Mechanism for handling conflicts in carrier aggregation

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to mechanisms for handling conflicts in carrier aggregation. A first apparatus receives a configuration from a second apparatus, the configuration including a first switching mode for switching between a first cell and a second cell and a second switching mode for switching between the first cell and the second cell. The first apparatus monitors a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first switching mode. The first apparatus performs measurements based on the set of reference signals.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority and benefit to Indian Patent Application No. 202541010525, filed on 7 February 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0002] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more specifically to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for handling collisions in carrier aggregation (CA). Background Technology

[0003] Carrier aggregation (CA) is a key feature in wireless communication systems, designed to enhance network capacity and improve user experience by combining multiple frequency bands or carriers into a single, wider channel. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study CA in various scenarios to improve efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to: receive a configuration from a second apparatus, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; monitor a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first handover mode; and perform a measurement based on the set of reference signals.

[0005] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to: transmit a configuration to a first apparatus, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0006] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a configuration from a second device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; monitoring a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first handover mode; and performing a measurement based on the set of reference signals.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes transmitting a configuration to a first device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for receiving configuration from a second apparatus, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; components for monitoring a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first handover mode; and components for performing measurements based on the set of reference signals.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes components for transmitting a configuration to a first apparatus, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method according to a third or fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown; Figure 2 Another example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an example of implementing supplementary downlink (SDL) utilization in conjunction with an FDD carrier is shown. Figure 4A and Figure 4B A schematic diagram of the frequency band combination is shown; Figure 5 An example signaling flow for handling collisions according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating switching modes according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 7 Signaling diagrams illustrating configuration and operation according to switching modes are shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 8 An example signaling flow for handling collisions according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating the use of an irregular handover mode for better load balancing between two carriers, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown. Figure 10 A schematic diagram illustrating a switching mode according to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 11 Signaling diagrams illustrating configuration and operation according to switching modes are shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 12 Example signaling for handling conflicts according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 13 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating the cancellation of a handover timing from PCell to SCell when the handover timing overlaps with a synchronization signal block (SSB) according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 14 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 15 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 16 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 17 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 18 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 19 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 20 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and Figure 21 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to help those skilled in the art to understand and implement this disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0015] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0016] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an example embodiment, it is to be noted that those skilled in the art will recognize, whether explicitly described or not, that such features, structures, or characteristics apply in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0017] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another, and they do not restrict the order of the nouns. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any or all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0018] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least one of these elements, or any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0019] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, “responding to A” does not indicate that the steps are performed immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intervention steps.

[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “possessing,” “containing,” and / or “covering,” as used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implemented with purely analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) and (c) The operation requires software (e.g., firmware) for the operation of (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or parts thereof, but the software may be absent when the operation does not require the software.

[0022] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only hardware circuitry or processors (or processors), or portions of hardware circuitry or servers and their accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. For example, where applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0023] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), 5.5G, sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement this disclosure will inevitably emerge. The scope of this disclosure should not be considered limited to the systems described above.

[0024] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a repeater, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femtosecond or picosecond), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network device, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite), an aircraft network device, etc. In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU portion that behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0025] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image acquisition terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment," "communication equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0026] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other combination of time-domain, frequency-domain, spatial-domain, and / or code-domain resources for implementing communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in both the frequency and time domains will be used as examples of transmission resources used to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Note that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0027] As used herein, the term "handover mode" can refer to the arrangement / sequence of a UE switching between different carriers. The term "timing" can refer to time-domain resources.

[0028] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. In communication environment 100, multiple communication devices, including terminal device 110 and network device 120, can communicate with each other. Figure 1 In the example, terminal device 110 can be a UE, and network device 120 can be a base station serving the UE. Terminal device 110 can be configured with a first cell 101 and a second cell 102. It should be noted that terminal device 110 can also be configured with other cells.

[0029] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not impose any limitations. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices may be located in cell 102, and one or more additional cells may be deployed in communication environment 100. It should be noted that although shown as a network device, network device 120 may be another device besides a network device. Although shown as a terminal device, terminal device 110 may be another device besides a terminal device.

[0030] In the following description, for illustrative purposes, some example embodiments are depicted in which terminal device 110 operates as a UE and network device 120 operates as a base station. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in connection with the terminal device can be implemented at the network device or other devices, and the operations described in connection with the network device can be implemented at the terminal device or other devices.

[0031] In some example embodiments, the transmission direction from network device 120 to terminal device 110 is referred to as the downlink (DL), and the transmission direction from terminal device 110 to network device 120 is referred to as the uplink (UL). In the DL, network device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and network device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0032] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols, wireless local area network communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11, etc.), and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0033] In some examples, enhancements are needed for frequency arrangement in band combination and handover scenarios. For instance, the device needs to support inter-carrier scheduling: the UE monitors the PCell for PDCCH DCI on an FDD carrier, which has scheduling information for both (FDD and SDL) bands. Furthermore, the device needs to support Transmission Time Interval (TTI) level handover: when an SCell is scheduled, the UE needs to switch to the SCell filter, and during the scheduling period, there are no simultaneous Tx / Rx events between the PCell and SCell. Additionally, after the SCell scheduling period ends, the device switches back to the PCell duplexer.

[0034] Operators hold 10-20 times more mid-band spectrum than low-band spectrum. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the mid-band spectrum is more useful closer to the site, while the low-band spectrum travels further, making it more useful further away from the site.

[0035] Low-low band CA would be one way to address this issue, but such a solution does not exist due to challenges faced by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in supporting it. While the low-band supplemental downlink (SDL) band reaches most poor coverage areas, the lack of an intermediate band with UL renders them useless. Therefore, studies have been conducted on solutions in some examples that could achieve SDL utilization with minimal impact on equipment via a version of low-low CA, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the UE switches between two states on the RF front end, defined as: State 1, where there is 1 Tx / 2 Rx on FDD carrier 1 and 0 Tx / 0 Rx on SDL carrier 2; and State 2, where there is 2 Rx on SDL carrier 2 and 0 Tx / 0 Rx on FDD carrier 1. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, during TTI N1, terminal device 110 operates on the FDD band. During TTI N2, terminal device 110 operates on the SDL band, and terminal device 110 switches to the FDD band and operates on the FDD band again during TTI N3. In some examples, the terminal device needs to support inter-carrier scheduling; for example, terminal device 110 monitors the FDD DL PDCCH DCI, which has both FDD and SDL scheduling. Terminal device 110 can switch back to the FDD duplexer after the SDL scheduling reception interval ends. Band combinations suitable for low-low frequency band CA are... Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown in the image.

[0036] In some solutions, the UE can only activate one carrier at a time, including receiving / transmitting data and performing measurements. Current requirements are specified considering that the UE is performing measurements on all serving cells, and typically these measurements are performed without measurement gaps. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate how to define low-band handover modes so that the UE can perform measurements on the serving carrier with minimal impact on existing measurement requirements.

[0037] According to some example embodiments of this disclosure, a solution for handling collisions in a CA (Carrier Response) is provided. Specifically, the network device configures a handover mode for the terminal device. The terminal device monitors the reference signal based on the handover mode. In this way, measurements of the serving carrier can be performed with minimal impact on existing measurement requirements.

[0038] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments described with reference to the drawings can be implemented independently or in any suitable combination. For example, one or more exemplary embodiments described with reference to one drawing can be combined with one or more exemplary embodiments described with reference to other drawings.

[0039] Figure 5 An example signaling flow 500 for handling collisions in a CA according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this example for discussion purposes. Figure 1 The signaling flow 500 is described, for example, by using terminal device 110 and network device 120.

[0040] Network device 120 transmits (5010) a configuration to terminal device 110 indicating a handover mode for switching between first cell 101 and second cell 102. In other words, terminal device 110 receives (5010) a configuration indicating the handover mode from network device 120. The handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for first cell 101 and a second active transmission or reception period for second cell 102. In some example embodiments, first cell 101 may be a primary cell (PCell), and second cell 102 may be a secondary cell (SCell). In some example embodiments, the configuration may be transmitted via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the carriers of the first cell 101 and the second cell 102 may be below a predetermined value. For example, the SSB mode for carriers below 3 GHz follows Case A SSB mode, where there are 4 SSB indices in the first 2 ms of the SSB. Considering the SSB mode, a carrier switching mode can be designed that enables switching between two carriers and performing measurements on both active cells. Figure 6 An example of handover mode 600 is shown, which allows terminal device 110 to be active on SSB slots for both first cell 101 and second cell 102 at different SSB instances. In this example, a 1 ms slot is considered to have a 20 ms SSB period. Since LBCA_sw focuses on carriers below 3 GHz, only the first two slots contain SSBs. In this example, the following pattern is used: 11S2222S, where 1 is used for first cell 101, S is used for special / switching slots, and 2 is used for second cell 102.

[0042] Terminal device 110 receives a set of reference signals (5020, 5020') from either first cell 101 or second cell 102 based on a handover mode. For example, terminal device 110 may receive the set of reference signals (5020) from first cell 101 during a first active transmission or reception period. In other words, the set of reference signals (5020) may be transmitted from first cell 101. In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive the set of reference signals (5020') from second cell 102 during a second active transmission or reception period. In other words, the set of reference signals (5020') may be transmitted from second cell 102.

[0043] In some example embodiments, the configuration includes a bitmap for indicating the handover mode. For example, the handover mode is transmitted via signaling as a bitmap covering a predefined duration. This duration can be determined based on a period measured by the UE, for example, matching the SSB period or a Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Monitoring Time Configuration (SMTC) period of M times.

[0044] An example of this bitmap is... Figure 6 As shown in the diagram. For example, according to bitmap 610, bit '0' indicates a time slot occupied by the first cell 101, and '1' indicates a time slot occupied by the second cell 102. In this example, network device 120 configures the terminal device for a time period of 40 time slots. Figure 6 As shown, since the first two bits in bitmap 610 are "0", terminal device 110 can activate the carrier of first cell 101 and receive SSB from first cell 101 in time slot 620.

[0045] In some example embodiments, if a bit value change occurs in the bitmap, terminal device 110 can perform a handover between a first cell and a second cell. In some example embodiments, a transition / special time slot is considered each time the bit indication changes. A transition / special time slot is defined as a time slot with empty symbols that takes into account the time terminal device 110 needs to hand over from one cell to another, and may include symbols for PCell, SCell, or both. For example, as... Figure 6 As shown, the third bit in the bitmap is "1", which is different from the second bit in the bitmap. In this case, terminal device 110 switches from first cell 101 to second cell 102 in time slot 630. Terminal device 110 can then activate the carrier of second cell 102 in time slot 640.

[0046] Return to reference Figure 5 Terminal device 110 performs (5040) measurements based on a set of reference signals. For example, terminal device 110 may perform measurements on reference signals received from first cell 101 in time slot 620. Alternatively, terminal device 110 may perform measurements on reference signals received from second cell 102 in time slot 650. Note that the measurements can be of any suitable type.

[0047] Figure 7 An example signaling flow 700 for handling collisions in a CA according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Signaling flow 700 relates to a UE 710, a network 720, a PCell 701, and an SCell 702. For example, the UE 710 may be implemented at a terminal device 110, the network 720 may be implemented at a network device 120, the PCell 701 may be a first cell 101, and the SCell 702 may be a second cell 102.

[0048] At 7001, UE 710 indicates its capabilities related to LBCA handover. UE capabilities can indicate that UE 710 supports LBCA handover. At 7002, network 720 configures LBCA handover, including the handover mode '001110…'. From 7003 to 7014, it is shown how UE 710 operates according to the handover mode. When step 7003 corresponds to the time slot in the first bit of the sequence, since that bit is '0', UE 710 and network 720 communicate using PCell. The same applies to 7004. 7005 includes a transition from bit '0' to '1', which is associated with the transition time slot. In 7006, the transition time slot from 0 to 1 begins with a PCell symbol. These are followed by unused symbols in 7007, and then the symbol for Scell ​​begins in 7008. In 7009 and 7010, network 720 communicates with UE 710 using SCells because those time slots are indicated by '1' in the bitmap. In 7011, which includes sub-steps 7012 to 7014, the transition is from SCell to PCell because the bitmap indicates the first '0' after a sequence of '1's. 7011 has a similar process to that in 7005.

[0049] According to the reference Figures 5 to 7 The described example embodiment proposes introducing a conventional handover mode between a low-frequency band PCell and a low-frequency band SCell, wherein the handover mode defines the active transmission / reception period on each of the PCell and SCell. The handover mode is proposed to be defined such that a configured measurement reference signal (RS, such as SSB) falls within the active period of each of the PCell and SCell.

[0050] Figure 8 An example signaling flow 800 for handling collisions in a CA according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this document for discussion purposes. Figure 1 The signaling flow 800 is described, for example, by using terminal device 110 and network device 120.

[0051] Network device 120 transmits (8010) a configuration to terminal device 110. In other words, terminal device 110 receives (8010) a configuration from network device 120. This configuration includes a first handover mode for handover between first cell 101 and second cell 102 and a second handover mode for handover between first cell 101 and second cell 102. For example, as... Figure 9 As shown, the configuration includes mode #1 and mode #2. In Figure 9Two modes are considered. Mode #1 is applied during duration T1, and mode #2 is applied during duration T2. ​​This process can be used as an example of matching the SSB or SMTC mode with mode #1, while mode #2 is used for the remaining time slots that do not overlap with the SSB or SMTC.

[0052] In some example embodiments, the duration T1 may overlap with the SMTC window or the SSB window. Alternatively, the duration T2 is defined such that T1 + T2 = SSB / SMTC period. For example, the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the period of the reference signal set or a multiple of the period. For example, if the reference signal period is 20 ms, then mode #1 (i.e., the first mode) may repeat every N × 20 ms, for example, 40 ms, where N is an integer. In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than a time interval threshold. For example, the sum of the first duration and the second duration may be within a maximum time interval, such as 160 ms.

[0053] In some example embodiments, according to the first mode, no time slot transition occurs during the SSB / SMTC time slot, and the distribution of SSB / SMTC active on the carrier of the first cell 101 or the carrier of the second cell 102 can be designed so that the terminal device 110 can perform measurements on both carriers. For example, as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, no handover between the first cell 101 and the second cell 102 occurred within a time period (e.g., 1001 and / or 1003) of the first duration T1.

[0054] Alternative or additional carriers, according to the second mode, can allocate more time slots to one carrier than the other, depending on how the network wants to distribute traffic. For example, as Figure 10 As shown, when an SSB is received at the first cell 101, more time slots are allocated to the SDL carrier than to the first cell 101, which has an irregular time slot allocation. In some other example embodiments, the maximum interval between consecutive time slots for the first cell 101 does not exceed a predetermined interval. For example, the maximum interval between two consecutive PCell time slots does not exceed X ms, where X can be any suitable value. In this way, delayed HARQ feedback from the SDL carrier can be avoided. In some example embodiments, one or more handovers between the first cell 101 and the second cell 102 occur within a timeframe configured for applying a second handover mode. For example, as... Figure 10As shown, the handover between the first cell 101 and the second cell 102 occurs within a timeframe (e.g., 1002 and / or 1004) during the second duration T2. ​​A handover mode during T2 is defined independently of T1, and multiple handover transitions are allowed during T2. In an alternative embodiment, each subsequent instance of T2 is a previous instance (e.g., ... Figure 10 The time mirror versions of 1002 and 1004 in the original text.

[0055] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may apply (8015) a first switching mode. For example, if a first duration configured to apply the first switching mode overlaps with time-domain resources for a set of reference signals, terminal device 110 may apply (8015) the first switching mode for the first duration. As an example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the duration T1 overlaps with the resources for SMTC, and the terminal device 110 applies the first handover mode in times 1001 and 1003.

[0056] In some other example embodiments, terminal device 110 may apply (8015) a second switching mode. For example, if the second duration configured to apply the second switching mode does not overlap with time-domain resources for the reference signal set, terminal device 110 may apply (8015) the second switching mode during the second duration. As an example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the duration T2 overlaps with the resources for SMTC, and the terminal device 110 applies the first handover mode in times 1002 and 1004.

[0057] Terminal device 110 monitors (8020) a set of reference signals from a first cell or a second cell based on a first handover mode. In some example embodiments, if a first duration configured to apply the first handover mode overlaps with temporal resources for the set of reference signals, terminal device 110 can monitor (8020) the set of reference signals based on the first handover mode for the first duration. In some other example embodiments, if the first handover mode is applied, terminal device 110 can monitor (8020) a set of reference signals from a first cell 101 or a second cell 102 at one point during the first duration. For example, as Figure 10As shown, terminal device 110 can monitor a set of reference signals from first cell 101 during timing 1001 and a set of reference signals from second cell 102 during timing 1003. Alternatively or additionally, if a first handover mode is applied, terminal device 110 can monitor (8020) the set of reference signals on a carrier frequency used for the first cell or on a carrier frequency used for the second cell during a timing period of a first duration. For example, terminal device 110 can monitor reference signals from one or more adjacent cells having the same carrier frequency as the first cell or the second cell.

[0058] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may activate a first cell or a second cell within a timeframe of a first duration. For example, such as... Figure 10 As shown, terminal device 110 can activate the first cell during time slot 1001, and terminal device 110 can activate the second cell during time slot 1003. As an example, during each time slot T1, the PCell or SCell is active for the entire duration of T1. In one instance of T1 (such as...), Figure 10 When using PCell in 1001 of T1, SCell is in the next instance of T1 (such as Figure 10 It is used in 1003, and vice versa.

[0059] Return to reference Figure 8 First cell 101 can transmit (8030) a set of reference signals to terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, second cell 102 can transmit (8030') a set of reference signals to terminal device 110. Terminal device 110 performs (8040) a measurement based on the set of reference signals. Note that the measurement can be any suitable type of measurement.

[0060] Figure 11 An example signaling flow 1100 for handling collisions in a CA according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is illustrated. Signaling flow 1100 relates to UE 1110, network 1120, PCell 1121, and SCell 1122. For example, UE 1110 may be implemented at terminal device 110, network 1120 may be implemented at network device 120, PCell 1121 may be a first cell 101, and SCell 1122 may be a second cell 102.

[0061] At 11001, UE 1110 indicates its capabilities related to LBCA handover. UE capabilities can indicate that UE 1110 supports LBCA handover. At 11002, network 1120 configures UE 1110 using the durations for modes #1 and #2, and the configuration for each mode. For example, the configuration for mode #1 can indicate that the number of instances on the PCell is 1 and the number of instances on the SCell is 1. The configuration for mode #2 can indicate that the number of instances on the PCell is 1 and the number of instances on the SCell is 2. In this example, T1 is set to 5 ms and T2 is set to 15 ms, resulting in a total period of 20 ms.

[0062] exist Figure 11 In one of the embodiment options, mode #1 is configured relative to the number of instances in which PCell 1121 or SCell 1122 is used, wherein in this example, the number of instances is equal for both PCell 1121 and SCell 1122. At steps 11003 and 11004, UE 1110 can perform communication on the PCell for a first instance of T1. At steps 11008 and 11009, UE 1110 can perform communication on the SCell for a second instance of T1, wherein the second instance of T1 is dedicated to communication with the SCell.

[0063] exist Figure 11 In the embodiment options, mode #2 is configured relative to the number of time slots in which the PCell or SCell is used. In this example, one time slot is used for the PCell, and two time slots are used for the SCell. This behavior can be observed in two instances of T2 shown in steps 11007 and 11012, where one consecutive time slot is used for communication with the PCell in steps 11006 and 11010, and two consecutive time slots are used for communication with the SCell in steps 11005 and 11011. For simplicity, the transition time slots are omitted in this figure, but these transition time slots are expected to be needed in practice.

[0064] According to the reference Figures 8 to 11 The described example embodiment proposes introducing an irregular handover pattern between a low-band PCell and a low-band SCell, wherein the handover pattern defines the active transmission / reception period on each of the PCell and SCell. The handover pattern comprises two sub-patterns, wherein a first sub-pattern is designed such that the RS (e.g., SSB or SMTC) configured for measurement falls within the active period on each of the PCell and SCell. A second sub-pattern is applied to time slots that do not overlap with the measurement.

[0065] Figure 12An example signaling flow 1200 for handling collisions in a CA according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this document for discussion purposes. Figure 1 The signaling flow 1200 is described, for example, by using terminal device 110 and network device 120.

[0066] Network device 120 transmits (1210) configuration to terminal device 110. In other words, terminal device 110 receives (1210) configuration from network device 120. This configuration includes a handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for a first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for a second cell. In this case, refer to... Figures 5 to 7 Example embodiments of handover modes are described and omitted here. In some other example embodiments, the handover mode includes a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell. In this case, refer to Figures 8 to 10 An example embodiment of the switching mode was described, but is omitted here. Note that the switching mode can be any other suitable switching mode.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the first cell is the primary cell and the second cell is the secondary cell. In some other example embodiments, the first cell is the secondary cell and the second cell is the primary cell. In some further example embodiments, both the first cell and the second cell are secondary cells.

[0069] Terminal device 110 determines (1220) whether the handover timing for switching from the first cell to the second cell overlaps with the time-domain resources of the reference signal set from the first cell based on the handover mode. In this case, if the handover timing does not overlap with the time-domain resources of the reference signal set from the first cell, terminal device 110 performs (1230) the handover from the first cell to the second cell.

[0070] Alternatively, if the handover timing overlaps with the time-domain resources of the reference signal set from the first cell, the terminal device 110 may skip the handover from the first cell to the second cell. For example, as Figure 13 As shown, since the handover overlaps with the SSB of the first cell 101 in time slot 1310, the terminal device 110 can cancel the handover from the first cell 101 to the second cell 102. In this way, overly frequent handovers between FDD and SDL carriers can be avoided, thereby reducing the cost of interruptions.

[0071] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive a set of reference signals from a first cell. In this case, terminal device 110 may perform measurements based on the set of reference signals. Note that the measurement can be any suitable type of measurement.

[0072] According to the reference Figure 12 and Figure 13 In the described example embodiment, where multiple time periods on the SDL carrier overlap with the SMTC of the FDD cell, the UE can be allowed to skip multiple handovers toward the SDL carrier. In this way, it can be guaranteed that measurements of the FDD serving cell will not cause scheduling gaps on the SDL carrier, since the pattern is known to both the UE and the gNB.

[0073] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1400 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 1400 can be implemented in... Figure 1 The terminal devices are implemented in 110 locations.

[0074] At box 1410, the first device receives a configuration from the second device, the configuration including a handover mode for switching between the first cell and the second cell. The handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for the first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for the second cell.

[0075] At frame 1420, the first device receives a set of reference signals from a first cell or a second cell based on the handover mode.

[0076] At box 1430, the first device performs the measurement based on a set of reference signals.

[0077] In some example embodiments, method 1400 further includes receiving a set of reference signals from a first cell during a first active transmission or reception period.

[0078] In some example embodiments, method 1400 further includes receiving a set of reference signals from a second cell during a second active transmission or reception period.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the configuration includes a bitmap for indicating a switching mode, and the bitmap covers a predefined duration.

[0080] In some example embodiments, method 1400 further includes: performing a handover between a first cell and a second cell based on a determined bit value change in a bitmap.

[0081] In some example implementations, the first cell is the primary cell, and the second cell is the secondary cell.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0083] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1500 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 1500 can be implemented in... Figure 1 The network devices are implemented in 120 locations.

[0084] At box 1510, the second device transmits a configuration to the first device, which includes a handover mode for switching between the first cell and the second cell. The handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for the first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for the second cell.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the configuration includes a bitmap for indicating a switching mode, and the bitmap covers a predefined duration.

[0086] In some example implementations, the first cell is the primary cell, and the second cell is the secondary cell.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0088] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1600 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 1600 can be implemented in... Figure 1 The terminal devices are implemented in 110 locations.

[0089] At frame 1610, the first device receives a configuration from the second device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0090] At frame 1620, the first device monitors a set of reference signals from either the first cell or the second cell based on a first handover mode.

[0091] At box 1630, the first device performs the measurement based on a set of reference signals.

[0092] In some example embodiments, method 1600 further includes: applying a first handover mode during the first duration based on determining that the first duration overlaps with time-domain resources for the reference signal set; and monitoring at least one of the following: the reference signal set from the first cell or the second cell during a moment of the first duration, or the reference signal set on the carrier frequency of the first cell or the carrier frequency of the second cell during a moment of the first duration.

[0093] In some example embodiments, method 1600 further includes: monitoring the reference signal set based on the first switching mode during the first duration based on determining that a first duration configured for applying the first switching mode overlaps with temporal resources for the reference signal set.

[0094] In some example embodiments, method 1600 further includes: activating the first cell or the second cell within a time period of the first duration.

[0095] In some example embodiments, no handover between the first cell and the second cell occurs within a certain time period of the first duration.

[0096] In some example embodiments, method 1600 further includes: applying the second switching mode during the second duration based on determining that the second duration configured for applying the second switching mode does not overlap with the time-domain resources for the reference signal set.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the maximum interval between consecutive time slots for the first cell does not exceed a predetermined interval.

[0098] In some example embodiments, one or more handovers between the first cell and the second cell occur within a timeframe of a second duration.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the period of the reference signal set or a multiple of the period.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than the time interval threshold.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0102] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1700 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 1700 can be implemented in... Figure 1 The network devices are implemented in 120 locations.

[0103] At frame 1710, the second device transmits a configuration to the first device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the period of the reference signal set or a multiple of the period.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than the time interval threshold.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0107] Figure 18 A flowchart of an example method 1800 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 1800 can be implemented in... Figure 1 The terminal devices are implemented in 110 locations.

[0108] At frame 1810, the first device receives a configuration from the second device, the configuration including a handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0109] At box 1820, the first device determines, based on the handover mode, whether the handover timing for switching from the first cell to the second cell overlaps with time-domain resources for the set of reference signals from the first cell.

[0110] At frame 1830, based on the fact that the determined handover timing does not overlap with the time-domain resources for the reference signal set from the first cell, the first device performs a handover from the first cell to the second cell.

[0111] In some example embodiments, method 1800 further includes: skipping the handover from the first cell to the second cell based on the overlap of the determined handover timing with time-domain resources for a set of reference signals from the first cell.

[0112] In some example embodiments, method 1800 further includes: receiving a set of reference signals from a first cell; and performing a measurement based on the set of reference signals.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first cell is the primary cell and the second cell is the secondary cell, or the first cell is the secondary cell and the second cell is the primary cell, or both the first cell and the second cell are secondary cells.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for a first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for a second cell.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the handover mode includes a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0117] Figure 19 A flowchart of an example method 1900 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 1900 can be implemented in... Figure 1 The network devices are implemented in 120 locations.

[0118] At frame 1910, the second device transmits a configuration from the second device, which includes a handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first cell is the primary cell and the second cell is the secondary cell, or the first cell is the secondary cell and the second cell is the primary cell, or both the first cell and the second cell are secondary cells.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for a first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for a second cell.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the handover mode includes a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0123] In some example embodiments, a first means capable of performing any of the methods in method 1400 (e.g., Figure 1 The terminal device 110 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1400. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In terminal device 110.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: components for receiving a configuration from a second device, the configuration including a handover mode for switching between a first cell and a second cell, wherein the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for the first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for the second cell; components for receiving a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the handover mode; and components for performing measurements based on the set of reference signals.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for receiving a set of reference signals from the first cell during a first active transmission or reception period.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for receiving a set of reference signals from the second cell during a second active transmission or reception period.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the configuration includes a bitmap for indicating a switching mode, and the bitmap covers a predefined duration.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for performing a handover between a first cell and a second cell based on a determined bit value change in a bitmap.

[0129] In some example implementations, the first cell is the primary cell, and the second cell is the secondary cell.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0131] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing any of the methods in method 1500 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 120 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1500. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 120.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for transmitting a configuration to the first device, the configuration including a handover mode for switching between a first cell and a second cell, wherein the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for the first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for the second cell.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the configuration includes a bitmap for indicating a switching mode, and the bitmap covers a predefined duration.

[0134] In some example implementations, the first cell is the primary cell, and the second cell is the secondary cell.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0136] In some example embodiments, a first means capable of performing any of the methods in method 1600 (e.g., Figure 1 The terminal device 110 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1600. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in the terminal device 110.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the first device includes components for receiving configuration from the second device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; components for monitoring a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first handover mode; and components for performing measurements based on the set of reference signals.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes: components for applying a first handover mode during the first duration based on determining that the first duration overlaps with time-domain resources for a set of reference signals; and components for monitoring at least one of the following: a set of reference signals from a first cell or a second cell during a period of the first duration, or a set of reference signals on a carrier frequency of the first cell or a carrier frequency of the second cell during a period of the first duration.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for monitoring the reference signal set based on the first switching mode during the first duration based on determining that a first duration configured to apply the first switching mode overlaps with time-domain resources for the reference signal set.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for activating the first cell or the second cell within a time period of the first duration.

[0141] In some example embodiments, no handover between the first cell and the second cell occurs within a certain time period of the first duration.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for applying the second switching mode during the second duration based on determining that the second duration configured for applying the second switching mode does not overlap with time-domain resources for the reference signal set.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the maximum interval between consecutive time slots for the first cell does not exceed a predetermined interval.

[0144] In some example embodiments, one or more handovers between the first cell and the second cell occur within a timeframe of a second duration.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the period of the reference signal set or a multiple of the period.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than the time interval threshold.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0148] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing any of the methods in method 1700 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 120 in the process may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1700. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 120.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the second device includes components for transmitting configuration to the first device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the period of the reference signal set or a multiple of the period.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than the time interval threshold.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

[0153] In some example embodiments, a first means capable of performing any of the methods in method 1800 (e.g., Figure 1 The terminal device 110 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1800. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In terminal device 110.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: components for receiving a configuration from the second device, the configuration including a handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell; components for determining, based on the handover mode, whether the handover timing for handover from the first cell to the second cell overlaps with time-domain resources for a set of reference signals from the first cell; and components for performing a handover from the first cell to the second cell based on the determination that the handover timing does not overlap with time-domain resources for the set of reference signals from the first cell.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes a component for skipping the handover from the first cell to the second cell based on the determination of the handover timing overlapping with time-domain resources for a set of reference signals from the first cell.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes: components for receiving a set of reference signals from a first cell; and components for performing measurements based on the set of reference signals.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first cell is the primary cell and the second cell is the secondary cell, or the first cell is the secondary cell and the second cell is the primary cell, or both the first cell and the second cell are secondary cells.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for a first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for a second cell.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the handover mode includes a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0161] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing any of the methods in method 1900 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 120 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1900. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 120.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the second device includes a component for receiving a configuration from the second device, the configuration including a handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the first cell is the primary cell and the second cell is the secondary cell, or the first cell is the secondary cell and the second cell is the primary cell, or both the first cell and the second cell are secondary cells.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the handover mode indicates a first active transmission or reception period for a first cell and a second active transmission or reception period for a second cell.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the handover mode includes a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0167] Figure 20 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 2000 suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 2000 can be provided to implement electronic devices, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 110 or network device 112 shown. As shown, device 2000 includes one or more processors 2010, one or more memories 2020 coupled to processor 2010, and one or more communication modules 2040 coupled to processor 2010.

[0168] Communication module 2040 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 2040 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 2040 may include at least one antenna.

[0169] As a non-limiting example, processor 2010 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 2000 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0170] Memory 2020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 2024, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, miniature optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 2022 and other volatile memories that will not be maintained during power outages.

[0171] Computer program 2030 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 2010. The instructions of program 2030 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 2030 may be stored in memory, such as ROM 2024. Processor 2010 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 2030 into RAM 2022.

[0172] Example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 2030, so that device 2000 can perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 19 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0173] In some example embodiments, program 2030 may be tangibly included in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 2000 (such as in memory 2020) or other storage device accessible to device 2000. Device 2000 may load program 2030 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 2022 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" refers to a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile) rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0174] Figure 21 An example of a computer-readable medium 2100 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The computer-readable medium 2100 stores a program 2030 thereon.

[0175] In general, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof, as examples of non-limiting examples.

[0176] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. The functionality of the program module can be combined or split as needed among program modules in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program module can be located in local or remote storage media.

[0177] Program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0178] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried on any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0179] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0180] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that they be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or that all the operations shown be performed in order to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processes can be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, they should not be considered as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to certain embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0181] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

[0182] Furthermore, the various implementations of this disclosure can be described with reference to the following terms, and their features can be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0183] Clause 1. A first means 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 first means to: receive a configuration from a second means, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; monitor a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first handover mode; and perform a measurement based on the set of reference signals.

[0184] Clause 2. The first apparatus according to Clause 1, wherein the first apparatus is configured to: apply the first handover mode during the first duration based on determining that a first duration configured to apply the first handover mode overlaps with time-domain resources for the reference signal set; and monitor at least one of the following: the reference signal set from the first cell or the second cell during a period of the first duration, and the reference signal set used on the carrier frequency of the first cell or the carrier frequency of the second cell during a period of the first duration.

[0185] Clause 3. The first apparatus according to Clause 1, wherein the first apparatus is configured to: monitor the reference signal set based on the first switching mode during the first duration based on determining that a first duration configured to apply the first switching mode overlaps with time-domain resources for the reference signal set.

[0186] Clause 4. The first device according to Clause 2, wherein the first device is configured to: activate the first cell or the second cell during a period of the first duration.

[0187] Clause 5. The first device according to Clause 2, wherein no handover between the first cell and the second cell occurs during a period of the first duration.

[0188] Clause 6. The first device according to Clause 5, wherein the maximum interval between consecutive time slots for the first cell does not exceed a predetermined interval.

[0189] Clause 7. The first device according to Clause 5, wherein one or more handovers between the first cell and the second cell occur within a period of time of a second duration.

[0190] Clause 8. The first apparatus according to Clause 1, wherein the first apparatus is configured to apply the second switching mode during the second duration based on determining that the second duration configured to apply the second switching mode does not overlap with time-domain resources for the reference signal set.

[0191] Clause 9. The first apparatus according to any one of Clauses 1-8, wherein the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the periodicity of the reference signal set or a multiple of the periodicity.

[0192] Clause 10. The first device according to Clause 9, wherein the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than a time interval threshold.

[0193] Clause 11. A second means for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second means to: transmit a configuration to a first means, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

[0194] Clause 12. The second apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the periodicity of the reference signal set or a multiple of the periodicity.

[0195] Clause 13. The second device according to Clause 12, wherein the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than a time interval threshold.

[0196] Clause 14. A method for communication, comprising: receiving configuration at a first device from a second device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; monitoring a set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell based on the first handover mode; and performing a measurement based on the set of reference signals.

[0197] Clause 15. A method for communication, comprising: transmitting configuration from a second device to a first device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: The configuration is received from the second device, the configuration including a first handover mode for handover between a first cell and a second cell and a second handover mode for handover between the first cell and the second cell; Based on the first handover mode, monitor the reference signal set from the first cell or the second cell; as well as Measurements are performed based on the reference signal set.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: Based on the determination that a first duration configured for applying the first switching mode overlaps with time-domain resources for the reference signal set, the first switching mode is applied within the first duration; and Monitor at least one of the following: The set of reference signals from the first cell or the second cell within a certain time period of the first duration. The set of reference signals used on the carrier frequency of the first cell or on the carrier frequency of the second cell during a certain period of the first duration.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: Based on the determination that a first duration configured to apply the first switching mode overlaps with time-domain resources for the reference signal set, the reference signal set is monitored based on the first switching mode during the first duration.

4. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the first device is configured to: Activate the first cell or the second cell within a certain timeframe of the first duration.

5. The first apparatus of claim 2, wherein no handover between the first cell and the second cell occurs during a period of the first duration.

6. The first apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the maximum interval between consecutive time slots for the first cell does not exceed a predetermined interval.

7. The first apparatus of claim 5, wherein one or more handovers between the first cell and the second cell occur within a period of time of a second duration.

8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: The second switching mode is applied during the second duration based on the determination that the second duration configured for applying the second switching mode does not overlap with the time-domain resources for the reference signal set.

9. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the sum of the first duration for applying the first switching mode and the second duration for applying the second switching mode is equal to the periodicity of the reference signal set or a multiple of the periodicity.

10. The first device according to claim 9, wherein the sum of the first duration and the second duration is not longer than a time interval threshold.

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