Method, apparatus, medium and program product for handover of communication devices

Abstract

The invention provides a switching method and device for communication equipment, a medium and a program product. The communication equipment is located in an overlapping area of a plurality of transmission and reception points (TRPs), and the method comprises the following steps: in response to receiving a switching command for indicating to switch to a target TRP, determining whether the switching to the target TRP meets a switching standard or not; and in response to determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria, transmitting a negative feedback for the handover command.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to methods, apparatus, media, and computer program products for switching communication devices. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE); the 5th Generation (5G) 3GPP New Radio (NR) standard; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly referred to by the industry organization as Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), commonly referred to by the industry organization as Wi-Fi. In the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as an Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with wireless communication equipment called User Equipment (UE). In a fifth-generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes may include 5G nodes, New Radio (NR) nodes, or g node B (gNB), which communicate with wireless communication equipment (also known as user equipment (UE)). Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a method for handing over a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device is located in an overlapping area of ​​multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs), the method comprising: in response to receiving a handover command indicating a handover to a target TRP, determining whether the handover to the target TRP meets a handover criterion; and in response to determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criterion, sending a denial feedback on the handover command.

[0004] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a method for handover of a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device is located in an overlapping area of ​​a plurality of transmission and reception points (TRPs), the method comprising: determining a desired TRP among the plurality of TRPs; and initiating an autonomous handover to the desired TRP among the plurality of TRPs in response to no handover command being received within a predetermined time range.

[0005] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a method for handing over a communication device is provided, comprising: sending a handover command to the communication device instructing a handover to a first transmission and reception point (TRP), wherein the handover to the first TRP does not meet the handover criteria for the communication device; and receiving a negative feedback from the communication device regarding the handover command.

[0006] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) is provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0007] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus for a base station is provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0008] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus for a communication device is provided. The apparatus includes components for performing the steps of the method described above.

[0009] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform any of the methods described above.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform any of the methods described above. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the features of this disclosure by way of example.

[0012] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a system including base stations and user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes.

[0013] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of a single-frequency network (SFN) deployment based on some implementation schemes.

[0014] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the switching process between Transmit and Receive Points (TRPs) according to some implementation schemes.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the TRP switching process according to some implementation schemes.

[0016] Figure 4This is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes.

[0019] Figures 7A to 7B This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes.

[0020] Figures 8A to 8B This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes.

[0021] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the signaling structure of the Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) according to some implementation schemes.

[0022] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a block diagram illustrating a communication device (e.g., a UE or a base station) according to some implementation schemes.

[0024] Figure 12 An exemplary interface of a baseband circuit according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0025] Figure 13 The components are shown according to some implementation schemes. Detailed Implementation

[0026] In this disclosure, a “base station” may include RAN nodes such as an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (also commonly referred to as an evolved node B, enhanced node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a radio network controller (RNC) and / or a 5G node, a new radio interface (NR) node, or a g node B (gNB), which communicates with wireless communication equipment, also referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0027] As described herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “user equipment” and “base station” are not specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, such a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). The UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at a given time) be stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN).

[0028] As used herein, the terms “and / or” or “at least one of” include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0029] For communication systems involving high mobility, such as high-speed trains (HSTs), the high-speed movement of equipment (e.g., UEs) located on the high-speed train can have adverse effects on data transmission or power consumption.

[0030] The embodiments disclosed herein propose solutions applicable to high-mobility scenarios such as high-speed trains (HST). The principles and specific implementations of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a system including base stations and user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes. Figure 1 A wireless network 100 according to some embodiments is shown. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 101 and a base station 150 connected via an air interface 190.

[0032] UE 101 and any other UE in the system can be, for example, a laptop computer, smartphone, tablet computer, printer, machine-type device, such as a smart meter or dedicated device for healthcare monitoring, remote security monitoring, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless device with or without a user interface. Base station 150 provides UE 101 with network connectivity to a wider network (not shown) via air interface 190 within the base station service area provided by base station 150. In some embodiments, such a wider network can be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or it can be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with base station 150 is supported by an antenna integrated with base station 150. The service area is divided into multiple sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors can be physically associated with fixed antennas, or can be assigned to physical areas with tunable antennas or antenna configurations that can be adjusted during beamforming to direct signals to a particular sector. For example, one implementation of base station 150 includes three sectors, each covering a 120-degree area, wherein the antenna array is pointed at each sector to provide 360-degree coverage around base station 150.

[0033] UE 101 includes control circuitry 105 coupled to transmit circuitry 110 and receive circuitry 115. Transmit circuitry 110 and receive circuitry 115 may each be coupled to one or more antennas. Control circuitry 105 may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. In some embodiments, control circuitry 105 of UE 101 may perform calculations or initiate measurements associated with air interface 190 to determine the channel quality of an available connection to base station 150. These calculations may be performed in conjunction with control circuitry 155 of base station 150. Transmit circuitry 110 and receive circuitry 115 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively. Control circuitry 105 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as the various UE-related operations described elsewhere in this disclosure. Transmit circuitry 110 may transmit multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. These multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM). Transmit circuitry 110 may be configured to receive block data from control circuitry 105 for transmission across air interface 190. Similarly, receiving circuitry 115 can receive multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels from air interface 190 and relay these physical channels to control circuitry 105. Uplink and downlink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Transmitting circuitry 110 and receiving circuitry 115 can transmit and receive structured control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) within data blocks carried by the physical channels.

[0034] Figure 1 A base station 150 according to various embodiments is also shown. The base station 150 circuitry may include control circuitry 155 coupled to transmitting circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165. Transmitting circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165 may each be coupled to one or more antennas, which may be used for communication via air interface 190.

[0035] Control circuitry 155 can be adapted to perform operations associated with the MTC. Transmitting circuitry 160 and receiving circuitry 165 can be adapted to transmit and receive data respectively within a narrow system bandwidth, which is narrower than the standard bandwidth used for personal communications. In some embodiments, for example, the transmission bandwidth can be set to or close to 1.4 MHz. In other embodiments, other bandwidths can be used. Control circuitry 155 can perform various operations, such as those associated with the base station described elsewhere in this disclosure.

[0036] Within a narrow system bandwidth, the transmitter circuit 160 can transmit multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels. These multiple downlink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The transmitter circuit 160 can transmit these multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels in a downlink superframe consisting of multiple downlink subframes.

[0037] Within a narrow system bandwidth, receiver circuit 165 can receive multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. These multiple uplink physical channels can be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. Receiver circuit 165 can receive these multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels in an uplink superframe composed of multiple uplink subframes.

[0038] As further described below, control circuits 105 and 155 may be involved in measuring the channel quality of air interface 190. Channel quality may be based, for example, on physical barriers between UE 101 and base station 150, electromagnetic interference from other sources, reflections, or indirect paths between UE 101 and base station 150, or other such signal noise sources. Based on channel quality, multiple retransmissions of data blocks can be scheduled, allowing transmitting circuit 110 to transmit multiple copies of the same data, and receiving circuit 115 to receive multiple copies of the same data.

[0039] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of a single-frequency network (SFN) deployment based on some implementation schemes.

[0040] In SFN scenarios targeting high mobility, each cell along the railway track direction (e.g., Figure 2A In a single-cell network (SFN) scenario, the first cell identified by the Physical Cell ID (PCI-x) and the second cell identified by the PCI-y can have multiple TRPs deployed, thereby avoiding frequent inter-cell handovers or data transmission interruptions. The network side typically deploys multiple TRPs in a semi-persistent mode. In some embodiments, the TRP is implemented by a remote radio head (RRH), and a maximum of six TRPs are deployed in a single cell.

[0041] In this embodiment, as Figure 2A As shown, a cell contains six Transmission Resource Planning (TRPs) numbered 0 to 5, identified by different Tracking Reference Signals (TRS) and Transmission Configuration Indicators (TCIs). For example, TRP number 0 can be identified using TRS-0 / TCI-0, TRP number 1 using TRS-1 / TCI-1, and so on. TRPs within the same cell can correspond to a single synchronization block and are activated in a single operation. In some embodiments, the RRC-Idle and RRC_Conn_setup states in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) state can be determined based on the SSB for paging and signaling, while the RRC_Conn state can be determined based on the TRS for data transmission.

[0042] In this embodiment, as Figure 2A As shown, the communication equipment on the high-speed train is in a cell identified by PCI-x and is communicating through TRP number 4.

[0043] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the TRP switching process according to some implementation schemes.

[0044] The inventors of this application recognize that when a communication device is in multiple TRPs (e.g., Figure 2B When TRPs overlap (TRP-x and TRP-y), TRP handover can be performed, but inappropriate handover timing may lead to data transmission quality degradation or adversely affect power consumption. For applications such as voice calls and video calls, it may also cause call drops or wireless link failures (RLF).

[0045] For example, such as Figure 2B As shown, when the communication device moves to the right, performing a TRP handover at the location indicated by the left arrow may be premature. At this time, the communication device has just entered the area covered by TRP-y, and its signal quality is worse than the original TRP (i.e., TRP-x). Therefore, switching to TRP-y may lead to a decrease in data transmission quality, and the communication device needs to consume more power for data transmission. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the communication device may switch again due to poor communication quality with TRP-y (e.g., switching back to TRP-x), resulting in a "ping-pong TRP handover" and causing additional power loss.

[0046] For example, in Figure 2B Performing a TRP handover at the location indicated by the arrow on the right may be too late. By this time, the communication equipment has almost moved out of the area covered by TRP-x, and the signal quality for communication with TRP-x is poor. A TRP handover should be performed earlier.

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the handover process between TRPs according to some implementation schemes. In this embodiment, the base station sends a handover command to instruct the TRP to perform the handover.

[0048] At point 301, the UE and the base station transmit data on the original TRP (i.e., the current TRP).

[0049] At point 302, the UE or base station determines that the signal quality of the current TRP has deteriorated. For example, the UE may detect the signal quality deterioration (e.g., a deterioration in radio frequency (RF) parameters) and report it to the base station, or the base station may directly detect the signal quality deterioration.

[0050] At 303, the base station sends a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) including a TCI to switch TRPs, where the TCI can indicate which target TRP to switch to.

[0051] At position 304, a handover to the target TRP is performed. During this handover, the UE may report the corresponding Channel State Information (CSI), including the CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI) index, to inform the base station that the handover to the target TRP is complete.

[0052] At point 305, the base station transmits downlink DL data on the target TRP, and the UE and the base station can use the switched target TRP for data transmission.

[0053] In some cases, the handover command sent by the base station may not be accurate, for example, as described above. Figure 2B As described, the timing of sending the handover command may be too early or too late, or the target TRP indicated by the handover command may be inaccurate and not the TRP preferred or expected by the UE.

[0054] In some embodiments, communication devices such as the UE can evaluate the received handover command to determine whether to switch to the corresponding target TRP.

[0055] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 according to some implementation schemes. Method 400 can be performed by a UE communicating with a base station or by other communication devices. For discussion purposes, it will be combined with... Figure 1 Description method 400. For example, the base station and the UE can be respectively as follows: Figure 1 The base station 150 and UE 101 are shown.

[0056] In this embodiment, the communication device is located within the overlapping area of ​​multiple TRPs, and method 400 includes:

[0057] At box 402, in response to receiving a handover command indicating a handover to the target TRP, it is determined whether the handover to the target TRP meets the handover criteria.

[0058] At box 404, in response to determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria, a denial feedback for the handover command is sent.

[0059] Therefore, communication equipment can evaluate the target TRP upon receiving a TRP handover command and send negative feedback to target TRPs that do not meet the handover criteria, thus avoiding issues such as combining... Figure 2B This describes premature switching or other unexpected switching. The following will explain this in detail through various example embodiments.

[0060] According to some embodiments, the aforementioned handover command may be a MAC CE including a TCI status indication of the target TRP, and the denial feedback may be a negative acknowledgment (NACK) of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) for a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) with the MAC CE. Thus, existing data structures can be utilized to implement the aforementioned method 400 without modifying the configuration of the relevant communication equipment (e.g., base station).

[0061] According to some embodiments, it can be determined whether a handover to the target TRP should be performed based on a comparison of the signal quality of the target TRP and the current TRP. Specifically, determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria may include: acquiring the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device and the signal quality parameters of the target TRP; and determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria in response to the fact that, within a predetermined time range, the signal quality parameters of the current TRP remain better than the signal quality parameters of the target TRP by at least a first threshold.

[0062] In some embodiments, the signal quality parameter may include one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), Block Error Rate (BLER), etc. For example, when the signal quality parameter is RSRP, whether the handover to the target TRP meets the handover criteria can be determined based on the following formula:

[0063] RSRP current TRP -RSRP target TRP RSRP threshold (Formula 1)

[0064] Among them, RSRP current TRP RSRP represents the current TRP. target TRP RSRP represents the target TRP indicated by the switching command. threshold This indicates the judgment threshold, which can be predetermined or determined based on the operating parameters of the communication equipment or historical handover data.

[0065] If the signal quality of the current TRP is significantly better than that of the target TRP within the predetermined time window, then the switch to the target TRP should not be performed. In other words, the above determination of the switch to the target TRP does not meet the switching criteria.

[0066] In some embodiments, whether to switch to the target TRP can also be determined based on a comparison of the signal quality parameters of the current TRP, the signal quality parameters of the target TRP, and a predetermined threshold. For example, if the signal quality parameters of the current TRP are better than the predetermined threshold, switching to the target TRP should not be performed (i.e., the above determination of switching to the target TRP does not meet the switching criteria); if the signal quality parameters of the target TRP are worse than the predetermined threshold, switching to the target TRP should not be performed (i.e., the above determination of switching to the target TRP does not meet the switching criteria).

[0067] According to some embodiments, it can be determined whether a handover to a target TRP should be performed based on historical handover data. Specifically, determining that a handover to a target TRP does not meet the handover criteria may include: determining that a handover to a target TRP does not meet the handover criteria based on historical handover data stored in the communication device.

[0068] In other words, TRP handover can be anticipated using historical handover data. When the handover to the target TRP indicated by the handover command does not match the expectation, the handover to the target TRP should not be performed.

[0069] In some embodiments, the historical switching data may also be stored on other devices besides the communication device.

[0070] According to some embodiments, the historical handover data may include one or more of the following parameters regarding previous TRP handovers (e.g., one or more TRP handovers): TCI status indication, MAC CE handover command, uplink / downlink RF parameters (e.g., RSRP, SINR, BLER, number of uplink / downlink scheduling layers, number of RANKs, channel quality indication (CQI), etc.), physical cell ID (PCI) handover period, TCI handover period, and power consumption parameters.

[0071] For example, if, upon receiving a handover command instructing a handover to a target TRP, it is determined that one or more of the following—the PCI handover cycle, the TCI handover cycle, the uplink / downlink RF status of the current TRP or the first TRP, and the power consumption status of the current TRP or the target TRP—differ from historical handover data by more than a threshold, it can be determined that a handover should not be performed within the current time frame (e.g., a predetermined time interval after receiving the handover command).

[0072] For example, if, upon receiving a handover command instructing a handover to a target TRP, it is determined that one or more of the uplink / downlink RF status and power consumption status of the target TRP differ from historical handover data by more than a threshold, it can be determined that a handover to the target TRP will not be performed within the current time frame, but a handover to another TRP (e.g., a TRP preferred by the communication device) can be performed.

[0073] In some embodiments, the TCI status IDs of multiple TRPs are numbered according to a predetermined pattern, for example, such as... Figure 2B As shown, the values ​​increase sequentially along the track direction. Therefore, the TCI status ID corresponding to the next TRP switch can be predicted using the TCI status ID from the historical switch data. When the TCI status ID of the target TRP indicated by the switch command does not match the prediction, it can be determined that a switch to the target TRP will not be performed within the current time frame.

[0074] In some embodiments, the switching command can be compared with the MAC CE switching command in the historical switching data, and if the format does not match or there is a data conflict, it can be determined that the switching to the target TRP will not be performed within the current time range.

[0075] In some embodiments, the communication device may not receive a handover command again after sending a negative feedback response to the handover command, or may not receive a handover command for a period of time, resulting in a failure to perform a timely TRP handover (e.g., the combination of the above). Figure 2B The described late TRP switch.

[0076] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 according to some implementation schemes. Method 500 can be performed by a UE communicating with a base station or by other communication devices.

[0077] In this embodiment, the communication device is located within the overlapping area of ​​multiple TRPs, and method 500 includes:

[0078] At block 502, the desired TRP among a plurality of TRPs is determined. In some embodiments, the desired TRP may be a TRP determined according to a predetermined rule (e.g., a predetermined order).

[0079] At box 504, in response to not receiving a handover command within a predetermined time range, an autonomous handover to the desired TRP among multiple TRPs is initiated.

[0080] In some embodiments, the predetermined time range may be a time range of a predetermined length since the last time a handover command was received, a handover was performed, or a denial feedback was sent, or it may be a time range determined based on historical handover data.

[0081] Therefore, even if a handover command is not received in time, the communication device can autonomously handover to its desired TRP, avoiding issues such as those arising from combining... Figure 2B The switch was described as being too late.

[0082] According to some embodiments, determining the desired TRP among a plurality of TRPs may specifically include: determining the desired TRP from a plurality of TRPs based on historical handover data stored in a communication device.

[0083] Therefore, communication equipment can determine which of the multiple overlapping TRPs is suitable for handover based on historical TRP handover data, thereby initiating an autonomous handover process without the need for handover commands.

[0084] According to some embodiments, the historical handover data may include one or more of the following parameters regarding previous one or more TRP handovers: TCI status indication, MAC CE handover command, uplink / downlink RF parameters (e.g., RSRP, SINR, BLER, number of uplink / downlink scheduling layers, number of RANKs, CQI, etc.), PCI handover period, TCI handover period, and power consumption parameters. In some embodiments, the communication device may compare one or more parameters of each of a plurality of TRPs with the historical handover data and determine the TRP that best matches the historical handover data as the desired TRP.

[0085] According to some embodiments, it can be determined whether a TRP handover is desired based on the signal quality of the current TRP. Specifically, the autonomous handover process to the desired TRP may include: acquiring the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device; and performing a handover to the desired TRP in response to the signal quality parameters of the current TRP being worse than a second threshold.

[0086] Therefore, even if a handover command has not been received, a handover can still be performed when the signal quality of the current TRP is determined to be poor, thus avoiding issues such as those caused by combining... Figure 2B The described thresholds refer to delayed handovers, data transmission quality degradation due to failure to receive handover commands for various reasons, or increased power consumption. The thresholds can be preset or determined based on the operating parameters of the communication equipment and historical handover data.

[0087] According to some embodiments, it can be determined whether a TRP switch is desired based on whether the desired TRP meets a preset standard. Specifically, the autonomous switchover process to the desired TRP may include: determining whether the desired TRP meets the autonomous switchover standard; and in response to determining that the desired TRP meets the autonomous switchover standard, performing a switchover to the desired TRP.

[0088] In some embodiments, the autonomous handover criterion can be a signal quality criterion or an operational status criterion. For example, if the expected signal quality parameters of the TRP are better than a preset threshold, it indicates that the expected signal quality of the TRP is good enough for handover. The threshold can be preset or determined based on the operating parameters of the communication device and historical handover data.

[0089] According to some embodiments, it can be determined whether an autonomous handover should be performed to the desired TRP based on a comparison of the signal quality of the desired TRP and the current TRP. Specifically, determining that the desired TRP among a plurality of TRPs meets the autonomous handover criteria may include: acquiring the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device and the signal quality parameters of the desired TRP; and determining that the desired TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria in response to the fact that the signal quality parameters of the desired TRP remain better than the signal quality parameters of the current TRP by at least a third threshold within a predetermined time range.

[0090] In some embodiments, signal quality parameters may include one or more of the following: RSRP, SINR, BLER, etc. For example, when the signal quality parameter is RSRP, whether the second TRP meets the second handover criterion can be determined based on the following formula:

[0091] RSRP target TRP -RSRP current TRP RSRP threshold (Formula 2)

[0092] Among them, RSRP current TRP RSRP represents the current TRP. target TRP RSRP represents the expected TRP of the autonomous switching. threshold This represents the judgment threshold, which can be predetermined or determined based on the operating parameters of the communication device or historical switching data. It can be the same as or different from the threshold in Formula 1 above.

[0093] If the formula is satisfied within the predetermined time window, the signal quality of the expected TRP for autonomous handover is considered significantly better than that of the current TRP, and handover to the expected TRP should proceed. In other words, the aforementioned determination of the expected TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria. Therefore, communication equipment can implement the autonomous handover process, avoiding inappropriate TRP handovers such as too early or too late.

[0094] According to some embodiments, the autonomous handover of a communication device to a desired TRP may include: sending Channel State Information (CSI) for the desired TRP to perform the handover. The CSI may carry a corresponding CRI index for the desired TRP and is reported by the communication device to the base station, informing the base station that it is using the desired TRP for communication.

[0095] In some embodiments, the above combination Figure 4 and Figure 5Methods 400 and 500 described can be implemented together. For example, in response to determining that a handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria, after sending a denial feedback, if no other handover command is received within a predetermined time range, the communication device can initiate an autonomous handover to the desired TRP. The following will combine... Figure 6 Provide a detailed description.

[0096] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 according to some implementation schemes. Method 600 can be performed by a UE communicating with a base station or by other communication devices.

[0097] At box 602, determine whether the communication device is in an SFN HST scenario, for example, in combination with the above. Figure 2A The SFN HST scenario described.

[0098] At box 604, historical TRP handover data for the communication device is determined, which may be a combination of the above. Figure 4 , Figure 5 The described historical handover data may include, for example, parameters regarding one or more previous TRP handovers, such as: TCI status ID, MAC CE handover command, uplink / downlink RF parameters (e.g., RSRP, SINR, BLER, number of uplink / downlink scheduling layers, number of RANKs, channel quality indicator (CQI), etc.), PCI handover period, TCI handover period, and power consumption parameter status.

[0099] In some embodiments, the historical TRP switching data can be stored in the database of the communication device.

[0100] At box 606, it is determined whether the communication device is in an overlapping area of ​​multiple TRPs. In some embodiments, this determination process may be instructed by the base station. In some embodiments, this determination process may be performed by the communication device itself, for example, based on the TRS and TCI detected by the communication device, or based on the aforementioned historical TRP handover data. When the communication device is not in an overlapping TRP area, proceed to box 624, and the communication device performs a conventional implementation.

[0101] When the communication device is in the TRP overlap area, proceed to box 608 to determine whether the communication device has received a TRP handover command, which may indicate the target TRP (e.g., the combination of the above). Figure 4 The described target TRP switching.

[0102] When the communication device receives a TRP handover command, it proceeds to block 610 to evaluate whether the current TRP handover (i.e., the handover to the target TRP) is desired. In some embodiments, as described above... Figure 4 As described, the suitability of a handover to a TRP can be assessed by determining whether the current TRP handover meets the handover criteria. If the handover does not meet the handover criteria, the current TRP handover is determined to be undesirable.

[0103] At box 612, based on the evaluation results at box 610, it is determined whether the current TRP handover is premature. If it is determined that the current TRP handover is the desired handover, it is determined that the current TRP handover is not premature, and the process proceeds to box 624, where the communication device performs the handover using the conventional implementation method.

[0104] When it is determined that the current TRP handover is not the expected handover, and the handover is premature, the communication device will proceed to box 614, send a NACK feedback, and continue data transmission in the original TRP without handover.

[0105] At box 618, the communication device assesses whether a TRP handover is desired (e.g., in combination with the above). Figure 5 As described, a handover to the desired TRP is initiated. At box 620, it is determined whether a desired TRP handover exists. If it does, the process proceeds to box 622, where the communication device triggers an autonomous TRP handover, even if no handover command has been received. If no desired TRP handover exists, the process proceeds to box 624, where the communication device performs a handover using a conventional implementation.

[0106] At box 608, if it is determined that the communication device has not received the TRP handover command, proceed to box 616, after a predetermined time (e.g., the above combination). Figure 5 If no handover command is received within the predetermined time frame, an assessment process for late handover is initiated, and the process proceeds further to box 618 to perform the assessment described above regarding whether a TRP handover is expected. Thus, the communication device can determine the time period for handover and autonomously perform the handover when the time period is reached, avoiding the adverse effects of late handover due to the lack of a handover command.

[0107] Figures 7A to 7B This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes, which takes communication between a UE and a base station as an example and describes one or more steps of the above methods 400, 500 and 600. However, it is understood that the above methods 400, 500 and 600 can also be applied to other communication devices.

[0108] Figure 7A This corresponds to the scenario of premature TRP handover mentioned above. At point 701, the UE and the base station transmit data on the original TRP.

[0109] At point 702, it is determined that the UE has entered an overlapping area of ​​multiple TRPs. As described above, in some embodiments, this determination process can be instructed by the base station or determined by the UE.

[0110] At point 703, the autonomous handover algorithm is triggered, which may include the combination described above. Figure 4 , Figure 6 The steps described.

[0111] At 704, the UE receives a handover command from the base station, which indicates a handover to the target TRP.

[0112] exist Figure 7A In the scenario shown, the UE determines that the handover to the target TRP is premature based on the autonomous handover algorithm. Therefore, at point 705, the UE sends a NACK feedback to the base station, and at point 706, after a predetermined time range, the UE triggers its autonomous handover. Thus, by triggering the autonomous handover algorithm, the UE can avoid executing premature handover instructions and instead perform autonomous handover when it is appropriate.

[0113] Figure 7B This corresponds to the scenario of a late TRP handover mentioned above. At point 711, the UE and the base station transmit data on the original TRP.

[0114] At point 712, it is determined that the UE has entered the overlapping area of ​​multiple TRPs.

[0115] At point 713, the autonomous handover algorithm is triggered, which may include the combination described above. Figure 5 , Figure 6 The steps described.

[0116] exist Figure 7B In the scenario shown, the UE did not receive a handover command. At point 714, the UE's autonomous handover was triggered after a predetermined time range. Therefore, the UE can perform autonomous handover by triggering the autonomous handover algorithm without waiting for a handover command from the base station, avoiding the adverse effects of a late handover.

[0117] The following will combine Figure 8A and Figure 8B The switching process will be described in further detail.

[0118] Figures 8A to 8B This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary method according to some implementation schemes, wherein, with Figure 7A and Figure 7B Similarly, Figure 8A This corresponds to the scenario described above where premature TRP switching occurs. Figure 8B This corresponds to the scenario described above where a TRP switch occurs too late.

[0119] like Figure 8A As shown, at 801, the base station sends a TRP handover command to the UE, which includes sending a TCI status indication (e.g., TCI status ID) via MAC CE.

[0120] At point 802, the UE obtains the TCI status indication and assesses whether the handover is premature. This assessment process can be a combination of the above. Figure 4 , Figure 6 The described evaluation process (e.g., Figure 4 The determination of whether the handover to the target TRP, as described in box 402, meets the handover criteria, Figure 6 The determination of whether the current TRP switch is too early, as described in box 612, will not be repeated here.

[0121] At 803, the UE provides HARQ-NACK feedback for the MAC PDU of the MAC CE, informing the base station that no handover was performed as indicated by the TRP handover command.

[0122] At 804, the UE and the base station continue to use the TRS resources of the current TRP for data transmission, and the UE reports a CSI with the corresponding CRI index to the base station, informing the base station that the TRP being used is the current TRP.

[0123] At point 805, the UE continues to measure the target TRP and determines that the target TRP meets the handover criteria. The target TRP can be a combination of the above. Figure 5 , Figure 6 As described, the UE selects the desired TRP based on historical TRP handover data, and can determine whether the target TRP meets the handover criteria based on factors such as signal quality and historical TRP handover data. At this point, the UE initiates an autonomous handover to the target TRP.

[0124] At 806, the UE and the base station use the TRS resources of the target TRP for data transmission, and the UE reports a CSI with the corresponding CRI index to the base station, informing the base station that the TRP being used is the target TRP.

[0125] At point 807, the UE and the base station synchronize on the same TRP (i.e., the target TRP).

[0126] like Figure 8B As shown, at 811, the UE uses the current TRP's TRS resources for data transmission.

[0127] At point 812, in response to meeting predetermined criteria, an assessment is conducted to determine if a late switchover exists. These predetermined criteria can be a combination of the above. Figure 5 , Figure 6The criteria described (e.g., whether the current signal quality of the TRP is too poor, or whether the expected signal quality of the TRP is good enough) will not be elaborated here.

[0128] At point 813, it is determined that no TRP handover command was received within the predetermined time window. This predetermined time window can be determined based on historical TRP handover data (e.g., PCI handover cycle, TCI handover cycle). In other words, the UE can determine at this time that it should perform an autonomous handover based on historical TRP handover data.

[0129] At point 814, a desired TRP measurement is initiated to determine if the desired TRP meets the handover criteria. As mentioned above, the desired TRP can be determined based on factors such as signal quality and historical TRP handover data. At this point, the UE initiates an autonomous handover to the desired TRP.

[0130] At point 815, the UE and the base station use the TRS resources of the desired TRP for data transmission, and the UE reports a CSI with the corresponding CRI index to the base station, informing the base station that the TRP being used is the desired TRP.

[0131] At point 816, the UE and the base station synchronize on the same TRP (i.e., the expected TRP).

[0132] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the MAC CE structure according to some implementation schemes. As mentioned above, the MAC CE can be used to send TRP handover instructions to communication devices. In some examples, the MAC CE can use data structures as specified in 3GPP standard 38.321.

[0133] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a TCI status indication in a UE-specific PDCCH MAC CE in some embodiments. The MAC CE includes a first octet (Oct 1) comprising the serving cell ID and the control resource set (CORESET) ID; and a second octet (Oct 2) comprising the CORESET ID and the TCI status ID.

[0134] As described above, in some embodiments, the corresponding TRP can be identified by TCI, and the switching command uses the TCI status ID to indicate switching to the TRP corresponding to the TCI status ID.

[0135] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of an exemplary method 1000 according to some implementation schemes. Method 1000 can be performed by a base station communicating with a UE, or by other communication devices. Method 1000 includes:

[0136] At block 1002, a handover command instructing the communication device to switch to a first transmission and reception point (TRP) is sent, wherein the handover to the first TRP does not meet the handover criteria for the communication device. Exemplarily, the first TRP may be the target TRP described in method 400 above.

[0137] At box 1004, a negative feedback for the handover command is received from the communication device.

[0138] Therefore, it can be determined by the denial feedback that the communication device has not switched to the first TRP, possibly because the first TRP is not the TRP expected by the communication device, or the current time is not the expected switching time.

[0139] According to some embodiments, method 1000 further includes: receiving channel state information (CSI) for a second TRP from a communication device, wherein the second TRP is different from the current TRP communicating with the communication device; and communicating with the communication device via the second TRP. The CSI allows determination that the communication device has autonomously switched to the second TRP, which is a preferred TRP of the communication device, thus enabling communication with the communication device via the second TRP. For example, the second TRP may be the desired TRP described in method 500 above.

[0140] According to some embodiments, the second TRP is selected based on historical handover data stored in the communication device. In other words, the second TRP can be the expected TRP inferred by the communication device based on historical handover data.

[0141] According to some embodiments, the historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: TCI status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, PCI handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters. In conjunction with the above... Figures 4 to 6 Similarly, the expected TRP of the communication device can be inferred from various historical handover data, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0142] According to some embodiments, the handover command is a MAC CE including a TCI status indication of the first TRP, and the denial feedback is a HARQ NACK for a MAC PDU with a MAC CE. Thus, existing data structures can be utilized without modifying the configuration of the communication equipment involved (e.g., base station).

[0143] In some embodiments, an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) is provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0144] In some embodiments, an apparatus for a base station is provided. The apparatus includes one or more processors configured to perform any of the methods described above.

[0145] In some embodiments, an apparatus for a communication device is provided. The apparatus includes components for performing the steps of the method described above.

[0146] In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform any of the methods described above.

[0147] In some embodiments, a computer program product is provided. This computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform any of the methods described above.

[0148] Figure 11 This is a block diagram illustrating a communication device (e.g., a UE or base station) according to some embodiments, showing exemplary components of device 1100 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, device 1100 may include at least application circuitry 1102, baseband circuitry 1104, radio frequency (RF) circuitry (shown as RF circuitry 1120), front-end module (FEM) circuitry (shown as FEM 1130), one or more antennas 1132, and power management circuitry (shown as PMC 1134) coupled together as shown. Components of the illustrated device 1100 may be included in a UE or RAN node. In some embodiments, device 1100 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 1102, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 1100 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0149] Application circuitry 1102 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 1102 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). These processors may be coupled to or may include memory / storage devices and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 1100. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 1102 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0150] Baseband circuit 1104 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuit 1104 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuit 1120 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuit 1120. Baseband circuit 1104 may interact with application circuitry 1102 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuit 1120. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuit 1104 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor (3G baseband processor 1106), a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor (4G baseband processor 1108), a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor (5G baseband processor 1110), or other existing, under development, or future generations of baseband processors 1112 (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 1104 (e.g., one or more baseband processors in a baseband processor suite) can handle various radio control functions capable of communicating with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 1120. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the illustrated baseband processor may be included in modules stored in memory 1118 and executed via a central processing unit (CPU 1114). Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, RF shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 1104 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 1104 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Implementations of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0151] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1104 may include a digital signal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSPs 1116. The one or more audio DSPs 1116 may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1104 and the application circuitry 1102 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0152] In some implementations, baseband circuit 1104 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 1104 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 1104 is configured to support radio communication using more than one radio protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0153] RF circuit 1120 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 1120 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 1120 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting an RF signal received from FEM circuit 1130 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 1104. RF circuit 1120 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1104 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 1130. In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 1120 may include mixer circuit 1122, amplifier circuit 1124, and filter circuit 1126. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 1120 may include filter circuit 1126 and mixer circuit 1122. RF circuit 1120 may further include synthesizer circuit 1128 for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 1130 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 1128. Amplifier circuit 1124 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 1126 may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 1104 for further processing. In some embodiments, although not required, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0154] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1122 of the transmission signal path may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1128 to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1130. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 1104 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 1126.

[0155] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1122 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1122 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1122 may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1122 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1122 for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0156] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 1120 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuit 1104 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 1120.

[0157] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0158] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 1128 may be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1128 may be a Δ-Σ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0159] Synthesizer circuit 1128 can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 1122 of RF circuit 1120. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1128 may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0160] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not mandatory. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1104 or the application circuit 1102 (such as an application processor) according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 1102.

[0161] The synthesizer circuit 1128 of the RF circuit 1120 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0162] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1128 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 1120 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0163] FEM circuit 1130 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1132, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 1120 for further processing. FEM circuit 1130 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 1120 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1132. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 1120, only in FEM circuit 1130, or in both RF circuit 1120 and FEM circuit 1130.

[0164] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 1130 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 1130 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 1130 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 1120). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 1130 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify the input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 1120), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 1132).

[0165] In some implementations, the PMC 1134 can manage the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 1104. Specifically, the PMC 1134 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 1134 is typically included when the device 1100 is capable of being battery powered, for example, when the device 1100 is included in an EGE. The PMC 1134 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired specific implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0166] Figure 11 PMC 1134 is shown coupled only to baseband circuit 1104. However, in other embodiments, PMC 1134 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, application circuit 1102, RF circuit 1120, or FEM circuit 1130) and perform similar power management operations for these components.

[0167] In some implementations, PMC 1134 can control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of device 1100. For example, if device 1100 is in an RRC connected state, and in this state the device is still connected to the RAN node because the device expects to receive communication soon, the device may enter a state called Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, device 1100 can be powered down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0168] If there is no data traffic activity during the extended period, device 1100 can transition to an RRC idle state, in which the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 1100 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network, and then powers off again. Device 1100 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, the device must transition back to the RRC connected state.

[0169] An additional power-saving mode allows the device to be unavailable from the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (ranging from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0170] The processors of application circuit 1102 and baseband circuit 1104 are elements that can be used to execute one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuit 1104 can be used alone or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of application circuit 1102 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0171] Figure 12 An exemplary interface 1200 of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments is shown. As discussed above, Figure 11 The baseband circuit 1104 may include a 3G baseband processor 1106, a 4G baseband processor 1108, a 5G baseband processor 1110, other baseband processors 1112, a CPU 1114, and a memory 1118 used by the processors. As shown, each processor may include a memory interface 1202 for sending / receiving data to / from the memory 1118.

[0172] The baseband circuit 1104 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1204 (e.g., an interface for sending or receiving data to or from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1104), an application interface 1206 (e.g., an interface for sending data to or from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1104), or an application interface 1206 (e.g., an interface for sending data to or from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1104). Figure 11 The interface for sending or receiving data from the application circuit 1102), and the radio frequency interface 1208 (e.g., for sending to / from the application circuit). Figure 11 The interface for transmitting or receiving data from the RF circuit 1120, and the wireless hardware interface 1210 (e.g., for transmitting data to or from a near field communication (NFC) component). Components (e.g.) Low Energy) Interfaces for sending or receiving data from components and other communication components, and power management interface 1212 (e.g., an interface for sending or receiving power or control signals to or from PMC 1134).

[0173] Figure 13 This is a block diagram illustrating component 1300, according to some example embodiments, capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of executing any or more of the methods discussed herein. Specifically, Figure 13 A schematic diagram of hardware resource 1302 is shown, which includes one or more processors 1312 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1318, and one or more communication resources 1320, each of which is communicatively coupled via bus 1322. For implementations utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 1304 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resource 1302.

[0174] Processor 1312 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1314 and processor 1316.

[0175] The memory / storage device 1318 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1318 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0176] Communication resource 1320 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1306 or one or more databases 1308 via network 1310. For example, communication resource 1320 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Components and other communication components.

[0177] Instructions 1324 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least one processor in processor 1312 to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. Instructions 1324 may reside wholly or partially within at least one of processors 1312 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), memory / storage device 1318, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instructions 1324 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 1306 or database 1308 to hardware resource 1302. Therefore, the memory of processor 1312, memory / storage device 1318, peripheral device 1306, and database 1308 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0178] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0179] Additional Examples

[0180] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the Examples section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0181] The following examples relate to other implementation schemes.

[0182] Example 1 is a method for handover of a communication device, wherein the communication device is located in an overlapping area of ​​multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs). The method includes: in response to receiving a handover command indicating a handover to a target TRP, determining whether the handover to the target TRP meets a handover criterion; and in response to determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criterion, sending a denial feedback on the handover command.

[0183] Example 2 is the method according to Example 1, wherein determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria includes: acquiring the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device and the signal quality parameters of the target TRP; and determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria in response to the fact that the signal quality parameters of the current TRP remain better than the signal quality parameters of the target TRP by at least a first threshold within a predetermined time range.

[0184] Example 3 is the method according to Example 1, wherein determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria includes: determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria based on historical handover data stored in the communication device.

[0185] Example 4 is the method described in Example 3, wherein the historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, Physical Cell ID (PCI) handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters.

[0186] Example 5 is a method according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the switching command is a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication of the target TRP, and the denial feedback is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) for a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) for a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) with the MAC CE.

[0187] Example 6 is a method for handover of a communication device, wherein the communication device is located in an overlapping area of ​​multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs), the method comprising: determining a desired TRP among the multiple TRPs; and initiating an autonomous handover to the desired TRP among the multiple TRPs in response to no handover command being received within a predetermined time range.

[0188] Example 7 is the method according to Example 6, wherein determining the desired TRP among the plurality of TRPs includes: determining the desired TRP from the plurality of TRPs based on historical handover data stored in the communication device.

[0189] Example 8 is the method according to Example 6, wherein the autonomous handover to the desired TRP includes: acquiring the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device; and performing a handover to the desired TRP in response to the signal quality parameters of the current TRP being worse than a second threshold.

[0190] Example 9 is the method according to Example 6, wherein the autonomous handover to the desired TRP includes: determining whether the desired TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria; and in response to determining that the desired TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria, performing a handover to the desired TRP.

[0191] Example 10 is the method according to Example 9, wherein determining that the expected TRP meets the autonomous handover criterion includes: acquiring the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device and the signal quality parameters of the expected TRP; and determining that the expected TRP meets the autonomous handover criterion in response to the signal quality parameters of the expected TRP remaining better than the signal quality parameters of the current TRP by at least a third threshold within a predetermined time range.

[0192] Example 11 is the method according to Example 7, wherein the historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, Physical Cell ID (PCI) handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters.

[0193] Example 12 is a method according to any one of Examples 6 to 11, wherein the autonomous handover to the desired TRP includes: sending Channel State Information (CSI) for the desired TRP to perform the handover to the desired TRP.

[0194] Example 13 is a method for handover of a communication device, comprising: sending a handover command to the communication device instructing a handover to a first transmission and reception point (TRP), wherein the handover to the first TRP does not meet the handover criteria for the communication device; and receiving a denial feedback from the communication device regarding the handover command.

[0195] Example 14 is the method according to Example 13, further comprising: receiving channel state information (CSI) for a second TRP from the communication device, wherein the second TRP is different from the current TRP communicating with the communication device; and communicating with the communication device via the second TRP.

[0196] Example 15 is the method according to Example 14, wherein the second TRP is selected based on historical handover data stored in the communication device.

[0197] Example 16 is the method according to Example 15, wherein the historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, Physical Cell ID (PCI) handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters.

[0198] Example 17 is a method according to any one of Examples 13 to 16, wherein the switching command is a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (MAC CE) including the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication of the first TRP, and the denial feedback is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) for a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) for a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) with the MAC CE.

[0199] Example 18 is an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) comprising one or more processors configured to perform the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 12.

[0200] Example 19 is an apparatus for a base station, the apparatus including one or more processors configured to perform the method according to any one of Examples 13 to 17.

[0201] Example 20 is an apparatus for a communication device, the apparatus including components for performing the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 17.

[0202] Example 21 is a computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 17.

[0203] Example 22 is a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 17.

[0204] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0205] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters / attributes / aspects, etc., may be combined with or replace parameters / attributes, etc., of another implementation.

[0206] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0207] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for switching communication devices, wherein, The communication device is located within an overlapping area of ​​multiple Transmitter Points (TRPs), and the method includes: In response to receiving a handover command instructing a handover to a target TRP, determine whether the handover to the target TRP meets the handover criteria; and In response to determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria, a denial feedback is sent for the handover command.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria includes: Obtain the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device, and the signal quality parameters of the target TRP; and In response to the fact that the signal quality parameters of the current TRP remain better than the signal quality parameters of the target TRP by at least a first threshold within a predetermined time range, it is determined that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria includes: Based on the historical handover data stored in the communication device, it is determined that the handover to the target TRP does not meet the handover criteria.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, physical cell IDPCI handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The switching command is a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) that includes the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication of the target TRP, and the denial feedback is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) for a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) for a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) with the MAC CE.

6. A method for switching communication devices, wherein, The communication device is located within an overlapping area of ​​multiple Transmitter Points (TRPs), and the method includes: Determine the desired TRP among the plurality of TRPs; and In response to the failure to receive a handover command within a predetermined time range, an autonomous handover to the desired TRP among the plurality of TRPs is initiated.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, Determining the desired TRP among the plurality of TRPs includes: The desired TRP is determined from the plurality of TRPs based on historical handover data stored in the communication device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The autonomous handover to the desired TRP includes: Obtain the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device; In response to the signal quality parameters of the current TRP being worse than a second threshold, a switch to the desired TRP is performed.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The autonomous handover to the desired TRP includes: Determine whether the expected TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria; and In response to determining that the desired TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria, a handover to the desired TRP is performed.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, Determining that the expected TRP meets the autonomous handover criteria includes: Obtain the signal quality parameters of the current TRP communicating with the communication device, and the signal quality parameters of the desired TRP; and In response to the fact that the signal quality parameters of the desired TRP remain better than the signal quality parameters of the current TRP by at least a third threshold within a predetermined time range, it is determined that the desired TRP meets the autonomous handover criterion.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, physical cell IDPCI handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters.

12. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein, The autonomous handover to the desired TRP includes: Send Channel State Information (CSI) for the desired TRP to perform a handover to the desired TRP.

13. A method for switching communication devices, comprising: A handover command is sent to the communication device instructing it to switch to a first transmission and reception point (TRP), wherein the handover to the first TRP does not meet the handover criteria for the communication device; and Receive negative feedback from the communication device regarding the handover command.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: Receive Channel State Information (CSI) for a second TRP from the communication device, wherein the second TRP is different from the current TRP communicating with the communication device; and Communicate with the communication device via the second TRP.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The second TRP is selected based on historical handover data stored in the communication device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The historical handover data includes one or more of the following parameters from previous handovers: Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication, handover command, uplink RF parameters, downlink RF parameters, physical cell IDPCI handover cycle, TCI handover cycle, and power consumption parameters.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein, The switching command is a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) that includes the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) status indication of the first TRP, and the denial feedback is a negative acknowledgment (NACK) for a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) for a MAC Protocol Data Unit (PDU) with the MAC CE.

18. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

19. An apparatus for a base station, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

20. An apparatus for a communication device, the apparatus comprising components for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

21. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

22. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a device having one or more processors, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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