Reusing measurement results of one cell for another cell

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell. In one aspect, a terminal device determines whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell is satisfied. Furthermore, on this basis, the terminal device transmits to the network device information associated with reuse of the at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell. In this way, at least one measurement result of the first cell is allowed to be reused for the second cell with enhanced efficiency and reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell. Background Technology

[0002] In communications technology, technologies are constantly evolving to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Each new generation of technology presents its own technical challenges in handling the various scenarios and processes required to connect to and serve devices connected to wireless networks. Efforts have been made to develop and improve fifth-generation (5G), near-5G, or 5G advanced communication systems to meet the ever-increasing demand for wireless data traffic since the deployment of fourth-generation (4G) communication systems. These new communication systems can support a wide range of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] According to discussions in Radio Access Network (RAN) Working Group 4 (RAN4), for Network Energy Saving (NES) in New Radio (NR), synchronization-free Signal Block (SSB) secondary cell (SCell) operation has been supported for in-band carrier aggregation (CA). Under certain conditions, SSB-free SCells can be activated by reusing measurement information (including time and frequency synchronization, automatic gain control (AGC), etc.) from a reference cell (e.g., the primary cell (PCell)). However, some unresolved issues remain regarding reuse, which will be investigated in the near future. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In summary, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution related to the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determine whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell is met; and based on the determination that the condition is met, send information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell to a network device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receive information from a terminal device relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell; and configure at least one cell measurement based on the information.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: determining at a terminal device whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell is met; and based on the determination that the condition is met, sending information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell to a network device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: at a network device, receiving from a terminal device information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell; and based on the information, configuring at least one cell measurement.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for: determining at a terminal device whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell is met; and based on the determination that the condition is met, sending information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell to a network device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving information from a terminal device relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell; and components for configuring at least one cell measurement based on the information.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing a device to execute at least the method according to any one of the third and fourth aspects described above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to any one of the third and fourth aspects described above.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a determining circuit system configured to determine whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell is met; and a transmitting circuit system configured to, based on the determination that the condition is met, transmit information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell to a network device.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: a receiving circuitry configured to receive from a terminal device information relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell; and a configuration circuitry configured to configure at least one cell measurement based on the information.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1A The illustration shows an example environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 1B The illustrations depict example SSB-free SCell scenarios associated with some example embodiments of this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the signaling flow between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 The illustrations depict example communication processes according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 The illustration shows an example flowchart at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example flowchart at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 The illustration shows a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 7 The illustration shows a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 8 The illustration shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Figure 9 A block diagram illustrating an example of a computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0030] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, whether explicitly described or not, it should be assumed that its influence in conjunction with other embodiments on such feature, structure, or characteristic is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” also include the plural forms. It should also be understood that the terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “include,” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. 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.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuit systems only) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of the (multiple) hardware processors having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions. (c) Multiple hardware circuits and / or multiple processors, such as multiple microprocessors or a portion thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may be absent when no software is required to operate.

[0034] This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term in this application, including all uses in any claim. As another example, as used herein, the term circuit system also covers only the implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion thereof and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and where suitable for a particular claim element, the term circuit system also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0035] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be communication technologies and systems that utilize this disclosure in a future manner, embodying the future types of communication technologies described herein. This should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the systems described above.

[0036] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices can 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), Radio Access Network (RAN) nodes, Evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication infrastructure equipment, Transmit and Receive Point (TRP), Receive Point (RP), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) nodes, low-power nodes (such as femtoBS, picoBS), etc., depending on the terminology and technology used.

[0037] The term "terminal device" refers to any end 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), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, 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 mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), 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 industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and so on. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0038] As discussed above, SSB-free SCell operation has been discussed for NES in New Radio (NR). In Release 16 (Rel-16), SSB-free SCell operation is supported for in-band CA. For SSB-free SCells, it is assumed that there is no SSB transmission on the SCell, or the UE is not provided with an SSB configuration for the SCell (e.g., absoluteFrequencySSB) nor an SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) for the SCell. The UE needs to indicate support for in-band SSB-free SCells, and under certain conditions, the SCell can be activated immediately by reusing PCell information (including time and frequency synchronization, AGC, etc.).

[0039] Furthermore, Technical Report (TR) 38.864 captures various techniques for implementing NES. One of these techniques, namely, SSB-free SCell operation for inter-band CA, has been considered within the scope of Rel-18 RAN Working Group 2 (RAN2) and RAN4, and is based on in-band SSB-free operation.

[0040] According to the Rel-18 Study Project Description (SID) for NES, a UE can be configured with an SSB-free inter-band carrier if the cell's time-frequency (i.e., carrier) can be derived from another reference cell. The UE can be configured to perform CSI-RS-based measurement reporting in Radio Resource Control (RRC_CONNECTED) status. The UE can be configured with a cell identifier (CellId) in the associated SSB configuration, which indicates the cell providing the SSB reference for the SSB beam (indicated by SSBIndex).

[0041] At the RAN4#106bis-e meeting, SSB-free operation was discussed in RAN4. In Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 3 (L3) measurements, where L1 measurements are used for beam management and L3 measurements are used for mobility, the following options were proposed.

[0042] It has been proposed that UEs can skip L1 / L3 measurements on SCells and reuse information from the already activated serving cell. This measurement is based on a reference signal on the target cell to reflect the beam / cell state. Measurement results depend on transmit power, frequency / time resources of the reference signal, channel characteristics, path loss and fast fading, UE receive beam settings, etc. For inter-band SSB-free scenarios, even if two cells are co-located, this may imply similar propagation delays, but the received signal strength at the UE side (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) may still differ considering other factors. For example, if an SSB-free SCell is deployed co-located with a PCell but with less coverage (i.e., primarily for capacity enhancement), the measurement results between the PCell and SCell may differ significantly. Skipping L1 / L3 measurements on SSB-free SCells and relying entirely on PCell measurement information is risky. For in-band SSB-free SCells, this skipping operation may not even be supported.

[0043] Therefore, it can be observed that the UE may not always be able to skip measurements on the SCell and reuse the PCell measurement results for the SCell. This may only be possible under certain conditions that require specification. Currently, there is no efficient way to support SSB-free SCell measurement operations. Optimizing SSB-free SCell measurement operations remains an important problem to be solved in order to minimize the negative impact of channel characteristic differences between the reference cell and the SSB-free cell. Some embodiments of this disclosure consider some enhancements to the interaction between the UE and the network for cell measurement operations (especially SSB-free SCell measurement operations).

[0044] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a scheme is provided for reusing at least one measurement result from a first cell for a second cell. Using this scheme, a terminal device determines whether conditions for reusing at least one measurement result from the first cell for the second cell are met. Furthermore, based on this, the terminal device sends information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result from the first cell for the second cell to a network device.

[0045] The aforementioned measurement optimization can be applied to both in-band and inter-band SSB-free scenarios. For example, this scheme optimizes SSB-free SCell measurements by considering the conditions for reusing measurement results from a reference cell. This can help reuse reference cell measurement results for SSB-free SCells with enhanced efficiency and reliability. In this way, the negative impact of channel characteristic differences between the reference cell and the SSB-free cell can be minimized or avoided, thus improving transmission efficiency.

[0046] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Firstly, regarding... Figure 1A For reference, Figure 1A An example environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is illustrated.

[0047] Environment 100 (which may be part of a communication network) includes terminal device 110 and network device 120 communicating with each other. Communication between terminal device 110 and network device 120 can be direct or indirect. For example, terminal device 110 and network device 120 can... Figure 1A Communicates with one or more other devices not shown in the diagram.

[0048] Terminal device 110 can be configured with more than one cell. In some example embodiments, terminal device 110, under the control of network device 120, can connect to PCell and one or more SCells.

[0049] To send data and / or control information, terminal device 110 may communicate with network device 120. The link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 is called a downlink (DL), while the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 is called an uplink (UL).

[0050] Although Figure 1A The communication environment 100 describes terminal device 110 and network device 120, but the embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to any other suitable communication devices communicating with each other. That is, the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to... Figure 1A An exemplary scenario. In this regard, it should be noted that, although in Figure 1A The terminal device is schematically depicted as a mobile phone and the network device 120 is schematically depicted as a base station; however, it should be understood that these depictions are exemplary in nature and do not imply any limitation. In other embodiments, the first device 110 and the network device 120 may be any other communication device, such as any other wireless communication device.

[0051] It should be understood that Figure 1A The specific numbers of various communication devices and communication links shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of communication devices and any suitable number of communication links to implement embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be understood that various wireless and wired communications (if desired) may exist between all communication devices.

[0052] Communications in Environment 100 may follow any suitable communication standard or protocol, which may be existing or developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (NR), Wi-Fi, and Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX) standards, and employ any suitable communication technology, including, for example, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Machine Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) technology.

[0053] Figure 1B The illustrations depict example SSB-free SCell scenarios associated with some example embodiments of this disclosure. For example, Figure 1B The deployment shown has multiple carriers. Time / frequency information for one carrier (also known as an SSB-free carrier) can be obtained from another carrier (also known as a reference carrier). These carriers may belong to different frequency bands. In this disclosure, the terms "carrier" and "cell" are used interchangeably in some cases.

[0054] Figure 2 The illustration shows a signaling flow 200 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the signaling flow 200 will be referred to... Figure 1A Describe it.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, terminal device 110 determines (205) whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell is met. The first cell may also be referred to as a reference cell, and the second cell may also be referred to as an SSB-free cell. The first cell may be a cell that provides a time-frequency reference for the second cell. For example, the first cell may be a PCell or SCell for terminal device 110, and the second cell may be an SSB-free SCell. This condition may be predefined in a specification or may be indicated by network device 120.

[0056] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may pre-send capability information to network device 120, indicating the capability to reuse at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell. Network device 120 may then consider this capability information when configuring terminal device 110.

[0057] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may indicate whether measurement results of a first cell can be reused for a second cell, for example, in a measurement configuration for the second cell. In this case, the condition at terminal device 110 may include receiving a reuse indication from network device 120, which instructs terminal device 110 to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell. After receiving the reuse indication from network device 120, terminal device 110 may directly reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell. For example, network device 120 may send a reuse indication when the first and second cells are co-located. Alternatively or additionally, network device 120 may send a reuse indication if the transmission power on the first and second cells is the same.

[0058] When different transmit powers are used for the first cell and the second cell, network device 120 can send the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell to terminal device 110 (e.g., for transmitting CSI-RS, or particularly TRS). For example, if network device 120 only sends the transmit power difference to terminal device 110 without an explicit reuse instruction, the transmit power difference can implicitly instruct terminal device 110 to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell. Then, after receiving the transmit power difference, terminal device 110 can directly reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell. Alternatively or additionally, after receiving the transmit power difference, terminal device 110 may need to further examine one or more local criteria used to determine whether to reuse (multiple) measurement results. For example, the transmit power difference can be used by terminal device 110 when determining reuse.

[0059] In some other example embodiments, the condition may include one or more criteria to be evaluated locally at terminal device 110 without any direct indication from network device 120 related to reuse. The condition may include one or more criteria to be evaluated based on one or more relevant thresholds. Terminal device 110 may evaluate whether the reference cell(s) measurements can be reused for a second cell based on at least the following conditions or criteria.

[0060] For example, the condition may include: the difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell is less than a difference threshold (e.g., referred to as PwrVarThreshold). In this case, terminal device 110 can assess the power imbalance by measuring reference signals from the first cell and the second cell. The received power difference may include the difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell measured at terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, if the difference in transmitted power between the first cell and the second cell is provided to terminal device 110, the received power difference may include: a relative received power difference determined based on the difference in transmitted power between the first cell and the second cell and the difference in received power measured at terminal device 110. In this case, the received power difference may be derived taking into account the effects from the difference in transmitted power, for example, by extracting the difference in transmitted power from the assessed difference in received power. The received power of the first cell may be measured based on the SSB or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) (or a specific CSI-RS, i.e., Tracking Reference Signal (TRS)) from network device 120. The received power of the second cell can be measured based on the CSI-RS (or a specific CSI-RS, i.e., TRS) from network device 120.

[0061] As another example, the condition could include: the frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is below a frequency threshold (e.g., referred to as FreqOffsetThreshold). This frequency spacing could refer to the distance between the center frequencies of the first and second cells. For example, terminal device 110 could assess the frequency offset between the first and second cells by measuring the CSI-RS (or specifically the TRS) from the first and second cells. Different frequency thresholds could be configured for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2), respectively.

[0062] As another example, the condition could include: the receiving beam setting of terminal device 110 is the same between the first cell and the second cell. For example, the receiving beam setting condition could be considered only for L1 measurements.

[0063] As yet another example, the condition could include: at least one measurement of the first cell is above a reference threshold (e.g., referred to as refRsrpThreshold). This measurement could include RSRP, Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Signal-to-Interference-Ratio (SINR).

[0064] One or more of the thresholds mentioned above (i.e., difference threshold, frequency threshold, or reference threshold) may be predefined in the specification or may be indicated by network device 120.

[0065] When determining whether to reuse at least one measurement result from the first cell for the second cell, the criteria listed above can be used in conjunction. As an example, when determining whether to reuse (multiple) measurement results at terminal device 110, the aforementioned criteria can be used without any reuse instruction from network device 120. As another example, as described above, network device 120 can send a reuse instruction (explicit or implicit) to terminal device 110, and then, upon receiving that instruction, terminal device 110 may also need to determine whether one or more of the aforementioned criteria associated with the threshold are met, and then determine on this basis whether to reuse (multiple) measurement results for the second cell.

[0066] At least one measurement result includes at least one measurement result of at least one L1 measurement and / or at least one measurement result of at least one L3 measurement. Different conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell can be configured for at least one L1 measurement and at least one L3 measurement.

[0067] Then, as Figure 2 As shown, terminal device 110 sends (210) information to network device 120 relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell, based on a determination of whether a condition is met. Accordingly, network device 120 receives (215) this information from terminal device 110. Then, network device 120 configures (220) at least one cell measurement (e.g., a measurement based on a reference signal) based on this information.

[0068] For example, information associated with this reuse can be included in the UE assistance information. Terminal device 110 can indicate the likelihood of reusing (multiple) measurement results of the first cell in the UE assistance information. This can depend on the UE implementation, for example, how the two receive chains are related on (multiple) reference signal measurements. For example, the UE assistance information can carry additional details such as: UE Assistance Information : rrm-MeasReuse ENUMERATED {No reuse (noReuse), reuse L3, reuse L1}

[0069] In some example embodiments, if the condition is met, terminal device 110 may send an indication to network device 120 that at least one measurement result of the first cell will be (or can be) reused for the second cell. Accordingly, after receiving the indication of reuse, network device 120 may configure at least one measurement for the first cell and prevent measurement of the second cell. For example, in this case, network device 120 may not need to configure CSI-RS-based measurement of the second cell. Alternatively or additionally, network device 120 may not configure SSB or SMTC on the second cell. On the terminal side, it may perform at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain at least one measurement result for the first cell and prevent at least one measurement from being performed on the second cell. Terminal device 110 may derive measurement results(s) for the second cell(s) from the at least one measurement result of the first cell. Terminal device 110 may send at least one measurement result of the first cell to network device 120.

[0070] In some other embodiments, if the condition is not met, the terminal device 110 may send an indication to the network device 120 that at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell. In other words, the terminal device 110 may indicate that such reuse is impossible. Accordingly, after receiving this indication, the network device 120 may configure at least one measurement for the first cell and at least one measurement for the second cell. For example, the network device 120 may configure multiple CSI-RS-based measurements on the second cell for multiple L1 / L3 measurements. On the terminal side, it may perform at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain at least one measurement result for the first cell and at least one measurement on the second cell to obtain at least one measurement result for the second cell. Then, the terminal device 110 may send at least one measurement result of the first cell and at least one measurement result of the second cell to the network device 120. In this case, the terminal device 110 may need to perform measurements on both the first and second cells and report the measurement results.

[0071] In some examples, different measurement requirements may be defined for at least one measurement of the second cell based on an evaluation of conditions(s). For example, terminal device 110 may determine the measurement requirements for at least one measurement of the second cell based on a condition evaluation. Terminal device 110 may send an indication to network device 120 of its capability to perform at least one measurement of the second cell with respect to the measurement requirements, so that network device 120 can configure at least one measurement of the second cell in consideration of the indication of capability.

[0072] As an example, terminal device 110 can benefit from the first cell by estimating the large-scale path loss on the first cell. Measurements of the first cell can be used to assist measurements of the second cell, at least reducing the required measurement time. In this case, if at least one measurement of the first cell (e.g., RSRP / RSRQ / SINR) is determined to be higher than a reference threshold, the aforementioned measurement requirement can include performing at least one measurement on the second cell within a measurement period shorter than the period threshold. If the measurement of the first cell is higher than the reference threshold (meaning that terminal device 110 and the first cell are in good channel conditions), a shorter measurement period can be defined for CSI-RS-based measurements of the second cell. This allows for faster measurements of the second cell. Furthermore, terminal device 110 can indicate its ability to reuse at least one measurement of the first cell for the second cell, and / or its ability to apply faster measurements (e.g., faster CSI-RS-based measurements) to the second cell. This can depend on the UE implementation, e.g., how the two receive chains are correlated on the reference signal measurement.

[0073] In some examples, terminal device 110 may send parameter values ​​from the conditions to network device 120. These parameter values ​​can be obtained by terminal device 110 when determining whether the conditions are met. In this case, network device 120 may configure at least one measurement for the second cell based on the evaluated parameters. For example, terminal device 110 may indicate the evaluated received power difference to network device 120, which facilitates CSI-RS-based measurement configuration by network device 120.

[0074] In this way, the terminal device can conditionally evaluate whether the measurement results of the reference cell (e.g., PCell or SCell) can be reused for an SSB-free SCell, and then inform the network device of the evaluation results. Accordingly, the network device can configure reference signal-based (e.g., CSI-RS) measurements for the SSB-free SCell when needed, based on the received evaluation results. This can help to reuse the measurement results of the reference cell for the SSB-free SCell with enhanced efficiency and reliability. Therefore, it allows minimizing or avoiding the negative impact of channel characteristic differences between the reference cell and the SSB-free cell, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0075] Figure 3 The illustration depicts an example communication process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the process flow 300 can be considered as follows: Figure 2 A more specific example of the signaling flow 200 shown is provided below. Accordingly, UE 301 may be an example of terminal device 110, and base station 303 may be an example of network device 120. PCell and Cellx may be provided by network device 120.

[0076] like Figure 3 As shown, at 304, UE 301 is in the RRC_Connected state, and Cellx is configured as an inter-band SSB-free carrier. At 306, BS 303 sends an RRC reconfiguration to UE 301 without SSB or SMTC configuration. Alt1 and Alt2 are optional.

[0077] For operation Alt 1, at 308, BS 303 sends a measurement configuration to UE 301. This measurement configuration includes an SSB-free SCell configuration indicating the reference cell (e.g., PCell), the transmit power difference (i.e., txPowerDelta), and an indication that UE 301 will reuse the measurement results(s) from the reference cell for Cellx (i.e., rrm-MeasReuse). Then, at 310, UE 301 measures the reference cell signal and applies the same measurement results(s) to Cellx. Alternatively or additionally, BS 303 may configure UE 301 to use only "rrm-MeasReuse" or only "txPowerDelta," or both, to indicate to UE 301 the possibility of using the measurement results(s) from the reference cell(s). In any of these cases, UE 301 may consider using the measurement results(s) from the reference cell(s) for Cellx. At 312, UE 301 sends an L3 measurement report based on SSB / CSI-RS for the reference cell to PCell. At 314, PCell considers reporting a reference report for Cellx.

[0078] For operation Alt2, at 316, BS 303 sends a measurement configuration to UE 301. This measurement configuration includes an SSB-free SCell configuration indicating the reference cell (e.g., PCell), conditions(s), and reference threshold(s) for Cellx. At 318, PCell sends an SSB to UE 301; and at 320, Cellx sends a CISI-RS to UE 301. At 322, UE 301 performs a condition assessment. For example, UE 301 may consider a reference-based assessment. Figure 2 One or more relevant thresholds are described to evaluate one or more criteria. For simplicity, details will be omitted. UE 301 can then determine whether to reuse the (multiple) measurements of the reference cell for Cellx. The following operations Alt2-1 and Alt2-2 are optional.

[0079] For operation Alt2-1, at 324, UE 301 sends UE assistance information to BS 303, indicating that multiple measurement results (e.g., multiple L1 or L3 measurement results) of the reference cell can be reused for Cellx. At 326, PCcell considers using the same multiple measurement results for Cellx. For operation Alt2-2, at 328, UE 301 sends UE assistance information to BS 303, indicating that multiple measurement results (e.g., multiple L1 or L3 measurement results) of the reference cell cannot be reused for Cellx. At 330, Cellx sends CSI-RS to the UE. At 332, UE 301 sends a CSI-RS-based L3 measurement report for Cellx to Pcell.

[0080] As referenced above Figure 2 The described operations and features also apply to process 300 and have similar effects. For simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0081] Figure 4 Example flowcharts at a terminal device are illustrated according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1A Flowchart 400 is described from the perspective of terminal device 110.

[0082] like Figure 4 As shown, at 401, terminal device 110 is configured with an SSB-free carrier and a reference carrier. At 403, it is determined whether terminal device 110 is configured with a threshold for the SSB-free carrier. If such a threshold is configured, at 405, terminal device 110 performs multiple TRS measurements on the reference cell and the SSB-free cell, and then evaluates condition parameters based on the threshold.

[0083] At 407, terminal device 110 determines whether the condition parameters are within a threshold. If the condition parameters are within the threshold, at 409, terminal device 110 sends UE assistance information to network device 120, indicating that multiple measurement results (e.g., multiple L1 or L3 measurement results) of the reference cell can be reused for the SSB-free cell. Then at 411, terminal device 110 reports the multiple L1 / L3 measurement results used only for the reference cell. If the condition parameters are not within the threshold, at 413, terminal device 110 sends UE assistance information to network device 120, indicating that multiple measurement results of the reference cell cannot be reused for the SSB-free cell. Then at 415, terminal device 110 performs multiple CSI-RS based L3 measurements on the SSB-free cell and then reports the multiple measurement results used for the reference cell and the SSB-free cell.

[0084] Otherwise, if terminal device 110 is not configured with a threshold for the SSB-free carrier, at 417, terminal device 110 determines whether it is configured with txPowerDelta and / or rrm-MeasReuse. If it is configured, at 419, terminal device 110 performs multiple L1 / L3 measurements on the reference cell and reuses them for the SSB-free cell. Then at 421, terminal device 110 reports the results of the multiple L1 / L3 measurements used only for the reference cell. Otherwise, if not configured, at 415, terminal device 110 performs multiple CSI-RS-based L3 measurements on the SSB-free cell and then reports the results of the multiple measurements used for both the reference cell and the SSB-free cell.

[0085] The above reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The operations and characteristics described also apply to flowchart 400 and have a similar effect. For simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0086] Figure 5 Example flowcharts at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1A Flowchart 500 is described from the perspective of network device 120.

[0087] like Figure 5 As shown, at 501, network device 120 has one or more co-located inter-band cells with time-frequency synchronization. At 503, network device 120 receives UE capability where inter-band SSB-free is supported. At 505, network device 120 configures multiple CSI-RS-based L3 measurements for the SSB-free cell. At 507, network device 120 determines whether the cell measurement results of the reference cell(s) can be reused for the SSB-free cell. If reuse is possible, at 509, network device 120 configures txPowerDelta and / or rrm-MeasReuse to terminal device 110 (e.g., UE). Then, at 511, network device 120 receives multiple measurement reports. At 513, network device 120 applies the multiple measurement results of the reference cell(s) to the SSB-free cell.

[0088] If reuse is not possible, at 515, network device 120 determines whether optimized L3 measurements (e.g., shortened measurement cycles) for SSB-free cells are supported. If optimized L3 measurements (multiple) are not supported, at 517, network device 120 receives multiple measurement reports. Then at 519, network device 120 determines whether UE assistance information indicates MeasReuse (reuse of L1 or reuse of L3). If UE assistance information indicates MeasReuse, flowchart 500 proceeds to operation 513. If UE assistance information does not indicate reuse is available, at 521, network device 120 processes measurement reports for each of the reference cell and SBB-free cells.

[0089] If multiple optimized L3 measurements are supported, then at step 523, network device 120 configures thresholds, such as the freqVariation threshold and the rsrpVariation threshold, to end device 110. Then flowchart 500 proceeds to step 517. Subsequent operations are the same as described above.

[0090] The above reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The operations and features described also apply to flowchart 500 and have a similar effect. For simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0091] Figure 6 A flowchart 600 illustrating a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1A Method 600 is described from the perspective of terminal device 110.

[0092] At 610, terminal device 110 determines whether the conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell are met. At 620, based on the determination that the conditions are met, terminal device 110 sends information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell to network device 120.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the condition may include receiving a reuse instruction from network device 120, the reuse instruction being used to instruct terminal device 110 to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the condition may include at least one of the following: the difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell is less than a difference threshold; the frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is less than a frequency threshold; the received beam of the terminal device 110 is set to be the same between the first cell and the second cell; or at least one measurement result of the first cell is higher than a reference threshold. In some example embodiments, the condition is predefined or indicated by the network device 120.

[0095] In some example embodiments, at least one of the difference threshold, frequency threshold, or reference threshold is predefined or indicated by network device 120. In some example embodiments, the received power difference may include at least one of the following: the received power difference between a first cell and a second cell measured at terminal device 110; or a relative received power difference determined based on: (i) the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell received at terminal device 110; and (ii) the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell. In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also receive the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell from network device 120. In some example embodiments, different frequency thresholds are configured for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0096] In some example embodiments, when the condition is met, the information may include: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will be reused for the second cell. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also perform at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain at least one measurement result of the first cell; prevent at least one measurement from being performed on the second cell; and send at least one measurement result of the first cell to the network device 120.

[0097] In some example embodiments, if the condition is not met, the information may include: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also perform at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain at least one measurement result of the first cell; determine a measurement requirement for at least one measurement of the second cell; perform at least one measurement on the second cell based on the measurement requirement to obtain at least one measurement result of the second cell; and send at least one measurement result of the first cell and at least one measurement result of the second cell to the network device 120.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the measurement requirement may include performing at least one measurement on a second cell within a measurement period shorter than a period threshold, based on determining that at least one measurement result of a first cell is higher than a reference threshold. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also send an indication to the network device 120 of its capability to perform at least one measurement on the second cell according to the measurement requirement. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also send the value of a parameter in the condition, the value of which is obtained by the terminal device 110, to the network device 120.

[0099] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also send capability information to network device 120, which indicates the capability to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the at least one measurement result may include at least one of the following: at least one measurement result of at least one Layer 1 (L1) measurement; or at least one measurement result of at least one Layer 3 (L3) measurement. In some example embodiments, for at least one L1 measurement and at least one L3 measurement, different conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell are configured.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the information associated with this reuse may be included in the user equipment (UE) auxiliary information.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the first cell may be a primary cell (PCell) for terminal device 110 or a secondary cell (SCell) for terminal device 110, and the PCell or SCell provides a time-frequency reference for the second cell.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the second cell may be a SCell of a synchronization-free signaling block (SSB).

[0104] Figure 7 A flowchart 700 illustrating a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1A Method 700 is described from the perspective of network device 120.

[0105] At 710, network device 120 receives from terminal device 110 information relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell. At 720, network device 120 configures at least one cell measurement based on this information.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the information may include: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will be reused for the second cell, and that, in order to configure the at least one cell measurement, the network device 120 may configure at least one measurement for the first cell and prevent the configuration of a measurement for the second cell. In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may also receive at least one measurement result of the first cell from the terminal device 110.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the information may include: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell, and that network device 120 may configure at least one measurement for the first cell and configure at least one measurement for the second cell in order to configure the at least one cell measurement. In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also receive at least one measurement result of the first cell and at least one measurement result of the second cell from terminal device 110.

[0108] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also receive an indication of the capability to perform at least one measurement on the second cell according to a measurement requirement, wherein the at least one measurement on the second cell is configured based on the indication of the capability. In some example embodiments, the measurement requirement may include performing the at least one measurement on the second cell within a measurement period shorter than a period threshold. In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may also receive a value of a parameter in a condition, the value of which is obtained by terminal device 110, wherein the at least one measurement on the second cell is configured based on the evaluation parameter.

[0109] In some example embodiments, this information may be determined by terminal device 110 based on conditions. In some example embodiments, the conditions may include receiving a reuse instruction from network device 120 at terminal device 110, the reuse instruction instructing terminal device 110 to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell, and network device 120 may also send the reuse instruction to terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, the reuse instruction may be sent based on determining at least one of the following: the first cell and the second cell are co-located; or the transmission power on the first cell and the second cell is the same.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the condition may include at least one of the following: the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell is less than a difference threshold; the frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is less than a frequency threshold; the received beam of the terminal device 110 is set to be the same between the first cell and the second cell; or at least one measurement result of the first cell is higher than a reference threshold. In some example embodiments, the condition may be predefined or indicated by the network device 120 to the terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, at least one of the difference threshold, frequency threshold, or reference threshold may be predefined or indicated by the network device 120 to the terminal device 110.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the received power difference may include at least one of the following: the received power difference between a first cell and a second cell measured at terminal device 110; or a relative received power difference determined based on: (i) the received power difference between a first cell and a second cell received at terminal device 110; (ii) the transmit power difference between a first cell and a second cell. In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also transmit the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell to terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, different frequency thresholds for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2) may be configured.

[0112] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also receive capability information from terminal device 110, which indicates the capability to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the at least one measurement result may include at least one of the following: at least one measurement result of at least one Layer 1 (L1) measurement; or at least one measurement result of at least one Layer 3 (L3) measurement. In some example embodiments, different conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell may be configured for at least one L1 measurement and at least one L3 measurement.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the information associated with this reuse may be included in the user equipment (UE) auxiliary information.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the first cell may be a primary cell (PCell) for terminal device 110 or a secondary cell (SCell) for terminal device 110, and the PCell or SCell provides a time-frequency reference for the second cell.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the second cell may be a SCell of a synchronization-free signaling block (SSB).

[0117] In some example embodiments, the apparatus capable of performing method 600 (e.g., terminal device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 600. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for determining whether a condition for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell is met; and components for sending information associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell to a network device based on the determination that the condition is met.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the condition includes receiving a reuse indication from a network device, the reuse indication being used to instruct a terminal device to reuse at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the condition includes at least one of the following: the difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell is less than a difference threshold; the frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is less than a frequency threshold; the received beam of the terminal device is set to be the same between the first cell and the second cell; or at least one measurement result of the first cell is higher than a reference threshold. In some example embodiments, the condition is predefined or indicated by the network device.

[0121] In some example embodiments, at least one of the difference threshold, frequency threshold, or reference threshold is predefined or indicated by the network device. In some example embodiments, the received power difference includes at least one of the following: the received power difference between a first cell and a second cell measured at the terminal device; or a relative received power difference determined based on: (i) the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell received at the terminal device; and (ii) the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell from the network device. In some example embodiments, different frequency thresholds are configured for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0122] In some example embodiments, when the condition is met, the information includes: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will be reused for the second cell. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain at least one measurement result of the first cell; components for preventing the performance of at least one measurement on the second cell; and components for transmitting at least one measurement result of the first cell to the network device.

[0123] In some example embodiments, if the condition is not met, the information includes: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: components for performing at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain at least one measurement result of the first cell; components for determining a measurement requirement for at least one measurement of the second cell; components for performing at least one measurement on the second cell based on the measurement requirement to obtain at least one measurement result of the second cell; and components for transmitting at least one measurement result of the first cell and at least one measurement result of the second cell to a network device.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the measurement requirement includes performing at least one measurement on a second cell within a measurement period shorter than a period threshold, based on determining that at least one measurement result of a first cell is higher than a reference threshold. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for sending an indication to a network device of the capability to perform at least one measurement on the second cell according to the measurement requirement. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for sending a value of a parameter in the condition, the value of which is obtained by a terminal device, to the network device.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the apparatus also includes components for sending capability information to a network device, the capability information indicating the capability to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: at least one measurement result measured by at least one layer 1 (L1); or at least one measurement result measured by at least one layer 3 (L3).

[0127] In some example embodiments, for at least one L1 measurement and at least one L3 measurement, different conditions are configured for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the information associated with this reuse is included in the user equipment (UE) auxiliary information.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first cell is a primary cell (PCell) for the terminal device and the secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal device, with the PCell or SCell providing a time-frequency reference for the second cell.

[0130] In some example implementations, the second cell is a SCell of a synchronization-free signaling block (SSB).

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 600. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the apparatus capable of performing method 700 (e.g., network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving information from a terminal device associated with the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell; and components for configuring at least one cell measurement based on the information.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the information includes: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will be reused for the second cell, and the components for configuring the at least one cell measurement include: components for configuring at least one measurement of the first cell; and components for preventing the configuration of the measurement of the second cell. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving at least one measurement result of the first cell from a terminal device.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the information includes: an indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell, and the components for configuring the at least one cell measurement include: components for configuring at least one measurement of the first cell; and components for configuring at least one measurement of the second cell. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving at least one measurement result of the first cell and at least one measurement result of the second cell from a terminal device.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving from a terminal device an indication of the capability to perform at least one measurement on a second cell in accordance with a measurement requirement, and the at least one measurement on the second cell is configured based on the indication of the capability. In some example embodiments, the measurement requirement includes performing the at least one measurement on the second cell within a measurement period shorter than a period threshold. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving from a terminal device a value of a parameter in a condition, the value of which is obtained by the terminal device, and wherein the at least one measurement on the second cell is configured based on the evaluation parameter.

[0137] In some example embodiments, this information is determined by the terminal device based on conditions. In some example embodiments, these conditions include receiving a reuse indication from a network device at the terminal device, the reuse indication instructing the terminal device to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell, and the apparatus further includes components for sending the reuse indication to the terminal device. In some example embodiments, the reuse indication may be sent based on determining at least one of the following: the first cell and the second cell are co-located; or the transmission power on the first cell and the second cell is the same.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the condition includes at least one of the following: the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell is less than a difference threshold; the frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is less than a frequency threshold; the receiving beam of the terminal device is set to be the same between the first cell and the second cell; or at least one measurement result of the first cell is higher than a reference threshold. In some example embodiments, the condition is predefined or indicated by the network device to the terminal device. In some example embodiments, at least one of the difference threshold, frequency threshold, or reference threshold is predefined or indicated by the network device to the terminal device.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the received power difference includes at least one of the following: the received power difference between a first cell and a second cell measured at the terminal device; or a relative received power difference determined based on: (i) the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell received at the terminal device; and (ii) the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell. In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for transmitting the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell to the terminal device. In some example embodiments, different frequency thresholds are configured for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0140] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving capability information from a terminal device, the capability information indicating the capability to reuse at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: at least one measurement result of at least one Layer 1 (L1) measurement; or at least one measurement result of at least one Layer 3 (L3) measurement. In some example embodiments, for at least one L1 measurement and at least one L3 measurement, different conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell are configured.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the information associated with this reuse is included in the user equipment (UE) auxiliary information.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the first cell is a primary cell (PCell) for the terminal device or a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal device, and the PCell or SCell provides a time-frequency reference for the second cell.

[0144] In some example implementations, the second cell is a SCell of a synchronization-free signaling block (SSB).

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing additional steps in some example embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0146] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device 800 can be provided to implement a communication device, for example, such as... Figure 1A The terminal device 110 or network device 120 shown is illustrated. As shown, device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 that can be coupled to processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 that can be coupled to processor 810.

[0147] Communication module 840 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0148] Processor 810 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network and, as a non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 800 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock that synchronizes with the main processor.

[0149] Memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0150] Computer program 830 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. Program 830 may be stored in ROM 824. Processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 830 into RAM 822.

[0151] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 830, enabling device 900 to perform as described in the reference. Figure 2 and Figure 5 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0152] In some example embodiments, program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 800 (such as in memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by device 800. Device 800 may load program 830 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0153] Figure 9 A block diagram illustrating an example of a computer-readable medium 900 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The computer-readable medium 900 enables a program 830 to be stored thereon. It should be noted that, although in Figure 9 The computer-readable medium 900 is depicted in the form of a CD or DVD, but the computer-readable medium 900 may be any other form suitable for carrying or storing the program 830.

[0154] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the 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.

[0155] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, which are executed in a device targeting a real or virtual processor to perform the functions described above. Figure 6 and Figure 7 Any of the methods described herein. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or separated among program modules as desired. The machine-executable instructions of a program module can be executed on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0156] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that, when the processor or controller executes the program code, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0157] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0158] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), not a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0159] Furthermore, although the operations are depicted in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or requiring that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some scenarios, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0160] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: Determine whether the conditions for reusing at least one measurement result from the first cell for the second cell are met; and Based on the determination of whether the condition is met, information related to the reuse of the at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell is sent to the network device.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the conditions include: The terminal device receives a reuse instruction from the network device, the reuse instruction being used to instruct the terminal device to reuse the at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: The difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell is less than the difference threshold; The frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is lower than the frequency threshold; The receiving beam of the terminal device is set to be the same between the first cell and the second cell; or The first measurement result of the first cell is higher than the reference threshold.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the conditions are predefined or indicated by the network device.

5. The terminal device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein at least one of the difference threshold, the frequency threshold, or the reference threshold is predefined or indicated by the network device.

6. The terminal device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the received power difference includes at least one of the following: The difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell measured at the terminal device; or The relative received power difference is determined based on: (i) the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell received at the terminal device; and (ii) the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell.

7. The terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The network device receives the difference in transmission power between the first cell and the second cell.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein different frequency thresholds are configured for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2).

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, when the condition is met, the information includes: The indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will be reused for the second cell.

10. The terminal device according to claim 9, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Perform at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain the at least one measurement result of the first cell; Prevent at least one measurement from being performed on the second cell; and Send the at least one measurement result of the first cell to the network device.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein if the condition is not met, the information includes: An indication that at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Perform at least one measurement on the first cell to obtain the at least one measurement result of the first cell; Determine the measurement requirements for at least one measurement of the second cell; Based on the measurement requirements, at least one measurement is performed on the second cell to obtain at least one measurement result for the second cell; as well as The network device sends the at least one measurement result of the first cell and the at least one measurement result of the second cell.

13. The terminal device according to claim 12, wherein the measurement requirement includes: Based on the determination that at least one measurement result of the first cell is higher than a reference threshold, the at least one measurement is performed on the second cell within a measurement period shorter than a period threshold.

14. The terminal device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Send an instruction to the network device for the capability to perform at least one measurement on the second cell in accordance with the measurement requirements.

15. The terminal device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The value of the parameter in the condition is sent to the network device, and the value of the parameter is obtained by the terminal device.

16. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The network device is sent capability information indicating the capability to reuse at least one measurement result from the first cell for the second cell.

17. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: At least one measurement result from at least one layer 1 (L1) measurement; or At least one measurement result from at least one layer 3 (L3) measurement.

18. The terminal device of claim 17, wherein for the at least one L1 measurement and the at least one L3 measurement, the at least one measurement result of the first cell is configured for different conditions of reuse in the second cell.

19. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the information associated with the reuse is included in user equipment (UE) auxiliary information.

20. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the first cell is a primary cell (PCell) for the terminal device or a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal device, and the PCell or the SCell provides a time-frequency reference for the second cell.

21. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the second cell is a SCell of a synchronization-free signal block (SSB).

22. A network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: Receive from the terminal device information relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell; and Based on the information, configure at least one cell measurement.

23. The network device of claim 22, wherein the information includes an indication that the at least one measurement result of the first cell will be reused for the second cell, and the network device is configured to perform the at least one cell measurement by: Configure at least one measurement for the first cell; and Prevent configuration from being used to measure the second cell.

24. The network device of claim 23, wherein the network device is further configured to: Receive at least one measurement result of the first cell from the terminal device.

25. The network device of claim 22, wherein the information includes an indication that the at least one measurement result of the first cell will not be reused for the second cell, and the network device is configured to perform the at least one cell measurement by: Configure at least one measurement for the first cell; and Configure at least one measurement for the second cell.

26. The network device of claim 25, wherein the network device is further configured to: The terminal device receives at least one measurement result of the first cell and at least one measurement result of the second cell.

27. The network device according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the network device is further configured to: The terminal device receives an indication of the capability to perform at least one measurement on the second cell in accordance with measurement requirements, wherein the at least one measurement on the second cell is configured based on the indication of the capability.

28. The network device of claim 27, wherein the measurement requirement includes: The at least one measurement is performed on the second cell within a measurement period shorter than the period threshold.

29. The network device according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein the network device is further configured to: The terminal device receives the value of the parameter in the condition, the value of the parameter being obtained by the terminal device, and wherein the at least one measurement of the second cell is configured based on the evaluation parameter.

30. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 29, wherein the information is determined by the terminal device based on conditions.

31. The network device of claim 30, wherein the condition includes receiving a reuse instruction from the network device at the terminal device, the reuse instruction instructing the terminal device to reuse the at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell, and the network device is further configured to: Send the reuse instruction to the terminal device.

32. The network device of claim 31, wherein the reuse indication is sent based on determining at least one of the following: The first and second cells are located at the same address; or The transmission power on the first cell is the same as the transmission power on the second cell.

33. The network device of claim 30, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: The difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell is less than the difference threshold; The frequency spacing between the first cell and the second cell is lower than the frequency threshold; The receiving beam of the terminal device is set to be the same between the first cell and the second cell; or The first measurement result of the first cell is higher than the reference threshold.

34. The network device of claim 33, wherein the conditions are predefined or indicated by the network device to the terminal device.

35. The network device according to claim 33 or 34, wherein at least one of the difference threshold, the frequency threshold, or the reference threshold is predefined or indicated by the network device to the terminal device.

36. The network device according to any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein the received power difference includes at least one of the following: The difference in received power between the first cell and the second cell measured at the terminal device; or The relative received power difference is determined based on: (i) the received power difference between the first cell and the second cell received at the terminal device; and (ii) the transmit power difference between the first cell and the second cell.

37. The network device of claim 36, wherein the network device is further configured to: The power difference between the first cell and the second cell is sent to the terminal device.

38. The network device according to any one of claims 33 to 37, wherein different frequency thresholds are configured for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2).

39. The network device according to claims 22 to 38, wherein the network device is further configured to: The terminal device receives capability information indicating the capability to reuse at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell.

40. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 39, wherein the at least one measurement result includes at least one of the following: At least one measurement result from at least one layer 1 (L1) measurement; or At least one measurement result from at least one layer 3 (L3) measurement.

41. The network device of claim 40, wherein for the at least one L1 measurement and the at least one L3 measurement, the at least one measurement result of the first cell is configured for reuse under different conditions of the second cell.

42. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 41, wherein the information associated with the reuse is included in user equipment (UE) auxiliary information.

43. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 42, wherein the first cell is a primary cell (PCell) for the terminal device or a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal device, and the PCell or the SCell provides a time-frequency reference for the second cell.

44. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 43, wherein the second cell is a SCell of a synchronization-free signaling block (SSB).

45. A method comprising: At the terminal device, it is determined whether the conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell are met; as well as Based on the determination of whether the condition is met, information related to the reuse of the first cell for the second cell is sent to the network device.

46. ​​A method comprising: At the network device, information related to the reuse of at least one measurement result of the first cell for the second cell is received from the terminal device; as well as Based on the information, configure at least one cell measurement.

47. An apparatus comprising: A component for determining at a terminal device whether the conditions for reusing at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell are met; as well as A component for sending information associated with the reuse of the second cell in relation to the at least one measurement result of the first cell, based on a determination of whether the condition is met, to a network device.

48. An apparatus comprising: A component for receiving, at a network device, information from a terminal device relating to the reuse of at least one measurement result of a first cell for a second cell; as well as A component for configuring at least one cell measurement based on the information.

49. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to execute at least the method according to claim 45 or 46.

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