Transmission configuration indicator association with candidate cell synchronization signal blocks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A user equipment (UE) may be configured to receive, via a serving cell, an indication of a transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state for communicating with a candidate cell, where the TCI state is associated with a quasi-co-location (QCL) source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with reference signals of the candidate cell. The UE may receive, via a serving cell, first control information indicating an association between a TCI state and a first resource for receiving a synchronization signal block (SSB) from a candidate cell. The UE may then communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell using a spatial resource, wherein the spatial resource is based at least in part on an association between the first resource and the TCI state.

Description

Cross-referencing

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of international application PCT / CN2023 / 107421, filed July 14, 2023, entitled “TRANSMISSIONCONFIGURATION INDICATOR ASSOCIATION WITH CANDIDATE CELL SYNCHRONIZATIONSIGNAL BLOCKS”, which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The following relates to wireless communications, including techniques for associating a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) with a Candidate Cell Synchronization Signal Block (SSB). Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, broadcasting, and so on. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems (which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems). These systems may employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include one or more base stations, each supporting wireless communication of communication devices, which may be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

[0004] When a wireless device (such as a UE) moves within a wireless network, it may hand over between serving cells. The UE may be configured to perform measurements of reference signals from other cells to identify candidate cells for the cell handover / handover process. When moving from a first cell (e.g., the current, source cell) to a second cell (e.g., the target, candidate cell), the first cell may indicate a Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) state for the UE to use in communicating with the second cell. Additionally, the first cell may indicate a reference signal (e.g., a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)) that serves as a quasi-co-location (QCL) source for communication performed using the indicated TCI state. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, apparatuses, and devices for supporting the association of a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) with a Candidate Cell Synchronization Signal Block (SSB). Generally, aspects of this disclosure relate to techniques that enable an SSB to be used as a quasi-co-located (QCL) source for a TCI state. Specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to signaling and configuration that enable a User Equipment (UE) to derive the QCL attributes of a TCI state from an SSB even when the TCI state specifies a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) as its QCL source. For example, when evaluating a handover from a first cell to a second cell, the UE may receive an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the second cell, wherein the TCI state indicates that the CSI-RS is the QCL source for that TCI state. In this example, aspects of this disclosure may provide some kind of "link" between the TCI state and / or the CSI-RS and the SSB, allowing the UE to use the linked SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state. For example, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message may indicate a list of TCI states having corresponding CSI-RS and SSBs for each respective TCI state. Thus, the UE can use some link information to derive the applicable SSB of the second cell, where the identified SSB is used as the QCL source for the active TCI state. After handover from the first cell to the second cell, the UE can determine when to revert to using the applicable CSI-RS as the QCL source, for example, based on explicit signaling from the network or based on the expiration of a timer.

[0006] A method performed by a UE is described. The method may include: receiving, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; receiving, via the serving cell, first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0007] A UE is described. The UE may include at least one processor, at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor (e.g., operative ground, communicative ground, functional ground, electronic ground, or electrical ground), and instructions stored in the at least one memory. These instructions may be executed by the at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after preprocessing, or without preprocessing) to cause the UE to: receive, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; receive, via the serving cell, first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell; and use the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0008] Another UE is described. The method may include: means for receiving, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; means for receiving, via the serving cell, first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell; and means for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0009] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; receive, via the serving cell, first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell; and use the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0010] In some examples of the methods, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more messages may be conveyed based on first control information, according to the TCI state, and using the SSB as the QCL source of the TCI state.

[0011] In some examples of the methods, UEs, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more messages may be communicated based on first control information using spatial resources that can be quasi-co-located with a first resource for receiving an SSB from a candidate cell.

[0012] The methods described herein, examples of UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving an RRC message indicating an association between a TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB, wherein the TCI state may be one of a set of TCI states included in the RRC message, each of which has a corresponding set of resources for receiving one or more SSBs.

[0013] The methods described herein, examples of UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving an RRC message indicating an additional association between a reference signal and an SSB, wherein first control information may be received via the RRC message, and wherein the association between a first resource and a TCI state may be based on the additional association between the reference signal and the SSB.

[0014] In some examples of the methods described herein, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media, the first resource for receiving an SSB includes downlink frequency resources, SSB subcarrier spacing (SCS), physical cell identifier (PCID), SSB index, or any combination thereof.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, first control information may be received via an RRC message, and the RRC message may also indicate the TCI type associated with the TCI state for candidate cells.

[0016] The methods described herein, UEs, and some examples of non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving a cell handover command instructing the UE to switch from a serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes first control information.

[0017] In the methods described herein, and in some examples of UEs and non-transitory computer-readable media, cell handover commands include Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) messages.

[0018] In some examples of the methods described herein, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media, cell handover commands also include activation of the TCI state for candidate cells.

[0019] The methods described herein, examples of UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: receiving second control information that may indicate a TCI state and a downlink control channel command associated with a set of random access opportunities, wherein the set of random access opportunities corresponds to a set of SSBs including an SSB; based on receiving the second control information, transmitting a first random access message via a random access opportunity in the set of random access opportunities, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to an SSB; and in response to the first random access message, receiving a second random access message, wherein the second random access message includes the first control information that may indicate an association between a TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB.

[0020] The methods described herein, examples of UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: receiving second control information indicating a set of timing advance (TA) values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the resource set includes a first resource; and receiving a cell handover command including an indication of a TCI state and an indication of a TA value from the set of TA values, wherein the first control information may be based on the indicated TA value, which corresponds to the first resource for receiving an SSB indicated via the second control information.

[0021] The methods described herein, UEs, and some examples of non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of channel state information configuration for a reference signal for a candidate cell, wherein the first resource includes a root QCL source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal may be a CSI-RS.

[0022] The methods described herein, examples of UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: receiving a control message via a candidate cell that indicates a reference signal for that candidate cell; and, based on the received control message, using the reference signal as a QCL source to communicate one or more additional messages to the candidate cell.

[0023] The methods described herein, examples of UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: receiving a cell handover command via the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages may be communicated using the SSB as a QCL source for the TCI state based on first control information and the cell handover command; identifying the expiration of a timer based on the receipt of the cell handover command; and communicating one or more additional messages to the candidate cell using a reference signal as a QCL source based on the identified expiration of the timer.

[0024] The methods described herein, some examples of UEs and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components or instructions for receiving an indication of a timer via a serving cell, a candidate cell or both, wherein identifying the expiration of the timer may be based on receiving an indication of the timer.

[0025] In some examples of the methods described herein, the UE, and the non-transitory computer-readable medium, indications of the TCI state and first control information can be received via the same control messages.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, UEs, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, the QCL source indicates that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell can be quasi-co-located with the channel state information reference signal of the candidate cell.

[0027] A method performed by a UE is described. The method may include: receiving, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0028] A UE for wireless communication is described. The UE may include at least one processor, at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor (e.g., operative ground, communicative ground, functional ground, electronic ground, or electrical ground), and instructions stored in the at least one memory. These instructions may be executed by the at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after preprocessing, or without preprocessing) to cause the UE to: receive, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and use the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0029] Another UE is described. This UE may include: components for receiving, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and components for using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0030] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive, via a serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communication with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communication with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and use the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0031] The methods described herein, UEs, and some examples of non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving a cell handover command from a serving cell instructing the UE to hand over to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages may be conveyed based on the receipt of the cell handover command.

[0032] In some examples of the methods described herein, the UE, and non-transitory computer-readable media, indications of the TCI status can be received via cell handover commands.

[0033] The methods described herein, some examples of UEs and non-transitory computer-readable media may also include operations, features, components or instructions for receiving an RRC message indicating an association between a set of TCI states and a set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the set of TCI states includes the indicated TCI states, and wherein the set of resources includes a first resource associated with the SSB, wherein receiving an indication of the TCI states may be based on receiving an RRC message.

[0034] A method for wireless communication by a network entity is described. The method may include: transmitting to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell; and conveying one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using the spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0035] A network entity for wireless communication is described. The network entity may include at least one processor, at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, or electrical ground), and instructions stored in the at least one memory. These instructions may be executed by the at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after preprocessing, or without preprocessing) to cause the network entity to: transmit to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; transmit first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell; and communicate one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using the spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0036] Another network entity for wireless communication is described. This network entity may include: components for transmitting to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; components for transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell; and components for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0037] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: transmit to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; transmit first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell; and communicate one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using the spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0038] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more messages can be conveyed based on first control information, according to the TCI state, and using the SSB as the QCL source of the TCI state.

[0039] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more messages may be communicated based on first control information, using spatial resources that can be quasi-co-located with a first resource for transmitting SSBs from candidate cells.

[0040] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending an RRC message indicating an association between a TCI state and a first resource for sending an SSB, wherein the TCI state may be one of a set of TCI states included in the RRC message, each of which has a corresponding set of resources for sending one or more SSBs.

[0041] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving an RRC message indicating an additional association between a reference signal and an SSB, wherein first control information may be transmitted via the RRC message, and wherein the association between a first resource and a TCI state may be based on the additional association between the reference signal and the SSB.

[0042] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, the first resource used to send an SSB includes downlink frequency resources, SSB SCS, PCID, SSB index, or any combination thereof.

[0043] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, first control information may be sent via an RRC message, and the RRC message may also indicate the TCI type associated with the TCI state for candidate cells.

[0044] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting a cell handover command instructing a UE to switch from a serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes first control information.

[0045] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, cell handover commands include MAC-CE messages.

[0046] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, cell handover commands also include activation of the TCI state for candidate cells.

[0047] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: transmitting second control information that may indicate a TCI state and a downlink control channel command associated with a set of random access opportunities, wherein the set of random access opportunities corresponds to a set of SSBs including an SSB; receiving a first random access message via a random access opportunity in the set of random access opportunities based on transmitting the second control information, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to an SSB; and transmitting a second random access message in response to the first random access message, wherein the second random access message includes the first control information that may indicate an association between a TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB.

[0048] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: transmitting second control information indicating a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for transmitting an SSB, wherein the resource set includes a first resource; and transmitting a cell handover command including an indication of a TCI state and an indication of TA values ​​from the set of TA values, wherein the first control information may be based on the indicated TA value, which corresponds to a first resource for transmitting an SSB indicated via the second control information.

[0049] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting, via the serving cell, an indication of channel state information configuration for a reference signal for a candidate cell, wherein the first resource includes a root QCL source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal may be a CSI-RS.

[0050] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, one or more messages may be communicated using the SSB as a QCL source for the TCI state based on first control information, and the methods, apparatus, and nontransitory computer-readable media may include further operations, features, components, or instructions for: transmitting control messages indicating reference signals of candidate cells via candidate cells, and communicating one or more additional messages via candidate cells using the reference signals as a QCL source based on the transmission control messages.

[0051] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: transmitting a cell handover command via the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages may be conveyed using the SSB as a QCL source for the TCI state based on first control information and the cell handover command; identifying the expiration of a timer based on receiving the cell handover command; and conveying one or more additional messages to the UE using a reference signal as a QCL source based on identifying the expiration of the timer.

[0052] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting an indication to a timer via a serving cell, a candidate cell, or both, wherein identifying the expiration of the timer may be based on transmitting an indication to the timer.

[0053] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, indications of the TCI status and first control information can be sent via the same control messages.

[0054] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, the QCL source indicates that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell can be quasi-co-located with the channel state information reference signal of the candidate cell.

[0055] A method for wireless communication by a network entity is described. The method may include: sending an indication to a UE via a serving cell of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the SSB.

[0056] A network entity for wireless communication is described. The network entity may include at least one processor, at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, or electrical ground), and instructions stored in the at least one memory. These instructions may be executed by the at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after preprocessing, or without preprocessing) to cause the network entity to: transmit to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and use the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the SSB.

[0057] Another network entity for wireless communication is described. This network entity may include: components for transmitting to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and components for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the SSB.

[0058] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to: send to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB; and use the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the SSB.

[0059] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting a cell handover command from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages may be conveyed based on transmitting the cell handover command.

[0060] In some examples of the methods, network entities, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, indications of TCI status can be sent via cell handover commands.

[0061] Some examples of the methods, network entities, and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for: sending an RRC message indicating an association between a set of TCI states and a set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the set of TCI states includes the indicated TCI states, and wherein the set of resources includes a first resource associated with the SSB, wherein sending an indication of the TCI states may be based on sending an RRC message. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports a technique for associating a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) with a Candidate Cell Synchronization Signal Block (SSB).

[0063] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports a technique for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB.

[0064] Figure 3 An example timeline of a cell handover process according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports a technology for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB.

[0065] Figure 4 An example of a process flow according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports a technique for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB.

[0066] Figure 5 An example of a process flow according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports a technique for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB.

[0067] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Block diagrams of devices according to one or more aspects of this disclosure are shown, which support technologies for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs.

[0068] Figure 8 A block diagram of a communication manager according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs.

[0069] Figure 9 A diagram of a system according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, the system including equipment supporting technology for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs.

[0070] Figure 10 and Figure 11 Block diagrams of devices according to one or more aspects of this disclosure are shown, which support technologies for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs.

[0071] Figure 12 A block diagram of a communication manager according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs.

[0072] Figure 13 A diagram of a system according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, the system including equipment supporting technology for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs.

[0073] Figures 14 to 17 Flowcharts illustrating methods according to one or more aspects of this disclosure are shown, which support techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Detailed Implementation

[0074] When radio devices (such as user equipment (UE)) move within a radio network, they may hand over between serving cells. The UE may be configured to perform measurements of reference signals (e.g., Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)) from other cells to identify candidate cells for cell handover / handover procedures. When moving from a first cell (e.g., the current, source cell) to a second cell (e.g., the target, candidate cell), the first cell may indicate a Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) state for the UE to use for communication with the second cell. Additionally, the first cell may indicate a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) source for communication performed using the indicated TCI state. That is, the UE may be configured with a CSI-RS configuration for CSI-RS resources, which is used to determine the QCL attributes of the TCI state.

[0075] However, in some cases, the first cell may only provide SSB configuration for the SSB communicated by the candidate cell, and the UE may not receive and / or process the CSI-RS configuration for the candidate cell until the UE has performed a handover from the first cell to the second cell. That is, even if the active TCI state indicates that the CSI-RS is the QCL source, the UE may not receive / process the CSI-RS configuration for the CSI-RS as the QCL source until the UE has fully handed over to the second cell. Thus, without CSI-RS configuration, the UE may not be able to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state, which are used to receive signals from the second cell to evaluate the handover to the second cell.

[0076] Accordingly, aspects of this disclosure relate to techniques that enable the SSB to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state. Specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to signaling and configuration that enable the UE to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state from the SSB even when the CSI-RS is specified as its QCL source in the TCI state.

[0077] For example, when assessing a handover from a first cell to a second cell, the UE may receive an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the second cell, where the TCI state indicates that the CSI-RS is the QCL source for that TCI state. In this example, aspects of this disclosure may provide some kind of "link" between the TCI state and / or the CSI-RS and the SSB, allowing the UE to use the linked SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state. For example, an RRC message may indicate a list of TCI states with corresponding CSI-RS and SSBs for each respective TCI state. Thus, the UE can use some linking information to derive the applicable SSBs for the second cell, where the identified SSBs are used as the QCL source for the active TCI state. After the handover from the first cell to the second cell, the UE may determine when to revert to using the applicable CSI-RS as the QCL source, such as based on explicit signaling from the network and / or based on the expiration of a timer.

[0078] In additional or alternative implementations, the TCI state activated by the network can directly indicate that the SSB will be used as the QCL source. That is, instead of the TCI state pointing to the CSI-RS as the QCL source, the network can alternatively configure the TCI state to directly point to the SSB as the QCL source of the TCI state.

[0079] The various aspects of this disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. Additional aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of an example cell handover process and an example process flow. The various aspects of this disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts relating to the technology used to associate with the TCI of a candidate cell SSB.

[0080] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating under other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0081] Network entity 105 may be distributed across a geographical area to form wireless communication system 100, and may include devices employing different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, mobility element, radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, etc. In some examples, network entity 105 and UE 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., radio frequency (RF) access links). For example, network entity 105 may support coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographical coverage area) within which UE 115 and network entity 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographical area within which network entity 105 and UE 115 may support the transmission of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs).

[0082] UE 115 can be distributed throughout the coverage area 110 of wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile, or stationary and mobile at different times. UE 115 can be devices in different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1 Some example UE 115s are illustrated herein. The UE 115 described herein can be able to support various types of devices (such as, e.g., ...). Figure 1 It communicates with other UEs (115 or network entity 105) as shown.

[0083] As described herein, nodes of the wireless communication system 100 (which may be referred to as network nodes or wireless nodes) may be network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein), UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein), network controller, apparatus, device, computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be UE 115. Alternatively, a node may be network entity 105. Furthermore, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second or third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be UE 115, the second node may be network entity 105, and the third node may be UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be UE 115, the second node may be network entity 105, and the third node may be network entity 105. In other aspects of this example, the first node, the second node, and the third node may be different from these examples. Similarly, references to UE 115, network entity 105, device, equipment, computing system, etc., may include disclosures of UE 115, network entity 105, device, equipment, computing system, etc., as nodes. For example, a disclosure that UE 115 is configured to receive information from network entity 105 also discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.

[0084] In some examples, network entity 105 may communicate with core network 130, communicate with each other, or both. For example, network entity 105 may communicate with core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., according to S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocols). In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via core network 130) via backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., according to X2, Xn, or other interface protocols). In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with each other via midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., according to midhaul interface protocol) or fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., according to fronthaul interface protocol) or any combination thereof. Backhaul communication link 120, midhaul communication link 162, or fronthaul communication link 168 may be or include one or more wired links (e.g., electrical links, fiber optic links), one or more wireless links (e.g., radio links, wireless optical links), etc., or various combinations thereof. UE 115 can communicate with core network 130 via communication link 155.

[0085] One or more network entities in network entity 105 described herein may include or be referred to as base station 140 (e.g., transceiver base station, radio base station, NR base station, access point, radio transceiver, node B, eNodeB (eNB), next-generation node B or gigabit node B (any of which may be referred to as gNB), 5G NB, next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), home node B, home evolution node B, or other suitable terms). In some examples, network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture that may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node, such as base station 140).

[0086] In some examples, network entity 105 may be implemented in a decomposed architecture (e.g., a decomposed base station architecture, a decomposed RAN architecture) that can be configured to utilize protocol stacks physically or logically distributed across two or more network entities 105, such as an Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) network, an Open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a Virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a Cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, network entity 105 may include one or more of the following: a Central Unit (CU) 160, a Distributed Unit (DU) 165, a Radio Unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a near-real-time RIC, a non-real-time RIC), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. 170 may also be referred to as a radio headend, intelligent radio headend, remote radio headend (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmit / receive point (TRP). One or more components of network entity 105 in a decomposed RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of network entity 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some examples, one or more network entities 105 in a decomposed RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CU (VCU), virtual DU (VDU), virtual RU (VRU)).

[0087] The functional splitting among CU 160, DU 165, and RU 170 is flexible and can support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, and any combination thereof) are performed at CU 160, DU 165, or RU 170. For example, a protocol stack functional splitting can be used between CU 160 and DU 165, allowing CU 160 to support one or more layers of the protocol stack, and DU 165 to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, CU 160 can host higher protocol layer (e.g., Layer 3 (L3), Layer 2 (L2)) functionalities and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). CU 160 can connect to one or more DU 165 or RU 170, and one or more DU 165 or RU 170 can host lower protocol layers, such as Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., Physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and each can be at least partially controlled by CU 160. Additionally or alternatively, a protocol stack functional split can be employed between DU 165 and RU 170, such that DU 165 can support one or more layers of the protocol stack, and RU 170 can support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. DU 165 can support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RU 170). In some cases, functional decomposition between CU 160 and DU 165, or between DU 165 and RU 170, can be performed within the protocol layer (e.g., some functions of the protocol layer can be performed by one of CU 160, DU 165, or RU 170, while other functions of the protocol layer can be performed by different of CU 160, DU 165, or RU 170). CU 160 can be further functionally decomposed into CU control plane (CU-CP) functions and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. CU 160 can be connected to one or more DU 165 via midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u), and DU 165 can be connected to one or more RU 170 via fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface). In some examples, the midhaul communication link 162 or the fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented based on the interfaces (e.g., channels) between the layers of the protocol stack, which are supported by the corresponding network entities 105 communicating via such communication links.

[0088] In a wireless communication system (e.g., wireless communication system 100), the infrastructure and spectrum resources for radio access can support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, thereby providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to core network 130). In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB node 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as donor entities or IAB donors. One or more DU 165s or one or more RU 170s may be partially controlled by one or more CU 160s associated with donor network entity 105 (e.g., donor base station 140). One or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may communicate with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB node 104) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication link 120). IAB node 104 may include an IAB mobile terminal (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by a DU 165 of a coupled IAB donor. The IAB-MT may include a separate set of antennas for relaying communication with UE 115, or may share the same antennas (e.g., those of RU 170) for access to IAB node 104 via DU 165 of IAB node 104. (e.g., referred to as a virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT)). In some examples, IAB node 104 may include a DU 165 that supports communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB node 104, UE 115) within a relay chain or configuration (e.g., downstream) of the access network. In such cases, one or more components of the decomposed RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104 or components of IAB node 104) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.

[0089] For example, the access network (AN) or RAN may include communication between an access node (e.g., an IAB donor), IAB node 104, and one or more UEs 115. The IAB donor may facilitate connectivity between the core network 130 and the AN (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection to the core network 130). That is, an IAB donor may refer to a RAN node having a wired or wireless connection to the core network 130. The IAB donor may include a CU 160 and at least one DU 165 (e.g., and RU 170), wherein the CU 160 may communicate with the core network 130 via an interface (e.g., a backhaul link). The IAB donor and IAB node 104 may communicate via an F1 interface according to a protocol defining the signaling messages (e.g., the F1 AP protocol). Additionally or alternatively, the CU 160 may communicate with the core network via an interface (which may be part of a backhaul link) and may communicate with other CU 160s (e.g., CU 160 associated with an alternative IAB donor) via an Xn-C interface (which may be part of a backhaul link).

[0090] IAB node 104 may refer to a RAN node that provides IAB functionality (e.g., access for UE 115, radio self-backhaul capability, etc.). DU 165 may act as a distributed scheduling node toward child nodes associated with IAB node 104, and IAB-MT may act as a scheduled node toward a parent node associated with IAB node 104. That is, an IAB donor may be referred to as a parent node communicating with one or more child nodes (e.g., an IAB donor may relay for UE transmissions via one or more other IAB nodes 104). Additionally or alternatively, depending on the AN's relay chain or configuration, IAB node 104 may also be referred to as a parent or child node of other IAB nodes 104. Therefore, the IAB-MT entity of IAB node 104 can provide a Uu interface for child IAB node 104 to receive signaling from parent IAB node 104, and the DU interface (e.g., DU 165) can provide a Uu interface for parent IAB node 104 to send signaling notifications to child IAB node 104 or UE 115.

[0091] For example, IAB node 104 may be referred to as a parent node supporting communication to child IAB nodes, or as a child IAB node associated with an IAB donor, or both. An IAB donor may include a CU 160 having a wired or wireless connection to core network 130 (e.g., backhaul communication link 120) and may act as a parent node of IAB node 104. For example, the IAB donor's DU 165 may relay transmissions to UE 115 via IAB node 104, or may signal transmissions directly to UE 115, or both. The IAB donor's CU 160 may signal the establishment of a communication link to IAB node 104 via an F1 interface, and IAB node 104 may schedule transmissions via DU 165 (e.g., transmissions relayed from the IAB donor to UE 115). That is, data may be relayed to and from IAB node 104 via signaling through the NR Uu interface of the MT to IAB node 104. Communication with IAB node 104 can be scheduled by DU 165 of the IAB donor, and communication with IAB node 104 can be scheduled by DU 165 of IAB node 104.

[0092] In the context of applying the techniques described herein to a decomposed RAN architecture, one or more components of the decomposed RAN architecture may be configured to support techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by UE 115 or network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) may additionally or alternatively be performed by one or more components of the decomposed RAN architecture (e.g., IAB node 104, DU 165, CU 160, RU 170, RIC 175, SMO 180).

[0093] UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or any other suitable term, wherein “device” may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, etc. UE 115 may also include or be referred to as personal electronic devices, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), multimedia / entertainment devices (e.g., radios, MP3 players, or video devices), cameras, gaming devices, navigation / positioning devices (e.g., GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) devices based on, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), BeiDou system, GLONASS or Galileo system, ground-based devices, etc.), tablet computers, laptop computers, netbooks, smartbooks, personal computers, smart devices, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart clothing, smart glasses, virtual reality goggles, smart wristbands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart rings, smart bracelets)), drones, robots / robotic devices, vehicles, vehicle equipment, meters (e.g., parking timers, electricity meters, gas meters, water meters), monitors, air pumps, electrical appliances (e.g., kitchen appliances, washing machines, dryers), location tags, medical / healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, etc., which can be implemented in a variety of objects such as appliances or vehicles, meters, etc.

[0094] The UE 115 described herein can communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that sometimes act as relays, network entities 105, and network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, etc. Figure 1 As shown.

[0095] UE 115 and network entity 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., access links) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term "carrier" can refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication link 125. For example, a carrier for communication link 125 may include a portion of the RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating carrier operation, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 can support communication with UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. Depending on the carrier aggregation configuration, UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers. Carrier aggregation can be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) component carriers and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers. Communication between network entity 105 and other devices can refer to communication between these devices and any part of network entity 105 (e.g., entity, sub-entity). For example, the terms “send,” “receive,” or “communicate” when referring to network entity 105 can refer to any part of the RAN’s network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, CU160, DU 165, RU 170) communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105).

[0096] In some examples, such as in carrier aggregation configurations, a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operation of other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute RF Channel Number (EARFCN)) and may be identified according to a channel grating used for discovery by UE 115. A carrier may operate in standalone mode, in which case initial acquisition and connection can be made by UE 115 via that carrier, or the carrier may operate in non-standalone mode, in which case different carriers (e.g., the same or different radio access technologies) are used to anchor the connection.

[0097] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include downlink transmission (e.g., forward link transmission) from network entity 105 to UE 115, uplink transmission (e.g., return link transmission) from UE 115 to network entity 105, or both, as well as other transmission configurations. A carrier may carry downlink communication or uplink communication (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry both downlink and uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0098] A carrier may be associated with a specific bandwidth of the RF spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the carrier or the “system bandwidth” of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one bandwidth in a set of bandwidths for a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz). Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., network entity 105, UE 115, or both) may have hardware configurations that support communication using a specific carrier bandwidth, or may be configured to support communication using one carrier bandwidth in a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include network entity 105 or UE 115 that supports concurrent communication using carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate using a portion (e.g., subband, BWP) or all of the carrier bandwidth.

[0099] The signal waveform transmitted via a carrier may include multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM, a resource element may refer to a resource of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing (SCS) may be inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the decoding rate of the modulation scheme, or both), such that a relatively high number of resource elements (e.g., in the transmission duration) and a relatively high modulation scheme order correspond to a relatively high communication rate. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of RF spectrum resources, temporal resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity used for communication with UE 115.

[0100] It can support one or more parameter sets for a carrier, and the parameter sets may include SCS ( (and cyclic prefix). A carrier can be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different sets of parameters. In some examples, UE 115 can be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP of a carrier can be active at a given time, and the communication of UE 115 can be constrained to one or more active BWPs.

[0101] The time interval for network entity 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit, such as the sampling period. seconds, of which This can represent the supported SCS, while The supported Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) size can be represented. The time interval of the communication resource can be organized according to radio frames, each with a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0102] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may (e.g., in the time domain) be divided into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a number of time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the SCS. Each time slot may include a number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix appended to each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, time slots may be further divided into multiple micro-time slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., The duration of a symbol period is associated with a sampling period of 1 (units). The duration of a symbol period may depend on the SCS or the operating frequency band.

[0103] A subframe, time slot, micro-time slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., in the time domain) and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the duration of the TTI (e.g., the number of symbol periods in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0104] Depending on the technology, carriers can be used to multiplex physical channels for communication. One or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques can be used, for example, to multiplex physical control channels and physical data channels for signaling via a downlink carrier. The control region (e.g., control resource set (CORESET)) of the physical control channel can be defined by a set of symbol periods and can extend across the system bandwidth of the carrier or a subset of that bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) can be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more UEs in UE 115 can monitor or search for control regions to obtain control information based on one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a concatenated manner. The aggregation level of control channel candidates can refer to the amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space set may include: a common search space set configured to transmit control information to multiple UEs 115, and a UE-specific search space set used to transmit control information to a specific UE 115.

[0105] Network entity 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with network entity 105 (e.g., using a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier used to distinguish adjacent cells (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID), or other cell identifier). In some examples, a cell may also refer to a coverage area 110 or a portion of coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) in which a logical communication entity operates. Depending on various factors such as the capabilities of network entity 105, the extent of such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., structures, subsets of structures) to larger areas. For example, a cell may be or may include buildings, subsets of buildings, or external space between or overlapping coverage areas 110, etc.

[0106] Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access to UE 115 that has a service subscription with a network provider supporting the macro cell. In contrast, small cells may be associated with a lower-power network entity 105 (e.g., a lower-power base station 140) and may operate using the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unrestricted access to UE 115 that has a service subscription with a network provider, or restricted access to UE 115 associated with a small cell (e.g., UE 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), or UE 115 associated with a user in a home or office). Network entity 105 may support one or more cells and may also use one or more component carriers to support communication via one or more cells.

[0107] In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells and can be configured with different cells based on different protocol types that can provide access for different types of devices (e.g., MTC, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)).

[0108] In some examples, network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU 170) may be mobile, and thus provide communication coverage to mobile coverage areas 110. In some examples, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other examples, overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of network entities 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage for various coverage areas 110.

[0109] Wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). UE 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable or low-latency or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communication may include private or group communication and may be supported by one or more services, such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general business applications. The terms “ultra-reliable,” “low-latency,” and “ultra-reliable low-latency” are used interchangeably herein.

[0110] In some examples, UE 115 may be configured to support direct communication with other UE 115s via device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., according to peer-to-peer (P2P), D2D, or sidelink protocols). In some examples, one or more UE 115s performing D2D communication in a group may be within the coverage area 110 of network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU 170), which may support aspects of such D2D communication configured (e.g., scheduled by network entity 105). In some examples, one or more UE 115s in such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of network entity 105, or may otherwise be unable or not configured to receive transmissions from network entity 105. In some examples, the group of UE 115s communicating via D2D communication may support a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE 115 transmits to each of the other UE 115s in the group. In some examples, network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources used for D2D communication. In other examples, D2D communication may be performed between UEs 115 without involving network entity 105.

[0111] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel (such as a sidelink communication channel) between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or a combination of these. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal control, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or communicate with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., network entity 105, base station 140, RU 170) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, or both.

[0112] Core network 130 provides user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)) for managing access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)) for routing packets or interconnecting to external networks. The control plane entity manages non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management of UE 115 served by network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140) associated with core network 130. User IP packets can be delivered through the user plane entity, which provides IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity may connect to one or more network operator IP services 150. IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0113] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Generally, the area from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band or decimeter band because the wavelength range is approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features (which may be referred to as clusters), but these waves are sufficient to penetrate structures so that macrocells can provide service to UE 115 located indoors. Compared to communication using smaller frequencies and longer wavelengths in the lower frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz, communication using UHF waves can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 km).

[0114] Wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, wireless communication system 100 may use unlicensed bands (such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band) to employ Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology. When operating with unlicensed RF spectrum, devices such as network entity 105 and UE 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation using unlicensed bands may be combined with component carriers operating with licensed bands based on carrier aggregation configurations (e.g., LAA). Operation using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmission, uplink transmission, P2P transmission, or D2D transmission, etc.

[0115] Network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU 170) or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of network entity 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which can support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with network entity 105 may be located at different geographical locations. Network entity 105 may include an antenna array having a collection of multiple rows and columns of antenna ports that network entity 105 can use to support beamforming for communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support RF beamforming for signals transmitted via the antenna ports.

[0116] Network entity 105 or UE 115 can use MIMO communication to leverage multipath signal propagation and improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. This technique is known as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals can be transmitted, for example, by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, the multiple signals can be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals can be referred to as a separate spatial stream and can carry information associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers can be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include: single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device; and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), where multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0117] Beamforming (also known as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., network entity 105, UE 115) to shape or guide an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along a specific orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to the signals transmitted via the antenna elements may include applying amplitude shifts, phase shifts, or both to the signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of these antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a specific orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device or relative to some other orientation).

[0118] Network entity 105 or UE 115 may use beam scanning technology as part of beamforming operations. For example, network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU 170) may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by network entity 105 along different directions. For example, network entity 105 may transmit signals according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different transmission directions. Transmission along different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by a transmitting device (such as network entity 105) or by a receiving device (such as UE 115)) the beam direction for later transmission or reception by network entity 105.

[0119] Some signals (such as data signals associated with a specific receiving device) may be transmitted by a transmitting device (e.g., transmitting network entity 105, transmitting UE 115) along a single beam direction (e.g., the direction associated with the receiving device (such as receiving network entity 105 or receiving UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on the signals transmitted along one or more beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by network entity 105 along different directions and may report to network entity 105 an indication of signals received by UE 115 with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality.

[0120] In some examples, transmissions performed by a device (e.g., network entity 105 or UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital pre-decoding or beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from network entity 105 to UE 115). UE 115 may report feedback indicating pre-decoding weights for one or more beam directions, and this feedback may correspond to a set of beams configured across the system bandwidth or one or more sub-bands. Network entity 105 may transmit reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)) that may or may not be pre-decoded. UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a pre-decoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., multi-panel codebook, linear combination codebook, port selection codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by network entity 105 (e.g., base station 140, RU 170) along one or more directions, UE 115 may use similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times along different directions (e.g., to identify the beam direction used by UE 115 for subsequent transmission or reception), or to transmit signals along a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0121] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may perform reception operations according to multiple reception configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from a transmitting device (e.g., network entity 105). For example, the receiving device may perform reception according to multiple reception directions by: receiving via different antenna subarrays; processing the received signal according to different antenna subarrays; receiving according to different sets of reception beamforming weights (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array; or processing the received signal according to different sets of reception beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array. Any of these operations may be referred to as “listening” according to different reception configurations or reception directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single reception configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when a data signal is received). A single receiver configuration can be aligned along a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receiver configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0122] The wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer or PDCP layer can be IP-based. The RLC layer performs packet segmentation and reassembly for transmission via logical channels. The MAC layer performs priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels to transport channels. The MAC layer can also use error detection, error correction, or both to support retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the RRC layer provides the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between the UE 115 and network entity 105 or core network 130 that support user plane data radio bearers. The PHY layer maps transport channels to physical channels.

[0123] UE 115 and network entity 105 can support data retransmission to increase the likelihood of successful data reception. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback is a technique used to increase the likelihood of correctly receiving data via communication links (e.g., communication link 125, D2D communication link 135). HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve throughput at the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some examples, the device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, in which case the device can provide HARQ feedback in a specific time slot for data received via a previous symbol in that time slot. In some other examples, the device may provide HARQ feedback in subsequent time slots or according to a different time interval.

[0124] The UE 115 and network entity 105 of the wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support technologies that enable the SSB to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state. Specifically, the equipment of the wireless communication system 100 can support signaling and configuration that allows the UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state from the SSB even when the CSI-RS is specified as its QCL source in the TCI state.

[0125] For example, when assessing a handover from a first cell to a second cell (e.g., a cell supported by network entity 105 of wireless communication system 100), UE 115 may receive an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the second cell, wherein the TCI state indicates that the CSI-RS is the QCL source for that TCI state. In this example, aspects of this disclosure may provide some kind of "link" between the TCI state and / or the CSI-RS and the SSB, such that UE 115 can use the linked SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state. For example, an RRC message may indicate a list of TCI states having corresponding CSI-RS and SSBs for each respective TCI state. Thus, the UE can use some linking information to derive the applicable SSBs for the second cell, wherein the identified SSBs are used as the QCL source for the active TCI state. After the handover from the first cell to the second cell, the UE may determine when to revert to using the applicable CSI-RS as the QCL source, such as based on explicit signaling from the network and / or based on the expiration of a timer.

[0126] The techniques described herein enable the SSB of a candidate cell to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state of the candidate cell activation. Thus, the techniques described herein facilitate cell handover / transfer procedures performed by UE 115 by allowing UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of the candidate cell. Specifically, where UE 115 receives and / or processes the CSI-RS configuration for the candidate cell only after cell handover to the candidate cell has been completed, the techniques described herein enable UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state for the candidate cell using the SSB of the candidate cell, thereby allowing UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to the candidate cell.

[0127] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB. Aspects of the wireless communication system 200 may implement, or be implemented by, aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 200 may support signaling and configuration that enables UE 115-a to use the SSB of candidate cell 205-b as a QCL source for the TCI state activated by candidate cell 205-b, as previously described herein.

[0128] Wireless communication system 200 may include UE 115-a, serving cell 205-a, and candidate cell 205-b (e.g., target cell), which may be as shown in reference. Figure 1Examples of the described UE 115, network entity 105, and other wireless devices. In some cases, serving cell 205 may be associated with (e.g., supported by) one or more network entities 105. For example, in some cases, serving cell 205-a and candidate cell 205-b may be associated with the same network entity 105 (e.g., supported by the same network entity). As another example, in other cases, serving cell 205-a may be associated with a first network entity 105, and candidate cell 205-b may be associated with a second network entity 105. Cell 205 may be associated with the same or different radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE, 5G, NR, 6G, etc.) and may be configured to communicate in the same or different frequency bands.

[0129] In some respects, UE 115-a may communicate with cell 205 via communication links 210-a and 210-b. In some cases, communication link 210 may include an example of an access link (e.g., a Uu link). Communication link 210 may include bidirectional links, which may include both uplink and downlink communication. For example, UE 115-a may use communication link 210-a to send uplink transmissions, such as uplink control signals or uplink data signals, to serving cell 205-a, and serving cell 205-a may use communication link 210-a to send downlink transmissions, such as downlink control signals or downlink data signals, to UE 115-a.

[0130] Some wireless communication systems (e.g., wireless communication system 100) include multiple network entities 105 that provide communication resources (e.g., serving cell 205) to UE 115 and other wireless devices. In some approaches, Layer 3 (L3) signaling can be used to perform handover (or handover between serving cells 205). However, using L3 signaling for handover can result in relatively high handover latency. Alternatively, UE 115 can use Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) signaling to handover between cells 205 to reduce latency. To hand over from a source serving cell 205 (e.g., serving cell 205-a) to a candidate cell 205 (e.g., candidate cell 205-b), UE 115 can utilize the beam associated with candidate cell 205-b. The beam to be used can be indicated by the TCI state in the form of a QCL source reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS).

[0131] One or more lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) mechanisms or procedures can be used for mobility latency reduction. For example, the configuration and maintenance of multiple candidate cells 205 can allow for the application of configurations specific to candidate cells 205. For L1 or L2 signaling-based scenarios, dynamic handover mechanisms can be utilized between candidate serving cells (e.g., including special cells (SpCell) and secondary cells (SCell)). For example, SpCell can be updated via L1 or L2 signaling based on L1 measurements. L1 enhancements can be used for inter-cell beam management, including L1 measurements and reporting, and beam indication. In some examples, timing advance (TA) management can be utilized. CU-DU interface signaling can be used to support L1 or L2 mobility. Frequency range 2 (FR2) specific enhancements can be utilized in some approaches.

[0132] In some examples, the procedures for L1 or L2-based inter-cell mobility may be applicable to one or more of the following scenarios: (1) standalone, carrier aggregation (CA) or new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) scenarios (e.g., with a change of serving cell within a cell group (CG); (2) intra-DU and intra-CU inter-DU scenarios (e.g., applicable to standalone and CA scenarios without a new radio access network (RAN) interface); (3) intra-frequency or inter-frequency scenarios; (4) frequency range 1 (FR1) or FR2 scenarios; or (5) scenarios where the source cell and the destination cell may be synchronized or unsynchronized.

[0133] As previously described herein, when UE 115-a moves within the wireless network, UE 115-a may hand over between serving cells 205. UE 115-a may be configured to perform measurements of reference signals (e.g., CSI-RS, SSB) from other candidate cells 205 (e.g., candidate cell 205-b) to identify candidate cells 205 for the cell handover / handover process. When moving from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b, serving cell 205-a may indicate the TCI state that UE 115-a will use to communicate with candidate cell 205-b. Additionally, serving cell 205-a may indicate a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) used as a QCL source for communication performed using the indicated TCI state. That is, UE 115-a may be configured with a CSI-RS configuration for CSI-RS resources, which is used to determine the QCL attributes of the TCI state.

[0134] In the context of L1 / L2 mobility (e.g., mobility of UE 115-a between serving cell 205-a and candidate cell 205-b), there are several different options for indicating TCI state activation of candidate cell 205-b. According to a first embodiment, UE 115-a may receive TCI state activation of candidate cell 205-b before receiving beam indication of candidate cell 205-b. According to a second embodiment, UE 115-a may receive TCI state activation of candidate cell 205-b simultaneously with receiving beam indication of candidate cell 205-b. In some cases, UE 115 may be configured to support the first embodiment, the second embodiment, or both, based on the capabilities of the respective UE 115.

[0135] However, in some cases, serving cell 205-a may only provide SSB configuration for the SSB communicated by candidate cell 205-b, and UE 115-a may not receive and / or process the CSI-RS configuration for candidate cell 205-b until UE 115-a has performed a handover from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b. That is, even if the active TCI state indicates that the CSI-RS is a QCL source, UE 115-a may not receive / process the CSI-RS configuration for the CSI-RS as a QCL source until UE 115-a has fully handed over to candidate cell 205-b. Thus, without CSI-RS configuration, UE 115-a may not be able to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state, which are used to receive signals from candidate cell 205-b to evaluate the handover to candidate cell 205-b.

[0136] This can be used as a reference. Figure 3 Further illustration and description.

[0137] Figure 3 An example of a timeline 300 of a cell handover process according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB. Aspects of timeline 300 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100, wireless communication system 200, or both, or be implemented by them.

[0138] Specifically, timeline 300 illustrates the handover performed by UE 115-a from serving cell 205-a. Figure 2The cell handover process for candidate cell 205-b is illustrated in the example. In this example, timeline 300 includes a pre-handover period 305, a cell handover 310, and a post-handover period 315. In some aspects, UE 115-a can be configured to communicate with serving cell 205-a during the pre-handover period 305, and can be configured to communicate with candidate cell 205-b during the post-handover period 315 after performing cell handover 310 (e.g., cell transfer).

[0139] During the pre-handover period 305, UE 115-a may receive serving cell configuration 320 from serving cell 205-a. Serving cell configuration 320 may include information that UE 115-a can use to communicate with serving cell 205-a, such as TCI status, reference signals, indications of resources (e.g., BWP) for communicating with serving cell 205-a, etc. In some cases, during the pre-handover period 305, UE 115-a may additionally receive a TCI activation command for activating the TCI status for candidate cell 205-b, and a cell handover command (e.g., TCI indication) for performing cell handover 310 from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b. In some specific implementations, UE 115-a may receive the TCI activation and indication before (or simultaneously with) the cell handover command instructing UE 115-a to perform cell handover 310.

[0140] In some cases, prior to performing cell handover 310 (e.g., cell transfer), UE 115-a may receive configuration for LTM 325 (e.g., from serving cell 205-a), wherein the configuration for LTM 325 provides UE 115-a with limited information about candidate cell 205-b. For example, the configuration for LTM 325 may provide some limited TCI state or reference signal information corresponding to candidate cell 205-b (whereby UE 115-a subsequently uses the indicated TCI state to perform communication with candidate cell 205-b after cell handover 310). In some cases, the configuration for LTM 325 may include or indicate SSB resources used by UE 115-a to perform L1 measurements for candidate cell 205-b.

[0141] In some cases, each TCI state for candidate cell 205-b may include up to two QCL types, where the source reference signal for each QCL type of the TCI state's QCL information is provided based on the configuration for LTM 325. In other words, a TCI state activated for candidate cell 205-b may be associated with a reference signal for candidate cell 205-b, which serves as the QCL source for deriving the QCL attributes of the TCI state. In some radio networks, the TCI state used by UE 115-a to receive PDCCH / PDSCH messages may point to a CSI-RS resource used as the QCL source reference signal. In other words, in some radio networks, each TCI state is associated with a CSI-RS resource used as the QCL source for the TCI state (e.g., for deriving QCL attributes). The CSI-RS resource may be indicated or defined in the candidate cell configuration 330. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, UE 115-a can receive candidate cell configuration 330, which includes information (e.g., CSI-RS resources, beams, etc.) for communicating with candidate cell 205-b.

[0142] However, in some cases, candidate cell configuration 330 may not be received (and / or processed) by UE 115-b until after cell handover 310. In such cases, because UE 115-a receives and / or processes candidate cell configuration 330 (which includes CSI-RS configuration) until after cell handover 310, UE 115-a may not derive the QCL attributes (based on CSI-RS configuration) for the TCI state activated for candidate cell 205-b until after cell handover 310 has been completed. The fact that the CSI-RS configuration (which is used as the QCL source for the activated TCI state) can not be determined until after cell handover 310 may delay cell handover 310 (e.g., increased cell handover delay), and / or delay UE 115-a's ability to communicate with candidate cell 205-b after cell handover 310.

[0143] Accordingly, aspects of this disclosure relate to techniques that enable the SSB to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state. Specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to signaling and configuration that enable UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state from the SSB even when the CSI-RS is specified as its QCL source in the TCI state. Specifically, since the SSB resources for candidate cell 205-b are configured before cell handover 310 via the configuration for LTM 325 (compared to the CSI-RS configuration received / processed after cell handover 310), the aspects of this disclosure that enable the SSB to be used as a QCL source for the active TCI state allow UE 115-a to derive the QCL attributes for the active TCI state (using the SSB as the QCL source) before cell handover 310, which reduces the latency of cell handover 310 and accelerates UE 115-a's ability to communicate with candidate cell 205-b after cell handover 310.

[0144] Will refer again Figure 2 As previously described herein, for beam indication in LTM, when UE 115-a uses a TCI state that includes CSI-RS as QCL RS (e.g., CSI-RS as QCL source) to indicate or activate, and when the CSI-RS configuration is not provided in the dedicated information element for LTM (as referenced)... Figure 3 As described, aspects of this disclosure relate to providing configuration and signaling for a link between a candidate cell 205-b SSB and a TCI state having a CSI-RS as a QCL RS, so that the SSB can be used as a QCL source to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state.

[0145] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, UE 115-b can wirelessly communicate with serving cell 205-a and can receive an indication of TCI state 220 for use in communicating with candidate cell 205-b. As previously described herein, TCI state 220 can be associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by UE 115-a for communicating with candidate cell 205-b are quasi-co-located with the reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) of candidate cell 205-b. In other words, TCI state 220 can be associated with a CSI-RS, which is typically used as the QCL source for TCI state 220. However, as previously described herein, the CSI-RS configuration may not be received and / or processed until after UE 115-a completes the handover to candidate cell 205-b, thus delaying when UE 115-a can derive the QCL attributes of TCI state 220.

[0146] Thus, in some respects, UE 115-a may receive first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and the corresponding SSB resource of candidate cell 205-b. The first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and the corresponding SSB may be indicated according to various specific implementations.

[0147] According to the first embodiment, the first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b can be indicated via an indication of TCI state 220 or the corresponding RRC configuration (e.g., RRC signaling). The first control information can be signaled separately (e.g., outside of) the configurations for serving cell 205-a and candidate cell 205-b (e.g., the first control information 225 can be signaled separately from serving cell configuration 320 and candidate cell configuration 330).

[0148] For example, an RRC message may indicate a TCI status list, which indicates a TCI status, the CSI-RS resources corresponding to the corresponding TCI status, and / or the SSB resources corresponding to the corresponding TCI status. That is, if no configuration of NZP-CSI-RS resources in the corresponding TCI status is provided, the configuration of the TCI status list may include the TCI status and its association with SSB resources (e.g., SSB downlink carrier frequency, SSB SCS, PCID, SSB index). Furthermore, in some aspects, the configuration of the TCI status list (indicated via RRC signaling) may indicate a uniform TCI status type (e.g., combined, individual downlink / uplink type) for each TCI and / or for each PCID. That is, RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) may indicate a TCI status list including the TCI status for candidate cell 205-b, and the TCI type for each corresponding TCI status.

[0149] According to the second embodiment, the first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and the SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b may be indicated in a MAC-CE (such as via cell handover command MAC-CE or TCI activation MAC-CE). For example, in some cases, TCI state 220 may be indicated via TCI activation MAC-CE, wherein TCI activation MAC-CE indicates which SSB resources will be used for TCI state 220.

[0150] According to a third embodiment, the first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and the SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b can be indicated as part of a PDCCH command, wherein the TCI ID can be signaled in a DCI or RACH message, and the indicated SSB is the linked SSB. That is, RRC signaling (or other control signaling) can indicate the TCI state set and the downlink control channel command (e.g., PDCCH command) associated with the random access timing (e.g., RACH timing) set. In this example, the RACH timing set can correspond to the SSBs of candidate cell 205-b, such that the exchange of RACH messages associated with TCI state 220 can be used to indicate the corresponding SSB associated with TCI state 220.

[0151] For example, UE 115-a may send a RACH message (e.g., Msg1) to serving cell 205-a via a RACH timing set, where the corresponding RACH timing is associated with the corresponding SSB resource of candidate cell 205-b according to the configured PDCCH command. In this example, serving cell 205-a may indicate which SSB will be used as a QCL source by sending a RACH message (e.g., Msg2) in response to a RACH message conveyed by UE 115-a via a RACH timing corresponding to the selected SSB resource (e.g., indicating first control information 225, which indicates the association between TCI state 220 and the SSB resource of candidate cell 205-b). For example, TCI state 220 may be associated with previously transmitted SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b during the PRACH process.

[0152] According to the fourth embodiment, the first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b can be indicated based on the association of SSB with the indicated TA value. For example, RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) from serving cell 205-a can indicate or include second control information indicating a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for receiving SSBs. In other words, RRC signaling can associate TA values ​​with corresponding SSB resources so that the indication of TA values ​​can be used to indicate SSB resources that will be used as QCL sources for the active TCI state 220. In this example, the indication of TCI state 220 and / or cell handover command 230 can also indicate TA values, thereby indicating SSBs that will be used as QCL sources. For example, UE 115-a can receive a cell handover command 230 indicating TCI state 220 and TA indication for candidate cell 205-b, wherein TCI state 220 can be associated with SSBs for the indicated TA values.

[0153] In some specific implementations, when a CSI-RS configuration corresponding to the indicated TCI state 220 is provided in the dedicated information element for LTM, UE 115-a can be configured to apply the SSB resource as the root QCL source of the CSI-RS to derive QCL attributes. In other words, UE 115-a can use the SSB resource as the root QCL source of the CSI-RS as the QCL source for TCI state 220 when communicating with candidate cell 205-b.

[0154] UE 115-a may receive a cell handover command 230 instructing UE 115-a to hand over from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b. As previously described herein, cell handover command 230 may include or indicate TCI state 220. Furthermore, as described with reference to the various embodiments described above, first control information 225 indicating the association between TCI state 220 and SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b may be conveyed via MAC-CE (e.g., MAC-CE indicating TCI state 220), RRC signaling, other control signaling, cell handover command 230, or any combination thereof.

[0155] Subsequently, during a cell handover from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b, UE 115-a can be configured to communicate messages 235 (e.g., PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH) with candidate cell 205-b using spatial resources associated with the SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b based on the indicated TCI state 220. In other words, UE 115-a can communicate PUSCH / PUCCH / PDSCH / PDCCH messages 235 with candidate cell 205-b according to the indicated / activated TCI state 220, wherein TCI state 220 is quasi-co-located with the SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b (e.g., the SSB resources are used as the QCL source of TCI state 220).

[0156] In some cases, UE 115-a and candidate cell 205-b can be configured to revert to using the CSI-RS (or other reference signal) of candidate cell 205-b as the QCL source for TCI state 220. For example, reference Figure 2In the illustrated first cell handover configuration 215-a, UE 115-a can receive an indication of TCI state 220-a, receive a cell handover command 230-a, and can use the indicated TCI state 220-a and the SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b as the QCL source to communicate message 235-a with candidate cell 205-b. Subsequently, UE 115-a can return to using CSI-RS as the QCL source of TCI state 220-a, and thus can use the indicated TCI state 220-a and the applicable CSI-RS resources of candidate cell 205-b as the QCL source to execute message 240.

[0157] The timing of the switch to using CSI-RS as the QCL state for TCI state 220-a (e.g., the timing of the handover between message 235-a using SSB and message 240 using CSI-RS) can be explicitly indicated by candidate cell 205-b, implicitly determined (e.g., based on the expiration of a timer or timer interval), or both. For example, in some cases, UE 115-a may receive an explicit indicator after cell handover command 230-a for deriving QCL attributes using either the SSB or CSI-RS associated with the active TCI state 220-a. In other words, UE 115-a can use SSB to derive QCL attributes until candidate cell 205-b sends an explicit indicator (e.g., a control message) to derive QCL attributes using CSI-RS.

[0158] As another example, the device can be configured to implicitly switch between using SSB or CSI-RS to derive QCL attributes. For example, UE 115-a can be configured to use SSB to derive QCL attributes for a time interval 245 (e.g., as a QCL source) before the configuration of candidate cell 205-b (e.g., candidate cell configuration 330) has been processed (e.g., during the application time after cell handover command 230-a or during RRC processing time). As another example, UE 115-a can switch to using CSI-RS as the QCL source after the candidate cell configuration has been processed (e.g., after the application time since the cell handover command). In these examples, the time interval 245 during which UE 115-a continues to use SSB to derive QCL attributes can be based on the application time, based on a timer (which can be configured via RRC signaling and / or cell handover command 230-a), etc. Thus, the duration of time interval 245 (e.g., a timer) can be predefined / configured (e.g., known by both UE 115-a and the network, such as the RRC processing time based on candidate cell 205-b), or it can depend on the specific implementation of UE 115-a.

[0159] The previous examples described herein depict a situation where TCI state 220 is typically associated with a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) that serves as a QCL source, but where the SSB can be temporarily used as a QCL source. However, in other cases, the SSB can be used (e.g., permanently) as a QCL source for TCI state 220, rather than using CSI-RS as is done in some conventional networks.

[0160] For example, in an alternative implementation, for beam indication in LTM, UE 115-a can use the SSB resources containing candidate cell 205-b as the TCI state 220 of the QCL RS to indicate or activate it. UE 115-a can be configured to apply the indicated TCI state 220 using the corresponding SSB resources as the QCL source for all channels / reference signals after handover from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b. Thus, messages communicated via all dedicated and non-dedicated PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, and PUSCH can be communicated according to the indicated / activated TCI state 220, where QCL attributes are derived based on the SSB of candidate cell 205-b.

[0161] For example, refer to Figure 2 In the second cell handover configuration 215-b, UE 115-b can receive an indication of TCI state 220-b for communication with candidate cell 205-b, wherein TCI state 220-b is associated with a QCL source indicating that the space resources used by UE 115-a for communication with candidate cell 205-b are quasi-co-located with the SSB of candidate cell 205-b. In some cases, as previously described herein, RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) can configure UE 115-a with a TCI list that includes TCI state 220 and SSB resources corresponding to the respective TCI state 220.

[0162] Continuing with reference to the second cell handover configuration 215-b, UE 115-a may additionally receive a cell handover command 230-b instructing UE 115-a to hand over from serving cell 205-a to candidate cell 205-b. As previously described herein, the indication of TCI state 220-b and the cell handover command 230-b may be received via the same control message (e.g., MAC-CE). Subsequently, UE 115-a may perform a cell handover / handover to candidate cell 205-b and may use the indicated TCI state 220-b and the SSB resources of candidate cell 205-b as the QCL source to communicate message 235-b with candidate cell 205-b. That is, UE 115-a may use spatial resources to communicate message 235-b with candidate cell 205-b, these spatial resources being based on measurements of the SSB resources from candidate cell 205-b. Compared to the first cell handover configuration 215-a in which UE 115-a returns to the QCL source using CSI-RS as TCI state 220-a based on implicit or explicit indication, in the second cell handover configuration 215-b, TCI state 220 can be (permanently) associated with the SSB as the QCL source, thereby eliminating the need to handover back to using CSI-RS.

[0163] The techniques described herein enable the SSB of candidate cell 205-b to be used as the QCL source for TCI state 220 activated for candidate cell 205-b. Thus, the techniques described herein facilitate cell handover / transfer procedures performed by UE 115-a by enabling UE 115-a to derive the QCL attributes of TCI state 220 based on the SSB of candidate cell 205-b. Specifically, where UE 115-a receives and / or processes the CSI-RS configuration for candidate cell 205-b until cell handover to candidate cell 205-b has been completed, the techniques described herein enable UE 115-a to derive the QCL attributes of TCI state 220 for candidate cell 205-b using the SSB of candidate cell 205-b, thereby allowing UE 115-a to derive the QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to candidate cell 205-b.

[0164] Figure 4An example of a process flow 400 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for associating TCI with a candidate cell SSB. Aspects of process flow 400 may implement aspects of, or be implemented by, wireless communication system 100, wireless communication system 200, timeline 300, or any combination thereof. For example, process flow 400 illustrates signaling and configuration that enables UE 115-b to use the candidate cell's SSB as a source of QCL for the active TCI state of that candidate cell, as previously described herein.

[0165] Process flow 400 includes UE 115-b, serving cell 405-a, and candidate cell 405-b, which can be examples of UE 115, network entity 105, serving cell 205, and other radio devices as described herein. For example, Figure 4 The UE115-b, serving cell 405-a, and candidate cell 405-b illustrated in the example may respectively include, as follows: Figure 2 Examples of UE 115-a, serving cell 205-a, and candidate cell 205-b are illustrated below. In this respect, serving cell 405-a and candidate cell 405-b may be associated with the same or different network entities 105 (e.g., supported by these same or different network entities) and may be configured to communicate using the same or different frequency bands / RATs.

[0166] In some examples, the operations illustrated in process flow 400 may be performed by hardware (e.g., including circuits, processing blocks, logic components, and other components), code executed by a processor (e.g., software), or any combination thereof. Alternative examples are possible, some of which may be performed in a different order than described or not at all. In some cases, steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional steps may be added.

[0167] At 410, UE 115-b may receive RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) from serving cell 405-a. In some aspects, the RRC signaling may include first control information indicating the association between a TCI state and a set of resources for receiving an SSB (e.g., resources for receiving an SSB from candidate cell 405-b). In other words, the RRC message may indicate a list of TCI states and the SSB resources corresponding to the respective TCI states within that list. Additionally or alternatively, the RRC message may indicate the association between the SSB resources of candidate cell 405-b and resources for additional reference signals (e.g., CSI-RS) for candidate cell 405-b. For example, the RRC message may indicate a list of SSB resources and corresponding CSI-RS resources for candidate cell 405-b.

[0168] In some aspects, RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) may indicate additional information that enables UE 115-b to use the SSB of candidate cell 405-b as the QCL source for an active TCI state. For example, in some cases, RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) may include second control information indicating the TCI state and a downlink control channel command (e.g., PDCCH command) associated with a set of random access opportunities (e.g., RACH opportunities). In this example, the set of RACH opportunities may correspond to the SSB of the candidate cell, such that the exchange of RACH messages associated with the TCI state can be used to indicate the corresponding SSB associated with that TCI state. This document will further describe the use of PDCCH commands / RACH messages to indicate the association between TCI states and SSB resources.

[0169] As another example, in an additional or alternative implementation, RRC signaling (and / or other control signaling) may indicate or include second control information that indicates a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for receiving SSBs. In other words, RRC signaling may associate TA values ​​with corresponding SSB resources such that the indication of the TA values ​​can be used to indicate SSB resources that will be used as the QCL source for an active TCI state.

[0170] In additional or alternative implementations, RRC signaling may include an indication of the CSI-RS configuration for candidate cell 405-b. In such cases, UE 115-b may be configured to use SSB resources that include a root QCL source associated with the CSI-RS, which is associated with the CSI-RS configuration. Furthermore, in some cases, RRC signaling may indicate the TCI type of the TCI state associated with candidate cell 405-b.

[0171] At 415, UE 115-b can receive from serving cell 405-a an indication of the TCI state for communicating with candidate cell 405-b. In some aspects, the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by UE 115-b for communicating with candidate cell 405-b are quasi-co-located with the reference signals (e.g., CSI-RS) of candidate cell 405-b. In other words, the indication / activation of the TCI state can indicate the CSI-RS resources of candidate cell 405-b, which will be used as the QCL source for the activated TCI state when communicating with candidate cell 405-b.

[0172] In some cases, the applicable reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) used as the QCL source for the indicated TCI state can be defined via a list of TCI states indicated at 410 via RRC signaling. Additionally or alternatively, the message indicating / activating the TCI state at 415 can also indicate which CSI-RS of candidate cell 405-b will be used as the QCL source for the TCI state. In other words, in some cases, the indication of the TCI state at 415 and the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and the SSB resources of candidate cell 405-b can be received via the same control message.

[0173] In some cases, UE 115-b can identify the SSB resource corresponding to the TCI state based on the CSI-RS used for the corresponding TCI state. For example, if the RRC signaling includes a table or other data object indicating the association between the SSB resource and the CSI-RS resource, UE 115-b can determine the CSI-RS associated with the TCI state and can use the identified CSI-RS to reference the table / data object to determine the corresponding SSB resource that will be used as the QCL source for the TCI state.

[0174] At 420, UE 115-b may send a first random access message (e.g., a first RACH message) to serving cell 405-a. UE 115-b may send the first random access message at 420 based on receiving RRC signaling at 410, receiving an indication / activation of TCI status at 415, or both.

[0175] Specifically, UE 115-b may send a first random access message according to a PDCCH command indicated by a second control message included in the RRC signaling at 410. For example, UE 115-b may send a set of RACH messages (e.g., Msg1) via a RACH timing set according to a PDCCH command indicated by the RRC signaling, wherein the corresponding RACH timing corresponds to a corresponding set of SSB resources (as defined by the second control information) associated with candidate cell 405-b.

[0176] At 425, UE 115-b may receive a second random access message (e.g., a second RACH message) from serving cell 405-a. UE 115-b may receive the second random access message at 425 based on receiving RRC signaling at 410, receiving an indication / activation of TCI status at 415, sending a first random access message at 420, or any combination thereof.

[0177] For example, serving cell 405-a may send a second RACH message (e.g., Msg2) in response to one of the RACH messages sent at 420. Specifically, serving cell 405-a may send the second RACH message in response to a first RACH message received via a RACH timing corresponding to the SSB resource of candidate cell 405-b. In this respect, serving cell 405-a may indicate which SSB resource of candidate cell 405-b will be used as the QCL source for the indicated / activated TCI state by sending the second RACH message in response to a first RACH message communicated via a RACH timing corresponding to the respective SSB resource. In such examples, the communication of the second RACH message can be regarded as “first control information” indicating the association between the indicated TCI state and the corresponding SSB resource.

[0178] At 430, UE 115-b may receive a cell handover command from serving cell 405-a, wherein the cell handover command instructs UE 115-b to hand over from serving cell 405-a to candidate cell 405-b. The cell handover command may be communicated via MAC-CE. In some respects, UE 115-c may receive the cell handover command based on receiving RRC signaling at 410, receiving an indication / activation of TCI status at 415, sending / receiving RACH messages at 420 and 425, or any combination thereof.

[0179] Additionally or alternatively, the indication of the TCI state and the cell handover command may be received via the same message (e.g., the cell handover command at 430 may indicate / activate the TCI state shown at 415). Furthermore, in some aspects, the cell handover command may include activation of the TCI state indicated at 415 for candidate cell 405-b.

[0180] Furthermore, in some cases, the cell handover command at 430 may include first control information indicating the association between the indicated TCI state and the SSB resources of candidate cell 405-b. For example, in some cases, the cell handover command may indicate a TA value from a set of TA values ​​configured via RRC signaling at 410. In this example, the indicated TA value may correspond to an SSB resource that will be used as the QCL source for the indicated TCI state. That is, the RRC signaling may define the association between TA values ​​and SSB resources, wherein the cell handover command may indicate which TA value to use (and thus which SSB resource to use).

[0181] At 435, UE 115-c can perform a cell handover (e.g., cell transfer) from serving cell 405-a to candidate cell 405-b. In some cases, the execution of the cell handover / transfer may include additional signaling between UE 115-b and the corresponding cell, additional signaling between serving cell 405-a and candidate cell 405-b, or both.

[0182] At 440, UE 115-b can use spatial resources for the TCI state to perform communication with candidate cell 405-b, where the spatial resources are based on the association between SSB resources and the TCI state. In other words, UE 115-b can communicate PUSCH / PUCCH / PDSCH / PDCCH messages with candidate cell 405-b according to the TCI state indicated / activated at 415, where the TCI state and the SSB resources of candidate cell 405-b (e.g., the SSB resources are used as the QCL source for the TCI state) are quasi-co-located.

[0183] In other words, UE 115-b can communicate messages with candidate cell 405-b at least in part based on first control information indicated by RRC signaling at 410, an indication of the TCI state at 415, a cell handover command at 430, or any combination thereof, according to the TCI state and using the SSB as the QCL source for the TCI indicator state. That is, messages communicated with candidate cell 405-b can be communicated based on the first control information, using spatial resources that are first resource quasi-co-located with those used to receive the SSB from candidate cell 405-b.

[0184] In some cases, UE 115-b and candidate cell 405-b can be configured to revert to a QCL source that uses CSI-RS (or other reference signals) as the TCI state. The timing of the switch to a QCL state using CSI-RS as the TCI state can be explicitly indicated by candidate cell 405-b (step 445), implicitly determined (e.g., based on a timer at 450 or the expiration of a timer interval), or both.

[0185] At 445, UE 115-b can receive a control message from candidate cell 405-b, wherein the control message indicates the reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) of candidate cell 405-b. That is, candidate cell 405-b can explicitly instruct UE 115-b to switch from using SSB resources as the QCL source for TCI state to using CSI-RS as the QCL source.

[0186] At 450, UE 115-b, candidate cell 405-b, or both can identify the expiration of a timer, where the expiration of the timer (or other time interval) serves as an implicit indication that UE 115-b is about to switch from a QCL source using SSB resources as the TCI state to a QCL source using CSI-RS as the corresponding TCI state. In some cases, the timer can be configured or otherwise indicated via RRC signaling at 410, via an indication of the TCI state at 415, via a cell handover command at 430, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, in some aspects, the initiation / start of the timer can be explicitly indicated, or can be triggered via a cell handover command at 430 and / or the completion of a cell handover at 435.

[0187] Thus, UE 115-b and candidate cell 405-b can be configured to switch from using SSB as the QCL source as the TCI state to using CSI-RS (or other reference signals) as the QCL source based on an explicit control message at 445, a timer expiration at 450, or both.

[0188] At 455, UE 115-b can use the spatial resources available for the TCI state to perform communication with candidate cell 405-b, where CSI-RS (or other reference signal) is used as the QCL source for the TCI state to convey messages. UE 115-b and candidate cell 405-b can perform communication based on control message communication at 445, timer expiration at 450, or both using a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) as the QCL source for the TCI state (instead of using SSB as the QCL source as done at 440).

[0189] The techniques described herein enable the SSB of candidate cell 405-b to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state activated for candidate cell 405-b. Thus, the techniques described herein facilitate cell handover / transfer procedures performed by UE 115-b by enabling UE 115-b to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of candidate cell 405-b. Specifically, where the CSI-RS configuration for the candidate cell is received and / or processed at UE 115-b only after cell handover to candidate cell 405-b has been completed, the techniques described herein enable UE 115-b to use the SSB of candidate cell 405-b to derive the QCL attributes for the TCI state of candidate cell 405-b, thereby allowing UE 115-b to derive the QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to candidate cell 405-b.

[0190] Figure 5An example of a process flow 500 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for associating TCI with a candidate cell SSB. Aspects of process flow 500 may implement aspects of, or be implemented by, wireless communication system 100, wireless communication system 200, timeline 300, processing flow 400, or any combination thereof. For example, process flow 500 illustrates signaling and configuration that enables UE 115-c to use the candidate cell's SSB as a source of QCL for the active TCI state of that candidate cell, as previously described herein.

[0191] Process flow 500 includes UE 115-c, serving cell 505-a, and candidate cell 505-b, which can be examples of UE 115, network entity 105, serving cell 205, and other radio devices as described herein. For example, Figure 5 The UE115-c, serving cell 505-a, and candidate cell 505-b illustrated in the example may respectively include, for example, UE115-c, serving cell 505-a, and candidate cell 505-b. Figure 2 Examples of UE 115-a, serving cell 205-a, and candidate cell 205-b are illustrated below. In this respect, serving cell 505-a and candidate cell 505-b may be associated with the same or different network entities 105 (e.g., supported by these same or different network entities) and may be configured to communicate using the same or different frequency bands / RATs.

[0192] In some examples, the operations illustrated in process flow 500 may be performed by hardware (e.g., including circuits, processing blocks, logic components, and other components), code executed by a processor (e.g., software), or any combination thereof. Alternative examples are possible, some of which may be performed in a different order than described or not at all. In some cases, steps may include additional features not mentioned below, or additional steps may be added.

[0193] At 510, UE 115-c can receive an RRC message from serving cell 505-a, where the RRC message indicates the association between a TCI state and a set of resources used to receive an SSB (e.g., resources used to receive an SSB from candidate cell 505-b). In other words, the RRC message can indicate a list of TCI states and the SSB resources corresponding to the respective TCI states within that list.

[0194] At 515, UE 115-c may receive from serving cell 505-a an indication of the TCI state used for communication with candidate cell 505-b. In some aspects, the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by UE 115-c for communication with candidate cell 505-b are quasi-co-located with the SSB of candidate cell 505-b. In other words, the indication / activation of the TCI state may indicate the SSB resources of candidate cell 505-b that will be used as the QCL source for the activated TCI state during communication with candidate cell 505-b. In some cases, the applicable SSB resources used as the QCL source for the indicated TCI state may be defined via a list of TCI states indicated at 510 via RRC signaling. Additionally or alternatively, the message indicating / activating the TCI state at 515 may also indicate which SSB resources will be used as the QCL source for the TCI state.

[0195] At 520, UE 115-c may receive a cell handover command from serving cell 505-a, wherein the cell handover command instructs UE 115-c to hand over from serving cell 505-a to candidate cell 505-b. The cell handover command may be communicated via MAC-CE. In some aspects, UE 115-c may receive the cell handover command based on receiving RRC signaling at 510, receiving an indication / activation of the TCI state at 515, or both. Additionally or alternatively, the indication of the TCI state and the cell handover command may be received via the same message (e.g., the cell handover command at 520 may indicate / activate the TCI state shown at 515).

[0196] At 525, UE 115-c can perform a cell handover (e.g., cell transfer) from serving cell 505-a to candidate cell 505-b. In some cases, the execution of the cell handover / transfer may include additional signaling between UE 115-c and the corresponding cell, additional signaling between serving cell 505-a and candidate cell 505-b, or both.

[0197] At 530, UE 115-c can use the spatial resources for the TCI state to perform communication with candidate cell 505-b, where the spatial resources are based on measurements performed by UE 115-c on the corresponding SSB resources associated with candidate cell 505-b. In other words, UE 115-b can communicate PUSCH / PUCCH / PDSCH / PDCCH messages with candidate cell 505-b according to the TCI state indicated / activated at 515, where the TCI state and the SSB resources of candidate cell 505-b (e.g., the SSB resources are used as the QCL source for the TCI state) are quasi-co-located.

[0198] The techniques described herein enable the SSB of candidate cell 505-b to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state activated for candidate cell 505-b. Thus, the techniques described herein facilitate cell handover / transfer procedures performed by UE 115-c by enabling UE 115-c to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of candidate cell 505-b. Specifically, where UE 115-c receives and / or processes the CSI-RS configuration for the candidate cell only after cell handover to candidate cell 505-b has been completed, the techniques described herein enable UE 115-c to use the SSB of candidate cell 505-b to derive the QCL attributes for the TCI state of candidate cell 505-b, thereby allowing UE 115-c to derive the QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to candidate cell 505-b.

[0199] Figure 6 A block diagram 600 of device 605 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Device 605 may be an example of various aspects of UE 115 as described herein. Device 605 may include receiver 610, transmitter 615, and communication manager 620. Device 605, or one or more components of device 605 (e.g., receiver 610, transmitter 615, and communication manager 620), may include at least one processor that may be coupled to at least one memory to individually or jointly support or implement the described techniques. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0200] Receiver 610 may provide components for receiving information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to the technology associated with the TCI for candidate cell SSBs). The information may be delivered to other components of device 605. Receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0201] Transmitter 615 may provide components for transmitting signals generated by other components of device 605. For example, transmitter 615 may transmit information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to the technology used for association with the TCI of the candidate cell SSB). In some examples, transmitter 615 may be co-located with receiver 610 in a transceiver module. Transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of multiple antennas.

[0202] The communication manager 620, receiver 610, transmitter 615, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing various aspects of the techniques described herein for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. For example, the communication manager 620, receiver 610, transmitter 615, or various combinations thereof, or components thereof, may be able to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0203] In some examples, the communication manager 620, receiver 610, transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communication management circuitry). The hardware may include at least one of a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof, configured as or otherwise individually or collectively to support components for performing the functions described herein. In some examples, at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in at least one memory are executed individually or collectively by one or more processors).

[0204] Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 620, receiver 610, transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by at least one processor (e.g., as communication management software). If implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functionality of the communication manager 620, receiver 610, transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise individually or jointly to support components for performing the functions described in this disclosure).

[0205] In some examples, the communication manager 620 may be configured to use or otherwise cooperate with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting). For example, the communication manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, transmit information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0206] For example, the communication manager 620 can be configured or operable to support components for receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell. The communication manager 620 can be configured or operable to support components for receiving first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell. The communication manager 620 can be configured or operable to support components for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0207] For example, the communication manager 620 can be configured or operable to support components for receiving an indication of the TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell via the serving cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. The communication manager 620 can be configured or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0208] By including or configuring a communication manager 620 according to an example as described herein, device 605 (e.g., control receiver 610, transmitter 615, communication manager 620, or a combination thereof, or at least one processor otherwise coupled to them) can support techniques that enable the SSB of a candidate cell to be used as a source of QCL for the TCI state of the candidate cell activation. Thus, the techniques described herein facilitate cell handover / handover procedures performed by UE 115 by enabling UE 115 to derive QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of the candidate cell. Specifically, where CSI-RS configuration for a candidate cell is received and / or processed at UE 115 only after cell handover to the candidate cell has been completed, the techniques described herein enable UE 115 to derive QCL attributes of the TCI state for the candidate cell using the SSB of the candidate cell, thereby enabling UE 115 to derive QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to the candidate cell.

[0209] Figure 7A block diagram 700 of device 705 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Device 705 may be an example of aspects of device 605 or UE 115 as described herein. Device 705 may include receiver 710, transmitter 715, and communication manager 720. Device 705, or one or more components of device 705 (e.g., receiver 710, transmitter 715, and communication manager 720), may include at least one processor that can be coupled to at least one memory to support the described techniques. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0210] Receiver 710 may provide components for receiving information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to the technology associated with the TCI for candidate cell SSBs). The information may be delivered to other components of device 705. Receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0211] Transmitter 715 may provide components for transmitting signals generated by other components of device 705. For example, transmitter 715 may transmit information (such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof) associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to the technology associated with the TCI for candidate cell SSBs). In some examples, transmitter 715 may be co-located with receiver 710 in a transceiver module. Transmitter 715 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of multiple antennas.

[0212] Device 705 or its various components may be examples of parts for performing various aspects of the techniques described herein for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. For example, communication manager 720 may include TCI status manager 725, control information manager 730, cell communication manager 735, or any combination thereof. Communication manager 720 may be examples of aspects of communication manager 620 as described herein. In some examples, communication manager 720 or its various components may be configured to use or otherwise cooperate with receiver 710, transmitter 715, or both to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting). For example, communication manager 720 may receive information from receiver 710, transmit information to transmitter 715, or be integrated in combination with receiver 710, transmitter 715, or both to acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0213] The TCI State Manager 725 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of the TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's reference signal. The Control Information Manager 730 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell. The Cell Communication Manager 735 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0214] The TCI State Manager 725 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving indications of the TCI state for communication with a candidate cell via the serving cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. The Cell Communication Manager 735 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0215] Figure 8 A block diagram 800 of a communication manager 820 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Communication manager 820 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 620, communication manager 720, or both as described herein. Communication manager 820 or its various components may be examples of components for performing various aspects of the techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs as described herein. For example, communication manager 820 may include TCI status manager 825, control information manager 830, cell communication manager 835, RRC manager 840, cell handover command manager 845, random access manager 850, CSI-RS configuration manager 855, timer manager 860, or any combination thereof. Each of these components, or its components or sub-components (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories), may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0216] The TCI state manager 825 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of the TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's reference signal. The control information manager 830 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell. The cell communication manager 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0217] In some examples, one or more messages are conveyed based on the first control information, according to the TCI state, and using the SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state.

[0218] In some examples, based on first control information, one or more messages are communicated using spatial resources that are quasi-co-located with first resource for receiving SSBs from candidate cells.

[0219] In some examples, the RRC manager 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving RRC messages that indicate the association between a TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB, wherein the TCI state is one of a set of TCI states included in the RRC message, each of which has a corresponding set of resources for receiving one or more SSBs.

[0220] In some examples, the RRC manager 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving RRC messages indicating an additional association between a reference signal and an SSB, wherein first control information is received via an RRC message, and wherein the association between the first resource and the TCI state is based on the additional association between the reference signal and the SSB.

[0221] In some examples, the first resource used to receive an SSB includes downlink frequency resources, SSB SCS, PCID, SSB index, or any combination thereof.

[0222] In some examples, the first control information is received via an RRC message. In some examples, the RRC message also indicates the TCI type associated with the TCI state used for candidate cells.

[0223] In some examples, the cell handover command manager 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a cell handover command instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes first control information.

[0224] In some examples, cell handover commands include MAC-CE messages.

[0225] In some examples, the cell handover command also includes the activation of the TCI state for the candidate cell.

[0226] In some examples, the control information manager 830 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving second control information indicating a TCI state and a downlink control channel command associated with a set of random access opportunities, wherein the set of random access opportunities corresponds to a set of SSBs including an SSB. In some examples, the random access manager 850 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting a first random access message via a random access opportunity in the set of random access opportunities based on the receipt of the second control information, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to an SSB. In some examples, the random access manager 850 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a second random access message in response to a first random access message, wherein the second random access message includes first control information indicating an association between a TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB.

[0227] In some examples, the control information manager 830 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving second control information indicating a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the resource set includes a first resource. In some examples, the cell handover command manager 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a cell handover command including an indication of a TCI state and an indication of TA values ​​from the set of TA values, wherein the first control information is based on the indicated TA value, which corresponds to a first resource for receiving an SSB indicated via the second control information.

[0228] In some examples, the CSI-RS configuration manager 855 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving instructions on channel state information configuration for a reference signal for a candidate cell via the serving cell, wherein the first resource includes a root QCL source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal.

[0229] In some examples, the control information manager 830 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving control messages via candidate cells that indicate reference signals for candidate cells. In some examples, the cell communication manager 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more additional messages with candidate cells using reference signals as a QCL source based on received control messages.

[0230] In some examples, the cell handover command manager 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a cell handover command via the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages are communicated using the SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state based on first control information and the cell handover command. In some examples, the timer manager 860 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for identifying the expiration of a timer based on the receipt of a cell handover command. In some examples, the cell communication manager 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more additional messages with the candidate cell using a reference signal as the QCL source based on identifying the expiration of a timer.

[0231] In some examples, the timer manager 860 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving instructions to a timer via a serving cell, a candidate cell, or both, wherein the expiration of a timer is identified based on the receipt of an instruction to the timer.

[0232] In some examples, the indication of the TCI status and the first control information are received via the same control message.

[0233] In some examples, the QCL source indicates that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the channel state information reference signal of the candidate cell.

[0234] In some examples, the TCI state manager 825 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving indications of the TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell via the serving cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. In some examples, the cell communication manager 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0235] In some examples, the cell handover command manager 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a cell handover command from the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages are conveyed based on the receipt of the cell handover command.

[0236] In some examples, the indication of the TCI status is received via a cell handover command.

[0237] In some examples, the RRC manager 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving RRC messages that indicate the association between a set of TCI states and a set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the set of TCI states includes the indicated TCI states, and wherein the set of resources includes a first resource associated with the SSB, wherein receiving the indication of the TCI state is based on receiving the RRC message.

[0238] Figure 9 A diagram of a system 900 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, the system including device 905 supporting technology for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Device 905 may be an example of device 605, device 705, or UE 115 as described herein, or may include components thereof. Device 905 may communicate with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof (e.g., wirelessly). Device 905 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 920, an input / output (I / O) controller 910, a transceiver 915, an antenna 925, at least one memory 930, code 935, and at least one processor 940. These components may communicate electronically or be coupled in other ways (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more buses (e.g., bus 945).

[0239] I / O controller 910 manages the input and output signals of device 905. I / O controller 910 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 905. In some cases, I / O controller 910 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 910 may utilize an operating system such as iOS. ® ANDROID ® MS-DOS ® MS-WINDOWS ® OS / 2 ® UNIX ® LINUX ®Or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I / O controller 910 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may be implemented as part of one or more processors, such as at least one processor 940. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 via the I / O controller 910 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 910.

[0240] In some cases, device 905 may include a single antenna 925. However, in other cases, device 905 may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. Transceiver 915 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 925 as described herein, or via a wired or wireless link. For example, transceiver 915 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 915 may also include a modem for: modulating packets; providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 925 for transmission; and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 925. Transceiver 915, or transceiver 915 and one or more antennas 925, may be an example of transmitter 615, transmitter 715, receiver 610, receiver 710, or any combination thereof or components thereof as described herein.

[0241] At least one memory 930 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). At least one memory 930 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 935, including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor 940, cause device 905 to perform the various functions described herein. Code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, code 935 may not be directly executable by at least one processor 940, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some cases, among other things, at least one memory 930 may also include a basic I / O system (BIOS) that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0242] At least one processor 940 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, GPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, at least one processor 940 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into at least one processor 940. At least one processor 940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., at least one memory 930) to cause device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., various functions or tasks supporting technologies associated with TCI for candidate cell SSBs). For example, device 905 or components of device 905 may include at least one processor 940 and at least one memory 930 coupled to or coupled to at least one processor 940, at least one processor 940 and at least one memory 930 being configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, at least one processor 940 may include multiple processors, and at least one memory 930 may include multiple memories. One or more of a plurality of processors may be coupled to one or more of a plurality of memories, which may be configured individually or collectively to perform the various functions described herein.

[0243] For example, the communication manager 920 can be configured or operable to support components for receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell. The communication manager 920 can be configured or operable to support components for receiving first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell. The communication manager 920 can be configured or operable to support components for using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0244] For example, the communication manager 920 can be configured or operable to support components for receiving an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell via the serving cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. The communication manager 920 can be configured or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on measurements of the SSB.

[0245] By including or configuring a communication manager 920 according to an example as described herein, device 905 can support a technique that enables the SSB of a candidate cell to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state of the candidate cell activation. Thus, the technique described herein facilitates the cell handover / handover process performed by UE 115 by enabling UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of the candidate cell. Specifically, where CSI-RS configuration for a candidate cell is received and / or processed at UE 115 only after cell handover to the candidate cell has been completed, the technique described herein enables UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes of the TCI state for the candidate cell using the SSB of the candidate cell, thereby enabling UE 115 to derive the QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to the candidate cell.

[0246] In some examples, the communication manager 920 may be configured to use or otherwise cooperate with transceiver 915, one or more antennas 925, or any combination thereof to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting). Although the communication manager 920 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communication manager 920 may be supported by or performed by at least one processor 940, at least one memory 930, code 935, or any combination thereof. For example, code 935 may include instructions that can be executed by at least one processor 940 to cause device 905 to perform various aspects of the techniques described herein for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs, or at least one processor 940 and at least one memory 930 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations individually or jointly.

[0247] Figure 10 A block diagram 1000 of device 1005 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Device 1005 may be an example of aspects of network entity 105 as described herein. Device 1005 may include receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, and communication manager 1020. Device 1005, or one or more components of device 1005 (e.g., receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, and communication manager 1020), may include at least one processor that may be coupled to at least one memory to individually or jointly support or implement the described techniques. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0248] Receiver 1010 may provide components for acquiring (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information (such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units)) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). The information may be delivered to other components of device 1005. In some examples, receiver 1010 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally or alternatively, receiver 1010 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0249] Transmitter 1015 may provide components for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, transmitting) information generated by other components of device 1005. For example, transmitter 1015 may output information associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack), such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units). In some examples, transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally or alternatively, transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, transmitter 1015 and receiver 1010 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled to a modem.

[0250] The communication manager 1020, receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing various aspects of the techniques described herein for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. For example, the communication manager 1020, receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, or various combinations thereof, or components thereof, may be able to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0251] In some examples, the communication manager 1020, receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communication management circuitry). The hardware may include at least one of a processor, DSP, CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof, configured as or otherwise individually or collectively to support components for performing the functions described herein. In some examples, at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to said at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., instructions stored in at least one memory are executed individually or collectively by one or more processors).

[0252] Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 1020, receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by at least one processor (e.g., as communication management software). If implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functionality of the communication manager 1020, receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise individually or jointly to support components for performing the functions described in this disclosure).

[0253] In some examples, the communication manager 1020 may be configured to use or otherwise cooperate with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting). For example, the communication manager 1020 may receive information from the receiver 1010, transmit information to the transmitter 1015, or be integrated with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0254] The communication manager 1020 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1020 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell. The communication manager 1020 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell. The communication manager 1020 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on an association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0255] Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 1020 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1020 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. The communication manager 1020 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for conveying one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on SSBs.

[0256] By including or configuring a communication manager 1020 according to the example described herein, device 1005 (e.g., controlling receiver 1010, transmitter 1015, communication manager 1020, or a combination thereof, or at least one processor otherwise coupled to them) can support techniques that enable the SSB of a candidate cell to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state of the candidate cell activation. Thus, the techniques described herein facilitate cell handover / handover procedures performed by UE 115 by enabling UE 115 to derive QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of the candidate cell. Specifically, where CSI-RS configuration for a candidate cell is received and / or processed at UE 115 only after cell handover to the candidate cell has been completed, the techniques described herein enable UE 115 to derive QCL attributes of the TCI state for the candidate cell using the SSB of the candidate cell, thereby enabling UE 115 to derive QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to the candidate cell.

[0257] Figure 11A block diagram 1100 of device 1105 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Device 1105 may be an example of aspects of device 1005 or network entity 105 as described herein. Device 1105 may include receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, and communication manager 1120. Device 1105 or one or more components of device 1105 (e.g., receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, and communication manager 1120) may include at least one processor that can be coupled to at least one memory to support the described techniques. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0258] Receiver 1110 may provide components for acquiring (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information (such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units)) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). The information may be delivered to other components of device 1105. In some examples, receiver 1110 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally or alternatively, receiver 1110 may support acquiring information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0259] Transmitter 1115 may provide components for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, transmitting) information generated by other components of device 1105. For example, transmitter 1115 may output information associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack), such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units). In some examples, transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally or alternatively, transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, transmitter 1115 and receiver 1110 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled to a modem.

[0260] Device 1105 or its various components may be examples of parts for performing various aspects of the techniques described herein for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. For example, communication manager 1120 may include TCI status manager 1125, control information manager 1130, UE communication manager 1135, or any combination thereof. Communication manager 1120 may be examples of aspects of communication manager 1020 as described herein. In some examples, communication manager 1120 or its various components may be configured to use or otherwise cooperate with receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, or both to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting). For example, communication manager 1120 may receive information from receiver 1110, transmit information to transmitter 1115, or be integrated in combination with receiver 1110, transmitter 1115, or both to acquire information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0261] Communication manager 1120 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. TCI state manager 1125 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's reference signal. Control information manager 1130 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell. UE communication manager 1135 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on an association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0262] Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 1120 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. The TCI state manager 1125 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending an indication to the UE via the serving cell of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. The UE communication manager 1135 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for conveying one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on SSBs.

[0263] Figure 12A block diagram 1200 of a communication manager 1220 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, which supports techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Communication manager 1220 may be an example of aspects of communication manager 1020, communication manager 1120, or both as described herein. Communication manager 1220 or its various components may be examples of components for performing various aspects of the techniques for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs as described herein. For example, communication manager 1220 may include TCI status manager 1225, control information manager 1230, UE communication manager 1235, RRC manager 1240, cell handover command manager 1245, random access manager 1250, CSI-RS configuration manager 1255, timer manager 1260, or any combination thereof. These components, or each of their components or sub-components (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories), may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses), and such communication may include communication within protocol layers of the protocol stack, communication associated with logical channels of the protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of the protocol stack, within devices, components, or virtualization components associated with network entity 105, between devices, components, or virtualization components associated with network entity 105), or any combination thereof.

[0264] Communication manager 1220 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. TCI state manager 1225 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's reference signal. Control information manager 1230 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell. UE communication manager 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on an association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0265] In some examples, one or more messages are conveyed based on the first control information, according to the TCI state, and using the SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state.

[0266] In some examples, based on first control information, one or more messages are communicated using spatial resources that are quasi-co-located with the first resource used to send SSBs from candidate cells.

[0267] In some examples, the RRC manager 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending an RRC message indicating an association between a TCI state and a first resource for sending an SSB, wherein the TCI state is one of a set of TCI states included in the RRC message, each of which has a corresponding set of resources for sending one or more SSBs.

[0268] In some examples, the RRC manager 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving RRC messages indicating an additional association between a reference signal and an SSB, wherein first control information is sent via an RRC message, and wherein the association between the first resource and the TCI state is based on the additional association between the reference signal and the SSB.

[0269] In some examples, the first resource used to send an SSB includes downlink frequency resources, SSB SCS, PCID, SSB index, or any combination thereof.

[0270] In some examples, the initial control information is sent via an RRC message. In some examples, the RRC message also indicates the TCI type associated with the TCI state used for candidate cells.

[0271] In some examples, the cell handover command manager 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending a cell handover command instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes first control information.

[0272] In some examples, cell handover commands include MAC-CE messages.

[0273] In some examples, the cell handover command also includes the activation of the TCI state for the candidate cell.

[0274] In some examples, the control information manager 1230 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting second control information indicating a TCI state and a downlink control channel command associated with a set of random access opportunities, wherein the set of random access opportunities corresponds to a set of SSBs including SSBs. In some examples, the random access manager 1250 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for receiving a first random access message via a random access opportunity in the set of random access opportunities based on the transmission of the second control information, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to an SSB. In some examples, the random access manager 1250 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting a second random access message in response to a first random access message, wherein the second random access message includes first control information indicating an association between a TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB.

[0275] In some examples, the control information manager 1230 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting second control information indicating a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for transmitting an SSB, wherein the resource set includes a first resource. In some examples, the cell handover command manager 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting a cell handover command including an indication of a TCI state and an indication of TA values ​​from the TA value set, wherein the first control information is based on the indicated TA value, which corresponds to a first resource for transmitting an SSB indicated via the second control information.

[0276] In some examples, the CSI-RS configuration manager 1255 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting instructions for channel state information configuration of a reference signal for a candidate cell via the serving cell, wherein the first resource includes a root QCL source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal.

[0277] In some examples, based on the first control information, the SSB is used as the QCL source for the TCI state to transmit one or more messages, and the control information manager 1230 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting control messages via candidate cells, indicating reference signals of candidate cells. In some examples, based on the first control information, the SSB is used as the QCL source for the TCI state to transmit one or more messages, and the UE communication manager 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting one or more additional messages via candidate cells, using reference signals as the QCL source based on the transmission of control messages.

[0278] In some examples, the cell handover command manager 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting a cell handover command via the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages are conveyed using the SSB as the QCL source for the TCI state based on first control information and the cell handover command. In some examples, the timer manager 1260 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for identifying the expiration of a timer based on the receipt of a cell handover command.

[0279] In some examples, the timer manager 1260 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending indications to timers via the serving cell, candidate cell, or both, wherein the expiration of a timer is identified based on sending an indication to the timer.

[0280] In some examples, the indication of the TCI status and the first control information are sent via the same control message.

[0281] In some examples, the QCL source indicates that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the channel state information reference signal of the candidate cell.

[0282] Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 1220 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, the TCI state manager 1225 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending an indication to the UE via the serving cell of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the space resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. In some examples, the UE communication manager 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for conveying one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using space resources, wherein the space resources are based on SSBs.

[0283] In some examples, the cell handover command manager 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending a cell handover command from the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over to a candidate cell, wherein one or more messages are conveyed based on sending the cell handover command.

[0284] In some examples, the indication of TCI status is sent via cell handover command.

[0285] In some examples, the RRC manager 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for sending RRC messages that indicate the association between a set of TCI states and a set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the set of TCI states includes the indicated TCI states, and wherein the set of resources includes a first resource associated with the SSB, wherein the indication of the TCI states is sent based on sending the RRC message.

[0286] Figure 13 A diagram of a system 1300 according to one or more aspects of this disclosure is shown, the system including device 1305 supporting technology for TCI association with candidate cell SSBs. Device 1305 may be an example of device 1005, device 1105, or network entity 105 as described herein, or may include components thereof. Device 1305 may communicate with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof, the communication including communication via one or more wired interfaces, one or more wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. Device 1305 may include components supporting output and obtaining communication, such as a communication manager 1320, a transceiver 1310, an antenna 1315, at least one memory 1325, code 1330, and at least one processor 1335. These components may communicate electronically or otherwise (e.g., operative ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1340).

[0287] Transceiver 1310 may support bidirectional communication via a wired link, a wireless link, or both, as described herein. In some examples, transceiver 1310 may include a wired transceiver and be capable of bidirectional communication with another wired transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, transceiver 1310 may include a wireless transceiver and be capable of bidirectional communication with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, device 1305 may include one or more antennas 1315 that are capable of (e.g., concurrently) transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions. Transceiver 1310 may also include a modem for: modulating a signal; providing the modulated signal for transmission (e.g., via one or more antennas 1315, via a wired transmitter); receiving the modulated signal (e.g., from one or more antennas 1315, from a wired receiver); and demodulating the signal. In some embodiments, transceiver 1310 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 1315 configured to support various receive or acquire operations, or one or more interfaces coupled to one or more antennas 1315 configured to support various transmit or output operations, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, transceiver 1310 may include one or more processors or one or more memory components or configured to be coupled to such processors or memory components, which are operable to perform or support operations based on received or acquired information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other output, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, transceiver 1310, or transceiver 1310 and one or more antennas 1315, or transceiver 1310 and one or more antennas 1315 and one or more processors or one or more memory components (e.g., at least one processor 1335, at least one memory 1325, or both) may be included in a chip or chip assembly mounted in device 1305. In some examples, transceiver 1310 may be able to operate to support communication via one or more communication links (e.g., communication link 125, backhaul communication link 120, midhaul communication link 162, and fronthaul communication link 168).

[0288] At least one memory 1325 may include RAM, ROM, or any combination thereof. At least one memory 1325 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1330 including instructions that, when executed by one or more of at least one processor 1335, cause device 1305 to perform the various functions described herein. Code 1330 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, code 1330 may not be directly executable by one of the at least one processor 1335, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some cases, at least one memory 1325 may also include a BIOS, among other things, that controls basic hardware or software operation, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices. In some examples, at least one processor 1335 may include multiple processors, and at least one memory 1325 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which may be configured individually or collectively to perform the various functions described herein (e.g., as part of a processing system).

[0289] At least one processor 1335 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, at least one processor 1335 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into one or more processors in at least one processor 1335. At least one processor 1335 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., one or more memories in at least one memory 1325) to cause device 1305 to perform various functions (e.g., various functions or tasks supporting technologies associated with TCI for candidate cell SSBs). For example, device 1305 or components of device 1305 may include at least one processor 1335 and at least one memory 1325 coupled to one or more processors in at least one processor 1335, wherein at least one processor 1335 and at least one memory 1325 are configured to perform the various functions described herein. At least one processor 1335 may be an example of a cloud computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as an operating system, virtual machine, or container instance) that can (e.g., by executing code 1330) host functions for performing the functions of device 1305. At least one processor 1335 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in device 1305 (such as within one or more memories of at least one memory 1325). In some implementations, at least one processor 1335 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system can generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receive input and process that input to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, device 1305). For example, the processing system of device 1305 may refer to a system that includes various other components or sub-components of device 1305 (such as at least one processor 1335, transceiver 1310, communication manager 1320, or other components or combinations of components of device 1305). The processing system of device 1305 can interface with other components of device 1305 and can process information (such as inputs or signals) received from other components or output information to other components. For example, the chip or modem of device 1305 may include a processing system and one or more interfaces for outputting information or for acquiring information, or both. These one or more interfaces may be implemented as or otherwise include a first interface configured to output information and a second interface configured to acquire information, or the same interface configured to both output and acquire information, and other specific implementations.In some embodiments, the one or more interfaces may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the transmitter, enabling device 1305 to send information output from the chip or modem. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the one or more interfaces may refer to the interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and the receiver, enabling device 1305 to receive information or signal input, and such information can be transmitted to the processing system. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first interface may also receive information or signal input, and the second interface may also output information or signal output.

[0290] In some examples, bus 1340 may support communication at the protocol layer of the protocol stack (e.g., within a protocol layer). In some examples, bus 1340 may support communication associated with logical channels of the protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of the protocol stack), which may include communication performed within components of device 1305, or communication performed between different components of device 1305 that are co-addressable or may be located in different locations (e.g., where device 1305 may refer to a system in which one or more of communication manager 1320, transceiver 1310, at least one memory 1325, code 1330 and at least one processor 1335 may be located in one component of different components or partitioned between different components).

[0291] In some examples, the communication manager 1320 may manage (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links) various aspects of communication with the core network 130. For example, the communication manager 1320 may manage the transfer of data communication between client devices (such as one or more UEs 115). In some examples, the communication manager 1320 may manage communication with other network entities 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for coordinating other network entities 105 to control communication with UE 115. In some examples, the communication manager 1320 may support an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.

[0292] The communication manager 1320 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1320 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell. The communication manager 1320 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell. The communication manager 1320 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for communicating one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on an association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0293] Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 1320 may support wireless communication according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communication manager 1320 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for transmitting to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. The communication manager 1320 may be capable of, configured to, or operable to support components for conveying one or more messages to the UE via the candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based on SSBs.

[0294] By including or configuring a communication manager 1320 according to an example as described herein, device 1305 can support a technique that enables the SSB of a candidate cell to be used as a QCL source for the TCI state of the candidate cell activation. Thus, the technique described herein facilitates cell handover / transfer procedures performed by UE 115 by enabling UE 115 to derive QCL attributes of the TCI state based on the SSB of the candidate cell. Specifically, where CSI-RS configuration for a candidate cell is received and / or processed at UE 115 only after cell handover to the candidate cell has been completed, the technique described herein enables UE 115 to derive QCL attributes of the TCI state for the candidate cell using the SSB of the candidate cell, thereby enabling UE 115 to derive QCL attributes before performing and / or completing cell handover to the candidate cell.

[0295] In some examples, the communication manager 1320 may be configured to use or otherwise coordinate with the transceiver 1310, one or more antennas 1315 (e.g., where applicable), or any combination thereof to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, monitoring, outputting, transmitting). Although the communication manager 1320 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communication manager 1320 may be supported or performed by the transceiver 1310, one or more processors in at least one processor 1335, one or more memories in at least one memory 1325, code 1330, or any combination thereof (e.g., by a processing system including at least a portion of at least one processor 1335, at least one memory 1325, code 1330, or any combination thereof). For example, code 1330 may include instructions that can be executed by one or more of at least one processor 1335 to cause device 1305 to perform various aspects of the techniques described herein for TCI association with candidate cell SSB, or at least one processor 1335 and at least one memory 1325 may otherwise be configured to perform or support such operations individually or jointly.

[0296] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for supporting TCI association with a candidate cell SSB according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1400 can be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1400 can be performed by, as referenced... Figures 1 to 9 The UE 115 described herein is used to perform this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described function. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described function.

[0297] At 1405, the method may include receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell. Operation of block 1405 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1405 may be provided by reference to... Figure 8 The TCI State Manager 825 described is executed.

[0298] At 1410, the method may include receiving first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and first resources for receiving an SSB from a candidate cell. Operation of block 1410 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1410 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 8The described control information manager 830 is executed.

[0299] At 1415, the method may include using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages to candidate cells, wherein the spatial resources are based at least in part on the association between a first resource and a TCI state. The operation of block 1415 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1415 may be derived from references... Figure 8 The described cell communication manager 835 is used to execute this.

[0300] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for supporting TCI association with a candidate cell SSB according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1500 can be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1500 can be achieved by, as referenced... Figures 1 to 9 The UE 115 described herein is used to perform this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described function. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described function.

[0301] At 1505, the method may include receiving, via the serving cell, an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating quasi-co-location of the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell and the SSB of the candidate cell. Operation of block 1505 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1505 may be provided by reference to [reference]. Figure 8 The TCI State Manager 825 described is executed.

[0302] At 1510, the method may include using spatial resources to communicate one or more messages to candidate cells, wherein the spatial resources are at least partially based on measurements of the SSB. The operation of block 1510 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1510 may be derived from references... Figure 8 The described cell communication manager 835 is used to execute this.

[0303] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB, according to various aspects of this disclosure, is shown. Operation of method 1600 may be implemented by a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1600 may be implemented by, as referenced... Figures 1 to 5 as well as Figures 10 to 13The described network entity performs the functions. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0304] At 1605, the method may include sending to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the reference signal of the candidate cell. Operation of block 1605 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1605 may be provided by reference to... Figure 12 The TCI State Manager 1225 described is executed.

[0305] At 1610, the method may include transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell. Operation of block 1610 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1610 may be derived from references... Figure 12 The described control information manager 1230 is executed.

[0306] At 1615, the method may include communicating one or more messages to the UE via a candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are based at least in part on an association between a first resource and a TCI state. The operation of block 1615 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1615 may be derived from references... Figure 12 The UE communication manager 1235 described herein is used to execute this.

[0307] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for TCI association with a candidate cell SSB, according to various aspects of this disclosure, is shown. Operation of method 1700 may be implemented by a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, operation of method 1700 may be implemented by, as referenced... Figures 1 to 5 as well as Figures 10 to 13 The described network entity performs the functions. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0308] At 1705, the method may include sending to the UE via the serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the candidate cell's SSB. Operation of block 1705 may be performed according to examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of operation of 1705 may be provided by reference to [reference]. Figure 12 The TCI State Manager 1225 described is executed.

[0309] At 1710, the method may include communicating one or more messages to the UE via a candidate cell using spatial resources, wherein the spatial resources are at least partially based on the SSB. The operation of block 1710 may be performed according to the examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1710 may be derived from references... Figure 12 The UE communication manager 1235 described herein is used for execution.

[0310] The following provides an overview of the various aspects of this disclosure: Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a UE, the method comprising: receiving via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; receiving via the serving cell first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving an SSB from the candidate cell; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are at least partially based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0311] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, wherein the one or more messages are conveyed based at least in part on the first control information, according to the TCI state and using the SSB as the QCL source of the TCI state.

[0312] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 2, wherein the one or more messages are communicated using spatial resources co-located with the first resource quasi-co-located for receiving the SSB from the candidate cell, based at least in part on the first control information.

[0313] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, the method further comprising: receiving an RRC message indicating the association between the TCI state and the first resource for receiving the SSB, wherein the TCI state is one of a set of TCI states included in the RRC message, each TCI state in the set of TCI states having a corresponding set of resources for receiving one or more SSBs.

[0314] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, the method further comprising: receiving an RRC message indicating an additional association between the reference signal and the SSB, wherein the first control information is received via the RRC message, and wherein the association between the first resource and the TCI state is based at least in part on the additional association between the reference signal and the SSB.

[0315] Aspect 6: According to the method of aspect 5, the first resource for receiving the SSB includes downlink frequency resources, SSB SCS, PCID, SSB index, or any combination thereof.

[0316] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the first control information is received via an RRC message, the RRC message further indicating a TCI type associated with the TCI state for the candidate cell.

[0317] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, the method further comprising: receiving a cell handover command instructing the UE to switch from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes the first control information.

[0318] Aspect 9: According to the method of aspect 8, the cell handover command includes a MAC-CE message.

[0319] Aspect 10: The method according to any one of Aspects 8 to 9, wherein the cell handover command further includes activation of the TCI state for the candidate cell.

[0320] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, the method further comprising: receiving second control information, the second control information indicating the TCI state and a downlink control channel command associated with a set of random access opportunities, wherein the set of random access opportunities corresponds to a set of SSBs including the SSB; transmitting a first random access message via a random access opportunity in the set of random access opportunities, at least in part based on receiving the second control information, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to the SSB; and receiving a second random access message in response to the first random access message, wherein the second random access message includes the first control information, the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and a first resource for receiving the SSB.

[0321] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, the method further comprising: receiving second control information, the second control information indicating a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for receiving an SSB, wherein the set of resources includes the first resource; and receiving a cell handover command, the cell handover command including the indication of the TCI state and the indication of TA values ​​from the set of TA values, wherein the first control information is at least partially based on the indicated TA value, the indicated TA value corresponding to the first resource for receiving the SSB indicated via the second control information.

[0322] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12, the method further comprising: receiving via the serving cell an indication of channel state information configuration for the reference signal for the candidate cell, wherein the first resource includes a root QCL source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal is a CSI-RS.

[0323] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein the SSB is used as the QCL source of the TCI state to convey the one or more messages based at least in part on the first control information, the method further comprising: receiving a control message via the candidate cell indicating the reference signal of the candidate cell; and using the reference signal as the QCL source to convey one or more additional messages to the candidate cell based at least in part on the receipt of the control message.

[0324] Aspect 15: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 14, the method further comprising: receiving via the serving cell a cell handover command instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the SSB is used as the QCL source of the TCI state to convey the one or more messages based at least in part on the first control information and the cell handover command; identifying the expiration of a timer based at least in part on receiving the cell handover command; and using the reference signal as the QCL source to convey one or more additional messages to the candidate cell based at least in part on identifying the expiration of the timer.

[0325] Aspect 16: The method according to aspect 15, the method further comprising: receiving an indication of the timer via the serving cell, the candidate cell, or both, wherein identifying the expiration of the timer is based at least in part on receiving the indication of the timer.

[0326] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 16, wherein the indication of the TCI state and the first control information are received via the same control message.

[0327] Aspect 18: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 17, wherein the QCL source indicates that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the channel state information reference signal of the candidate cell.

[0328] Aspect 19: A method for wireless communication at a UE, the method comprising: receiving via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with an SSB of the candidate cell; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are based at least in part on a measurement of the SSB.

[0329] Aspect 20: The method according to aspect 19, the method further comprising: receiving from the serving cell a cell handover command instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the communication of the one or more messages is based at least in part on receiving the cell handover command.

[0330] Aspect 21: The method according to aspect 20, wherein the indication of the TCI state is received via the cell handover command.

[0331] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of aspects 19 to 21, the method further comprising: receiving an RRC message indicating an association between a TCI state set and a resource set for receiving an SSB, wherein the TCI state set includes the indicated TCI state, and wherein the resource set includes a first resource associated with the SSB, wherein receiving the indication of the TCI state is based at least in part on receiving the RRC message.

[0332] Aspect 23: A method for wireless communication at a network entity, the method comprising: transmitting to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with a reference signal of the candidate cell; transmitting first control information via the serving cell, the first control information indicating an association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting an SSB from the candidate cell; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are at least partially based on the association between the first resource and the TCI state.

[0333] Aspect 24: The method according to aspect 23, wherein the one or more messages are conveyed based at least in part on the first control information, according to the TCI state and using the SSB as the QCL source of the TCI state.

[0334] Aspect 25: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 24, wherein the one or more messages are communicated using spatial resources co-located with the first resource quasi-co-located for transmitting the SSB from the candidate cell, based at least in part on the first control information.

[0335] Aspect 26: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 25, the method further comprising: sending an RRC message indicating the association between the TCI state and the first resource for sending the SSB, wherein the TCI state is one of a set of TCI states included in the RRC message, each TCI state in the set of TCI states having a corresponding set of resources for sending one or more SSBs.

[0336] Aspect 27: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 26, the method further comprising: receiving an RRC message indicating an additional association between the reference signal and the SSB, wherein the first control information is transmitted via the RRC message, and wherein the association between the first resource and the TCI state is based at least in part on the additional association between the reference signal and the SSB.

[0337] Aspect 28: The method according to aspect 27, wherein the first resource for transmitting the SSB includes downlink frequency resources, SSB SCS, PCID, SSB index, or any combination thereof.

[0338] Aspect 29: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 28, wherein the first control information is sent via an RRC message, the RRC message further indicating a TCI type associated with the TCI state for the candidate cell.

[0339] Aspect 30: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 29, the method further comprising: sending a cell handover command instructing the UE to switch from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes the first control information.

[0340] Aspect 31: According to the method of aspect 30, the cell handover command includes a MAC-CE message.

[0341] Aspect 32: The method according to any one of Aspects 30 to 31, wherein the cell handover command further includes activation of the TCI state for the candidate cell.

[0342] Aspect 33: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 32, the method further comprising: transmitting second control information, the second control information indicating the TCI state and a downlink control channel command associated with a set of random access opportunities, wherein the set of random access opportunities corresponds to a set of SSBs including the SSB; receiving a first random access message via a random access opportunity in the set of random access opportunities, at least in part based on transmitting the second control information, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to the SSB; and transmitting a second random access message in response to the first random access message, wherein the second random access message includes the first control information, the first control information indicating the association between the TCI state and a first resource for transmitting the SSB.

[0343] Aspect 34: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 33, the method further comprising: transmitting second control information, the second control information indicating a set of TA values ​​and a corresponding set of resources for transmitting an SSB, wherein the set of resources includes the first resource; and transmitting a cell handover command, the cell handover command including the indication of the TCI state and the indication of TA values ​​from the set of TA values, wherein the first control information is at least partially based on the indicated TA value, the indicated TA value corresponding to the first resource for transmitting the SSB indicated via the second control information.

[0344] Aspect 35: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 34, the method further comprising: transmitting via the serving cell an indication of channel state information configuration for the reference signal of the candidate cell, wherein the first resource includes a root QCL source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal is a CSI-RS.

[0345] Aspect 36: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 35, wherein the SSB is used as the QCL source of the TCI state to convey the one or more messages based at least in part on the first control information, the method further comprising: transmitting a control message indicating the reference signal of the candidate cell via the candidate cell; and transmitting one or more additional messages via the candidate cell based at least in part on the transmission of the control message, using the reference signal as the QCL source.

[0346] Aspect 37: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 36, the method further comprising: transmitting a cell handover command via the serving cell instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the SSB is used as the QCL source of the TCI state to convey the one or more messages based at least in part on the first control information and the cell handover command; identifying the expiration of a timer based at least in part on receiving the cell handover command; and using the reference signal as the QCL source to convey one or more additional messages to the UE based at least in part on identifying the expiration of the timer.

[0347] Aspect 38: The method according to aspect 37, the method further comprising: transmitting an indication of the timer via the serving cell, the candidate cell, or both, wherein identifying the expiration of the timer is based at least in part on transmitting the indication of the timer.

[0348] Aspect 39: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 38, wherein the indication of the TCI state and the first control information are sent via the same control message.

[0349] Aspect 40: The method according to any one of Aspects 23 to 39, wherein the QCL source indicates that the spatial resources used by the UE to communicate with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with the channel state information reference signal of the candidate cell.

[0350] Aspect 41: A method for wireless communication at a network entity, the method comprising: transmitting to a UE via a serving cell an indication of a TCI state for communicating with the UE via a candidate cell, wherein the TCI state is associated with a QCL source indicating that spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-located with an SSB of the candidate cell; and using the spatial resources to communicate one or more messages with the UE via the candidate cell, wherein the spatial resources are at least partially based on the SSB.

[0351] Aspect 42: The method according to aspect 41, the method further comprising: sending from the serving cell a cell handover command instructing the UE to hand over from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the communication of the one or more messages is based at least in part on sending the cell handover command.

[0352] Aspect 43: The method according to aspect 42, wherein the indication of the TCI state is sent via the cell handover command.

[0353] Aspect 44: The method according to any one of aspects 41 to 43, the method further comprising: sending an RRC message indicating an association between a TCI state set and a resource set for receiving an SSB, wherein the TCI state set includes the indicated TCI state, and wherein the resource set includes a first resource associated with the SSB, wherein sending the indication of the TCI state is based at least in part on sending the RRC message.

[0354] Aspect 45: A UE comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, so that the UE performs a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18.

[0355] Aspect 46: A UE comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18.

[0356] Aspect 47: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code, said code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18.

[0357] Aspect 48: A UE comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, so that the UE performs a method according to any one of aspects 19 to 22.

[0358] Aspect 49: A UE comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 19 to 22.

[0359] Aspect 50: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code, said code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 19 to 22.

[0360] Aspect 51: A network entity for wireless communication, the network entity comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, so that the network entity performs a method according to any one of aspects 23 to 40.

[0361] Aspect 52: A network entity for wireless communication, the network entity comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 23 to 40.

[0362] Aspect 53: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method according to any one of aspects 23 to 40.

[0363] Aspect 54: A network entity for wireless communication, the network entity comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and capable of operating individually or jointly to execute the code, so that the network entity performs a method according to any one of aspects 41 to 44.

[0364] Aspect 55: A network entity for wireless communication, the network entity comprising at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 41 to 44.

[0365] Aspect 56: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform a method according to any one of aspects 41 to 44.

[0366] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible specific implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other specific implementations are also possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of these methods can be combined.

[0367] While aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for illustrative purposes, and the terms LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein are also applicable to networks outside of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described can be applied to a variety of other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein, including future systems and radio technologies.

[0368] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0369] The various exemplary blocks and components described herein can be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, GPU, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, a processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). Any function or operation described herein that can be performed by a processor may be performed by multiple processors capable of performing the described function or operation individually or jointly.

[0370] The functionality described herein can be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. Software should be broadly interpreted as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, or functions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other terms. When implemented using software executed by a processor, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium or transmitted using one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and specific implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functionality described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functionality can also be physically located in various locations, including portions distributed such that the functionality is implemented at different physical locations.

[0371] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, encompassing any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, phase-change memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code components in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of computer-readable media. As used herein, disks and optical discs include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital multifunction discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks can magnetically reproduce data, and optical discs can optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media. Any function or operation described herein that can be performed by memory can be performed by multiple memories capable of performing the described function or operation individually or jointly.

[0372] As used herein (including in the claims), the word "or" in an enumeration of items (e.g., including enumerations of items ending with phrases such as "at least one of..." or "one or more of...") indicates an inclusive enumeration, such that an enumeration of at least one of, for example, A, B, or C means, for example, A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on". As used herein, when the term "and / or" is used in a list of two or more items, it means that any one of the listed items may be used alone, or any combination of two or more of the listed items may be used. For example, if a combination is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, then the combination may contain a single A; a single B; a single C; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C.

[0373] As used herein, including in claims, the article “a” preceding a noun is open-ended and is understood to refer to “at least one” or “one or more” of those nouns. Therefore, the terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are interchangeable. For example, where a claim enumerates “components” performing one or more functions, each of the individual functions may be performed by a single component or by any combination of multiple components. Thus, the term “component” having a characteristic or performing a function may refer to “at least one of one or more components” having a particular characteristic or performing a particular function. Subsequent references to a component introduced with the article “a” using the terms “the” or “the” can refer to any or all of the one or more components. For example, a component introduced with the article “a” can be understood to mean “one or more components,” and subsequent reference to “the component” in a claim can be understood as equivalent to referring to “at least one of the one or more components.” Similarly, subsequent references to a component introduced with the terms “the” or “the” as “one or more components” can refer to any or all of the one or more components. For example, reference to "the one or more components" in the subsequent claims can be understood as equivalent to reference to "at least one of the one or more components".

[0374] The terms "determine" or "identify" encompass a variety of actions, and therefore, "determine" or "identify" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, lookup (such as by searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertainment, etc. Additionally, "determine" or "identify" can include receiving (such as receiving information or signaling, e.g., receiving information or signaling for determination, receiving information or signaling for identification), accessing (such as accessing data in memory or accessing information), etc. Furthermore, "determine" or "identify" can include parsing, obtaining, selecting, choosing, creating, and other similar actions.

[0375] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, various components of the same type can be distinguished by adding a dash after the reference numeral and a second reference numeral to differentiate between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the description, the description can be applied to any of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral or other subsequent reference numerals.

[0376] The description herein, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes an example configuration and does not represent all achievable examples or those within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," not "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details used to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concept of the described examples.

[0377] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: At least one processor; and At least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to: The serving cell receives an indication of the state of a transmission configuration indicator for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the state of the transmission configuration indicator is associated with a quasi-co-addressable source, the quasi-co-addressable source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-addressable with the reference signal of the candidate cell; First control information is received via the serving cell, the first control information indicating the association between the transmission configuration indicator state and a first resource for receiving a synchronization signal block from the candidate cell; as well as The spatial resources are used to communicate one or more messages to the candidate cells, wherein the spatial resources are based at least in part on the association between the first resource and the transmission configuration indicator state.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages are conveyed at least in part based on the first control information, according to the transmission configuration indicator state, and using the synchronization signal block as the quasi-co-address source of the transmission configuration indicator state.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages are communicated at least in part based on the first control information, using the spatial resources quasi-co-located with the first resource for receiving the synchronization signal block from the candidate cell.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Receive a radio resource control message indicating the association between the transmit configuration indicator state and the first resource for receiving the synchronization signal block, wherein the transmit configuration indicator state is one of a set of transmit configuration indicator states included in the radio resource control message, and each transmit configuration indicator state in the set of transmit configuration indicator states has a corresponding set of resources for receiving one or more synchronization signal blocks.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: A radio resource control message indicating an additional association between the reference signal and the synchronization signal block is received, wherein the first control information is received via the radio resource control message, and wherein the association between the first resource and the transmit configuration indicator state is based at least in part on the additional association between the reference signal and the synchronization signal block.

6. The UE of claim 5, wherein the first resource for receiving the synchronization block includes downlink frequency resources, synchronization block subcarrier spacing, physical cell identifier, synchronization block index, or any combination thereof.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first control information is received via a radio resource control message, wherein the radio resource control message further indicates a transmission configuration indicator type associated with the transmission configuration indicator state for the candidate cell.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: The system receives a cell handover command instructing the UE to switch from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the cell handover command includes the first control information.

9. The UE according to claim 8, wherein the cell handover command includes a media access control-control element message.

10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the cell handover command further includes activation of the transmit configuration indicator state for the candidate cell.

11. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Receive second control information, the second control information indicating the state of the transmission configuration indicator and the downlink control channel command associated with the random access timing set, wherein the random access timing set corresponds to a set of synchronization signal blocks including the synchronization signal block; At least in part based on receiving the second control information, a first random access message is sent via a random access opportunity from the set of random access opportunities, wherein the random access opportunity corresponds to the synchronization signal block; and A second random access message is received in response to the first random access message, wherein the second random access message includes the first control information, the first control information indicating the association between the transmit configuration indicator state and the first resource for receiving the synchronization signal block.

12. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Receive second control information, the second control information indicating a timing advance value set and a corresponding resource set for receiving synchronization signal blocks, wherein the corresponding resource set includes the first resource; and A cell handover command is received, the cell handover command including an indication of the state of the transmit configuration indicator and an indication of a timing advance value from the set of timing advance values, wherein the first control information is at least partially based on the indicated timing advance value, the indicated timing advance value corresponding to the first resource for receiving the synchronization signal block indicated via the second control information.

13. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: The serving cell receives an instruction for configuring channel state information for the reference signal used by the candidate cell, wherein the first resource includes a root quasi-co-address source associated with the reference signal, wherein the reference signal is a channel state information reference signal.

14. The UE of claim 1, wherein one or more messages are communicated at least in part based on the first control information, using the synchronization signal block as the quasi-co-address source of the transmission configuration indicator state, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: A control message indicating the reference signal of the candidate cell is received via the candidate cell; and At least in part based on the received control message, the reference signal is used as the quasi-co-address source to communicate one or more additional messages to the candidate cell.

15. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: The UE receives a cell handover command via the serving cell instructing it to switch from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein one or more messages are conveyed using the synchronization signal block as the quasi-co-address source of the transmission configuration indicator state, based at least in part on the first control information and the cell handover command. The expiration of the timer is identified at least in part based on the receipt of the cell handover command; as well as At least in part, based on the expiration of the timer, the reference signal is used as the quasi-co-address source to communicate one or more additional messages to the candidate cell.

16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: The timer is received via the serving cell, the candidate cell, or both, wherein the expiration of the timer is identified at least in part based on the receipt of the timer instruction.

17. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: At least one processor; and At least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to: The serving cell receives an indication of the state of a transmission configuration indicator for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the state of the transmission configuration indicator is associated with a quasi-co-addressable source, the quasi-co-addressable source indicating that the space resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-addressable with the synchronization signal block of the candidate cell; as well as The spatial resources are used to communicate one or more messages with the candidate cells, wherein the spatial resources are based at least in part on measurements of the synchronization signal block.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: The UE receives a cell handover command from the serving cell instructing it to switch from the serving cell to the candidate cell, wherein the one or more messages are communicated at least in part based on the receipt of the cell handover command, wherein the indication of the sending configuration indicator state is received via the cell handover command.

19. The UE of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: A radio resource control message is received, the radio resource control message indicating an association between a set of transmit configuration indicator states and a set of resources for receiving a synchronization signal block, wherein the set of transmit configuration indicator states includes the indicated transmit configuration indicator states, and wherein the set of resources includes a first resource associated with the synchronization signal block, wherein the indication of the transmit configuration indicator state is received at least in part based on the receipt of the radio resource control message.

20. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The serving cell receives an indication of the state of a transmission configuration indicator for communicating with a candidate cell, wherein the state of the transmission configuration indicator is associated with a quasi-co-addressable source, the quasi-co-addressable source indicating that the spatial resources used by the UE for communicating with the candidate cell are quasi-co-addressable with the reference signal of the candidate cell; First control information is received via the serving cell, the first control information indicating the association between the transmission configuration indicator state and a first resource for receiving a synchronization signal block from the candidate cell; as well as The spatial resources are used to communicate one or more messages to the candidate cells, wherein the spatial resources are based at least in part on the association between the first resource and the transmission configuration indicator state.

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