodulator). Examples of processor 102 can be found in Qualcomm... ® Manufacturing SNAPDRAGON TM Series processors, Samsung ® EXYNOS manufactured TM Series processors, Apple ® A series of processors manufactured by MediaTek ® HELIO manufactured TM Series processors, Intel ® Manufactured ATOM TM It can be found in the series of processors or the corresponding next-generation processors.

[0080] Memory 104 is coupled to processor 102 during operation and stores various information to operate processor 102. Memory 104 may include ROM, RAM, flash memory, memory card, storage medium, and / or other storage devices. When the implementation is software-based, the techniques described herein can be implemented using modules (e.g., processes, functions, etc.) that perform the descriptions, functions, processes, suggestions, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed herein. These modules may be stored in memory 104 and implemented by processor 102. Memory 104 may be implemented within processor 102 or external to processor 102 (in which case, the memory may be communicatively coupled to processor 102 via various means known in the art).

[0081] Transceiver 106 is coupled to processor 102 during operation and transmits and / or receives radio signals. Transceiver 106 includes a transmitter and a receiver. Transceiver 106 may include baseband circuitry for processing radio frequency signals. Transceiver 106 controls one or more antennas 108 to transmit and / or receive radio signals.

[0082] The power management module 141 manages the power of the processor 102 and / or transceiver 106. The battery 142 supplies power to the power management module 141.

[0083] Display 143 outputs the results processed by processor 102. Keypad 144 receives input that will be used by processor 102. Keypad 144 can be displayed on display 143.

[0084] The SIM 145 is an integrated circuit designed to securely store the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number and its associated keys, used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile devices such as mobile phones and computers. Contact information can also be stored on many SIM cards.

[0085] Speaker 146 outputs the sound-related results processed by processor 102. Microphone 147 receives the sound-related inputs that will be used by processor 102.

[0086] Figure 4 and Figure 5 An example of a protocol stack in a 3GPP-based wireless communication system applying the implementation of this disclosure is shown.

[0087] Specifically, Figure 4 An example of the user plane protocol stack for the radio interface between the UE and the BS is shown, and Figure 5 An example of the radio interface control plane protocol stack between the UE and the BS is illustrated. The control plane refers to the path for transmitting control messages used to manage calls by the UE and the network. The user plane refers to the path for transmitting data generated in the application layer (e.g., voice data or Internet packet data). See reference...Figure 4 The user plane protocol stack can be divided into Layer 1 (L1, e.g., the PHY layer) and Layer 2 (L2, e.g., the MAC / RLC / PDCP layer). See [reference needed]. Figure 5 The control plane protocol stack can be divided into Layer 1 (L1, e.g., PHY layer), Layer 2 (L2, e.g., MAC / RLC / PDCP layer), Layer 3 (L3, e.g., RRC layer), and the Non-Access Layer (NAS). Layers 1, 2, and 3 are collectively referred to as the Access Layer (AS).

[0088] In 3GPP LTE systems, Layer 2 is separated into the following sublayers: MAC, RLC, and PDCP. In 3GPP NR systems, Layer 2 is separated into the following sublayers: MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP. The PHY layer provides transport channels to the MAC sublayer, the MAC sublayer provides logical channels to the RLC sublayer, the RLC sublayer provides RLC channels to the PDCP sublayer, and the PDCP sublayer provides radio bearers to the SDAP sublayer. The SDAP sublayer provides Quality of Service (QoS) streams to the 5G core network.

[0089] In the 3GPP NR system, the main services and functions of the MAC sublayer include: mapping between logical channels and transport channels; multiplexing MAC SDUs belonging to one or different logical channels to / from the physical layer delivered to / from the transport channel a transport block (TB); demultiplexing from the TB; scheduling information reporting; error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) (one HARQ entity per cell in the case of carrier aggregation (CA); priority handling between UEs by means of dynamic scheduling; priority handling between logical channels of a UE by means of logical channel priority ordering; and padding. A single MAC entity can support multiple parameter sets, transmission timings, and cells. Mapping constraints in logical channel priority ordering control which parameter set(s), cell(s), and transmission timing(s) a logical channel(s) can use.

[0090] MAC provides different types of data transmission services. To accommodate these different services, various types of logical channels are defined, each supporting the transmission of a specific type of information. Each logical channel type is defined by the type of information being transmitted. Logical channels are divided into two groups: control channels and traffic channels. Control channels are used only for transmitting control plane information, while traffic channels are used only for transmitting user plane information. The Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) is a downlink logical channel used for broadcasting system control information. The Paging Control Channel (PCCH) is a downlink logical channel that transmits paging information, system information change notifications, and indications of ongoing Public Warning Service (PWS) broadcasts. The Common Control Channel (CCCH) is a logical channel used to send control information between the UE and the network and is used by UEs without an RRC connection to the network. The Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH) is a point-to-point bidirectional logical channel used by UEs with an RRC connection to send dedicated control information between the UE and the network. The Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH) is a point-to-point logical channel dedicated to a single UE, used to transmit user information. DTCHs can exist in both the uplink and downlink. In the downlink, the following connections exist between logical channels and transport channels: BCCH can be mapped to the broadcast channel (BCH); BCCH can be mapped to the downlink shared channel (DL-SCH); PCCH can be mapped to the paging channel (PCH); CCCH can be mapped to DL-SCH; DCCH can be mapped to DL-SCH; and DTCH can be mapped to DL-SCH. In the uplink, the following connections exist between logical channels and transport channels: CCCH can be mapped to the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH); DCCH can be mapped to UL-SCH; and DTCH can be mapped to UL-SCH.

[0091] The RLC sublayer supports three transmission modes: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). RLC configuration is per logical channel, independent of parameter sets and / or transmission duration. In 3GPP NR systems, the main services and functions of the RLC sublayer depend on the transmission mode and include: transmission of upper-layer PDUs; sequence numbering independent of either PDCP (UM or AM); error correction via ARQ (AM only); RLC SDU segmentation (AM and UM) and resegmentation (AM only); SDU (AM and UM) reassembly; duplicate detection (AM only); RLC SDU discarding (AM and UM); RLC re-establishment; and protocol error detection (AM only).

[0092] In the 3GPP NR system, the main services and functions of the PDCP sublayer for the user plane include: sequence numbering; header compression and decompression using robust header compression (ROHC); transmission of user data; reordering and duplicate detection; in-order delivery; PDCP PDU routing (in the case of separate bearers); retransmission of PDCP SDUs; encryption, decryption, and integrity protection; PDCP SDU discarding; PDCP re-establishment and data recovery for RLC AM; PDCP status reporting for RLC AM; and duplicate PDCPPDUs and duplicate discarding indications for lower layers. The main services and functions of the PDCP sublayer for the control plane include: sequence numbering; encryption, decryption, and integrity protection; transmission of control plane data; reordering and duplicate detection; in-order delivery; and duplicate PDCPPDUs and duplicate discarding indications for lower layers.

[0093] In the 3GPP NR system, the main services and functions of SDAP include: mapping between QoS flows and data radio bearers; and marking QoS flow IDs (QFIs) in both DL and UL packets. A single SDAP protocol entity is configured for each individual PDU session.

[0094] In the 3GPP NR system, the main services and functions of the RRC sublayer include: broadcasting system information related to AS and NAS; paging initiated by 5GC or NG-RAN; establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections between UE and NG-RAN; security functions including key management; establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of signaling radio bearers (SRB) and data radio bearers (DRB); mobility functions (including: handover and context transfer; UE cell selection and reselection and control of cell selection and reselection; inter-RAT mobility); QoS management functions; control of UE measurement reports and reports; detection and repair of radio link failures; and NAS message transmission from UE to NAS and from NAS to UE.

[0095] Figure 6 The frame structure in a 3GPP-based wireless communication system applying the implementation of this disclosure is shown.

[0096] Figure 6The frame structure shown is merely exemplary, and the number of subframes, the number of time slots, and / or the number of symbols in a frame can vary. In 3GPP-based wireless communication systems, OFDM parameter sets (e.g., subcarrier spacing (SCS), transmission time interval (TTI) durations) can be configured differently across multiple cells aggregated for a UE. For example, if the UE is configured with different SCSs for cells aggregated for cell aggregation, the (absolute time) duration of time resources (e.g., subframes, time slots, or TTIs) comprising the same number of symbols can be different across the aggregated cells. In this document, symbols can include OFDM symbols (or CP-OFDM symbols), SC-FDMA symbols (or Discrete Fourier Transform-Extended-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols).

[0097] Reference Figure 6 Downlink and uplink transmissions are organized into frames. Each frame has... The duration. Each frame is divided into two half-frames, each half-frame having a duration of 5 ms. Each half-frame consists of 5 subframes, each subframe having a duration of... It is 1 ms. Each subframe is divided into time slots, and the number of time slots in a subframe depends on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot consists of 14 or 12 OFDM symbols based on the cyclic prefix (CP). In normal CP, each time slot consists of 14 OFDM symbols, and in extended CP, each time slot consists of 12 OFDM symbols. The parameter set is based on an exponentially scalable subcarrier spacing. .

[0098] Table 3 shows the data based on subcarrier spacing. Number of OFDM symbols per slot for normal CP Number of time slots per frame and the number of time slots in each subframe .

[0099] [Table 3]

[0100]

[0101] Table 4 shows the data based on subcarrier spacing. Number of OFDM symbols per slot for extended CP Number of time slots per frame and the number of time slots in each subframe .

[0102] [Table 4]

[0103]

[0104] A time slot comprises multiple symbols in the time domain (e.g., 14 or 12 symbols). For each parameter set (e.g., subcarrier spacing) and carrier, a Common Resource Block (CRB) is defined from the higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). The beginning Subcarriers and A resource grid of OFDM symbols, in which It represents the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the resource grid, and the subscript x represents the DL used for downlink and the UL used for uplink. This refers to the number of subcarriers per RB. In 3GPP-based wireless communication systems, Typically 12. For a given antenna port Subcarrier spacing configuration A resource grid exists, along with the transmission direction (DL or UL). Subcarrier spacing configuration. carrier bandwidth d Given by higher-level parameters (e.g., RRC parameters). For the antenna port. Each element in the resource grid, along with the subcarrier spacing configuration u, is called a resource element (RE), and a complex symbol can be mapped to each RE. Each RE in the resource grid is uniquely identified by an index k in the frequency domain and an index l in the time domain representing the symbol position relative to a reference point. In 3GPP-based wireless communication systems, RBs are defined by 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Figure 6 As shown, with the SCS doubling, the slot length and symbol length are halved. For example, when the SCS is 15kHz, the slot length is 1ms, the same as the subframe length. When the SCS is 30kHz, the slot length is 0.5ms (=500us), and the symbol length is half that of the 15kHz SCS. When the SCS is 60kHz, the slot length is 0.25ms (=250us), and the symbol length is half that of the 30kHz SCS. When the SCS is 120kHz, the slot length is 0.125ms (=125us), and the symbol length is half that of the 60kHz SCS. When the SCS is 240kHz, the slot length is 0.0625ms (=62.5us), and the symbol length is half that of the 120kHz SCS.

[0105] In 3GPP NR systems, RBs are classified into CRBs and Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs). For subcarrier spacing configuration... CRBs are numbered from 0 upwards in the frequency domain. They are used for subcarrier spacing configuration. The center of subcarrier 0 of CRB0 coincides with "point A," which serves as the common reference point for the resource block grid. In 3GPP NR systems, the PRB is defined within the bandwidth portion (BWP) and extends from 0 to... Number, where i is the number of bandwidth portions. Physical resource blocks within bandwidth portion i. With public resource blocks The relationship between them is as follows: ,in A BWP is a common resource block, where the bandwidth portion begins relative to CRB0. A BWP comprises multiple consecutive RBs. A carrier can include up to N (e.g., 5) BWPs. A UE can be configured with one or more BWPs on a given component carrier. Only one of the multiple BWPs configured for a UE can be active at a time. The active BWP defines the UE's operating bandwidth within the cell's operating bandwidth.

[0106] In this disclosure, the term "cell" can refer to a geographical area in which one or more nodes provide a communication system or to a radio resource. A "cell" as a geographical area can be understood as the coverage area within which a node can provide services using a carrier, and a "cell" as a radio resource (e.g., a time-frequency resource) is associated with bandwidth as a frequency range configured by a carrier. A "cell" associated with a radio resource is defined by a combination of downlink and uplink resources (e.g., a combination of DL component carriers (CC) and ULCC). A cell can be configured by downlink resources only, or by both downlink and uplink resources. Since DL coverage (which is the range within which a node can transmit a valid signal) and UL coverage (which is the range within which a node can receive a valid signal from a UE) depend on the carrier carrying the signal, a node's coverage area can be associated with the coverage area of ​​the "cell" of the radio resources used by the node. Therefore, the term "cell" can sometimes be used to indicate the service coverage area of ​​a node, at other times to indicate a radio resource, or at other times to indicate the range within which a signal using a radio resource can reach with effective strength.

[0107] In CA, two or more CCs are aggregated. A UE can receive or transmit on one or more CCs simultaneously, depending on its capabilities. CA is supported for both continuous and non-continuous CCs. When CA is configured, the UE has only one RRC connection with the network. During RRC connection establishment / re-establishment / handover, one serving cell provides NAS mobility information, and during RRC connection re-establishment / handover, one serving cell provides security input. This cell is called the primary cell (PCell). The PCell is the cell operating on the primary frequency, where the UE performs the initial connection establishment procedure or initiates the connection re-establishment procedure. Depending on the UE's capabilities, secondary cells (SCells) can be configured to form a set of serving cells together with the PCell. An SCell is a cell that provides additional radio resources above a special cell (SpCell). Therefore, the set of serving cells configured for a UE always consists of one PCell and one or more SCells. For dual connectivity (DC) operation, the term SpCell refers to the PCell of the primary cell group (MCG) or the primary SCell (PSCell) of the secondary cell group (SCG). SpCell supports PUCCH transmission and contention-based random access and is always active. MCG is a group of serving cells associated with the primary node, consisting of SpCell (PCell) and optionally one or more SCells. For a UE with a DC configured, SCG is a subset of serving cells associated with the secondary node, consisting of PSCell and zero or more SCells. For a UE in RRC_CONNECTED without a CA / DC configured, only one serving cell consisting of PCells exists. For a UE in RRC_CONNECTED with a CA / DC configured, the term "serving cell" is used to refer to the set of cells consisting of SpCell and all SCells. In the DC, two MAC entities are configured in the UE: one for the MCG and one for the SCG.

[0108] Figure 7 An example of a data flow in a 3GPP NR system applying the implementation of this disclosure is shown.

[0109] Reference Figure 7 "RB" indicates a radio bearer, and "H" indicates a header. Radio bearers are classified into two groups: DRBs for user plane data and SRBs for control plane data. MAC PDUs are sent / received to / from external devices via the PHY layer using radio resources. MAC PDUs arrive at the PHY layer in the form of transport blocks.

[0110] In the PHY layer, the uplink transport channel UL-SCH and random access channel (RACH) are mapped to their respective physical channels, the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and the downlink transport channels DL-SCH, BCH, and PCH are mapped to the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), and the PDSCH, respectively. In the PHY layer, uplink control information (UCI) is mapped to the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and downlink control information (DCI) is mapped to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The UE transmits MAC PDUs related to UL-SCH via PUSCH based on UL grant, and the BS transmits MAC PDUs related to DL-SCH via PDSCH based on DL assignment.

[0111] Figure 8 An example of a dual-connectivity (DC) architecture to which the technical features of this disclosure can be applied is shown.

[0112] Reference Figure 8 Examples include MN 811, SN 821, and UE 830, which communicates with both MN 811 and SN 821. Figure 8 As shown, DC refers to a scheme in which a UE (e.g., UE 830) utilizes radio resources provided by at least two RAN nodes, including an MN (e.g., MN 811) and one or more SNs (e.g., SN 821). In other words, DC refers to a scheme in which the UE connects to and communicates with both the MN and one or more SNs. Since the MN and SN may be in different sites, the backhaul between the MN and SN can be interpreted as a non-ideal backhaul (e.g., relatively large delays between nodes).

[0113] MN (e.g., MN 811) refers to the primary RAN node that provides services to the UE in the DC scenario. SN (e.g., SN 821) refers to an additional RAN node that provides services to the UE using MN in the DC scenario. If a RAN node provides services to the UE, then the RAN node can be MN. If MN exists, then SN can also exist.

[0114] For example, an MN can be associated with a macrocell whose coverage area is relatively larger than that of a small cell. However, an MN does not necessarily have to be associated with a macrocell; that is, an MN can be associated with a small cell. Throughout this disclosure, a RAN node associated with a macrocell can be referred to as a "macrocell node." An MN may include a macrocell node.

[0115] For example, a SN can be associated with a small cell (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell) whose coverage area is relatively smaller than that of a macrocell. However, a SN does not necessarily have to be associated with a small cell—that is, a SN can be associated with a macrocell. Throughout this disclosure, a RAN node associated with a small cell can be referred to as a "small cell node." A SN may include a small cell node.

[0116] A Network Node (MN) can be associated with a Primary Cell Group (MCG). An MCG can refer to a group of serving cells associated with an MN and may include a primary cell (PCell) and one or more optional secondary cells (SCells). User plane data and / or control plane data can be transmitted from the core network to the MN via MCG bearers. An MCG bearer refers to a bearer within the MN that hosts radio protocols for using MN resources. Figure 8 As shown, the radio protocols carried by the MCG may include PDCP, RLC, MAC and / or PHY.

[0117] A Service Provider (SN) can be associated with a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). An SCG can refer to a group of serving cells associated with the SN and may include primary and secondary cells (PSCells) and one or more optional SCells. User plane data can be transmitted from the core network to the SN via SCG bearers. An SCG bearer refers to a bearer within the SN that hosts radio protocols for using SN resources. Figure 8 As shown, the radio protocols carried by SCG may include PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY.

[0118] User plane data and / or control plane data can be transmitted from the core network to the MN and split / copied within the MN, with at least a portion of the split / copied data being forwarded to the SN via a split bearer. A split bearer refers to a radio protocol residing in both the MN and SN to utilize the resources of both. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the radio protocol for a split bearer located in MN may include PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY. The radio protocol for a split bearer located in SN may include RLC, MAC, and PHY.

[0119] According to various implementations, a PDCP anchor point / PDCP anchoring point / PDCP anchoring node refers to a RAN node that includes a PDCP entity that splits and / or replicates data and forwards at least a portion of the split / replicated data to another RAN node via the X2 / Xn interface. Figure 8 In the example, the PDCP anchor node can be MN.

[0120] Depending on the implementation method, the MN for the UE can be changed. This can be referred to as a handover or MN switching.

[0121] According to various implementation methods, the SN can start providing radio resources to the UE, establish a connection with the UE, and / or communicate with the UE (i.e., a new SN can be added for the UE). This can be referred to as SN addition.

[0122] According to various implementation methods, the SN for the UE can be changed while maintaining the MN for the UE. This can be referred to as SN change.

[0123] Depending on the implementation, the DC may include E-UTRAN NR-DC (EN-DC) and / or Multiple Radio Access Technology (RAT)-DC (MR-DC). EN-DC refers to a DC in which the UE utilizes radio resources provided by E-UTRAN nodes and NR RAN nodes. MR-DC refers to a DC in which the UE utilizes radio resources provided by RAN nodes with different RATs.

[0124] The following text describes the topic of mobility.

[0125] Mobility can include PCell changes, PSCell changes (or secondary node (SN) changes) and / or PSCell additions (or SN additions).

[0126] There can be at least two types of mobility: network-controlled mobility (or traditional mobility) and UE-based mobility (or conditional mobility).

[0127] Network-controlled mobility (or traditional mobility) involves the network determining the target cell for mobility and configuring the UE with mobility specific to that target cell. The network can send the UE configuration information, including details about the target cell. Message. Upon receiving cell configuration for a target cell, the UE can perform mobility operations and / or apply the configuration for the target cell.

[0128] UE-based mobility (or conditional mobility) refers to the mobility where the network configures the UE with multiple candidate cells, and the UE determines the target cell among the candidate cells that meets the mobility execution conditions. Conditional mobility can include at least one of conditional PCell change / conditional handover (CHO) or conditional PSCell mobility. Conditional PSCell mobility can include conditional PSCell addition / change (CPAC), including conditional PSCell addition (CPA) and / or conditional PSCell change (CPC). The network can send to the UE including Information elements (IE) The message, The information element includes a list of conditional reconfigurations for multiple candidate cells. A conditional reconfiguration for a candidate cell may include an identifier for the conditional reconfiguration, mobility enforcement conditions for the candidate cell, and a configuration for the candidate cell. The UE can evaluate the mobility enforcement conditions for multiple candidate cells, and when the mobility enforcement conditions for a candidate cell are met, the UE can treat the candidate cell as the target cell and perform mobility to the target cell and / or apply the configuration for the target cell.

[0129] According to various implementation methods, a mobility execution condition can be achieved / satisfied when an entry condition (or entering condition) is met at least within the triggering time (TTT) for the mobility execution condition. An entry condition / entering condition may mean that the mobility execution condition is initially met. Once an entry condition is met, the mobility execution condition is considered satisfied if the entry conditions are met consecutively within the duration TTT.

[0130] In this disclosure, the term “switch (HO)” may mean PCell change, or it may be a broad concept that includes not only PCell change but also PSCell change / addition.

[0131] In this disclosure, the terms “switching” and “mobility” are used interchangeably.

[0132] In this disclosure, the description of switching can also be applied to other mobility processes (e.g., PSCell change / addition).

[0133] Figure 9 An example of a conditional mobility process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0134] exist Figure 9 middle:

[0135] - A service BS can be associated with a PCell, and the PCell can be a source PCell for a CHO;

[0136] - A service BS can be an MN associated with a SN in a DC, where the SN can be associated with a source PSCell for a CPC; and

[0137] - The target cell can be a target PCcell for CHO or a target PSCell for CPA / CPC.

[0138] Reference Figure 9In step S901, the UE can receive a conditional reconfiguration information element (IE) from the serving BS (i.e., )of Message. A conditional reconfiguration IE can include a list of conditional reconfigurations for candidate cells including the target cell. Each conditional reconfiguration in the list can be associated with a corresponding candidate cell and includes i) an identifier for the corresponding conditional reconfiguration (i.e., ), ii) Execute one or more conditions for the corresponding candidate cell (i.e., ), and / or iii) include the reconfiguration of the RRC for the corresponding candidate cell for the corresponding candidate cell's cell configuration (i.e., One or more execution conditions may include CHO execution conditions, CPA execution conditions, and / or CPC execution conditions.

[0139] In step S903, the UE may begin evaluating one or more execution conditions for the candidate cell.

[0140] In step S905, if the target cell meets the corresponding execution conditions, the UE can perform conditional mobility toward the target cell and / or apply RRC reconfiguration for the target cell, which includes cell configuration for the target cell. When performing conditional mobility and / or applying RRC reconfiguration for the target cell, the UE can start a timer (e.g., timer T304). While the timer is running, the UE can perform DL synchronization and / or UL synchronization toward the target cell (e.g., random access). If timing advance (TA) information for the target cell is available, the UE can skip random access toward the target cell.

[0141] In step S907, the UE, the serving BS, and / or the BS associated with the target cell can perform actions related to conditional mobility completion. For example, upon successful completion of random access on the corresponding target cell, the UE can stop a timer (e.g., timer T304).

[0142] Figure 10 An example of a process for conditional SN change (i.e., a conditional SN change process / CPC process) according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 10 In this context, the conditional SN change process is initiated by the MN for CPC configuration and CPC execution. Furthermore, Figure 10 The conditional SN change process can also be applied to the CPC process.

[0143] Reference Figure 10In step S1001, the MN initiates a conditional SN change by requesting the candidate SN to allocate resources for the UE through the SN addition procedure (indicating that the request is for the CPAC). The MN also provides MN-recommended candidate cells for selecting and configuring SCG cells via the latest measurement results for the candidate SN, and provides an upper limit on the number of PSCells that the candidate SN can prepare.

[0144] In step S1003, within the cell list indicated by the measurement results indicated by the MN, the candidate SN determines the list of PSCells to be prepared (considering the maximum number indicated by the MN), and for each prepared PSCell, the candidate SN determines the other SCG SCells, and adds the NR included in the request confirmation message to the SN with the ID of the prepared PSCell. The message provides the MN with the new corresponding SCG radio resource configuration. If data forwarding is required, the candidate SN provides the MN with the data forwarding address. The candidate SN includes an indication of full or incremental RRC configuration. The candidate SN can accept or reject each of the candidate cells listed in the measurement results indicated by the MN (i.e., it cannot configure any alternative candidates).

[0145] The MN can trigger an SN modification process initiated by the MN (to the source SN) to retrieve the current SCG configuration and allow data forwarding related information to be provided before step S1001.

[0146] In step S1005, the MN sends the CPC configuration to the UE. Message (i.e., (a list of messages and associated execution conditions), where each The message contains the information received from the candidate SN in step S1003. The message includes the SCG configuration and possible MCG configurations. Additionally, The message may also include updated MCG configurations (e.g., to configure the required conditional measurements).

[0147] In step S1007, the UE applies the data received in step S1005. Messages, store CPC configuration and utilize Message reply MN. When the UE cannot comply with the included... In the case of a configuration (part of) the message, the reconfiguration process fails.

[0148] Receive MN from UE Upon receiving the message, the MN notifies the source SN that a CPC has been configured via the Xn-U address indication process. The source SN then initiates early data forwarding (if applicable) along with the early status transmission process. PDCPSDU forwarding can occur during early data forwarding.

[0149] A separate Xn-U address indication procedure can be invoked to provide different forwarding addresses for the prepared candidate target SNs. In this case, the EARLY STATUS TRANSFER message (if any) from the source SN is forwarded to the correct target destination, depending on the MN and source SN implementation. The Xn-U address indication procedure can also be invoked to indicate to the source SN that early data forwarding for those SN-terminated bearers has ceased, if some SN-terminated bearers are no longer undergoing data forwarding.

[0150] In step S1009, the UE begins to evaluate the execution conditions. If the execution conditions of a candidate PSCell are met, the UE executes a CPC directed towards the selected candidate PSCell and / or applies an application corresponding to the selected candidate PSCell. Message. When the application When a message is sent, the UE starts a timer (e.g., T304 timer) and / or sends an MN. Messages (including NR for selected candidate PSCells) The message), and the information that enables the MN to identify the selected candidate PSCell.

[0151] In step S1011, MN triggers an SN release procedure initiated by MN to notify the source SN to stop providing user data to the UE, and if applicable, triggers an Xn-U address indication procedure to notify the source SN of the SN address of the selected candidate PSCell, thereby initiating subsequent data forwarding.

[0152] In step S1013, if the RRC connection reconfiguration process is successful, then MN via including The message "SN reconfiguration complete" notifies the selected candidate PSCell to the SN. If configured, the MN sends an SN release request message to cancel the CPC in other candidate SNs. The other candidate SNs acknowledge the release request.

[0153] In step S1015, the UE synchronizes with the data applied in step S1009. The PSCell indicated in the message. For example, when a timer (e.g., timer T304) is running, the UE performs DL synchronization and / or UL synchronization toward the PSCell (e.g., random access). When random access toward the PSCell is successful, the UE stops the timer and completes the conditional SN procedure / CPC procedure.

[0154] In the following text, L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) is described. In this disclosure, the terms "LTM" and "cell handover" are used interchangeably.

[0155] LTM is the process by which the gNB receives an L1 measurement report from the UE and, based on that, changes the UE's serving cell via MAC CE. The gNB prepares one or more candidate cells and provides the candidate cell configuration (or candidate configuration) to the UE via an RRC message. Then, the gNB triggers an LTM cell handover by selecting one of the candidate configurations as the target configuration for LTM. Candidate cell configurations can only be added, modified, and released by the network via RRC signaling.

[0156] LTM candidate cells can be selected from candidate target cells. Messages and / or messages for each candidate target cell Configure it using IE.

[0157] The following principles can be applied to LTM:

[0158] Candidate cell configurations can be provided as incremental configurations on top of reference configurations. Reference configurations are managed separately, and the UE stores the reference configuration as a separate configuration.

[0159] - Continue the user plane whenever possible (e.g., within a distributed unit, DU) without resetting, where the goal is to avoid additional delays in data loss and data recovery.

[0160] - Security is not updated in LTM.

[0161] - Subsequent LTMs between candidates can be performed without RRC reconfiguration (i.e., the UE does not release other candidate cell configurations after triggering LTM).

[0162] LTM supports intra-gNB-DU and inter-gNB-DU mobility within and between gNB-CUs. LTM also supports inter-frequency mobility, including mobility to cells on frequencies other than the currently serving cell. It can support the following scenarios:

[0163] - PCell changes in non-CA scenarios

[0164] - In the CA scenario, there is no PCell change that alters the SCell.

[0165] - PCell changes with SCell changes in CA scenarios include the following cases:

[0166] a) The target PCell / target SCell is not the current serving cell (CA-to-CA scenario with PCell change).

[0167] b) The target PCell is the current SCell

[0168] c) The target SCell is the current PCell.

[0169] - Dual connectivity scenarios, at least for PSCell changes without MN involvement (i.e., within SN).

[0170] It also supports inter-cell beam management, but it is not considered a prerequisite for using LTM.

[0171] Designs for L1 / L2-based mobility within and between DUs should share commonalities as much as possible within a reasonable scope.

[0172] In some implementations, upon receiving a candidate cell configuration, a validity / compliance check of the candidate cell configuration is performed.

[0173] Cell handover triggering information is transmitted in a MAC CE that contains at least a candidate configuration index. Cell-specific radio bearer and measurement configurations can be part of the LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0174] In some implementations, the MAC CE can indicate the TCI state (or other beaming information) to be activated for the target cell.

[0175] In some implementations, SCell activation / deactivation can be performed simultaneously with LTM-triggered MAC CE (in the SCell associated with the candidate configuration).

[0176] The UE can perform either contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) during cell handover. If the UE does not need to acquire timing advance (TA) for the target cell during cell handover, it can also skip the random access procedure. RACH resources for CFRA are provided in the RRC configuration.

[0177] In some implementations, CFRA resources can be provided via MAC CE.

[0178] The entire process for LTM is as follows: Figure 11 As shown in the diagram, subsequent LTMs are completed by repeating the early synchronization, LTM execution, and LTM completion steps without releasing other candidates after each LTM completion.

[0179] Figure 11 An example of a signaling process for LTM according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0180] Reference Figure 11 In step S1101, the UE can send to the gNB information.

[0181] In step S1103, gNB can decide to use LTM and initiate LTM candidate preparation.

[0182] In step S1105, the gNB can send the configuration of one or more LTM candidate target cells to the UE. information.

[0183] In step S1107, the UE can store the configuration of the LTM candidate target cell and send it to the gNB. information.

[0184] In some implementations, the UE may optionally perform early synchronization (or DL / UL synchronization management) with the candidate cell. In this case, the UE may perform DL synchronization and / or UL synchronization (e.g., TA acquisition) with the candidate target cell before receiving the LTM cell handover command.

[0185] For example, DL synchronization for candidate cells can be performed at least based on SSB support prior to cell handover commands.

[0186] For example, RACH support based at least on PDCCH commands can be used to obtain the TA of a candidate cell before an LTM cell handover command, where the PDCCH command is triggered only by the source cell.

[0187] The UE may perform early synchronization before, after, or during step S1109.

[0188] In step S1109, the UE can perform L1 measurements on the configured LTM candidate target cells and send a lower-layer measurement report to the gNB. The lower-layer measurement report can be carried on L1 or MAC.

[0189] In step S1111, the gNB can decide to perform an LTM cell handover to the target cell.

[0190] In step S1113, the gNB can send a cell handover command MAC CE that triggers LTM cell handover by including the candidate configuration index of the target cell. The UE can then switch to the configuration of the LTM candidate target cell.

[0191] In step S1115, the UE can detach from the source cell and apply the target cell configuration. If the TA is unavailable, the UE can perform a random access procedure (or RACH procedure) toward the target cell.

[0192] In step S1117, the UE can indicate that the LTM cell handover to the target cell has been successfully completed.

[0193] In some implementations, uplink signals or messages after the UE has switched to the target cell can be used to indicate that the LTM cell handover has been successfully completed.

[0194] exist Figure 11In this context, when the RACH skip condition is met, the RACH process can be skipped (i.e., the UE can perform RACH-free mobility to the target cell). The RACH skip condition may include one or more of the following conditions:

[0195] - The target cell's TA information can be used for the UE and / or the target cell's TA is valid;

[0196] - The beam indication of the target cell can be used by the UE and / or when no beam fault is detected on the target cell; or

[0197] - An uplink (UL) license, used to send an uplink signal indicating successful completion of LTM cell handover, may be available to the UE.

[0198] When performing a random access procedure / RACH procedure: i) if the CFRA resource / dedicated RACH configuration is available to the UE, the UE may perform contention-free random access (CFRA); and ii) if the CFRA resource / dedicated RACH configuration is not available to the UE, the UE may perform contention-based random access (CBRA).

[0199] For CBRA, the UE can send a random access preamble to the RAN node in the uplink. The UE can send Message 1 (MSG1) including the random access preamble to the RAN node. The random access preamble can be associated with a Random Access-Radio Resource Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI). The random access preamble can be selected based on the selected RACH resource and sent through the time / frequency resource identified by the selected RACH resource.

[0200] For CFRA, the UE can send a dedicated random access preamble to the RAN node in the uplink. The UE can send MSG1, which includes the dedicated random access preamble, to the RAN node. The dedicated random access preamble can be associated with RA-RNTI. The dedicated random access preamble can be selected based on the CFRA resource / dedicated RACH configuration and sent through time / frequency resources identified by the CFRA resource / dedicated RACH configuration.

[0201] In this disclosure, subsequent mobility (e.g., subsequent CHO / CPC / CPA / LTM) is described. Subsequent mobility can refer to mobility performed after previous mobility without reconfiguration and / or reinitialization from the network. For example, when mobility is performed based on receiving multiple mobility configurations including configurations for mobility, subsequent mobility can be performed based on the configuration among the multiple mobility configurations that have already been received, without reconfiguration and / or reinitialization from the network (or, without receiving new configurations).

[0202] Furthermore, the UE can evaluate CPA / CPC conditions before CHO is completed, where the CPA / CPC configuration is included in the CHO configuration. For example, even if there are no rules for simultaneously evaluating both CHO and CPA / CPC conditions, some intelligent or high-performance UEs can perform CPA / CPC evaluations (e.g., evaluating CPA / CPC conditions) while evaluating CHO conditions. For fast processes and mobility robustness, it would be clearly beneficial for the UE to select a better PSCell based on the evaluation results of CPA / CPC conditions when performing CHO.

[0203] In some implementations, the UE can perform a conditional reconfiguration (i.e., CHO / CPC / CPA configuration) by removing all configurations after performing a CHO, CPC, and / or CPA. However, it is unhelpful for the UE not to maintain a list of candidate PSCells (and / or associated CPC / CPA configurations) that remain valid after the CHO is completed. Unlike the UE's autonomous removal of all CPC / CPA configurations after any mobility event, maintaining a valid list of candidate PSCells (and / or associated CPC / CPA configurations) can be beneficial for subsequent CPCs in terms of mobility robustness and / or signaling overhead.

[0204] However, when moving to a new PCell (e.g., network-triggered mobility or CHO), all configured candidate PSCells (and / or associated CPC / CPA configurations) may not be applicable to the new PCell. Therefore, a method is proposed that determines which candidate PSCells are applicable / valid upon completion of PCell mobility, such that only the applicable PSCell candidates are considered for subsequent PSCell mobility.

[0205] Therefore, this disclosure provides a method and apparatus for configuring PSCell candidates after PCell mobility.

[0206] In this disclosure, PCell mobility, MCG mobility, and MN mobility can be used interchangeably. Similarly, PSCell mobility, SCG mobility, and SN mobility can be used interchangeably.

[0207] Figure 12 An example of a method for configuring a PSCell candidate after PCell mobility, performed by a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0208] Reference Figure 12In step S1201, the communication device can receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more PCells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more PSCells. Each of the one or more PSCells can be associated with at least one PCell.

[0209] In step S1203, the communication device can perform conditional PCell mobility to the first PCell based on satisfying the execution conditions for the first PCell.

[0210] In step S1205, based on the association of at least one first PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one first PSCell to be valid for the first PCell. In step S1207, based on the unrelatedness of at least one second PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one second PSCell to be invalid for the first PCell. That is, after conditional PCell mobility to the first PCell, based on the association of at least one first PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one first PSCell to be valid for the first PCell, and based on the unrelatedness of at least one second PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one second PSCell to be invalid for the first PCell.

[0211] According to various implementation methods, steps S1205 and S1207 can be performed in reverse order or simultaneously.

[0212] According to various implementations, one or more PCells may include candidate PCells for conditional PCell mobility. One or more PSCells may include candidate PSCells for conditional PSCell mobility.

[0213] According to various implementations, each of the conditional reconfigurations for a corresponding PCell may include one or more execution conditions for the corresponding PCell and a configuration for the corresponding PCell. Each of the one or more conditional reconfigurations for a corresponding PSCell may include one or more execution conditions for the corresponding PSCell and a configuration for the corresponding PSCell.

[0214] According to various implementations, when conditional PCell mobility of the first PCell is executed, the communication device can apply the configuration of the first PCell, including the conditional reconfiguration of the first PCell, based on the fulfillment of the execution conditions for the first PCell.

[0215] According to various implementations, after conditional PCell mobility to the first PCell, the communication device can evaluate the execution conditions of at least one first PSCell valid for the first PCell. Based on the satisfaction of the execution conditions for the PSCell, the communication device can execute conditional PSCell mobility to the PSCell.

[0216] According to various implementations, when the first PCell is the serving PCell, the communication device can deactivate at least one conditional reconfiguration of at least one second PSCell that is invalid for the first PCell.

[0217] According to various implementations, when at least one conditional reconfiguration for at least one second PSCell is deactivated, at least one conditional reconfiguration for at least one second PSCell can be maintained (i.e., kept stored in the communication device), and the evaluation of the execution conditions for at least one second PSCell can be skipped.

[0218] According to various embodiments, after deactivating at least one conditional reconfiguration for at least one second PSCell, the communication device can perform conditional PCell mobility to the second PCell based on satisfying execution conditions for the second PCell. Based on the association of at least one second PSCell with the second PCell, the communication device can consider at least one second PSCell to be valid for the second PCell. The communication device can activate at least one conditional reconfiguration for the at least one second PSCell that is valid for the second PCell.

[0219] According to various implementations, when at least one conditional reconfiguration for at least one second PSCell is activated, the evaluation of the execution conditions for at least one second PSCell can be resumed.

[0220] According to various implementations, after the conditional PCell mobility to the first PCell, the communication device can remove at least one conditional reconfiguration of at least one second PSCell that is invalid for the first PCell.

[0221] According to various implementations, the communication device can receive association information from the network that notifies each of one or more PSCells of the association with at least one PCell.

[0222] According to various implementations, the association information may include at least one of the following: notifying at least one PSCell of first association information related to a PCell, or notifying at least one PCell of second association information related to a PSCell. The first association information for a PCell may include at least one of the following: conditional reconfiguration of a PCell, or configuration of a PCell included in a conditional reconfiguration of a PCell. The second association information for a PSCell may include at least one of the following: conditional reconfiguration of a PSCell, or configuration of a PSCell included in a conditional reconfiguration of a PSCell.

[0223] According to various implementations, the communication device can receive at least one PCell candidate configuration and at least one PSCell candidate configuration. Each PSCell candidate can be associated with a PSCell mobility candidate. The communication device can execute PCell mobility to one of the PCell mobility candidates. The communication device can determine a valid PSCell candidate for a new PCell based on the association between the configured PCell candidate and the configured PSCell candidate. The communication device can apply the determined valid PSCell candidate to the PSCell mobility. The communication device can retain determined invalid PSCell candidates. When in a new PCell, invalid PSCell candidates may not be applied to the PSCell mobility.

[0224] According to various embodiments, the communication device can receive a first conditional reconfiguration for PCell mobility and a second conditional reconfiguration for PSCell mobility. Each conditional reconfiguration may include one or more execution conditions and a corresponding cell configuration having a cell identifier. When at least one execution condition of the first conditional reconfiguration is met, the communication device can apply the first cell configuration included in the first conditional reconfiguration for PCell mobility. After successful PCell mobility, if the second conditional reconfiguration is not associated with a cell identifier corresponding to the first cell configuration, the communication device can remove all second conditional reconfigurations for PSCell mobility. When at least one execution condition of the second conditional reconfiguration is met, the communication device can apply the second cell configuration included in the second conditional reconfiguration for PSCell mobility. The second cell configuration included in the second conditional reconfiguration for PSCell mobility may be associated with a cell identifier corresponding to the first cell configuration.

[0225] Figure 13An example of a configuration process for disposing of PSCell candidates after PCell mobility, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0226] Reference Figure 13 In step S1301, the network node may send one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more PCells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more PSCells to the communication device. Each of the one or more PSCells may be associated with at least one PCell.

[0227] In step S1303, the communication device can perform conditional PCell mobility to the first PCell based on the fulfillment of execution conditions for the first PCell.

[0228] In step S1305, the network node can perform data transmission to the first primary cell.

[0229] In step S1307, based on the association of at least one first PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one first PSCell to be valid for the first PCell. In step S1309, based on the unrelatedness of at least one second PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one second PSCell to be invalid for the first PCell. That is, after conditional PCell mobility to the first PCell, based on the association of at least one first PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one first PSCell to be valid for the first PCell, and based on the unrelatedness of at least one second PSCell with the first PCell, the UE can consider at least one second PSCell to be invalid for the first PCell.

[0230] According to various implementation methods, steps S1307 and S1309 can be performed in reverse order or simultaneously.

[0231] The following section describes the detailed implementation of the configuration for handling PSCell candidates after PCell mobility.

[0232] Figure 14 An example of a method for configuring an invalid PSCell candidate after PCell mobility is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0233] Reference Figure 14In step S1401, the UE may receive one or more configurations for PCell mobility and one or more configurations for PSCell mobility. The configuration for PCell mobility may include the configuration of a PCell candidate (or candidate PCell) as a candidate target cell for PCell mobility, and the configuration for PSCell mobility may include the configuration of a PSCell candidate (or candidate PSCell) as a candidate target cell for PSCell mobility. That is, the UE may configure one or more PCell candidates and PSCell candidates.

[0234] According to various implementations, the configuration for PCell mobility can be a conditional reconfiguration for PCell mobility (e.g., CHO configuration) and / or a conditional reconfiguration for the corresponding PCell candidate. The configuration for PSCell mobility can be a conditional reconfiguration for PSCell mobility (e.g., CPC / CPA configuration) and / or a conditional reconfiguration for the corresponding PSCell candidate. Conditional reconfiguration may include one or more execution conditions for the corresponding candidate cell and / or the configuration of the corresponding candidate cell.

[0235] According to various implementation methods, each PSCell candidate can be associated with / correlated with one or more PCell candidates.

[0236] In step S1403, based on the association / relationship between each PSCell candidate and one or more PSCell candidates, the UE can determine the applicable / valid PSCell for each PCell candidate. For example, if a PSCell is associated / related to a PCell candidate, the UE can determine / consider that the PSCell is applicable to the PCell candidate / valid for the PCell candidate.

[0237] In step S1405, the UE may perform PCell mobility to one of the PCell candidates (i.e., to the first PCell).

[0238] For example, PCell mobility may include (MCG) CHO. The UE may execute a CHO to the first PCell based on the fulfillment of execution conditions for the first PCell.

[0239] For example, a UE can perform PCell mobility to a first PCell based on a handover (HO) command received from the network to the first PCell.

[0240] In step S1407, during PCell mobility to one of the PCell candidates (i.e., to the first PCell), the UE can determine the set of valid PSCell candidates and the set of invalid PSCell candidates. The UE can consider PSCell candidates related to / associated with the first PCell as valid, and consider PSCell candidates unrelated to / not associated with the first PCell as invalid. That is, the UE can determine the set of valid PSCell candidates associated with / associated with the first PCell, and consider other PSCell candidates not included in the set of valid PSCell candidates as invalid PSCell candidates.

[0241] In step S1409, the UE can maintain the configuration of valid PSCell candidates and / or the configuration of PSCell mobility associated with valid PSCell candidates. Furthermore, for future SN mobility (i.e., including PSCell changes / additions for CPC / CPA), the UE can deactivate invalid PSCell candidates and / or the configuration of PSCell mobility associated with invalid PSCell candidates. That is, the UE can maintain the configuration of invalid PSCell candidates and / or the configuration of PSCell mobility associated with invalid PSCell candidates for future SN mobility, but the UE does not evaluate the execution conditions for invalid PSCell candidates for PSCell mobility / SN mobility. However, when invalid PSCell candidates become valid, the execution conditions for those PSCell candidates can be evaluated for future SN mobility. For example, in subsequent PCell mobility to a new PCell candidate (i.e., to a second PCell), based on the association with the second PCell (i.e., when one or more invalid PSCell candidates are associated with / related to the second PCell), one or more invalid PSCell candidates can become valid PSCell candidates for future SN mobility.

[0242] In step S1411, if PCell mobility / MN mobility is successfully completed, the UE can begin evaluating PSCell mobility / SN mobility based on the maintained candidate PSCell (or valid candidate PSCell). That is, the UE can begin evaluating the execution conditions for the maintained candidate PSCell (or valid candidate PSCell) for PSCell mobility / SN mobility.

[0243] In step S1413, during the evaluation period, if at least one execution condition for performing PSCell mobility / SN mobility is met for the candidate PSCell, the UE can perform / initiate PSCell mobility / SN mobility to the candidate PSCell to operate dual connectivity with the new PCell (i.e., the first PCell).

[0244] Figure 15 An example of a configuration for removing invalid PSCell candidates after PCell mobility, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0245] Reference Figure 15 In step S1501, the UE may receive one or more configurations for PCell mobility and one or more configurations for PSCell mobility. The configuration for PCell mobility may include the configuration of a PCell candidate (or candidate PCell) as a candidate target cell for PCell mobility, and the configuration for PSCell mobility may include the configuration of a PSCell candidate (or candidate PSCell) as a candidate target cell for PSCell mobility. That is, the UE may configure one or more PCell candidates and PSCell candidates.

[0246] According to various implementations, the configuration for PCell mobility can be a conditional reconfiguration for PCell mobility (e.g., CHO configuration) and / or a conditional reconfiguration for the corresponding PCell candidate. The configuration for PSCell mobility can be a conditional reconfiguration for PSCell mobility (e.g., CPC / CPA configuration) and / or a conditional reconfiguration for the corresponding PSCell candidate. Conditional reconfiguration may include one or more execution conditions for the corresponding candidate cell and / or the configuration of the corresponding candidate cell.

[0247] According to various implementation methods, each PSCell candidate can be associated with / correlated with one or more PCell candidates.

[0248] In step S1503, based on the association / relationship between each PSCell candidate and one or more PSCell candidates, the UE can determine the applicable / valid PSCell for each PCell candidate. For example, if a PSCell is associated / related to a PCell candidate, the UE can determine / consider that the PSCell is applicable to the PCell candidate / valid for the PCell candidate.

[0249] In step S1505, the UE may perform PCell mobility to one of the PCell candidates (i.e., to the first PCell).

[0250] For example, PCell mobility may include (MCG) CHO. The UE may execute a CHO to the first PCell based on the fulfillment of execution conditions for the first PCell.

[0251] For example, a UE can perform PCell mobility to a first PCell based on a handover (HO) command received from the network to the first PCell.

[0252] In step S1507, during PCell mobility to one of the PCell candidates (i.e., to the first PCell), the UE can determine the set of valid PSCell candidates and the set of invalid PSCell candidates. The UE can consider PSCell candidates related to / associated with the first PCell as valid, and consider PSCell candidates unrelated to / not associated with the first PCell as invalid. That is, the UE can determine the set of valid PSCell candidates associated with / associated with the first PCell, and consider other PSCell candidates not included in the set of valid PSCell candidates as invalid PSCell candidates.

[0253] In step S1509, the UE can maintain valid PSCell candidates and / or the configuration associated with valid PSCell candidates for PSCell mobility, while the UE can remove / discard invalid PSCell candidates and / or the configuration associated with invalid PSCell candidates for PSCell mobility in the event of future / subsequent SN mobility (i.e., including PSCell changes / additions for CPC / CPA). For example, after successfully completing PCell mobility / MN mobility, the UE can remove / discard invalid PSCell candidates and / or the configuration associated with invalid PSCell candidates for PSCell mobility.

[0254] In step S1511, if PCell mobility / MN mobility is successfully completed, the UE can begin evaluating PSCell mobility / SN mobility based on the maintained candidate PSCell (or valid candidate PSCell). That is, the UE can begin evaluating the execution conditions for the maintained candidate PSCell (or valid candidate PSCell) for PSCell mobility / SN mobility.

[0255] In step S1513, during the evaluation period, if at least one execution condition for performing PSCell mobility / SN mobility is met for the candidate PSCell, the UE can perform / initiate PSCell mobility / SN mobility to the candidate PSCell to operate dual connectivity with the new PCell (i.e., the first PCell).

[0256] According to various implementations of the configuration for handling PSCell candidates after PCell mobility (e.g., configuration for maintaining / removing invalid PSCell candidates), the UE can receive When a message is sent or when performing a conditional reconfiguration (such as a CHO, CPA, or CPC), the following actions are performed:

[0257] 1> If Including MCG or SCG In the meantime, when the MAC of the NR cell group successfully completes the random access procedure triggered above (i.e., if the PCell mobility / MN mobility to the first PCell is successfully completed).

[0258] 2> If Included in MCG Middle; or

[0259] 2> If Included in SCG If CPA or CPC is configured, then:

[0260] 3> Remove MCG All entries within (if any);

[0261] 3> Targeting SCG Each entry within (i.e., each conditional reconfiguration for each PSCell):

[0262] 4> If the entry can be suitable for inclusion in the MCG In (That is, if PSCell is associated with the first PCell), then:

[0263] 5> Treat this entry as targeting SCG A valid configuration (i.e., a conditional reconfiguration for PSCell is considered valid).

[0264] 4> Otherwise:

[0265] 5> In SCG Remove the entry (i.e., remove the conditional reconfiguration for PSCell).

[0266] Furthermore, in this disclosure (for example, Figure 12 The method described from the perspective of a communication device (in Chinese) can be derived from... Figure 2 The first wireless device 100 and / or shown Figure 3 The UE 100 shown is used to execute this.

[0267] More specifically, the communication device includes at least one transceiver, at least one processor, and at least one computer memory operatively connectable to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor.

[0268] The operation includes: receiving one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary and secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; performing conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell based on satisfying execution conditions for the first primary cell; and after conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: considering at least one first primary and secondary cell to be valid for the first primary cell based on the association of at least one first primary and secondary cell with the first primary cell; and considering at least one second primary and secondary cell to be invalid for the first primary cell based on the fact that at least one second primary and secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell.

[0269] Furthermore, in this disclosure (e.g., in Figure 12 The method described from the perspective of a communication device (in Chinese) can be stored in... Figure 2 The software code 105 in the memory 104 included in the first wireless device 100 shown is executed.

[0270] More specifically, at least one computer-readable medium (CRM) stores instructions that perform operations based on execution by at least one processor, the operations including: receiving one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary and secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; performing conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell based on satisfying execution conditions for the first primary cell; and after conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: considering at least one first primary and secondary cell to be valid for the first primary cell based on the association of at least one first primary and secondary cell with the first primary cell; and considering at least one second primary and secondary cell to be invalid for the first primary cell based on the fact that at least one second primary and secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell.

[0271] Furthermore, in this disclosure (e.g., in Figure 12 The method described from the perspective of a communication device (in Chinese) can be used... Figure 2 The processor 102 included in the first wireless device 100 shown controls and / or transmits data through... Figure 3 The processor 102 included in the UE 100 shown is used for execution.

[0272] More specifically, a device (e.g., a communication apparatus / UE) configured / suited for operation in a wireless communication system includes at least one processor and at least one computer memory operatively connectable to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured / suited to perform operations including: receiving one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; performing conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell based on satisfying execution conditions for the first primary cell; and after conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: considering at least one first secondary cell to be valid for the first primary cell based on the association of at least one first secondary cell with the first primary cell; and considering at least one second secondary cell to be invalid for the first primary cell based on the absence of at least one second secondary cell with the first primary cell.

[0273] Furthermore, in this disclosure (for example, Figure 13 The method described from the perspective of network nodes (in Chinese) can be derived from... Figure 2 The second wireless device 200 shown in the diagram performs this function. The network node can be associated with the serving cell.

[0274] More specifically, the network node includes at least one transceiver, at least one processor, and at least one computer memory operatively connectable to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor.

[0275] The operation includes: sending one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more secondary cells to a communication device, wherein each of the one or more secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; and performing conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell based on satisfying execution conditions for the first primary cell, performing data transmission to the first primary cell, wherein after conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell, the communication device is configured to: consider at least one primary secondary cell to be valid for the first primary cell based on at least one primary secondary cell being associated with the first primary cell; and consider at least one secondary primary cell to be invalid for the first primary cell based on at least one secondary primary cell being unrelated to the first primary cell.

[0276] This disclosure can have various beneficial effects.

[0277] For example, the User Equipment (UE) can distinguish which candidate primary / secondary cell (PSCell) is valid after a Conditional Handover (CHO) is completed, and the UE can retain the valid candidate PSCell for the next Conditional PSCell Change (CPC) after the CHO. Therefore, mobility robustness in secondary node (SN) mobility can be improved.

[0278] The beneficial effects that can be obtained through specific embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those listed above. For example, there may be various technical effects that can be understood and / or derived from this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the specific effects of this disclosure are not limited to those explicitly described herein, but may include various effects that can be understood or derived from the technical features of this disclosure.

[0279] The claims in this disclosure can be combined in various ways. For example, the technical features in the method claims of this disclosure can be combined to implement or perform in a device, and the technical features in the device claims can be combined to implement or perform in a method. Furthermore, the technical features in the method claims and device claims can be combined to implement or perform in a device. Other implementations are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a communication device suitable for operation in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the following steps: Receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary and secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; Based on satisfying the execution conditions for the first primary cell, conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell is executed; and After the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: Based on the fact that at least one primary and secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one primary and secondary cell is effective for the first primary cell; and Since at least one second primary / secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary / secondary cell is invalid for the first primary cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more primary cells include candidate primary cells for conditional primary cell mobility, and The one or more primary and secondary cells include candidate primary and secondary cells for conditional primary and secondary cell mobility.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the conditional reconfigurations for a corresponding primary cell includes one or more execution conditions for the corresponding primary cell and the configuration of the corresponding primary cell, and Each of the one or more conditional reconfigurations for the corresponding primary and secondary cells includes one or more execution conditions for the corresponding primary and secondary cells and the configuration of the corresponding primary and secondary cells.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of executing the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell includes: applying the configuration of the first primary cell included in the conditional reconfiguration for the first primary cell based on satisfying the execution conditions for the first primary cell.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of, after achieving conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: The execution conditions of the at least one first primary and secondary cell that are valid for the first primary cell are evaluated; as well as Based on the fulfillment of the execution conditions for the primary and secondary cells, conditional primary and secondary cell mobility is executed to the primary and secondary cells.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: When the first primary cell is the serving primary cell, at least one conditional reconfiguration of the at least one second primary / secondary cell that is invalid for the first primary cell will be deactivated.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, When the at least one conditional reconfiguration for the at least one second primary / secondary cell is deactivated: Maintain the at least one conditional reconfiguration for the at least one second primary / secondary cell; and Skip the evaluation of the execution conditions for the at least one second primary and secondary cell.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of, after deactivating the at least one conditional reconfiguration for the at least one second primary / secondary cell: Based on meeting the execution conditions for the second primary cell, conditional primary cell mobility is executed to the second primary cell; Based on the fact that the at least one second primary and secondary cell is related to the second primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary and secondary cell is effective for the second primary cell; Activate the at least one conditional reconfiguration of the at least one second primary / secondary cell that is effective for the second primary cell.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, When the at least one conditional reconfiguration for the at least one second primary / secondary cell is activated, the evaluation of the execution conditions for the at least one second primary / secondary cell is resumed.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following step: After the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell, remove at least one conditional reconfiguration of the at least one second primary / secondary cell that is invalid for the first primary cell.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following step: The network receives association information about the association between each of the one or more primary and secondary cells and the at least one primary cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The association information includes at least one of the following: notifying at least one primary and secondary cell of first association information related to the primary cell, or notifying at least one primary and secondary cell of second association information related to the primary and secondary cells. Wherein, the first association information for the primary cell includes at least one of the following: a conditional reconfiguration of the primary cell, or the configuration of the primary cell included in the conditional reconfiguration of the primary cell; and The second association information for the primary and secondary cells includes at least one of the following: conditional reconfiguration of the primary and secondary cells, or configuration of the primary and secondary cells included in the conditional reconfiguration of the primary and secondary cells.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The communication device communicates with at least one of a user equipment (UE), a mobile device, a network, or an autonomous vehicle.

14. A user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: At least one transceiver; At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor, the operations including: Receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary and secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; Based on satisfying the execution conditions for the first primary cell, conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell is executed; and After the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: Based on the fact that at least one primary and secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one primary and secondary cell is effective for the first primary cell; and Since at least one second primary / secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary / secondary cell is invalid for the first primary cell.

15. The UE according to claim 14, wherein, The UE is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 2 to 13.

16. A network node configured to operate in a wireless communication system, the network node comprising: At least one transceiver; At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor, the operations including: Sending a message to a communication device to receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; and After fulfilling the conditional primary cell mobility requirement for the first primary cell, data transmission to the first primary cell is then performed. Wherein, after the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell, the communication device is configured to: Based on the fact that at least one primary and secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one primary and secondary cell is effective for the first primary cell; and Since at least one second primary / secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary / secondary cell is invalid for the first primary cell.

17. A method performed by a network node configured to operate in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps of: Sending a message to a communication device to receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; and After fulfilling the conditional primary cell mobility requirement for the first primary cell, data transmission to the first primary cell is then performed. Wherein, after the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell, the communication device is configured to: Based on the fact that at least one primary and secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one primary and secondary cell is effective for the first primary cell; and Since at least one second primary / secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary / secondary cell is invalid for the first primary cell.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The UE is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

19. An apparatus suitable for operation in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, operatively coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations based on execution by the at least one processor, the operations including: Receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary and secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; Based on satisfying the execution conditions for the first primary cell, conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell is executed; and After the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: Based on the fact that at least one primary and secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one primary and secondary cell is effective for the first primary cell; and Since at least one second primary / secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary / secondary cell is invalid for the first primary cell.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (CRM) storing program code implementing instructions that perform operations based on execution by at least one processor, the operations including: Receive one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary cells and one or more conditional reconfigurations for one or more primary and secondary cells, wherein each of the one or more primary and secondary cells is associated with at least one primary cell; Based on satisfying the execution conditions for the first primary cell, conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell is executed; and After the conditional primary cell mobility to the first primary cell: Based on the fact that at least one primary and secondary cell is associated with the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one primary and secondary cell is effective for the first primary cell; and Since at least one second primary / secondary cell is unrelated to the first primary cell, it is considered that the at least one second primary / secondary cell is invalid for the first primary cell.

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