Enhancement for secondary cell group activation and deactivation

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to enhancements for secondary cell group activation and deactivation. A method, apparatus and computer program are provided for causing at least the following to be performed: storing information, where the information comprises an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and reporting the information to the network access node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to providing information associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells. Background Technology

[0002] A communication system can be viewed as a facility that enables a communication session between two or more entities (such as user terminals, base stations, and / or other nodes) by providing carrier waves between various entities involved in the communication session. For example, a communication system can be provided via a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. A communication session may include, for example, communication of data carrying communications such as voice, video, email, text messages, multimedia, and / or content data. Non-limiting examples of the services provided include two-way or multiplexing, data communication or multimedia services, and access to data network systems such as the Internet.

[0003] Communication systems and associated equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification that outlines what the various entities associated with the system are allowed to do and how they should be implemented. The communication protocols and / or parameters that should be used for connectivity are also usually defined. An example of a communication system is UTRAN (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services Terrestrial Radio Access Network, e.g., 3G Radio). Other examples are Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: storing information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and reporting information to a network access node.

[0005] According to a second aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus including components for performing the following operations: storing information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and reporting the information to a network access node.

[0006] According to a third aspect, a method for an apparatus is provided, the method comprising: storing information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and reporting the information to a network access node.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a circuit system for storing information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and a circuit system for reporting information to a network access node.

[0008] The following can be applied to any of the first to fourth aspects above (e.g., one or more, including all).

[0009] The device can also be configured to receive configuration for storing or reporting information from a network access node before the storage or the reporting.

[0010] The reporting information may include: using mobility history information messages to report information.

[0011] The device can be made to perform reporting based on the device switching from idle mode to connected mode.

[0012] The device may include user equipment, or it may include another network access node.

[0013] The device can be configured to provide one or more secondary cells, or the device can be configured to provide a primary cell.

[0014] The device can also be made to perform: receiving dual-connectivity configuration information from network access based on the reported information.

[0015] According to a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: receiving information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and determining, based on the information, whether the reconfiguration is caused by reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at one or more secondary cells.

[0016] According to a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus including components for performing the following operations: receiving information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and determining, based on the information, whether the reconfiguration is caused by reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at one or more secondary cells.

[0017] According to a seventh aspect, a method for an apparatus is provided, the method comprising: receiving information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and determining, based on the information, whether the reconfiguration is caused by reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at one or more secondary cells.

[0018] According to an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: a receiving circuitry system for receiving information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and determining, based on the information, whether the reconfiguration is caused by reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at one or more secondary cells.

[0019] The following can be applied with respect to any one of the above aspects five through eight (e.g., one or more, including all).

[0020] The device can also be made to perform: providing the user equipment with configuration for storing or reporting information prior to the receipt.

[0021] The device can be configured to provide one or more secondary cells, or the device can be configured to provide a primary cell.

[0022] This information can be included in the received mobility history message.

[0023] The following can be applied with respect to any one of the above aspects one through eight (e.g., one or more, including all).

[0024] The information may include an indication of the time a user device spends in one or more secondary cells.

[0025] The time a user equipment spends in one or more secondary cells can include the time the user equipment is dual-connected to the primary cell and the time it is dual-connected to one or more secondary cells.

[0026] One or more secondary cells may include one or more secondary cell groups.

[0027] The information may include at least one of the following: one or more identifiers of one or more secondary cells, or one or more identifiers of the primary cell to which the device is connected.

[0028] At least one uplink condition may include at least one uplink threshold and / or at least one uplink quantity.

[0029] According to one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to any of the foregoing aspects.

[0030] Many different embodiments have been described above. It should be understood that other embodiments can be provided by any combination of two or more of the above embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 Representations of a network system according to some example embodiments are shown; Figure 2 A representation of a control device according to some example embodiments is shown; Figure 3 A representation of an apparatus according to some example embodiments is shown; Figure 4 Example secondary cell activation and deactivation are shown; and Figures 5 to 8 An example method is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following describes the operations that can be performed in relation to the activation and / or deactivation of secondary cells in a dual-connectivity deployment.

[0033] Specifically, the following describes providing information to a network access node regarding one or more conditions (e.g., traffic-related conditions such as traffic thresholds and / or traffic capacity, or non-traffic-related conditions that may be affected when performing secondary cell activation and / or deactivation). One or more conditions may be used by the user equipment and / or the network access node to trigger secondary cell activation and / or deactivation. One or more conditions may be used for uplink traffic and / or downlink traffic. The network access node receiving information about one or more conditions can use the provided information to determine whether one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the UE, the network access node itself, and / or another network access node should be reconfigured for mobility procedures controlled based on which one or more dual connectivity parameters are more or less likely to be executed (depending on what the provided information indicates).

[0034] Although this will be discussed in more detail later, let's first refer to... Figures 1 to 3 Presents an example environment in which the technologies described here can be deployed.

[0035] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown.

[0036] In communication environment 100, multiple communication devices, including user equipment 110, 115 (also referred to herein as "terminals" or "terminal devices") and network device 120 (also referred to herein as "network access nodes"), can communicate with each other. Network device 120 can serve a coverage area referred to as cell 125. User equipment 110 can access the communication network via cell 125. In some example embodiments, both user equipment 110 and network device 120 can be configured to implement beamforming technology and communicate with each other via multiple beams.

[0037] Figure 1 Another cell 125' provided by another network device 120' is also shown. Since the coverage provided by cells 125 and 125' overlaps in the area where user equipment 115 is located, in some cases, user equipment can be configured to connect to the network via both network devices 120 and 120'. This can be performed, for example, using a dual-connectivity procedure. The dual-connectivity procedure is further described below.

[0038] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile device, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), machine-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal equipment”, “communication equipment”, “terminal”, “user equipment”, and “UE” are used interchangeably.

[0039] As used herein, the terms "network device" and "network access node" are used interchangeably and refer to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), repeater, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low-power nodes (such as femtosecond, picosecond, non-terrestrial networks (NTN)) or non-terrestrial network equipment (such as satellite network equipment, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites), spacecraft network equipment, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward its parent node, and a DU portion that behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0040] In some example embodiments, the link from network device 120 to user equipment 110 or 115 is referred to as a DL, while the link from user equipment 110 or 115 to network device 120 is referred to as a UL. The link is also referred to herein as a “channel.” In the DL, network device 120 is a Tx device (or transmitter), and user equipment 110 or 115 is an Rx device (or receiver). In the UL, user equipment 110 or 115 is a Tx device (or transmitter), and network device 120 is an Rx device (or receiver). The link between user equipment 110 and another user equipment (not shown) is referred to as a side link (SL). In the SL, one of the user equipments is a Tx device (or transmitter), and the other is an Rx device (or receiver).

[0041] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0042] Figure 2 It shows a method for enabling network device 120 (such as Figure 1Examples of control devices 200 that perform the operation of a network device described herein. The control device may include at least one random access memory (RAM) 211a, at least one read-only memory (ROM) 211b, at least one processor 212, 213, and an input / output interface 214. At least one processor 212, 213 may be coupled to RAM 211a and ROM 211b. At least one processor 212, 213 may be configured to execute appropriate software code 215. Software code 215 may, for example, allow the execution of one or more steps to perform one or more of the aspects herein. Software code 215 may be stored in ROM 211b. Control device 200 may be interconnected with another control device 200 that controls another function of the network device. In some embodiments, each function of the network device includes control device 200. In some exemplary embodiments, device 200 may be implemented at network device 120 or may be network device 120. References to “code” herein are understood to refer to software code, and vice versa.

[0043] The following description provides an exemplary example of a dual connectivity (DC) deployment. It should be understood that the principles described herein are not limited to the following terminology and can be applied to other systems with similar architectures. In other words, it should be understood that the techniques described herein can be deployed in network configurations where devices (e.g., UEs) are configured to access the network via at least one cell, and may access the network via at least two cells.

[0044] 5G new radios currently define several different types of cells for DC systems. These cell types include, for example, primary cells (PCell), primary-secondary cells (PSCell), secondary cells (SCell), and special cells (SpCell).

[0045] PCell can be used as part of the initial access between the UE and the access network and is considered the primary cell in the Primary Cell Group (MCG).

[0046] A SpCell can be included as part of a secondary cell group (SCG). SpCells and SCells can be in at least one of an MCG and an SCG.

[0047] These cells can be further divided into two different types based on their function: primary nodes (which provide control plane connections to the core network) and secondary nodes (which do not have control plane connections to the core network). A DC deployment may include a primary node (MN) and at least one secondary node (SN).

[0048] It should be understood that not all 5G system deployments can include a primary node and a secondary node. For example, a primary node and a secondary node can exist in a primary node-dual connectivity deployment, but not in a standalone deployment. Both the primary and secondary nodes can provide user plane (e.g., data) connectivity to the core network. The primary node can control the PCell. In addition to the PCell, the primary node can also control at least one PSCell, although this is not always the case. The secondary node can control at least one PSCell.

[0049] Multiple Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) is a summary of the Intra-E-UTRA Dual Connectivity (DC) process.

[0050] The UE can be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes (e.g., access network nodes, such as gNBs or other base stations) connected via a “non-ideal” backhaul link, where one node provides New Radio (NR) access and the other provides Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) or NR access. One of these nodes is configured to act as the primary node (MN), while the other acts as the secondary node (SN). The MN and SN are connected via a network interface, and at least the MN is connected to the core network. In the case of New Radio-DC (NR-DC), both the MN and SN provide NR access.

[0051] When NR-DC is configured, the UE can initially operate within a serving cell group called the Primary Cell Group (MCG). The UE is subsequently configured by the network with additional cell groups called Secondary Cell Groups (SCGs). Each cell group (CG) can have one or more serving cells. The MCG and SCG can operate from geographically non-co-located nodes (e.g., by different network access nodes, such as different gNBs).

[0052] The MCG and SCG can be operated to provide corresponding serving cells belonging to different frequency ranges and / or provide corresponding serving cells in the same and different frequency ranges. In the example, the MCG can provide the UE with serving cells in frequency range 2 (FR2), and the SCG can provide the UE with serving cells in frequency range 1 (FR1).

[0053] 3GPP has released several versions (Rel.) for defining operational communication protocols related to communication networks. Currently, version 18 (Rel. 18) is being used to set goals and get things working.

[0054] At least some of these objectives involve mobility processes. A mobility process can be considered as a process that causes a UE to change how it receives one or more services via one or more cells (e.g., from receiving services via a first cell to receiving services via a first cell and a second cell, and / or receiving services via a second cell and a first cell). The one or more cells can be provided by one or more network access nodes.

[0055] In the current 3GPP system, a UE can perform a mobility procedure based on a trigger received from the network access node, or based on the satisfaction of one or more execution conditions configured at the UE (e.g., a so-called "conditional" mobility procedure).

[0056] For example, NR-DC can deploy primary SCG cell (PSCell) add / change procedures and / or so-called conditional PSCell change / add (CPAC) procedures.

[0057] In PSCell, when adding / changing deployments, mobility events are triggered directly by the network.

[0058] The UE and / or network access node can make mobility / handover decisions regarding whether the UE will handover from a first cell or a second cell based on measurement reports received from the UE. Multiple measurement metrics exist (e.g., Reference Received Power (RSRP), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR)), multiple times (e.g., periodic, event-triggered, etc.), and various ways the UE can measure the signal quality of its serving cell and neighboring cells. For example, the access node can determine from the measurement report that the UE will handover from its current serving cell to a target cell that provides better service than the serving cell, and send instructions to the UE to perform the handover. As another example, the access node can determine that the UE may perform a handover in the near future. Subsequently, the access node can provide the UE with some monitoring and execution conditions as part of a conditional mobility event to determine when the UE will handover to at least one of a plurality of target cells.

[0059] Ideally, the access point allows the UE to report the signal quality of the serving cell and neighboring cells, and triggers the UE to perform a handover based on a single measurement. However, in practice, this can lead to overload conditions due to unnecessary handovers such as ping-pong.

[0060] To minimize the likelihood of this situation, the 3GPP specification has proposed a predefined set of measurement reporting mechanisms to be performed by the UE. These predefined measurement reporting types are called "events." The type of "event" the UE is configured to report is specified by the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling message sent from the access point to the UE.

[0061] The following event types are available for 5G NR: Event A1 (The serving cell becomes better than the threshold value) Event A2 (The serving cell becomes worse than the threshold value) Event A3 (Neighboring cells become better than SpCell by more than the offset value) Event A4 (Neighboring cells become better than the threshold value) Event A5 (SpCell becomes worse than the first threshold (threshold 1), and neighboring cells become better than the second threshold (threshold 2)) In contrast, in the case of CPAC, the UE is configured with execution conditions that, when met, can trigger a mobility event. For example, the UE can begin evaluating one or more execution conditions upon receiving the CPAC configuration and stop evaluating one or more execution conditions once a PSCell add / change is triggered (e.g., once one or more execution conditions have been met).

[0062] More specifically, conditional mobility was introduced in 3GPP Rel-16 to improve mobility robustness. Conditional mobility involves providing the UE with at least one configuration for communicating with another cell after performing a handover to that cell, and at least one threshold or condition for determining when to perform a handover.

[0063] Therefore, as part of this conditional mobility function, the network can prepare multiple target cells and provide the UE with a conditional mobility configuration associated with the mobility execution conditions. Thus, the decision regarding mobility execution is left to the UE, which is obligated to follow the conditional mobility configuration that defines how and when mobility events are executed. The conditional mobility configuration can be provided to the UE by the source cell (e.g., by the UE's current serving cell). The conditional mobility configuration can be prepared by a source cell that cooperates with at least one target cell.

[0064] Conditional mobility preparation (e.g., communicating with at least one target cell to obtain a conditional mobility configuration to provide to the UE) can be triggered by mobility-related measurement events received by the source cell. For example, in the current 3GPP specification, these measurement events can be A3 / A5 measurement events during handover, as described above. Whenever the execution conditions (used to determine which process, referred to as the "evaluation phase") of a configuration are met for a target cell, the UE selects the corresponding target configuration and executes a mobility procedure to enable service delivery via the selected target cell. The performance of the mobility procedure is also referred to as the "execution phase".

[0065] There are several types of conditional mobility events. Among these, this paper mentions Conditional Handover (CHO), Conditional Primary / Secondary Cell Addition (CPA), and Conditional PSCell Change (CPC).

[0066] In Rel-17, CPAC functionality has been added for efficient secondary cell (SCell) management. Events A3 and A5 are used to configure conditional PSCell change (CPC) conditions, and event B1 is used to support conditional PSCell addition (CPA) in NR-DC.

[0067] The following further references Mobility History Information (MHI) and UE History Information (UHI).

[0068] Since Rel-16, MHI and UHI have been supported in 3GPP. More specifically, MHI is information stored by the UE, and UHI is information stored by the network access node. MHI and / or UHI record mobility history information of up to 16 most recently visited primary cells (maxPSCellHistory) or time spent in any cell selection state and / or camped in any cell state in NR or E-UTRA.

[0069] Rel-17 introduced enhancements to the MHI and UHI for dual connectivity. As part of this, the MHI can include the maxPSCellHistory, which contains mobility history information for recently visited primary and secondary cell groups and the time spent in the PSCell across all primary cells. Recently visited cells are initially stored in a list. This list includes cells visited during Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle, inactive, and NR connected states, as well as during E-UTRA RRS idle and connected states. Simultaneously, the UHI includes mobility history information for the visited PSCell list, which for the UE includes at least one PSCell ID and an indication of the time the UE spent in that PSCell.

[0070] The UE is configured to report the MHI in a message labeled "MobilityHistoryReport". The UHI is configured to be reported from the source network access node to the destination network access node during the execution of the mobility process.

[0071] Figure 3 It shows things like Figure 1 Examples of terminal 300 for user equipment 110, 115 are shown. Terminal 300 can be provided by any device capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals, such as the user equipment described herein. Terminal 300 can provide communication, for example, for carrying data. Communication can be one or more of voice, email, text messages, multimedia, data, machine data, etc.

[0072] Terminal 300 can receive signals over the air or on radio interface 307 via appropriate means of receiving, and can transmit signals for transmitting radio signals via appropriate means. Figure 3 In this diagram, the transceiver device is schematically designated by block 306. The transceiver device 306 may be provided, for example, via a radio section and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be located inside or outside the mobile device.

[0073] Terminal 300 may be provided with at least one processor 301, at least one memory ROM 302a, at least one RAM 302b, and other possible components 303 for use in the software and hardware-assisted execution of the tasks it is designed to perform, including access systems (such as those provided above regarding...). Figure 1 and Figure 2 The network device described controls access and communication with other communication devices (provided by the network access system). At least one processor 301 is coupled to RAM 302b and ROM 302a. At least one processor 301 can be configured to execute appropriate software code 308. The software code 308 may, for example, allow execution of one or more of the present aspects. The software code 308 may be stored in ROM 302a.

[0074] The processor, storage device, and other related control devices can be housed on a suitable circuit board and / or in a chipset. This feature is indicated by reference numeral 304. The device may optionally have a user interface, such as a keypad 305, a touch-sensitive screen or keypad, or a combination thereof. Optionally, depending on the type of device, one or more of a display, speaker, and microphone may be provided.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal 300 may be an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause user equipment 110, 115 to perform the examples or embodiments described in this document.

[0076] The aforementioned NR-DC deployment was introduced into the 3GPP network to meet higher requirements for data rates and latency than previously specified in previous 3GPP releases.

[0077] However, implementing NR-DC introduces higher energy consumption to both the UE and the network compared to not implementing NR-DC. This is because additional processing is performed on dual-connectivity operations that use additional energy.

[0078] To meet data rate requirements while maintaining low energy consumption at both communication ends, SCG activation and deactivation methods have been introduced.

[0079] When the UE is not connected to the SCG (e.g., when the UE is in a deactivated SCG state), the SCG activation method is deployed. When the SCG activation method is deployed, the UE is configured to enter an activated SCG state when the so-called activation condition is met.

[0080] The conditions expressed can be based on (e.g., depending on, corresponding to, or otherwise related to) traffic-related conditions and / or non-traffic-related conditions. For clarity and brevity, the following examples use traffic thresholds (i.e., uplink traffic thresholds or downlink traffic thresholds) as examples to illustrate the techniques currently described. However, it should be understood that the disclosures made below with reference to traffic thresholds can also be applied to other conditions, such as data volume (i.e., uplink data volume or downlink data volume) or non-traffic-related conditions.

[0081] In this example, when the traffic received and / or transmitted by the UE reaches and / or exceeds a first threshold level, the UE enters an active SCG state when it adds a secondary cell to the SCG. When the UE adds a secondary cell, the UE is able to receive traffic from the network and / or transmit traffic to the network via that secondary cell.

[0082] A UE is considered to be in an active SCG state when it is configured to receive and / or transmit traffic via one or more cells of the SCG. A UE is considered to be in a deactivated SCG state when it is not configured to receive and / or transmit traffic via all cells of the SCG.

[0083] When the UE connects to the SCG (e.g., when the UE is in an active SCG state), an SCG deactivation method is deployed. When the SCG deactivation method is deployed, the UE is configured to enter a deactivated SCG state when deactivation conditions are met (such as traffic received and / or transmitted by the UE falling below a second threshold level).

[0084] For clarity and brevity, the flow threshold is used as an example of a deactivation condition in the following text. However, it should be understood that this is merely an example, and the same technique can be applied to other types of conditions, such as flow-based and / or non-flow-based conditions.

[0085] Activation and deactivation conditions can be the same (e.g., two traffic threshold conditions) or different conditions. When activation and deactivation conditions are the same, the values ​​associated with these conditions can be the same or different. For example, the first threshold mentioned above can be the same as or different from the second threshold. When the UE releases the secondary cell of the SCG, the UE enters the deactivated SCG state. The UE enters the deactivated state by releasing the secondary cell. Releasing the secondary cell causes the UE to stop receiving and / or transmitting traffic through that secondary cell.

[0086] SCG activation and deactivation methods can be used to reduce energy consumption in the network. For example, when a UE is connected to both a primary node and a secondary node used for DC procedures, and the service traffic changes from a higher service traffic level to a lower service traffic level, the secondary node can be deactivated to reduce network and UE energy consumption.

[0087] The concept of SCG activation and deactivation is most efficient for traffic where data bursts large enough to benefit from SCG transmission are separated by periods of lower activity, during which SCG can be deactivated. When network energy consumption is high during SCG activity, the criteria for deciding between SCG activation and deactivation can be carefully selected.

[0088] However, in order to respond to rapid changes in service traffic, secondary node release procedures (e.g., for the SCG deactivation method) and secondary node addition procedures (e.g., for the SCG activation method) can be performed frequently.

[0089] The simplest way to control SCG activation and / or deactivation is to use a data traffic threshold. This threshold is applied when a period of SCG activation is exceeded, and deactivation is performed when data traffic decreases below the threshold (when SCG is activated). In principle, the threshold can be configured for each UE or group of UEs with similar traffic profiles. Setting the threshold too low means that the SCG activation period also contains data bursts that are not large enough to benefit from SCG transmission on one side and result in unnecessary energy consumption on the other. Conversely, setting the threshold too high, while potentially leading to reduced energy consumption, can be detrimental from a QoS perspective because not all data bursts will benefit from SCG transmission.

[0090] Figure 4 This illustrates how SCG activation and / or deactivation are triggered over time (along the x-axis) as user traffic (along the y-axis) increases and decreases. SCG activation and / or deactivation can be triggered by uplink or downlink traffic on a data radio bearer (DRB) with an SCG radio link control (RLC) bearer (split or SCG bearer).

[0091] This type of adaptive auxiliary node activation and / or deactivation introduces signaling overhead and energy consumption, and can reduce (or even completely eliminate) any energy reduction benefits provided by this method.

[0092] Furthermore, the processes used for adaptive secondary node activation and / or deactivation may introduce additional latency. For example, according to 3GPP RAN4 requirements, even if the PSCell is known in FR1, the additional 79 ms latency added to the PSCell in E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) requires the recovery of the NR PSCell. This latency value may be even greater in a real-world network. In the following text, it should be understood that the terms "PSCell" and "secondary node" are used interchangeably. It should also be understood that the terms "PCell" and "primary node" are used interchangeably.

[0093] Several additional efficiency procedures have been introduced into 3GPP networks to mitigate the energy consumption, signaling overhead, and latency associated with adaptive secondary node activation and / or deactivation.

[0094] For example, 3GPP Rel-15 introduces a deactivated SCell state in the UE to reduce UE energy consumption and SCell activation latency. More specifically, a UE in a deactivated SCell state does not detect the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Instead, the UE performs Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) and Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements, which consumes less energy than continuous PDDCH detection, thus reducing the latency associated with SCell activation.

[0095] As another example, 3GPP Rel-16 introduced the Sleep Bandwidth Part (BWP) to more efficiently support SCell deactivation. In this approach, when the UE switches to the Sleep Bandwidth Part, it will not monitor the PDCCH, but will continue to perform Channel State Information (CSI) measurements and beam management for the SCell. Furthermore, temporary reference signals and short CSI reports are proposed to enable rapid SCell activation.

[0096] Recently, consideration has been given to how to further improve the SCG activation and / or deactivation methods to reduce energy consumption, signaling overhead, and / or latency in the network. As part of this, two options have been considered: a network-based option, in which network nodes collect information about the time the UE spends in an active and / or deactivated PSCell; and a UE-based option, in which the UE collects information about the time the UE spends in an active and / or deactivated PSCell and subsequently provides this information to the network.

[0097] Information regarding the time a UE spends in a deactivated SCG state and / or an activated SCG state relative to one or more secondary cells can be provided from the UE to the network access node in a message including mobility history information (e.g., in a mobility history information message). Similarly, such information regarding the time a UE spends in a deactivated SCG state and / or an activated SCG state relative to one or more secondary cells can be provided from the network access node to another network access node in a message including mobility history information (e.g., in a UE history information message). This latter signaling can be performed as part of a handover procedure (e.g., a conditional handover procedure or any other type of handover procedure). UE history information and mobility history information can be as described above.

[0098] Based on (e.g., at least in part in response to) receiving an MHI and / or UHI including indications of the time the UE spends relative to one or more secondary cells in a deactivated SCG state and / or an activated SCG state, the network access node can assess the coverage of the wireless network and adjust mobility-related parameters to mitigate ping-pong problems or handover failures. For example, the network access node can change one or more parameters used to make mobility events more likely to occur, or change one or more parameters used to make mobility events less likely to occur, based on the received MHI and / or UHI. These one or more parameters can be dual-connectivity parameters configured at one or more of the following: the UE, the secondary node, and / or the primary node. The one or more parameters can include, for example, a reference signal received power threshold, a reference signal received quality threshold, a hysteresis configuration that helps reduce the ping-pong probability between the secondary cell addition and release processes, a trigger duration defining the timing for executing mobility events, etc.

[0099] For dual-connectivity SCGs, when connecting to the current PCell, the cell ID of the PSCell and the time spent in the current PSCell can be included in the MHI or UHI. Based on specific information from the SCG, network access nodes can assess the coverage of the SN, achieve rapid DC establishment and / or release, and adjust the dual-connectivity parameters of the SCG to mitigate frequent ping-pong PSCell changes or PSCell change failures, as discussed in the preceding paragraphs.

[0100] This application recognizes that although timing information for SCG activation and / or deactivation can help the network understand the actual use of dual connectivity and further optimize the configuration of dual connectivity, this information may not be sufficient because different UEs may apply different activation and / or deactivation criteria (e.g., different UEs may set traffic thresholds between PSCells of different nodes).

[0101] For example, when the relative time a UE spends in the SCG active state is very low, this means dual connectivity may be useless to the UE, and therefore the network may not configure DC for the UE in order to reduce UE battery consumption and signaling overhead for network-side DC configuration. However, this decision by the network may not be optimal when the traffic threshold used to activate and / or deactivate the SCG state at the UE is set too high.

[0102] Conversely, when the relative time spent in SCG activation is quite high, it may mean that dual connectivity of the network access node is very useful for the UE. Based on this information, the master node can configure and / or activate the SCG more frequently. Similar to the example above, this configuration and / or activation may not be optimal when the traffic threshold is set too low.

[0103] The following aims to address one or more of the problems mentioned above.

[0104] Specifically, the following aims to provide one or more network access nodes with more detailed information about the relative time spent by the UE in the SCG active state, so that the network access node (or another network access node) can use this information to better control the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells of the UE.

[0105] For example, the master node can use such information to enable fast DC setup and to adjust SCG dual connectivity parameters to reduce UE battery consumption and signaling overhead for network-side DC configuration.

[0106] More specifically, signaling (such as UHI and / or MHI) can be modified to include information about traffic thresholds for SCG activation and / or traffic thresholds for SCG deactivation. The signaling may also include the identifier of the secondary cell to which this information pertains (e.g., the cell ID of the PSCell). The signaling may also include information indicating the time spent in the current PSCell when connecting to the current PCell.

[0107] Table 1 shows the information that may be included in VisitedCellInfoList, which may include MHI information elements that include one or more fields described in Table 1.

[0108]

[0109] The IE VisitedCellInfoList includes mobility history information for up to 16 recently visited primary cells, or the time spent in any cell selection state and / or camped in any cell state in NR or E-UTRA. In the case of dual connectivity, it includes mobility history information for the most recently visited primary and secondary cell groups across all primary cells included in the VisitedCellInfoList, with a maxPSCellHistory value. Recently visited cells are initially stored in a list. This list includes cells visited in the RRC_IDLE, RRC_INACTIVE, and RRC_CONNECTED states for NR and in the RRC_IDLE and RRC_CONNECTED states for E-UTRA.

[0110] The maximum number of last accessed PSCell records that can be reported in the information element is indicated by the parameter marked "maxnoofPSCellsPerSN" in 3GPP.

[0111] Similarly, the last accessed PSCell information can be expanded to include a corresponding first threshold and a second threshold associated with PSCell activation and / or deactivation (e.g., traffic threshold SCG activation and / or traffic threshold SCG deactivation, respectively). This is illustrated in Table 2 below, which shows one or more fields (e.g., information elements (IEs)) that may be included in the UHI.

[0112]

[0113] Regarding Figures 5 to 8 The following examples further illustrate the above techniques.

[0114] exist Figures 5 to 8 In these examples, Figures 5 to 6 Methods that can be performed with respect to uplink conditions (e.g., uplink activation conditions and / or uplink deactivation conditions) are shown, while Figures 7 to 8 Methods that can be performed with respect to downlink conditions (e.g., downlink activation conditions and / or downlink deactivation conditions) are shown.

[0115] Figure 5 The method can be performed by a device. Depending on the deployment, the device may include user equipment and / or network access nodes (e.g., primary node and / or secondary node).

[0116] During period 501, the device stores first information. The first information includes an indication of at least one downlink condition associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving the user equipment.

[0117] In other words, the first information may include at least one of the following: a value representing a first condition associated with the activation of one or more secondary cells, wherein the user equipment is configured to enter an activated SCG state (as described above) when the uplink traffic received by the user equipment reaches or exceeds the first condition; and / or a value representing a second condition associated with the deactivation of one or more secondary cells, wherein the user equipment is configured to enter a deactivated SCG state (as described above) when the uplink traffic received by the user equipment falls below the second condition. The corresponding values ​​representing the first and second conditions may be the same. The corresponding values ​​representing the first and second conditions may be different.

[0118] During the 502 interrupt, the device reports the first information to the network access node. The network access node may include nodes configured to perform... Figure 6The method includes apparatus for network access nodes. A network access node may include a secondary network access node (e.g., a network access node configured to provide a secondary cell (such as PSCell)). A network access node may include a primary network access node (e.g., a network access node configured to provide a primary cell (such as PCell)). A network access node may include a primary node. A network access node may include a secondary node.

[0119] The device can also be configured to receive configuration from a network access node for storing and / or reporting first information prior to the storage.

[0120] The device can also be made to perform: receiving configuration for reporting first information from a network access node prior to the report.

[0121] Reporting the first information may include using a mobility history information message (e.g., when the device includes a user equipment) to report the first information.

[0122] This device can be configured to perform a report based on a determination that the device has switched from idle mode to connected mode. Idle mode may include RRC idle mode. Connected mode may include RRC connected mode.

[0123] Figure 6 It shows that it can be made by and Figure 5 The method executed by the interactive device of the device. Figure 6 The device may include a network access node. A network access node may include a master node.

[0124] During step 601, the device receives first information. The first information may be as described above regarding... Figure 5 As described. First information can be received from the user equipment. The user equipment may include... Figure 5 The device.

[0125] During the 602 period, Figure 6 The device determines, based on the first information, whether the reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at one or more secondary cells is caused by the reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment.

[0126] One or more dual connectivity parameters can be used to trigger one or more mobility procedures for adding a secondary cell by a user equipment and / or releasing a secondary cell by a user equipment. The expression "one or more dual connectivity parameters" may be used interchangeably herein with "one or more parameters for controlling the addition of a PSCell at a user equipment and / or for controlling the release of a PSCell at a user equipment".

[0127] For example, when the uplink condition is an uplink traffic threshold, if the first information indicates that the uplink traffic condition is relatively low relative to the uplink traffic threshold used by one or more other nodes, the device can determine not to connect the UE to the secondary node. Similarly, if the first information indicates that the uplink traffic threshold is relatively high relative to the uplink traffic threshold used by one or more other nodes, the device can determine to connect the UE to the secondary node.

[0128] In addition, this device can change the value of the uplink traffic threshold currently used by the UE.

[0129] Despite Figure 6 Although not shown, the apparatus can cause this to be determined. For example, when the apparatus determines during step 602 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is more likely to enter an active SCG state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the apparatus can cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations). Similarly, when the apparatus determines during step 602 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is less likely to enter an active SCH state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the apparatus can cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations). For example, the apparatus can cause the reconfiguration of dual connectivity parameters by sending dual connectivity configuration information to the UE to update or reconfigure the dual connectivity parameters.

[0130] One or more dual-connectivity parameters may include, for example, a reference signal received power threshold, a reference signal received quality threshold, a hysteresis configuration that helps reduce the ping-pong probability between the secondary cell addition and release processes, and a trigger duration that defines the timing for performing mobility events.

[0131] Similarly, when the device determines during step 602 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is less likely to enter a deactivated SCG state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the device may cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations). Similarly, when the device determines during step 602 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is more likely to enter a deactivated SCH state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the device may cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations).

[0132] Figure 6The device may provide the user equipment with a configuration for storing and / or reporting the first information prior to the receipt.

[0133] Figure 7 The method that can be performed by the device is illustrated. Depending on the deployment, the device may include network access nodes (e.g., a primary node and / or a secondary node).

[0134] During 701, the device stores first information. The first information includes an indication of at least one downlink condition associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving the user equipment.

[0135] For example, when the condition includes a traffic threshold, the first information may include at least one of the following: a value representing a first threshold associated with the activation of one or more secondary cells, wherein the user equipment is configured to enter an activated SCG state (as described above) when downlink traffic received by the user equipment reaches or exceeds the first threshold; and / or a value representing a second threshold associated with the deactivation of one or more secondary cells, wherein the user equipment is configured to enter a deactivated SCG state (as described above) when downlink traffic received by the user equipment falls below the second threshold. The corresponding values ​​representing the first threshold and the second threshold may be the same. The corresponding values ​​representing the first threshold and the second threshold may be different.

[0136] During period 702, the device reports the first information to the network access node. The network access node may include nodes configured to perform... Figure 8 The method's apparatus. The network access node may include a secondary network access node (e.g., a network access node configured to provide a secondary cell (such as a PSCell)). The network access node may include a secondary node. Reporting first information may include reporting first information using UE historical information.

[0137] This device can be configured to generate a report based on the determination that the device has switched between PScells belonging to different auxiliary nodes.

[0138] Figure 8 It shows that it can be made by and Figure 7 The method executed by the interactive device of the device. Figure 8 The device may include a network access node.

[0139] During step 801, the device receives first information. The first information may be as described above regarding... Figure 7 As described, the first information can be received from the network access node.

[0140] During 802, the device determines, based on first information, whether the reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at one or more secondary cells is caused by reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment.

[0141] One or more dual connectivity parameters can be used to trigger one or more mobility procedures for adding a secondary cell by a user equipment and / or releasing a secondary cell by a user equipment. The expression "one or more dual connectivity parameters" may be used interchangeably herein with "one or more parameters for controlling the addition of a PSCell at a user equipment and / or for controlling the release of a PSCell at a user equipment".

[0142] For example, considering an instance where the downlink condition is a downlink traffic threshold, when the first information indicates that the downlink traffic threshold is relatively low relative to the downlink traffic threshold used by one or more other nodes, the device can determine not to connect the UE to the secondary node. Similarly, when the first information indicates that the downlink traffic threshold is relatively high relative to the downlink traffic threshold used by one or more other nodes, the device can determine to connect the UE to the secondary node.

[0143] In addition, this device can change the value of the downlink traffic threshold currently used by the UE.

[0144] One or more dual-connectivity parameters may include, for example, a reference signal received power threshold, a reference signal received quality threshold, a hysteresis configuration that helps reduce the ping-pong probability between the secondary cell addition and release processes, and a trigger duration that defines the timing for performing mobility events.

[0145] Despite Figure 8 Although not shown, the apparatus can cause this to be determined. For example, when the apparatus determines during 802 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is more likely to enter an active SCG state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the apparatus can cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations). Similarly, when the apparatus determines during 802 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is less likely to enter an active SCG state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the apparatus can cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations).

[0146] Similarly, when the device determines during step 802 that one or more dual connectivity parameters should be reconfigured such that the UE is less likely to enter a deactivated SCG state than before the one or more dual connectivity parameters were reconfigured, the device may cause the reconfiguration of those dual connectivity parameters (e.g., at the UE and / or at the network access node that triggered the UE to perform mobility operations).

[0147] Figure 8 The device can be configured to provide one or more secondary cells, or to provide one or more primary cells.

[0148] The following can be applied to Figures 5 to 8 The apparatus of any one of the figures.

[0149] The first piece of information may include an indication of the time the user equipment has spent in one or more secondary cells or in one or more other secondary cells. This may include historical information (e.g., for the previous secondary cells to which the UE was connected). This may additionally or alternatively include current information (e.g., for the secondary cell to which the UE is currently connected).

[0150] The time a user equipment has spent in one or more secondary cells can include the time the user equipment is dual-connected to the primary cell and the time it is dual-connected to one or more secondary cells.

[0151] One or more secondary cells may include one or more secondary cell groups.

[0152] The first information may include at least one of the following: one or more identifiers of one or more secondary cells, or one or more identifiers of the primary cell to which the device is connected.

[0153] When providing first information from a first network access node to a second network access node (e.g., from a secondary node to a primary node), the first information can be provided as part of the handover information. The handover information may include UHI messages.

[0154] The method described so far can have a variety of useful effects.

[0155] For example, consider a scenario where a UE reports an MHI to the network (gNB) after moving from an RRC idle state to an RRC connected state. In this example scenario, the MHI may indicate that the relative time in the SCG active state is very low for the PSCell included in the MHI, and may further provide information for SCG activation and deactivation in the form of uplink and / or downlink traffic thresholds. The network can use this information to interpret the very low relative time in the SCG active state. A network receiving the MHI and having more radio resources for NR-DC may consider that even if the time is low, activating the SCG may still be beneficial if the traffic threshold for the PSCell reported within the MHI is set too high.

[0156] It should be understood that the device may include or be coupled to other units or modules used in or for transmitting and / or receiving, such as a radio section or a radio head. Although the device has been described as a single entity, different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0157] It should be noted that the references to “obtain” (and the like) above can be read interchangeably with “receive”, and the references to “provide” (and the like) above can be read interchangeably with “send”.

[0158] Note that while some embodiments have been described with respect to 5G networks, similar principles can be applied to other networks and communication systems. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies, and standards, these embodiments can be applied to any other suitable form of communication system compared to those shown and described herein.

[0159] It should also be noted that although exemplary embodiments have been described above, several changes and modifications can be made to the disclosed solutions without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0160] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0161] Generally, various embodiments can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of this disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of this disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that these blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware, or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0162] As used herein, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more, or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only implementation (such as implementations in analog-only and / or digital-only circuit systems), and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor having software (including digital signal processor(s) working together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions), software, and memory), and (c) One or more hardware circuits and / or one or more processors, such as one or more microprocessors or a portion thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when operation is not required.

[0163] This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term herein, including in any claim. As another example, as used herein, the term circuit system also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors in general) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuit system also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for use in mobile devices or servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0164] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by a data processor of a mobile device (such as in a processor entity) or by computer software executed by hardware or a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products, including software routines, applets, and / or macros) can be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer-executable components that, when the program is run, are configured to execute the embodiments. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one piece of software code or a portion thereof.

[0165] Furthermore, it should be noted that any box in the logical flow diagram may represent a program step, or an interconnected logic circuit, a box and function, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, boxes and functions. Software may be stored on physical media as a memory chip or a memory block implemented within a processor, magnetic media such as a hard disk or floppy disk, and optical media such as, for example, DVDs and their data variant CDs. Physical media are non-transitory media.

[0166] As used herein, the term “non-transient” refers to the limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signal-based), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0167] The memory can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, gate-level circuits, and processors based on multi-core processor architectures.

[0168] The various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be practiced in a variety of components, such as integrated circuit modules. Integrated circuit design is a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools can be used to transform logic-level designs into semiconductor circuit designs ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0169] The scope of protection sought by the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is set forth in the independent claims. Exemplary embodiments and features (if any) described in this disclosure that are not within the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0170] The foregoing description has provided a complete and informative description of various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure through non-limiting and exemplary examples. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the art when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims, given the foregoing description. Nevertheless, all such and similar modifications to this teaching will still fall within the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure as set forth in the claims. As a non-limiting and exemplary example, there are other exemplary embodiments that include combinations of one or more exemplary embodiments with any other exemplary embodiments discussed above.

[0171] Furthermore, the various implementations of this disclosure can be described with reference to the following terms, and their features can be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0172] Clause 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: storing information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and reporting the information to a network access node.

[0173] Clause 2. The apparatus according to Clause 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: receive from the network access node, before the storage or before the reporting, a configuration for storing the information or reporting the information.

[0174] Clause 3. The apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein reporting the information includes: reporting the information using a mobility history information message.

[0175] Clause 4. The apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the report based on the apparatus switching from idle mode to connected mode.

[0176] Clause 5. The apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the apparatus includes a user equipment, or wherein the apparatus includes another network access node.

[0177] Clause 6. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the one or more secondary cells, or wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a primary cell.

[0178] Clause 7. The apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: receive dual connectivity configuration information from the network access based on the reported information.

[0179] Clause 8. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: receiving information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and determining, based on the information, whether to cause a reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at the one or more secondary cells.

[0180] Clause 9. The apparatus according to Clause 8, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: provide the user equipment with a configuration for the user equipment to store the information or report the information prior to the receipt.

[0181] Clause 10. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8 to 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the one or more secondary cells, or wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a primary cell.

[0182] Clause 11. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 8 to 10, wherein the information is a received mobility history information message.

[0183] Clause 12. The device according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the information includes an indication of the time spent by the user equipment in the one or more secondary cells.

[0184] Clause 13. The apparatus according to Clause 12, wherein the time spent by the user equipment in the one or more secondary cells includes the time the user equipment is dual-connected to the primary cell and the time it is dual-connected to the one or more secondary cells.

[0185] Clause 14. The apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the one or more secondary cells comprise one or more groups of secondary cells.

[0186] Clause 15. The device according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the information includes at least one of the following: one or more identifiers of the one or more secondary cells, or one or more identifiers of the primary cell to which the device is connected.

[0187] Clause 16. The apparatus according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the at least one uplink condition includes at least one uplink threshold and / or at least one uplink quantity.

[0188] Clause 17. A method comprising: storing information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and reporting the information to a network access node.

[0189] Clause 18. The method according to Clause 17, wherein reporting the information includes: using a mobility history information message to report the information.

[0190] Clause 19. A method comprising: receiving information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); and determining, based on the information, whether to cause reconfiguration of one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or at the one or more secondary cells.

[0191] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the information is received via a mobility history information message.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to perform: The stored information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE). as well as Report the information to the network access node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: receive from the network access node a configuration for storing the information or reporting the information before the storage or before the reporting.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein reporting the information includes: The information is reported using a mobility history message.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the report based on the apparatus switching from idle mode to connected mode.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus comprises a user equipment, or wherein the apparatus comprises another network access node.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the one or more secondary cells, or wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a primary cell.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is further configured to perform: receiving dual connectivity configuration information from the network access node based on the reported information.

8. A device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to perform: Receive information, wherein the information includes an indication of at least one uplink condition associated with the activation and / or deactivation of one or more secondary cells serving a user equipment (UE); as well as Based on the information, it is determined whether the reconfiguration is caused by one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at the user equipment or one or more dual connectivity parameters configured at one or more secondary cells.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: provide the user equipment with a configuration for the user equipment to store the information or report the information prior to the receipt.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the one or more secondary cells, or wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a primary cell.

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