Unified radio link monitoring and beam failure detection

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for unified radio link monitoring and beam failure detection are disclosed. A terminal device can be configured to receive, from a serving network device, a configuration message for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message comprising an indication to use a timer for early radio link failure, RLF, detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by a transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device in case at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device, to monitor for at least one indication related to beam failure, and to start the timer for early RLF detection based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication. Devices and methods are disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments generally relate to the field of communication technology. Example embodiments relate to devices and methods for enabling unified radio link monitoring (RLM) and beam failure detection (BFD). Background Technology

[0002] In wireless communication, user equipment (UE) can communicate with access nodes of a cellular radio network via a radio link established within a cell. Radio link monitoring can be used to assess the quality of the radio link and detect conditions that lead to radio link failure (RLF). Beam failure detection can be applied independently to monitor the quality of individual beams used for communication and detect beam-specific failures. These mechanisms typically operate independently and have different failure detection and recovery processes. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a series of concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed embodiments below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein enable efficient detection and recovery from wireless link failures. This and other benefits can be realized through the features of the independent claims. Other exemplary embodiments are provided in the dependent claims, the specification, and the accompanying drawings.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a terminal device is disclosed. The terminal device may include: 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: receive from a serving network device a configuration message for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to: be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; monitor at least one indication related to beam failure; and start the timer for early RLF detection based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication.

[0006] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction also causes the terminal device to declare a wireless link failure based on the expiration of a timer used for early RLF detection.

[0007] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the terminal device to: determine that the at least one indication has been detected based on at least one of one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or based on an ongoing beam failure recovery process at the terminal device.

[0008] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the terminal device to: determine that the reference signal of the candidate cell is stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold; and based on the determination, perform the transmission of a measurement report associated with the candidate cell to the serving network device.

[0009] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction also causes the terminal device to: determine that the at least one indication has been detected; and based on the determination, include an indication that a timer for early RLF detection has been started in a measurement report associated with the candidate cell.

[0010] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the terminal device to: receive at least one of a cell change command or a beam change command from a serving network device; and determine to stop the timer for early RLF detection based on at least one of the cell change command or beam change command received before the timer for early RLF detection expires.

[0011] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, the configuration message further includes: an instruction to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when a timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used; and wherein the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the terminal device to: disable the triggering of the timer for RLF detection based on the instruction and on radio link monitoring performed on the serving network device.

[0012] According to the example embodiment of the first aspect, the timer used for RLF detection is a T310 timer.

[0013] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, the timer used for early RLF detection is a T312 timer.

[0014] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, the configuration message further includes: initial parameters for triggering beam failure detection, the initial parameters including: at least one of the following: the maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications, a beam failure indication timer, or a beam failure indication counter value.

[0015] According to an example embodiment of the first aspect, the configuration message further includes: an indication that subsequent parameters are received via a media access control message; and wherein, when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, it further causes the terminal device to: receive the parameters via a media access message; and apply the parameters received via the media access control message to wireless problem detection.

[0016] According to a second aspect, a method is disclosed. This method may include receiving a configuration message from a serving network device by a terminal device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection. The configuration message includes: an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to: be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; monitor at least one indication related to beam failure; and start the timer for early RLF detection based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication.

[0017] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the method may include: the terminal device declaring a wireless link failure based on the expiration of a timer used for early RLF detection.

[0018] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the method may include determining, by the terminal device, that the at least one indication has been detected based on at least one of one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or based on an ongoing beam failure recovery process at the terminal device.

[0019] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the method may include determining by the terminal device that the reference signal of the candidate cell is stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold; and, based on the determination, performing the transmission of a measurement report associated with the candidate cell to the serving network device.

[0020] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the method may include determining by the terminal device that the at least one indication has been detected; and based on the determination, including an indication that a timer for early RLF detection has been started in a measurement report associated with the candidate cell.

[0021] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the method may include receiving at least one of a cell change command or a beam change command from a serving network device by a terminal device; and determining, based on at least one of the cell change command or beam change command received before the expiration of a timer for early RLF detection, to stop the timer for early RLF detection.

[0022] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the configuration message further includes: an indication to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when a timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used; and wherein the method includes the terminal device disabling the triggering of the timer for RLF detection based on the indication, based on radio link monitoring performed on the serving network device.

[0023] According to the example embodiment of the second aspect, the timer used for RLF detection is a T310 timer.

[0024] According to the example embodiment of the second aspect, the timer used for early RLF detection is a T312 timer.

[0025] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the configuration message further includes initial parameters for triggering beam failure detection, the initial parameters including at least one of: the maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications, a beam failure indication timer value, or a beam failure indication counter value.

[0026] According to an example embodiment of the second aspect, the configuration message further includes an indication that subsequent parameters are received via a media access control message; and the method includes receiving the parameters by a terminal device via a media access control message; and applying the parameters received via the media access control message to wireless problem detection by the terminal device.

[0027] According to a third aspect, a network device is disclosed. The network device may include: 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: determine to configure a terminal device to use a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to a serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; and send a configuration message to the terminal device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using the timer for early RLF detection.

[0028] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the network device to: receive a measurement report associated with a candidate cell from the terminal device, the measurement report including: an indication that the timer has been started; and prioritize the transmission of cell change commands to the terminal device based on the received indication.

[0029] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, the terminal device is determined to be configured for the unified operation based on the fact that the network device is a serving network node of the terminal device and supports multi-beam operation.

[0030] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction also causes the network device to: determine, based on statistical information, that the beam failure recovery process resulted in a successful re-establishment of the connection; and based on the determination, determine that the terminal device should be configured for unified operation.

[0031] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, it further causes the network device to: obtain initial parameters for beam failure detection from the network device's media access control layer, the initial parameters including at least one of a maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications, a beam failure indication timer, or a beam failure indication counter value, the initial parameters to be used by the terminal device for beam failure detection; and wherein the configuration message further includes the initial parameters.

[0032] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, the configuration message includes an indication that subsequent parameters are received by the terminal device via a media access control message, and when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, it also causes the network device to: determine the parameters via the media access control layer; and send the determined parameters to the terminal device via a media access control message.

[0033] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, at least one indication related to beam failure detection includes: at least one beam failure indication among one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or a beam failure recovery process in progress at the terminal device.

[0034] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, when the reference signal of the candidate cell is stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold, a measurement report associated with the candidate cell is received from the terminal device.

[0035] According to an example embodiment of the third aspect, the configuration message further includes: an indication to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when a timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used.

[0036] According to a fourth aspect, a method is disclosed. This method may include a network device determining that a terminal device is configured to use a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection in a unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to a serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; and the network device sending a configuration message to the terminal device for the unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using the timer for early RLF detection.

[0037] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method may include receiving a measurement report associated with a candidate cell from a terminal device by a network device, the measurement report including an indication that the timer has been started; and prioritizing the transmission of cell change commands to the terminal device by the network device based on the received indication.

[0038] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, based on the fact that the network device is a serving network node of the terminal device and supports multi-beam operation, the terminal device is determined to be configured for unified operation.

[0039] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method may include determining, based on statistical information, that a beam failure recovery process resulted in a successful re-establishment of the connection by a network device; and, based on that determination, determining that the terminal device should be configured for the unified operation.

[0040] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, the method may include obtaining initial parameters for beam failure detection from the media access control layer of the network device by the network device. The initial parameters include at least one of: a maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications, a beam failure indication timer value, or a beam failure indication counter value. The initial parameters are to be used by the terminal device for beam failure detection. The configuration message also includes the initial parameters.

[0041] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, the configuration message includes: an indication that subsequent parameters are received by the terminal device via a media access control message, and the method includes: the network device determining the parameters via a media access control layer; and the network device sending the determined parameters to the terminal device via a media access control message.

[0042] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, at least one indication related to beam failure detection includes: at least one beam failure indication among one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or a beam failure recovery process in progress at the terminal device.

[0043] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, when the reference signal of the candidate cell is stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold, a measurement report associated with the candidate cell is received from the terminal device.

[0044] According to an example embodiment of the fourth aspect, the configuration message further includes: an indication to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when a timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used.

[0045] According to a fifth 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: receive from a network device a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring; receive from the network device via a low-layer message an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters; and apply the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected under conditions of a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0046] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction also causes the terminal device to: receive an indication from the network device of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters via a low-level message.

[0047] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, the lower-level message is a Media Access Control (MAC) message.

[0048] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the terminal device to: receive a first reference signal from the network device; receive a second reference signal from the network device; perform at least one measurement on the first reference signal and the second reference signal; and send a measurement report to the network device based on the at least one measurement on the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0049] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, the first reference signal is the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0050] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the terminal device to: perform a comparison of a first reference signal and a second reference signal based on at least one measurement; determine, based on the comparison, that the second reference signal is stronger than the first reference signal; and wherein the measurement report includes the result of the comparison.

[0051] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the terminal device to: receive a beam-changing command from the network device, the beam-changing command configuring a second reference signal as the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0052] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: a reduced N310 counter limit; an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a reduced BFI detection timer value; a reduced maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0053] According to an example embodiment of the fifth aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0054] According to a sixth aspect, a method is disclosed. This method may include receiving, by a terminal device, a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring from a network device; receiving, by the terminal device, an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters from the network device via a low-layer message; and applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring by the terminal device, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0055] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method may include receiving from a network device by a terminal device an indication that a second set of wireless problem detection parameters will be indicated via a low-level message.

[0056] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the lower-level message is a Media Access Control (MAC) message.

[0057] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method may include: receiving a first reference signal from a network device by a terminal device; receiving a second reference signal from the network device by the terminal device; performing at least one measurement on the first reference signal and the second reference signal by the terminal device; and sending a measurement report to the network device by the terminal device based on at least one measurement on the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0058] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the first reference signal is the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0059] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method may include performing a comparison of a first reference signal and a second reference signal by a terminal device based on at least one measurement; and determining by the terminal device based on the comparison that the second reference signal is stronger than the first reference signal; and wherein the measurement report includes the result of the comparison.

[0060] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the method may include receiving a beam-changing command from a network device by a terminal device, the beam-changing command configuring a second reference signal as the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0061] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: a reduced N310 counter limit; an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a reduced BFI detection timer value; a reduced maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0062] According to an example embodiment of the sixth aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0063] According to a seventh 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: send a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring to a terminal device; determine that the terminal device intends to apply a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied; and send an indication of the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the terminal device via a low-level message.

[0064] According to an example embodiment of the seventh aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction also causes the network device to: send an indication to the terminal device that the second set of wireless problem detection parameters will be indicated via a low-level message.

[0065] According to the example embodiment of the seventh aspect, determining whether the terminal device should apply the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring is based on the measurement report received from the terminal device.

[0066] According to an example embodiment of the seventh aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the network device to: send a first reference signal to the terminal device, wherein the first reference signal is an indicated beam of the terminal device; send a second reference signal to the terminal device; and receive a measurement report, the measurement report including at least one measurement result of the first reference signal and the second reference signal, or a result of a comparison between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0067] According to an example embodiment of the seventh aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction also causes the network device to: determine, based on a measurement report, that the second reference signal is stronger than the first reference signal.

[0068] According to an example embodiment of the seventh aspect, when executed by the at least one processor, the instruction further causes the network device to: send a beam-changing command to the terminal device, the beam-changing command configuring the second reference signal as the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0069] According to an example embodiment of the seventh aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: a reduced N310 counter limit; an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a reduced BFI detection timer value; a reduced maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a beam failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0070] According to an example embodiment of the seventh aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0071] According to the eighth aspect, a method is provided. The method may include: sending a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring to a terminal device from a network device; determining, by the network device, that the terminal device intends to apply a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied; and sending an instruction from the network device to the terminal device via a low-layer message to indicate the second set of wireless problem detection parameters.

[0072] According to an example embodiment of the eighth aspect, the method may include sending from the network device to the terminal device an indication that an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters will be indicated via a low-level message.

[0073] According to the example embodiment of the eighth aspect, determining whether the terminal device should apply the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring is based on the measurement report received from the terminal device.

[0074] According to an example embodiment of the eighth aspect, the method may include sending a first reference signal from a network device to a terminal device, wherein the first reference signal is an indicated beam of the terminal device; sending a second reference signal from the network device to the terminal device; and receiving a measurement report from the network device, the measurement report including at least one measurement result of the first reference signal and the second reference signal, or a comparison result of the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0075] According to an example embodiment of the eighth aspect, the method may include determining, based on a measurement report, that the second reference signal is stronger than the first reference signal.

[0076] According to an example embodiment of the eighth aspect, the method may include sending a beam-changing command from a network device to a terminal device, the beam-changing command configuring a second reference signal as the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0077] According to an example embodiment of the eighth aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: a reduced N310 counter limit; an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a reduced BFI detection timer value; a reduced maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a beam failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0078] According to an example embodiment of the eighth aspect, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0079] According to a ninth aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. This apparatus may include components for performing the method according to the second, fourth, sixth, or eighth aspect, or any of the example embodiments thereof, as provided in the specification and / or claims.

[0080] According to a tenth aspect, a computer program, a computer program product, or a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer program, computer program product, or (non-transitory) computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to the second, fourth, sixth, or eighth aspect, or any of the example embodiments thereof, as set forth in the specification and / or claims.

[0081] Therefore, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can provide apparatus, methods, computer programs, computer program products, or computer-readable media for improving various aspects of wireless link failure detection. Any exemplary embodiment can be combined with one or more other exemplary embodiments. These and other aspects of this disclosure will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments(s) described below. The subject matter of the independent claims is provided according to some aspects. Several other aspects are defined in the dependent claims. Attached Figure Description

[0082] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the exemplary embodiments and form part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the specification, help to explain the exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:

[0083] Figure 1 An example of a communication network is illustrated;

[0084] Figure 2 The illustration shows an example of a wireless link monitoring process and a beam failure detection process running in parallel at the UE;

[0085] Figure 3 The illustration shows an example of a device configured to practice one or more example embodiments;

[0086] Figure 4 The illustration shows an example of the involvement of different protocol layers of the device in the unified RLM and BFD process;

[0087] Figure 5 An example message sequence diagram for preparing for the unified RLM and BFD process is shown;

[0088] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates an example of a message sequence diagram for an early wireless link failure detection mechanism with beam failure detection.

[0089] Figure 7 The diagram illustrates an example of a message sequence diagram used for an early radio link failure detection mechanism that enables the Media Access Control layer to change the radio link monitoring configuration.

[0090] Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a unified operating method for wireless link monitoring and beam failure detection;

[0091] Figure 9 The illustration shows an example of a method for configuring a unified operation for wireless link monitoring and beam failure detection;

[0092] Figure 10 An example of a method for updating parameters for wireless problem detection is illustrated; and

[0093] Figure 11The illustration shows an example of a method for configuring wireless problem detection parameters;

[0094] In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same parts. Detailed Implementation

[0095] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below, in conjunction with the drawings, is intended as a description of this example and is not intended to represent the only form in which this example can be constructed or used. This description illustrates the function of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences can be implemented through different examples.

[0096] Figure 1 An example of a communication network is illustrated. Communication network 100 may include one or more access nodes. Access nodes may also be referred to as network devices, base stations, or network nodes. Access nodes may include, for example, gNB 104 and gNB 106. The access nodes (multiple) may be part of a radio access network (RAN) configured to enable the device represented by UE 102 throughout this specification to access the communication services provided by core network 108. In conjunction with communication network 100, the access nodes (multiple) 104, 106 and core network 108 may be collectively referred to as the “network”. UE 102 may include user equipment, user nodes, terminal devices, terminal equipment, mobile devices, etc. Terminal equipment can refer to any device capable of sending and / or receiving information through a communication channel. UE 102 may be configured to communicate with the access nodes (multiple) via a radio interface (also known as an air interface).

[0097] The radio interface can be configured, for example, based on the 5G NR (New Radio) standard defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or any future standard or technology (e.g., 6G). gNBs 104 and 106 may include, for example, fifth-generation or sixth-generation access nodes. Transmissions from the access node to the UE 102 can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. Transmissions from the UE 102 to the access node can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. Therefore, the UE 102 can be configured as a transmitter for uplink transmissions and a receiver for downlink transmissions. (Multiple) gNBs 104 and 106 can be configured as receivers for uplink transmissions and transmitters for downlink transmissions. The communication network 100 may include a wireless communication network or a mobile communication network, such as a cellular communication network.

[0098] Core network 108 can be implemented using various network functions (NFs), including, for example, one or more User Plane Functions (UPFs) and one or more Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs). The UPF can be configured to handle the user data portion of a communication session. Therefore, the UPF can provide an interconnection point between the radio access network and the data network, configured to provide application services to UE 102 via core network 108 and the radio access network. For example, the UPF can be configured to handle encapsulation and decapsulation of user plane protocols, such as the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Tunneling Protocol (GTP-U) for the user plane. The AMF can be configured to receive connection and session request related data from UE 102 (e.g., via an access node). The AMF can be configured to control connection and mobility management within communication network 100.

[0099] Access nodes can be configured to communicate with the UE via one or more cells. For example, gNB 104 can be configured to provide service to the UE at cell 110. Network node 106 can be configured to provide service to the UE at cell 112. Access nodes can also be configured to serve more than one cell. Cells can be configured to provide service to UEs in a specific geographic area with a specific radio frequency or a radio frequency range around the cell center frequency. A serving cell can refer to the cell currently providing radio communication to UE 102. It can support the data transmission and reception of UE 102 through the corresponding access node (such as gNB 104). In contrast, a candidate cell can refer to a neighboring or alternative cell that UE 102 can connect to, typically identified during handover or mobility management. Candidate cells can be selected based on predefined criteria, including signal quality and network conditions. Similarly, a serving network node can describe an access node that actively supports UE 102 through the serving cell. Candidate network nodes (also known as target network nodes) can describe the access nodes associated with candidate cells that can be selected to replace the serving network node during handover, thereby maintaining seamless communication and service continuity for UE 102.

[0100] The communication network 100 can operate based on a protocol stack comprising multiple protocol layers. The protocol stack can be arranged based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model or a layer model of a specific standard (such as 3GPP 5G NR). As an example, the protocol stack may include a Physical (PHY) layer or Layer 1 (L1). The PHY layer is responsible for the actual transmission and reception of data over the air interface. The PHY layer can also perform (de)modulation, error detection and correction, and resource allocation based on instructions from higher layers. Higher layers may include Layer 2 (L2) with a Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The MAC layer manages how and when the Physical layer should transmit data to ensure efficient resource utilization. The MAC layer can also allocate resources to different users based on scheduling algorithms and handle retransmissions, such as according to the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process. L2 may also include other sublayers such as Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP).

[0101] The higher layers also include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, or Layer 3 (L3). The RRC layer manages various aspects of radio resource control to ensure efficient use of the radio spectrum and handles signaling between the UE and the network. The main responsibilities of the RRC layer include connection establishment and release, mobility management and handover procedures when the UE moves from one cell to another, and measurement reporting of signal strength measurements from neighboring cells. The corresponding protocol stack can be applied to network devices, such as gNB 104 and gNB 106, as well as to terminal devices, such as UE 102.

[0102] In a split access node architecture, the protocol layer portion can be implemented at the central unit (CU) of the access node, such as the gNB-CU. This CU can be configured to handle the upper layers of the protocol stack, such as SDAP and PDCP layers. Furthermore, the central unit can be configured to handle Radio Resource Control (RRC) operations. The central unit of the access node can be associated with one or more distributed units (DUs) of the access node (e.g., gNB-DU), for example, and configured to control the DU, which can be configured to handle the lower layers of the protocol stack, such as RLC, MAC, and L1. The radio units of the distributed units can be configured to send data to / receive data from the UEs via radio interfaces. The central unit can be referred to as the central node, and the distributed units can be referred to as distributed nodes.

[0103] In addition, or alternatively, the communication network 100 may include, except for Figure 1Other than those shown, this includes multiple network functions, multiple network devices, or multiple protocols. Network devices can be configured to implement one or more network functions. Although some embodiments have been described in the context of 5G, it should be understood that embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to this example network. Therefore, the example embodiments can be applied to any current or future communication network. Devices such as UE 102 or gNB 104, 106 may include or be configured to implement, for example, one or more protocol layers described herein via software.

[0104] Figure 2 The illustration shows an example of radio link monitoring at the UE. Beam failure detection can be applied independently to monitor the quality of individual beams used for communication and to detect beam-specific failures. These mechanisms typically operate independently and have unique procedures for failure detection and recovery. Typically, terminal devices (such as UE 102) can be configured with different types of timers associated with the radio link failure procedures.

[0105] During Radio Link Detection (RLM), UE 102 can receive synchronization (IS) and out-of-synchronization (OoS) indications from Layer 1 for a configured beamgroup, such as the first beam 200 and the second beam 202 of the serving cell. The first beam 200 can be the indicated beam of UE 102. The indicated beam can refer to a specific beam within a configured beamgroup in the serving cell that has been selected or identified for DL / UL communication between UE 102 and the network node. UE 102 uses a reference signal to monitor the quality of the indicated beam to determine if the connection is stable. If UE 102 receives sufficient OoS indications, a timer for radio link failure detection can be started. An example of a timer for RLM RLF detection is T310. For example, T310 timer 208 can be configured to trigger based on two out-of-synchronization indications 204 (OoS1 and OoS2) detected within 10 ms of each other. UE 102 can be configured to indicate OoS to higher layers based on radio link quality (e.g., estimated based on the reference signal of the first beam 200) being below an OoS threshold (e.g., Qout = 10% Block Error Rate (BLER)) 212. Qout can be defined as the level at which the downlink radio link cannot be reliably received. UE 102 can also be configured to estimate radio link quality based on a threshold Qin. Qin can be defined as the level at which the downlink radio link quality can be received more reliably than Qout. Both Qout and Qin can be derived based on assumed PSCCH transmission parameters and can correspond to the BLER rate indicated by the network. If UE 102 detects that radio has been recovered during the operation of failure detection timer T310 (e.g., when UE 102 receives sufficient IS indication when the RSRP of the first beam is higher than the Qin threshold), the failure detection timer can be stopped. Otherwise, UE 102 can trigger RLF when timer T310 expires. RLM can be performed by the RRC layer.

[0106] In one approach, UE 102 may also be configured with a T312 timer 210 for early radio link failure detection, which is configured to be triggered when T310 timer 208 is running and when UE 102 reports a candidate cell with measurement report 206 to the network during an observed radio problem in the serving cell. After UE 102 sends an L3 measurement report to the network, UE 102 may expect the network to send a handover command. If no HO command is received from the network and T312 timer 210 expires, UE 102 may be configured to declare an early RLF instead of waiting for T310 timer 208 to expire. In addition to the HO command, UE 102 may also be configured to stop T312 timer 210 based on a received N311 continuous synchronization indication. The N311 indication may be received from lower layers (e.g., L1 / L2). T312 timer 210 may be configured to have a shorter duration than T310 timer 208.

[0107] During beam failure detection, the network can configure UE 102 with a set of reference signals for monitoring the quality of the radio link. This set of reference signals can be referred to as q0 or Beam Failure Detection Reference Signal (BFD-RS). The BFD-RS can be configured to be spatially quasi-co-located (QCL) with the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS). This means that the BFD-RS can be configured to correspond to the downlink beam used to transmit the PDCCH. DL beams can be identified by reference signals, for example, based on the Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel (SS / PBCH) block index or the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resource index. The SS / PBCH block can refer to the signal block used by the UE for initial access and synchronization. The network can configure the BFD-RS list using RRC signaling or a combination of RRC and MAC Control Element (CE) signaling.

[0108] When UE 102 is not explicitly configured with a BFD-RS list, UE 102 can implicitly determine the BFD-RS resources. For example, UE 102 can determine the BFD-RS based on the configured / indicated / activated PDCCH Transport Configuration Indicator (PDCCH-TCI) status for each control resource set (CORESET), such as the downlink reference signal (CSI-RS, SS / PBCH block) of the QCL in the PDCCH DMRS (or in other words, PDCCH beam) space.

[0109] UE 102 can also be configured with a beam failure detection procedure. In beam failure detection, UE 102 can periodically evaluate the quality of the radio link. This evaluation can be performed by the physical layer of UE 102. For example, the quality of the radio link can be estimated based on the BFD-RS in the q0 set and for each BFD-RS. When the radio link state of each BFD-RS in the beam failure detection set is considered to be in a failed state, a beam failure instance (BFI) indication can be provided to a higher layer (e.g., MAC). For example, the beam failure condition can be determined by UE 102 based on an assumed PDCCH BLER estimated using the BFD-RS that is higher than a configured threshold. In one example, the BLER threshold can correspond to an OoS threshold used for radio link monitoring, such as OoS / Qout = 10%. If at least one BFD-RS is not in a failed state, no indication is provided to a higher layer.

[0110] Higher layers (e.g., the MAC layer) can implement a counter to count BFI indications received from the physical layer. If the BFI counter reaches its maximum value Q, UE 102 can be configured to declare beam failure. The maximum value Q can be configured by the network. For example, Q can be configured as one of 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, or 10. The BFI counter can be configured to be monitored by a BFI timer. For example, the BFI timer is started each time the MAC receives a BFI indication from a lower layer. After the BFI timer expires, the BFI counter is reset by setting the counter value to zero.

[0111] After a beam failure is declared, UE 102 can be configured to initiate a beam failure recovery (BFR) procedure. For example, a BFI counter and associated BFI timer can be set such that UE 102 is configured to declare a beam failure when two BFIs are detected within 5 ms of each other. Subsequently, UE 102 can select and indicate new candidate beams for PDCCH reception to the serving cell. UE 102 can determine the new candidate beams based on, for example, L1-RSRP measurements. For example, contention-based random access (CBRA) or contention-free random access (CFRA) can be used to perform the indication of candidate beams to the serving cell. The network can configure the UE with candidate beam-specific CFRA preambles; for example, each candidate beam (Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) or CSI-RS) can be indicated using a dedicated signal (CFRA preamble). A specific threshold can be configured for UE 102 such that if any new candidate beam (e.g., based on L1-RSRP measurements) exceeds the threshold, UE 102 selects a candidate beam from that set and performs CFRA. If no beam exceeds the configured threshold, the UE can use contention-based signaling to indicate a new candidate beam. For example, CFRA preamble resources can be mapped to a specific downlink RS (SSB).

[0112] When the RLM and BFD procedures run in parallel, this can create complexity for UE 102 in implementing two features (RLM and BFD) for similar purposes. These parallel procedures also create complexity on the network side, making it impossible to align the behavior of the two features to avoid race conditions (e.g., between the concurrently running T310 timer and BFR procedures, it is uncertain when the expiration of the first timer or the failure of the other timer will trigger the RLF).

[0113] The aim is to provide a unified RLM and BFD procedure to achieve conflict-free operation of RLM and BFD. In this unified procedure, synchronization and out-of-synchronization indications of RLM and BFD can be coordinated. Furthermore, the use of the BFR duration can be coordinated with a radio link failure detection timer (e.g., T310). This unified procedure provides operational and associated configurations between RLM, BFD, and RLF reports, where recovery procedures for beam failure and radio link failure are coordinated and synchronized with each other. In one example, the T310 timer is disabled at the UE, or the T310 timer is not configured for the UE at all. The UE can be configured to disable the use of the T310 timer for one or more specific cells when a BFR configuration is received. Additionally, when the BFR is not configured for the UE, the UE can be configured to enable the radio link failure detection timer to ensure RLF detection and recovery.

[0114] Without using RLM-based timers (such as the T310 timer) for radio link failure detection, a unified RLM and BFD procedure can enable the use of early radio link failure detection. This can be achieved via a phase-triggered early RLF detection timer based on the detected beam failure detection and recovery procedure. In one example, the early RLF detection timer could be a T312 timer configured with different initiation and / or stop criteria, such that the initiation of the T312 timer is independent of the T310 timer. In another example, the early RLF detection timer could be a new timer configured for the UE. To distinguish between the T312 and T310 timers, the T312 timer will still be initiated based on the transmitted measurement report when the T310 timer is missing, unlike the T310 timer which is started after the UE detects a radio link problem.

[0115] In one example, the network (e.g., the serving cell) can be configured to indicate radio link monitoring and beam failure detection parameters used for radio link monitoring. These parameters can be determined by the MAC layer of the respective network device. This allows radio link monitoring to adapt to many changes controlled by the MAC layer, including changing parameters based on the indicated beam, such as the use of CSI-RS or SSB. For example, the indicated parameters may include beam failure recovery configuration, radio link monitoring counters, radio link monitoring timers, beam failure detection counters, and / or beam failure detection timers. Parameters may also include synchronization and / or out-of-synchronization thresholds to be used by the UE.

[0116] Figure 3 The illustration shows an example of a device configured to practice one or more example embodiments. Device 300 may include equipment such as UE 102 or access node, access point, base station, network equipment (e.g., gNB 104, 106) or its subdivisions (e.g., central or distributed units of an access node), terminal equipment, or any device generally configured to implement the functions described herein.

[0117] The device 300 may include at least one processor 302. For example, at least one processor 302 may include one or more of a variety of processing devices, such as a coprocessor, microprocessor, controller, digital signal processor (DSP), processing circuitry system with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontroller units (MCUs), hardware accelerators, dedicated computer chips, etc.

[0118] The device 300 may also include at least one memory 304. Memory 304 may be configured to store, for example, computer program code, such as operating system software and application software. Memory 304 may include one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or combinations thereof. For example, the memory may be implemented as a magnetic storage device (such as a hard disk drive, magnetic tape, etc.), an optical-magnetic storage device, or a semiconductor memory (such as a mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.). Memory 304 is provided as an example of a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium. The term "non-transitory" as used herein refers to a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0119] The device 300 may further include a communication interface 308 configured to enable the device 300 to transmit and / or receive information. The communication interface 308 may include an external communication interface, such as a radio interface between the UE 103 and(multiple) base stations 104, 106, or a communication interface (e.g., Fs-U and / or Fs-C interfaces) between the central unit of a base station and(multiple) distributed units. The communication interface 308 may include one or more radio transmitters or receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas or the device 300, or configured to be coupled to one or more antennas external to the device 300.

[0120] The device 300 may also include other components and / or functions, such as a user interface (not shown) including at least one input device and / or at least one output device. The input device may take various forms, such as a keyboard, a touchscreen, or one or more embedded control buttons. The output device may include, for example, a display, a speaker, etc.

[0121] When the device 300 is configured to perform certain functions, one or more components of the device 300 (e.g., at least one processor 302 and / or at least one memory 304) may be configured to perform those functions. Furthermore, when at least one processor 302 is configured to perform a function, that function may be implemented using, for example, program code 306 included in at least one memory 304.

[0122] The functions described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more computer program product components, such as software components. According to an example embodiment, device 300 includes a processor or processor circuitry, such as a microcontroller, configured by program code 306, which, when executed, causes the processor or processor circuitry to perform embodiments of the operations and functions described herein. Program code 306 is provided as an example of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor 302, cause performance issues in device 300.

[0123] Alternatively or additionally, the functionality described herein may be performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. Exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used, such as but not limited to, include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and the like.

[0124] Apparatus 300 may be configured to perform or cause the execution of the methods(s) described herein, or may include components for performing the methods(s) described herein. In one example, the apparatus includes at least one processor 302 and at least one memory 304 including instructions (e.g., program code 306) configured to cause apparatus 300 to perform the methods(s) when executed by at least one processor 302. Typically, computer program instructions may be executable on components that provide general-purpose processing capabilities. Such components may be embedded, for example, in personal computers, smartphones, network devices, etc. Thus, the methods(s) may be, for example, computer-implemented methods based on algorithms(s) executable by general-purpose processing capabilities, an example of which is at least one processor 302. The components may include transmitting or receiving components, such as one or more radio transmitters or receivers, which may be coupled to or configured to be coupled to one or more antennas. Apparatus 300 may include, for example, network devices, such as access nodes, access points, base stations, or their central / distributed units. Although device 300 is illustrated as a single device, it should be understood that, where applicable, the functionality of device 300 can be distributed among multiple devices.

[0125] Figure 4 The illustration shows an example of the involvement of different protocol layers of a device, according to an example embodiment, in the unified RLM and BFD process. This device could be, for example, UE 102.

[0126] The physical layer 400 of the device can be configured to provide an indication of wireless link quality to higher layers (e.g., MAC layer 402). The indication of wireless link quality may include at least one of OoS indication, IS indication, or beam failure-related indication (e.g., BFI).

[0127] The MAC layer 402 of the device can be responsible for radio link monitoring. The MAC layer 402 can also be configured to determine the parameter configuration for beam failure detection, such as parameters related to the RLM and BFR procedures. The device can be configured to determine that a radio problem has been detected based on an indication of radio link quality received by the MAC layer 402 from the physical layer 400. When a radio problem is detected, the device can determine at 406 whether a beam failure recovery procedure is configured. For example, the device can determine whether a beam failure recovery procedure is configured to be used with certain cells. If BFR is configured, the device can determine at 408 to start the beam failure recovery procedure. If BFR is not configured, the device can determine at 410 to start the T310 timer. Therefore, the use of T310 can be optional. For example, the device can be configured to use the T310 timer if BFR is not configured. In other words, the device can be configured to disable the use of the T310 timer and use the BFR procedure when a radio problem is detected. When the BFR procedure is configured to be used, the use of T310 can be disabled only for certain cells or network nodes. When MAC layer 402 detects that radio has been restored, for example, when an IS indication is received from the physical layer, MAC layer 402 can determine to stop the T310 timer.

[0128] The device's RRC layer 404 can handle the radio link failure process. The device can be configured to detect when measurement reports (such as L3 measurement reports for candidate cells) are triggered for transmission. The device can also be configured to check whether conditions for initiating a timer for early RLF detection are met. When an L3 measurement report is transmitted, this condition can be based on one or more indications related to beam failure being detected. For example, the condition can be met when at least one process in the BFR procedure is in progress, or when one or more indications of degraded radio link quality (e.g., BFI) are received during measurement report transmission. The checking step can be performed before the measurement report is transmitted, for example, in response to the detection of a trigger for the measurement report.

[0129] At 404, the device can determine whether to start a timer for early RRF detection based on met conditions. The timer can be, for example, a T312 timer configured to be initiated based on conditions associated with the BFR procedure (or typically a detected beam failure indication) rather than on a triggered T310 timer. If at least one of the handover commands is received in response to a measurement report, or if the BRF is successful, RRC layer 404 can determine to stop the T312 timer. If the T312 timer expires, RRC layer 404 can be configured to declare a radio link failure.

[0130] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example message sequence diagram for preparing a unified RLM and BFD procedure according to an example embodiment. This message can be sent between a terminal device such as UE 102 and a network device such as gNB 104. Figure 5 In this scenario, gNB 104 can be the serving gNB of UE 102.

[0131] At operation 504, the serving gNB 104 can be configured to determine the initial configuration for the unified RLM and BFD procedures. This initial configuration can be sent to UE 102 by the serving gNB 104, for example, during a handover procedure or after UE 102's initial access to the network via gNB 104.

[0132] Prior to the initial configuration transmission, the service gNB 104 can be configured to evaluate one or more criteria or conditions for unified operation of RLM and BFD. Based on these criteria / conditions, the service gNB 104 defines the corresponding configuration to be sent to UE 102.

[0133] For example, serving gNB 104 can determine that UE 102 should not use the T310 timer, but rather should use the beam failure recovery procedure (BFR). The decision to use BFR can be based on the fact that the serving cell has multiple beams (e.g., at least two beams). This decision can also be based on the serving gNB 104 having observed (e.g., based on statistics) that the BFR procedure results in a successful connection re-establishment. For example, if statistics indicate that BFR for UEs in the cell frequently fails, or that only one or two beams exist, the network can decide not to configure BFR for UE 102. This allows the use of T310 (or its corresponding radio link failure timer) to be avoided, as BFR also provides a method to trigger RLF for UE 102. This can further enable the recovery of user data exchange used for beam recovery, which is faster than RLF recovery using T310.

[0134] Serving gNB 104 can also determine that UE 102 should use an early RLF detection timer (e.g., T312 or a new timer configured by the network), which is configured to be triggered by a measurement report sent by UE 102 during beam failure detection or an ongoing BFR. The measurement report can be, for example, an L3 measurement of a candidate cell. For instance, a measurement report can be configured to be triggered when the reference signal of a target gNB (such as gNB 106) located in a second cell is one offset stronger than the reference cell of the serving gNB 104 located in the first cell. Alternatively, a measurement report can be configured to be triggered when the reference signal is stronger than a threshold.

[0135] The initial configuration may include at least an indication to use the early RLF detection timer, or a configuration for the early RLF detection timer. The duration of the early RLF detection timer can be set to be shorter than the duration of the radio link failure timer (e.g., T310). Therefore, assuming that T310 and the early RLF detection timer will be triggered based on the same information, the early RLF detection timer can trigger the RLF earlier than when using T310. The indication to use the early RLF detection timer can be explicit or implicit. For example, when UE 102 is not configured with the T310 timer and receives / pre-stores the configuration for the early RLF detection timer, UE 102 can infer that the early RLF timer will be used when a measurement report is sent and at least one indication related to beam failure is detected.

[0136] The serving gNB 104 can also be configured to indicate to the UE 102 that subsequent radio problem detection parameters will be provided to the UE 102 from the MAC layer. Radio problem detection parameters may include, for example, values ​​for at least one of N310, T310, beam failure recovery procedures, a BFI counter, or a BFI timer. Radio problem detection parameters may also include Qout / Qin thresholds. N310 refers to a counter used for the maximum number of consecutive out-of-sync indications sent for a PCell received from a lower layer. PCell refers to the primary serving cell that provides the primary radio link to the UE. However, initial parameters can be signaled to the UE 102 by the RRC layer. Here, the initial parameters can be obtained by the RRC layer from the MAC layer of the gNB 104. Radio problem detection parameters can be sent to the UE 102 by the gNB 104. For example, these parameters can be sent via RRC signaling, such as in a message for initial configuration sent at 506, or in one or more subsequent configuration messages.

[0137] In some examples, one or more radio problem detection parameters (e.g., T310 values) can be indicated to UE 102 by the MAC layer to adapt to radio conditions in a more dynamic manner. Radio problem detection parameters may also include Qout / Qin thresholds. These parameters can be dynamically indicated to UE 102 by the serving gNB 104, for example, via MAC messages sent to UE 102 via gNB 104. This allows UE 102 to implement faster or slower radio problem detection depending on the specific circumstances. For example, the Qout threshold can be lowered when significant changes in radio signal quality are expected.

[0138] At operation 506, the initial configuration determined by serving gNB 104 is sent to UE 102. For example, serving gNB 104 may send a message to UE 102, such as an RRC message. The RRC message may be, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message including instructions for operating with unified RLM and BFD. The message may include an indication to disable the T310 timer for at least measurements performed on serving gNB 104. The message may also include instructions to configure a flag for the early RLF detection timer for candidate measurement reports. For example, based on this flag, UE 102 may start the early RLF detection timer when a measurement report is sent after beam failure recovery begins. The message may also include initial values ​​for the N310, BFI timer, and / or BFI counter.

[0139] Based on the received message, at operation 508, if UE 102 detects a degradation in radio link quality, UE 102 can disable the T310 timer and use BFR. For example, if a radio problem is indicated from a lower layer, UE 102 can be instructed to initiate beam failure recovery.

[0140] Furthermore, at operation 510, UE 102 can begin monitoring the conditions for initiating an early RLF detection timer for a specific event. For example, in response to sending a measurement report associated with target gNB 106, UE 102 can check for a BFD or an ongoing BFR each time UE 102 sends a measurement report associated with target gNB 106. If a BFD or an ongoing BFR is detected, UE 102 is configured to trigger the early RLF detection timer. If a measurement report is sent without an ongoing BFR or BFD event being detected, UE 102 can determine not to trigger the early RLF detection timer. In other examples, a measurement report can refer to any uplink message sent by the UE to the network from which the UE expects a response. Sending such a UL message and not receiving a response can indicate a lack of a good communication link between the UE and the NW, allowing the early RLF detection timer to be initiated in response to each UL message. For example, a BFD event can be based on at least one of the following: a detected BFI indication (e.g., the BFD counter has a current value higher than zero), or an ongoing BFI timer triggered by the most recently detected BFI indication. Once the BFI timer expires (no BFI indication was detected during the BFI timer's operation), UE 102 can be configured to reset the BFI counter to zero. If the BFI counter reaches its maximum value Q, UE 102 can declare a beam failure and initiate a BFR procedure. UE 102 can determine that the initiated BFR procedure is in progress, for example, until a beam change command is received.

[0141] At operation 512, UE 102 can be configured to send an acknowledgment message to serving gNB 104, which is used to configure the reception of the message and the application of the indicated configuration. This acknowledgment can be performed, for example, in the form of an RRCReconfigurationComplete message.

[0142] Figure 6 The illustration shows an example message sequence diagram for an early RLF detection mechanism with beam failure detection according to an example embodiment. Messages can be sent between a terminal device such as UE 102 and network devices such as gNB 104 and gNB 106. gNB 104 may currently be serving UE 102 in a first cell (cell 1), and gNB 106 (providing a second cell (cell 2)) may be the target gNB for cell change to the second cell. Figure 6 The message sequence can be Figure 5 The continuation of the message sequence.

[0143] At operation 600, UE 102 receives a reference signal for the indicated beam for the radio link from serving gNB 104. The UE may perform one or more measurements on the reference signal. The measurement results may indicate that the radio link quality for the N310 instance is below the Qout threshold. UE 102 may detect beam failure based on the measurement results. Then, at operation 602, UE 102 may determine to begin the beam failure recovery process based on the initial configuration received by UE 102 from serving gNB 104.

[0144] At operation 604, UE 102 receives a reference signal for the second cell from target gNB 106. The UE can perform one or more measurements on the reference signal. UE 102 can compare the measurements associated with the RS from the serving cell and the measurements associated with the target cell (candidate cell).

[0145] At operation 606, the comparison between the first cell (serving cell) and the second cell (candidate cell) can trigger a measurement report, such as an L3 measurement report. When sending a measurement report associated with the candidate cell, UE 102 also determines that beam failure recovery triggered at operation 602 is in progress. UE 102 also determines that the initial configuration has an indication to start an early RLF detection timer.

[0146] At operation 608, UE 102 sends an L3 measurement report to serving gNB 104. UE 102 may, for example, indicate to the serving gNB in ​​a message sent in response to the measurement report that a radio link problem has been detected and / or beam failure recovery is in progress.

[0147] At operation 610, UE 102 starts an early RLF detection timer.

[0148] At operation 612, the serving gNB 104 can determine, based on the received indication of a detected radio link problem, that UE 102 has an ongoing early RLF detection timer. For example, if preparation and indication of a detected radio link problem can be completed more quickly, the serving gNB 104 can then determine that lower-layer frequencies should be prioritized for handover. For example, an inter-frequency handover can be initiated before the UE reaches the cell edge because such an inter-frequency handover decision can be made earlier than an intra-frequency handover decision.

[0149] Under good radio conditions, at operation 614, the serving gNB 104 is able to send a cell handover command to UE 102. At operation 616, UE 102 receives the message for cell handover and stops the timer for early RLF detection. At operation 618, UE 102 performs a cell handover from the first cell to the second cell based on the received cell handover command.

[0150] If the beam failure recovery initiated at operation 602 is successful, UE 102 can receive a beam change command from serving gNB 500 at operation 620. At operation 622, UE 102 stops the early RLF detection timer based on the received beam change command.

[0151] In the event of a deteriorating radio condition, at operation 624, serving gNB 104 can determine that it cannot send a cell change command to UE 102. At this point, both beam failure recovery and cell change may fail; therefore, at operation 626, the early RLF detection timer expires at UE 102.

[0152] After the early RLF detection timer expires, at operation 628, UE 102 can trigger RLF in advance and initiate a reconstruction or recovery process.

[0153] At operation 630, UE 102 can recover to a candidate cell, such as the second cell, and begin communicating with the target gNB106 without persistent radio link problems.

[0154] Figure 7 The diagram illustrates an example of a message sequence used for early RLF detection mechanisms, enabling MAC to modify RLM configurations. Messages can be sent between terminal devices such as UE 102 and network devices such as gNB 104. Figure 7 The message sequence can be Figure 5 The continuation of the message sequence.

[0155] UE 102 has received a first set of radio problem detection parameters for radio link monitoring from a network device (e.g., serving gNB 104). This first set of radio problem detection parameters may have been received via RRC signaling (e.g., in an RRC reconfiguration message) 506. For example, the first set of radio problem detection parameters may be referred to as the initial radio problem detection parameters. As another example, the first set of radio problem detection parameters may be referred to as the previous radio problem detection parameters, meaning that the first set of radio problem detection parameters was received before the second set of radio problem detection parameters. For example, the first set of radio detection parameters may include at least one of the following: N310 counter limit, BFI detection timer value, BFI counter limit, T310 value, and Qout value. The initial set of radio problem detection parameters (e.g., the first set) may be signaled by RRC, but the RRC layer may obtain the initial parameters from the MAC layer. The first set of radio problem detection parameters may include at least one radio problem detection parameter.

[0156] UE 102 may have received an indication from a network device (e.g., serving gNB 104) that the second radio problem detection parameter set will be indicated via low-layer signaling (e.g., via a low-layer message) or via the MAC layer (e.g., via a MAC message). This indication may be received via RRC signaling (e.g., in an RRC reconfiguration message) 506. For example, the second radio problem detection parameter set may be referred to as subsequent radio problem detection parameters, new radio problem detection parameters, updated radio problem detection parameters, adjusted radio problem detection parameters, or additional radio problem detection parameters. The second radio problem detection parameter set may include at least one radio problem detection parameter.

[0157] The indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set may refer to at least one wireless problem detection parameter itself, or to an instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0158] At operation 700, UE 102 receives a first reference signal (RS1) from serving gNB 104. At operation 702, UE 102 receives a second reference signal (RS2) from serving gNB 104. Here, RS1 is the indicated beam of UE 102. UE 102 compares RS1 with RS2. For example, UE 102 compares the signal strength of RS1 with the signal strength of RS2. For example, the measurement of signal strength may include at least one of the following: reference signal received power RSRP; reference signal received quality RSRQ; or signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio SINR. UE 102 determines that the signal strength of RS2 is higher than the signal strength of RS1. At operation 704, UE 102 sends an (L1) measurement report indicating the comparison result to serving gNB 104.

[0159] At operation 706, the serving gNB 104 sends a beam change command to configure RS2 as the indicated beam of UE 102 based on the received measurement report.

[0160] At operation 708, the serving gNB 104 can determine that RS2 is a narrow beam (e.g., CSI-RS) compared to the wide beam RS1 (e.g., SSB). Therefore, the serving gNB 104 can determine that UE 102 is more likely to experience radio problems due to the narrow beam. For example, the determination that the UE has a higher chance of experiencing radio problems can be performed at the MAC layer of gNB 104. The MAC layer can then determine to configure UE 102 with faster radio link problem detection parameters than the RLM parameters used with RS1. Radio link problem detection parameters can be associated with at least one of the RLM or BFD procedures. For example, radio link problem detection parameters can include at least one of the N310 counter limit, BFI timer value, or BFI counter limit. For example, radio link problem detection parameters can also include a threshold Qin, a threshold Qout, and / or the duration for the early RLF timer or T310. Faster parameters mean that parameters (e.g., the N310 counter limit) are adjusted so that radio link problems or radio link failures are detected with less severe issues. For example, the N310 counter limit can be reduced, as illustrated in the example below.

[0161] In some examples, the gNB can determine that a slower radio problem detection is needed. For instance, if radio conditions are fairly stable, the radio problem detection parameters can be adjusted so that radio link problems or failures are detected only when there is a more severe issue. This avoids the UE unnecessarily initiating beam failure recovery.

[0162] At operation 710, UE 102 receives an indication of a second set of radio problem detection parameters, for example, via a low-layer message. This second set of radio problem detection parameters may be referred to herein as subsequent parameters. For example, UE 102 receives subsequent parameters for radio problem detection via low-layer signaling, such as via MAC signaling (e.g., MAC CE). For example, the MAC layer may use MAC signaling to instruct UE 102 to reduce the N310 counter limit. Alternatively, the MAC layer may instruct UE 102 to increase the BFI timer (for stopping beam failure detection) and / or decrease the BFI counter limit. For example, serving gNB 104 may send a MAC message to UE 102 including an instruction to reduce the maximum number of N310 counters or the continuous OoS indication from 4 to 2.

[0163] For example, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a decreased BFI detection timer value; a decreased maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a beam failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0164] For example, the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0165] After receiving the new radio link problem detection parameters, at operation 712, UE 102 uses the first radio problem detection parameter set to reset the current assessment of possible radio problems and starts monitoring based on the received new parameters (the second radio problem detection parameter set).

[0166] For example, the UE applies a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring. Applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0167] For example, the UE applies a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring. Applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0168] At operation 714, UE 102 performs radio link monitoring based on new parameters (radio link problem detection parameters or radio problem detection parameters) and can detect radio link problems. For example, the UE can detect OoS indications. For example, if the N310 counter limit is configured to 2, UE 102 can begin beam failure recovery after receiving two OoS indications from the physical layer to the MAC layer of UE 102.

[0169] Figure 8 An example of a method 800 for unified operation of RLM and BFD according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated. Method 800 may be performed by a terminal device (e.g., UE 102) or by a control device configured to control the functions of the terminal device when installed in the terminal device.

[0170] At operation 802, the method may include receiving from the serving network device a configuration message for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including: an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device.

[0171] At operation 804, the method may include monitoring at least one indication associated with beam failure. This indication may be detected by the terminal device, for example, based on at least one of one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or based on an ongoing beam failure recovery process at the terminal device.

[0172] At operation 806, the method may include initiating a timer for early RLF detection based on the transmission of a measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication. Method 800 may further include stopping the timer based on at least one of a cell change command or beam change command received by the terminal device from the serving network device before the early RLF timer expires. Method 800 may further include the terminal device declaring a radio link failure based on the expiration of the early RLF timer.

[0173] Figure 9 An example of a method 900 for configuring unified operation of RLM and BFD according to an example embodiment is illustrated. Method 900 may be performed by a network device (e.g., gNB 104) or by a control device configured to control the functions of the network device when installed in the network device.

[0174] At operation 902, the method may include determining that the terminal device is configured to use a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device.

[0175] At operation 904, the method may include sending a configuration message to the terminal device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using a timer for early RLF detection. In one example, the configuration message may also include initial parameters used by the terminal device to detect beam failure. The initial parameters may be received by the network device from the MAC layer of the network device. The MAC layer may be configured to determine at least one of the following as initial parameters: a maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications, a beam failure indication counter value, or a beam failure indication timer. In one example, when the terminal device is configured to use a timer for early RLF detection, the configuration message may include an indication to disable a timer (e.g., a T310 timer) for RLF detection.

[0176] Figure 10 An example of a method 1000 for updating wireless problem detection parameters according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated. Method 1000 may be performed by a terminal device (e.g., UE 102) or by a control device configured to control the functions of the terminal device when installed in the terminal device.

[0177] At operation 1002, the method may include receiving a first set of wireless problem detection parameters from a network device for wireless link monitoring.

[0178] At operation 1004, the method may include receiving an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters from the network device via a low-level message. The low-level message may be, for example, a MAC message.

[0179] At operation 1006, the method may include applying a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0180] Figure 11 An example of a method 1100 for configuring wireless problem detection parameters according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated. Method 1100 may be performed by a network device (e.g., gNB 104) or by a control device configured to control the functions of the network device when installed in the network device.

[0181] At operation 1102, the method may include sending a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring to the terminal device.

[0182] At operation 1104, the method may include determining that the terminal device will apply a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0183] At operation 1106, the method may include sending an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the terminal device via a low-layer message. For example, the low-layer message may be a MAC message.

[0184] Other features of the method, such as those directly derived from the functionality of UE 102 or gNB(s) 104, 106, as described throughout the specification, claims, and drawings, will not be repeated here. An apparatus, such as a device (e.g., UE 102, or access node), may be configured to perform or cause the performance of any aspect of the methods(s) described herein. Furthermore, a computer program, computer program product, or (non-transitory) computer-readable medium may include instructions for causing the apparatus to perform any aspect of the methods(s) described herein when executed by the apparatus. Additionally, an apparatus may include components for performing any aspect of the methods(s) described herein. According to an example embodiment, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least any aspect of the methods(s).

[0185] Any ranges or device values ​​given herein can be extended or modified without losing the desired effect. Furthermore, unless expressly prohibited, any embodiment can be combined with another embodiment.

[0186] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or actions, it should be understood that the subject matter 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 examples of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and actions are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

[0187] It should be understood that the above benefits and advantages may relate to one embodiment or several embodiments. Embodiments are not limited to embodiments that solve any or all of the described problems, nor are they limited to embodiments that have any or all of the described benefits and advantages. It should also be understood that reference to "an" in the context of an item may refer to one or more of these items.

[0188] The steps or operations of the methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Furthermore, individual boxes can be removed from any method without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the example embodiments described above can be combined with aspects of any other example embodiments described above to form further example embodiments without losing the desired effect.

[0189] The term “comprising” is used herein to mean that the identified method, box, or element is included, but such boxes or elements do not include an exclusive list, and the method or apparatus may include additional boxes or elements.

[0190] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of the following: ” and similar wording (where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) means at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0191] Although a topic may be referred to as "first" or "second," this does not necessarily indicate any order or importance of the topics. Rather, these attributes may be used solely for the purpose of distinguishing between topics.

[0192] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuit systems), 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 portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory (including a plurality of other processors), which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions, and (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when software operation is not required. The definition of this circuit system is suitable for all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim.

[0193] As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit system" also encompasses only the implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion thereof, and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For instance, if applicable to certain claim elements, the term "circuit system" also encompasses 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.

[0194] It should be understood that the above description is given by way of example only, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of the exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described above with a degree of specificity or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art can make numerous modifications to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this specification.

[0195] Some additional examples:

[0196] Example 1: A terminal device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: receive a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring from a network device; receive an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters from the network device via a low-layer message; and apply the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected under conditions of less severe or more severe wireless link problems than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0197] Example 2. The terminal device according to Example 1, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further causes the terminal device to: receive an indication from the network device that the indication of receiving a second set of wireless problem detection parameters will be indicated via a low-level message.

[0198] Example 3. The terminal device according to Example 1 or 2, wherein the lower-layer message is a Media Access Control (MAC) message.

[0199] Example 4. A terminal device according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further causes the terminal device to: receive a first reference signal from a network device; receive a second reference signal from a network device; perform at least one measurement on the first reference signal and the second reference signal; and send a measurement report to the network device based on the at least one measurement on the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0200] Example 5. The terminal device according to Example 4, wherein the first reference signal is the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0201] Example 6. The terminal device according to Example 5, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further causes the terminal device to: perform a comparison of a first reference signal and a second reference signal based on at least one measurement; determine based on the comparison that the second reference signal is stronger than the first reference signal; and wherein the measurement report includes the result of the comparison.

[0202] Example 7. The terminal device according to Example 6, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further causes the terminal device to: receive a beam-changing command from a network device, the beam-changing command configuring a second reference signal as the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0203] Example 8. A terminal device according to any one of the preceding examples, wherein the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: a reduced N310 counter limit; an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a reduced BFI detection timer value; a reduced maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0204] Example 9. A terminal device according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0205] Example 10. A network device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: send a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring to an end device; determine that the end device intends to apply a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied; and send an indication of the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the end device via a low-level message.

[0206] Example 11. A network device according to Example 10, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the network device further causes the network device to: send an indication to the terminal device that the second set of wireless problem detection parameters will be indicated via a low-level message.

[0207] Example 12. According to the network device described in Example 10 or 11, the determination that the terminal device should apply the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to wireless link monitoring is based on the measurement report received from the terminal device.

[0208] Example 13. A network device according to any one of Examples 10 to 12, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the network device further causes the network device to: send a first reference signal to a terminal device, wherein the first reference signal is an indicated beam of the terminal device; send a second reference signal to the terminal device; and receive a measurement report, the measurement report including at least one measurement result of the first reference signal and the second reference signal, or a result of a comparison between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0209] Example 14. The network device according to Example 13, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the network device further causes the network device to: determine, based on a measurement report, that the second reference signal is stronger than the first reference signal.

[0210] Example 15. The network device according to Example 14, wherein the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the network device to: send a beam-changing command to a terminal device, the beam-changing command configuring a second reference signal as the indicated beam of the terminal device.

[0211] Example 16. A network device according to any one of Examples 10 to 15, wherein the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one of the following: a reduced N310 counter limit; an increased N310 counter limit; an increased beam failure indication BFI detection timer value; a reduced BFI detection timer value; a reduced maximum BFI count; an increased maximum BFI count; an increased or decreased T310 value; an increased or decreased Qout value; a beam failure recovery configuration or preamble; or a wireless link monitoring reference signal.

[0212] Example 17. A network device according to any one of Examples 10 to 15, wherein the indication of the second wireless problem detection parameter set includes at least one instruction for adjusting the first wireless problem detection parameter set to obtain the second wireless problem detection parameter set.

[0213] Example 18. A method comprising: receiving, by a terminal device, a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring from a network device; receiving, by the terminal device, an indication of a second set of wireless problem detection parameters from the network device via a low-layer message; and applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring by the terminal device, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied.

[0214] Example 19. A method comprising: sending a first set of wireless problem detection parameters for wireless link monitoring to an end device by a network device; determining by the network device that the end device intends to apply a second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring, wherein applying the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the wireless link monitoring results in a wireless link problem that will be detected as a less severe or more severe wireless link problem than when the first set of wireless problem detection parameters is applied; and sending an indication of the second set of wireless problem detection parameters to the end device via a low-layer message by the network device.

[0215] Example 20. A terminal device for communication, comprising: 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: receive from a serving network device a configuration message for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to: be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; monitor at least one indication related to beam failure; and start the timer for early RLF detection based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of at least one indication.

[0216] Example 21. A terminal device according to Example 20, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, also cause the terminal device to: declare a wireless link failure based on the expiration of a timer used for early RLF detection.

[0217] Example 22. A terminal device according to Example 20 or 21, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the terminal device to: determine that at least one indication has been detected based on at least one of one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or based on an ongoing beam failure recovery process at the terminal device.

[0218] Example 23. A terminal device according to any one of Examples 20 to 22, wherein when the instructions are executed by at least one processor, the terminal device further causes the terminal device to: determine that the reference signal of the candidate cell is stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold; and based on the determination, perform a transmission to the serving network device, the transmission being a measurement report associated with the candidate cell.

[0219] Example 24. A terminal device according to any one of Examples 20 to 23, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the terminal device to: determine that at least one indication has been detected; and based on the determination, include an indication that a timer for early RLF detection has been started in a measurement report associated with the candidate cell.

[0220] Example 25. A terminal device according to any one of Examples 20 to 24, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the terminal device to: receive at least one of a cell change command or a beam change command from a serving network device; and determine to stop a timer for early RLF detection based on at least one of the cell change command or beam change command received before the timer for early RLF detection expires.

[0221] Example 26. A terminal device according to any one of Examples 20 to 25, wherein the configuration message further includes: an instruction to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when a timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used; and wherein the instruction, when executed by at least one processor, further causes the terminal device to: disable the triggering of the timer for RLF detection based on the instruction, based on radio link monitoring performed on the serving network device.

[0222] Example 27. The terminal device according to Example 26, wherein the timer used for RLF detection is a T310 timer.

[0223] Example 28. A terminal device according to any of Examples 20 to 27, wherein the timer used for early RLF detection is a T312 timer.

[0224] Example 29. A terminal device according to any one of Examples 20 to 28, wherein the configuration message further includes: initial parameters for triggering beam failure detection, the initial parameters including at least one of: a maximum number of consecutive out-of-step indications, a beam failure indication timer, or a beam failure indication counter value.

[0225] Example 30. The terminal device according to Example 29, wherein the configuration message further includes: an indication that subsequent parameters are received via a media access control message; and wherein, when the instruction is executed by at least one processor, it also causes the terminal device to: receive parameters via a media access message; and apply the parameters received via the media access control message to wireless problem detection.

[0226] Example 31. A network device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: determine to configure a terminal device to use a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to a serving network device in the event that at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; and send a configuration message to the terminal device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using the timer for early RLF detection.

[0227] Example 32. A network device according to Example 31, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, further cause the network device to: receive a measurement report associated with a candidate cell from a terminal device, the measurement report including an indication that a timer has been started; and prioritize the transmission of cell change commands to the terminal device based on the received indication.

[0228] Example 33. Based on the network device of Example 31 or 32, wherein the terminal device is determined to be configured for unified operation based on the fact that the network device is a serving network node of the terminal device and supports multi-beam operation.

[0229] Example 34. A network device according to Example 33, wherein the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, also cause the network device to: determine, based on statistical information, that a beam failure recovery process results in a successful re-establishment of the connection; and, based on that determination, determine to configure the terminal device for unified operation.

[0230] Example 35. A network device according to any one of Examples 31 to 34, wherein the network device is configured to: obtain initial parameters for beam failure detection from the media access control layer of the network device for use by the terminal device in beam failure detection, the initial parameters including at least one of: a maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indications, a beam failure indication timer or a beam failure indication counter value; and wherein the configuration message further includes the initial parameters.

[0231] Example 36. A network device according to Example 35, wherein the configuration message includes an instruction that: the terminal device receives subsequent parameters via a media access control message, and the instruction, when executed by at least one processor, also causes the network device to: determine the parameters via the media access control layer; and send the determined parameters to the terminal device via the media access control message.

[0232] Example 37. A network device according to any one of Examples 31 to 36, wherein at least one indication related to beam failure detection includes: at least one beam failure indication of one or more beam failure indications received by a terminal device, or a beam failure recovery process in progress at the terminal device.

[0233] Example 38. A network device according to any one of Examples 31 to 37, wherein a measurement report associated with a candidate cell is received from a terminal device when the reference signal of the candidate cell is stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold.

[0234] Example 39. A network device according to any one of Examples 31 to 38, wherein the configuration message further includes: an indication to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when a timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used.

[0235] Example 40. A method for communication, comprising: receiving a configuration message from a serving network device by a terminal device, the configuration message for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including: an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to: be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; monitor at least one indication related to beam failure; and start the timer for early RLF detection based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication.

[0236] Example 41. A method for communication, comprising: a network device determining to configure a terminal device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to a serving network device in the event that at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device; and the network device sending a configuration message to the terminal device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, the configuration message including an indication of using the timer for early RLF detection.

Claims

1. A terminal device for communication, 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: The configuration message received from the serving network device for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection includes: an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device. Monitor at least one indication associated with the beam failure; Based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication, the timer for early RLF detection is started.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the terminal device to perform one or more of the following: A wireless link failure is declared based on the expiration of the timer used for early RLF detection; Based on at least one of one or more beam failure indications received by the terminal device, or based on the beam failure recovery process in progress at the terminal device, it is determined that the at least one indication has been detected; or The reference signal of the candidate cell is determined to be stronger than the reference signal of the serving cell by an offset or stronger than a threshold. as well as Based on the determination, the transmission of the measurement report associated with the candidate cell to the serving network device is performed.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the terminal device to: It is determined that at least one indication has been detected; and Based on the determination, an indication that the timer used for early RLF detection is activated is included in the measurement report associated with the candidate cell.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the terminal device to: Receive at least one of a cell change command or a beam change command from the serving network equipment; and The timer for early RLF detection is determined to be stopped based on at least one of the cell change command or the beam change command received before the timer for early RLF detection expires.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the configuration message further includes: An indication is provided to disable the use of a timer for RLF detection, the timer being configured to be triggered based on radio link monitoring when the timer for early RLF detection is configured to be used; and The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, also cause the terminal device to: Based on the instruction, and based on the wireless link monitoring performed on the serving network device, the triggering of the timer used for RLF detection is disabled.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the timer for RLF detection is a T310 timer, and / or the timer for early RLF detection is a T312 timer.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the configuration message further includes: Initial parameters used to trigger the beam failure detection include at least one of the following: a maximum number of consecutive out-of-synchronization indicators, a beam failure indicator timer value, or a beam failure indicator counter value; and The configuration message further includes: an indication that subsequent parameters are received via a media access control message; and the instruction, when executed by the at least one processor, also causes the terminal device to: The parameters are received via the media access message; and The parameters received via the media access control message are applied to wireless problem detection.

8. A network device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: The terminal device is configured to use a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device when at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device. as well as A configuration message for unified operation of wireless link monitoring and beam failure detection is sent to the terminal device, the configuration message including an indication of using the timer for early RLF detection.

9. A method for communication, comprising: The terminal device receives a configuration message from the serving network device. The configuration message is for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection. The configuration message includes an indication of using a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device. Monitor at least one indication associated with the beam failure; Based on the transmission of the measurement report and the detection of the at least one indication, the timer for early RLF detection is started.

10. A method for communication, comprising: The network device determines to configure the terminal device to use a timer for early radio link failure (RLF) detection for unified operation of radio link monitoring and beam failure detection, wherein the timer is configured to be triggered by the transmission of a measurement report associated with a candidate cell to the serving network device if at least one indication related to beam failure has been detected by the terminal device. as well as The network device sends a configuration message to the terminal device. The configuration message is used for unified operation of wireless link monitoring and beam failure detection. The configuration message includes an indication of using the timer for early RLF detection.

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