Measurements on secondary cells

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to measurements on carrier aggregation (CA) cells. A first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, a request to perform measurements on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving the first apparatus. The request is included in downlink control information. The first apparatus in turn provides, to the second apparatus, an indication indicating whether a measurement result satisfies at least one condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The various exemplary embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more particularly to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for measuring carrier aggregation (CA) cells. Background Technology

[0002] The Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) is a crucial component of the 5G New Radio (NR) standard for wireless communication. It plays a vital role in synchronizing User Equipment (UE) with the 5G network and enabling efficient cell search and initial access. The SSB can be a periodically normally open signal. However, this is detrimental to network energy efficiency in NR. Summary of the Invention

[0003] 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 at least: receive from a second apparatus a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving the first apparatus; and provide the second apparatus with an indication indicating whether the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition, wherein the request is included in downlink control information.

[0004] 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 at least: transmit to a first apparatus a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving the first apparatus; receive from the first apparatus an indication that the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition; and, based on the indication, determine whether to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell, wherein the request is included in downlink control information.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving from a second device a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving a first device; and providing the second device with an indication indicating whether the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition, wherein the request is included in downlink control information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting to a first device a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving the first device; receiving from the first device an indication that the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition; and, based on the indication, determining whether to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell, wherein the request is included in downlink control information.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for receiving from a second apparatus a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving the first apparatus; and components for providing the second apparatus with an indication indicating whether the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition, wherein the request is included in downlink control information.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: components for transmitting to a first apparatus a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from a first cell serving the first apparatus; components for receiving from the first apparatus an indication of whether the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition; and components for determining, based on the indication, whether to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell, wherein the request is included in downlink control information.

[0009] 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 aspect.

[0010] In an eighth 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 the fourth aspect.

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

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments can now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown; Figure 2 Signaling flows for CA secondary cell (SCell) measurements are shown according to some example embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a CA SCell measurement process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 4 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 5 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

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

[0014] The principles of this disclosure can now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments 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 meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0016] In this disclosure, references to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such expressions do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether explicitly described or not, those skilled in the art can implement that feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0017] It is understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., placed before nouns, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another and 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 and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0018] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ”, “at least one of ”, and similar expressions (where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) mean at least one element, at least two or more elements, or all elements.

[0019] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing a step in response to A does not mean that the step is performed immediately after A occurs, and may include one or more intermediate 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 intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” specify the presence of these features, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude 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, more, or all of the following: (a) Implemented solely in hardware circuitry (e.g., implemented only in analog and / or digital circuitry); and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware; and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor (including (a plurality of) digital signal processors), software, and (a plurality of) memories that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) Multiple hardware circuits and / or multiple processors, such as multiple microprocessors or a portion thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) to function, but which may be absent if no software is required for operation.

[0022] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only hardware circuitry or processors (or processors), a portion of hardware circuitry or processors, and an implementation thereof with accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also covers, for example, and where applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[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, 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), 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 communication technologies, future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to implement this disclosure are also possible. 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 communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology employed, network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), relay, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, low-power node (e.g., femtonode or piconode), non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment (e.g., satellite network equipment), low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, aircraft network equipment, 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 host node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that appears as a UE to the parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node appears as a base station to the next-hop IAB node.

[0025] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (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 equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment," "communication equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[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, such as resources used for communication between terminal devices and network devices, such as time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, spatial-domain resources, code-domain resources, or any other combination of time-domain, frequency-domain, spatial-domain, and / or code-domain resources capable of enabling communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in the frequency and time domains may be used as examples of transmission resources to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0027] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices, including a first device 110 and a second device 120, can communicate with each other.

[0028] The first device 110 may be located in one or more cells managed by the second device 120 and / or other devices. In the communication environment 100, the second device 120 may transmit data and control information with the first device 110 in one or more cells (e.g., cell 101 and cell 102).

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the second device 120 has CA capability and can transmit and receive via cells 101 and 102. One of cells 101 and 102 can be a primary cell (PCell), and the other can be an SCell. In this example environment 100, it is assumed that cell 101 is a PCell and cell 102 is an SCell. It should be understood that this is merely an example and does not imply any limitation. In some other embodiments, there may be more SCells, and the cell may be a PCell.

[0030] Referring again to example environment 100, PCell 101 is a cell operating on the primary frequency band. Terminal equipment (e.g., first device 110) can perform an initial connection establishment procedure or initiate a connection re-establishment procedure in the PCell. Once the terminal equipment is in Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state, one or more SCells can be configured for it. SCell 102 operates on a secondary frequency band and is configured to provide additional radio resources.

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

[0032] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0033] In the following description, for illustrative purposes, some example embodiments are described where the first device 110 operates as a terminal device and the second device 120 operates as a network device. 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.

[0034] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can employ 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 Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0035] Interband CA using SCell operation with synchronization signal block (SSB) has been studied. However, the focus has been limited to frequency range (FR) 1 and co-located interband CA, and non-co-located interband CA or FR1-FR2 band combination scenarios have not yet been studied.

[0036] As briefly mentioned above, the combination of CA or FR1-FR2 frequency bands in non-co-located bands requires further research.

[0037] First, it is expected that procedures and signaling methods will be specified for on-demand SSB SCell operations for UEs in connection modes configured with CA, supporting both in-band CA and inter-band CA. For example, multiple triggering methods will be specified (selected from UE uplink wake-up signals using existing signals / channels, cell enable / disable indications via backhaul, and SCell activation / deactivation signaling). It should be noted that UEs can use on-demand SSB transmissions to at least perform SCell time / frequency synchronization, Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 3 (L3) measurements, and SCell activation, and support on-demand SSB transmissions for FR1 and FR2 in non-shared spectrum.

[0038] Secondly, it is expected that the process and signaling methods for supporting the on-demand system information block 1 (SIB1) for idle / inactive mode UEs will be studied, including: a method of triggering by using an uplink wake-up signal of an existing signal / channel; providing the wake-up signal configuration to the UE; and, where necessary, exchanging information between gNBs at least for the wake-up signal configuration.

[0039] Third, it is expected that adaptations for common signal / channel transmissions will be specified, such as time-domain adaptations for SSBs (e.g., adjusting periodicity), time-domain adaptations for Physical Random Access Channels (PRACH), spatial adaptations for PRACHs (e.g., each SSB using non-uniform PRACH resources, and specifying this where it proves beneficial), and adaptations for paging timing (including restricting paging timings to the time domain).

[0040] Fourth, it is expected that the corresponding core requirements for the above features will be specified.

[0041] Generally, it should be understood that the aforementioned first objective covers not only on-demand SSB operation in SCell scenarios without SSB, but also on-demand SSB operation for SCells where on-demand operation without SSB is not feasible. Furthermore, utilizing "on-demand SSB" SCell operation, "on-demand SSB" transmission can technically be triggered by either the network (NW) or the UE. For on-demand SSB transmission in SCell operation, the time-domain SSB pattern can be further adapted as described in the aforementioned third objective. This can further reduce network power consumption by giving the gNB more opportunities to use deeper sleep modes, while also enabling SCells with on-demand SSB transmission to activate more quickly when the SCell is in a deeper sleep mode.

[0042] Typically, RRC_CONNECTED UEs with CA require cell detection and corresponding measurements to be performed before data transmission on the CA SCell, namely Automatic Gain Control (AGC) tuning, time / frequency synchronization, and Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurement. For R15 / 16 CA operation, measurements are based on SSB signal transmission on the SCell; R17 CA further enhances the SCell activation process to reduce its latency, where AGC and time / frequency (T / F) synchronization measurements can be based on a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) burst transmission triggered by NW with an SCell activation command. However, cell detection measurements still need to be performed based on the traditional periodic SSB signal on the SCell.

[0043] Furthermore, for CA operations utilizing SSB-free SCells, SSB signal transmission on the CA SCell is minimized for network energy-saving purposes. RRC_CONNECTED CA UEs rely on SSB measurements from the PCell or reference cell to obtain cell detection and corresponding measurements for AGC tuning and T / F synchronization. In practice, this SSB-free SCell operation works well in in-band continuous CA scenarios because in-band CA assumes co-location deployment, thus assuming that the channel characteristics between consecutive in-band carriers are very similar or even identical, and that the timing and AGC derived from SSB-based measurements in the PCell / reference cell are directly applicable to SSB-free SCells.

[0044] In the existing design, an activation delay requirement is defined for SCells without in-band SSBs. As described below, since the UE assumes that the SCell and PCell have the same timing, beam information, and channel propagation conditions, it only takes 3ms to activate an in-band SCell without an SSB. Therefore, no dedicated activation step is required for the SCell. The UE relies entirely on the network using the exact same configuration and timing. Thus, the UE will begin using the SCell. However, this requirement is defined under the condition that a series of additional conditions are met, including the Receive Time Difference (RTD) on the UE side, the power difference on the UE side, and the Quasi-Co-location (QCL) state. Taking RTD as an example, the receive time difference between the serving cell (e.g., PCell) and the SCell to be activated needs to be within 260ns (as observed by the UE). The current 260ns Maximum Receive Time Difference (MRTD) requirement is based on in-band continuous CA, where MRTD is based on the 260ns network phase synchronization requirement and assumes that the PL delay difference between the PCell and the SCell to be activated is negligible (zero).

[0045] The rule states that if the SCell to be activated belongs to FR1, and there is at least one active serving cell adjacent to the SCell in the FR1 band, and the UE is not provided with the SSB configuration (absoluteFrequencySSB) or SMTC configuration for the target SCell, then for UEs supporting scellWithoutSSB, the Tactivation_time is 3ms, but the following additional conditions must be met: The RTD between the target SCell and neighboring active serving cells is within ±260 ns; and The received power difference between the target SCell and its neighboring active serving cells is <= 6 dB; and The RS(s) of the SCell to be activated have a QCL-Type A relationship with the TRS(s) of the SCell to be activated, and the TRS(s) of the SCell to be activated further have a QCL-Type C relationship with the SSB(s) of any active serving cell adjacent to the SCell to be activated on the FR1 band.

[0046] However, for RRC-connected UEs using inter-band CA, this SSB-free SCell operation can present problems, such as when inter-band CA carriers are co-located or non-co-located, or when intra-band discontinuous CA is used. In these scenarios, the channel characteristics (i.e., path loss (PL) delay, reflection, and PL loss) measured in the PCell or reference cell band can no longer be assumed to be the same and may differ significantly from the channel characteristics of other CA bands. In this case, it cannot be assumed that SSB-based measurements performed by RRC-connected CAUEs in the PCell / reference cell are directly applicable to other SCells / carriers. Therefore, certain signals (i.e., SSB or ATRS) need to be transmitted on the SCell to assist the UE in performing measurements such as cell detection, AGC tuning, T / F synchronization, and L1-RSRP on the SCell.

[0047] In practice, if the network decides to enter a network power-saving mode, it can freely configure CA SCells, even SSB-free SCells. However, when operating with SSB-free SCells, especially in co-located inter-band CA and intra-band discontinuous CA scenarios, neither the network nor the UE can know in advance whether measurements from the PCell / reference cell are applicable to the configured SSB-free SCell, unless the UE can perform some measurement evaluation or verification based on signal transmissions in the SSB-free SCell. This measurement evaluation or verification may involve whether the aforementioned additional conditions are met.

[0048] In practice, this verification signal in the SCell can be based on a traditional SSB configured by the NW with always-on periodic transmission. However, from an NW energy-saving perspective, this approach is not very energy-efficient. A better alternative for achieving network energy saving is to operate the SCell in an SSB-free mode with network-triggered on-demand SSB transmission whenever the NW requires the UE to perform this measurement assessment or verification in an SSB-free SCell operation.

[0049] In traditional LTE / NR networks, a network pooling mechanism based on PDCCH commands is defined. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) command was initially a mechanism where the gNB "forces" the UE to initiate PRACH. In fact, one of the most important purposes of RACH is to synchronize the UE with the network and establish an initial connection channel. In most cases, the decision to initiate (trigger) PRACH is made by the UE. However, in some situations, the network (eNB) needs to "force" the UE to initiate RACH, in which case PDCCH commands (PDCCH Orders) are used.

[0050] For the PDCCH command in NR, the downlink control information (DCI) format 1_0 is specified. The details of the corresponding DCI field are described below, in which the network can “force” the UE to perform a random access procedure with PRACH transmission on the indicated SSB beam and / or UL / SUL carrier.

[0051] DCI format 1_0 is used for scheduling PDSCH in a downlink (DL) cell. The following information is transmitted via DCI format 1_0 scrambled with CRC by the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI), Configuration Scheduling RNTI (CS-RNTI), or Modulation Coding Scheme Cell RNTI (MCS-C-RNTI): DCI format identifier – 1 bit; The value of this bit field is always set to 1 to indicate DL DCI format; Frequency domain resource allocation — bits, where the The following are given: 1) the size of CORESET 0 if CORESET 0 is configured for the cell; and 2) the size of the initial DL bandwidth portion if CORESET 0 is not configured for the cell.

[0052] If the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of DCI format 1_0 is scrambled by C-RNTI and all fields in the "Frequency Domain Resource Allocation" field are 1, then DCI format 1_0 is used for random access procedures initiated by PDCCH commands, and all remaining fields are set as follows: The random access preamble index is 6 bits, which is determined according to the ra-PreambleIndex.

[0053] UL / Supplementary Uplink (SUL) Indicator – 1 bit. If the value of the Random Access Preamble Index is not all zero and supplementaryUplink is configured for the UE in the ServingCellConfig of the cell, this field indicates on which UL carrier in the cell the PRACH is transmitted; otherwise, this field is reserved.

[0054] Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel (SS / PBCH) Index – 6 bits. If the value of the "Random Access Preamble Index" is not all zeros, this field indicates the SS / PBCH applied to determine the timing of the RACH transmission; otherwise, this field is reserved.

[0055] PRACH Mask Index – 4 bits. If the value of the “Random Access Preamble Index” is not all zeros, this field indicates the RACH timing associated with the SS / PBCH indicated by the “SS / PBCH Index” for PRACH transmission; otherwise, this field is reserved.

[0056] Reserved bits – 12 bits when operating in a cell with shared spectrum channel access in frequency range 1, or when monitoring the DCI format in the common search space to operate in a cell in frequency range 2-2; otherwise, 10 bits.

[0057] In addition, details of RACH based on PDCCH commands in NR are provided below. The random access procedure is initiated by a PDCCH command, the MAC entity itself, or the RRC in response to a predetermined event. At any given time, only one random access procedure is in progress within a Media Access Control (MAC) entity. Random access procedures on mobility (LTM) candidate cells triggered by a SCell, Layer 1, or Layer 2 (L1 / L2) should be initiated only by a PDCCH command whose ra-PreambleIndex is not equal to 0b000000.

[0058] It should be noted that if a new random access procedure is triggered while another random access procedure is already in progress in the MAC entity, the UE implementation decides whether to continue the ongoing procedure or start the new procedure (e.g., for SI requests). Furthermore, if an ongoing random access procedure is triggered by a PDCCH command, and the UE receives another PDCCH command indicating the same random access preamble, PRACH mask index, and uplink carrier, then the ongoing random access procedure is considered identical to the one in progress and will not be reinitialized.

[0059] According to some example embodiments of this disclosure, a solution for UE measurements in a CA SCell is provided. To identify whether additional conditions (e.g., whether timing from the PCell / reference cell is applicable to the configured SSB-free SCell) are met, particularly in co-located inter-band CA and intra-band discontinuous CA scenarios, the NW can request the UE to perform such measurement evaluation or verification in SSB-free SCell operation in a more network-efficient manner before SCellConfig configuration. This can help the network determine whether SSB-free operation can be configured on the SCell. Several solutions for triggering such measurements based on the PDCCH command mechanism are proposed and described in detail below.

[0060] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] Figure 2 Signaling flow 200 for UE measurements on a CA SCell is shown according to some example embodiments of this disclosure. Reference will be made to this document for discussion purposes. Figure 1 Signaling flow 200 is discussed. This signaling flow relates to a first device 110 and a second device 120. For illustrative purposes, some example embodiments may be described where the first device 110 operates as a terminal device (e.g., a UE) and the second device 120 operates as a network device (e.g., a gNB).

[0062] In signaling stream 200, the second device 120 transmits a (215) request to the first device 110. This request is intended to trigger the first device 110 to perform measurements on a second cell. The second cell is different from the first cell serving the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the first cell may be a PCell (e.g., cell 101), and the second cell may be an SCell (e.g., cell 102). In this case, the second device 120 may send a request to the first device 110 on the PCell and may request the first device 110 to perform evaluation / verification measurements in an SCell (e.g., the second cell) where SSB-free operation is expected.

[0063] The request can be included in the downlink control information (DCI). In some example embodiments, the DCI may include a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) command. Specifically, the DCI format of the "PDCCH command" may be based on DCI format 1_0. In this case, the request may also be referred to as a PDCCH command or a PDCCH command instruction.

[0064] The request can have various structures. In some example embodiments, the request may include an uplink (UL) / supplementary uplink (SUL) field. The UL field or SUL field may correspond to a second cell on which the first device intends to perform measurements. In this case, the SCell intended for UE measurements to operate without SSB is indicated by the existing UL / SUL indicator field in DCI format 1_0.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally, the request may include an SSB index field. The SSB index field may correspond to an SSB beam in a second cell on which the first device intends to perform measurements. The second device 120 may utilize the SSB index field to request the first device 110 to perform measurements only on the indicated SSB beam. If the field is not present, the first device 110 may need to default to performing measurements on all SSB beams.

[0066] In some other example embodiments, the request may also include a field dedicated to instructing the performance of measurements. Using a new bit field indicating the purpose of the PDCCH command, the DCI can instruct the first device 110 to perform evaluation and verification measurements in an SCell (i.e., the second cell) intended for SSB-free operation.

[0067] The request may include various indications or information. In some example embodiments, the request may include, for example, but not limited to: an indication of whether a measurement should be performed, an indication of the beam to be performed, an indication of the type of measurement, an indication of the signal to be measured, and / or an indication of the time period for providing the indication, etc.

[0068] Additionally, the second device 120 can transmit (205) configuration information to the first device 110. The configuration information may indicate, for example, but not limited to: a beam list (where at least one beam is indicated / requested for measurement), a measurement type list (where at least one measurement is indicated / requested for execution), a signal list (where at least one signal is indicated / requested for measurement), a list of time periods for providing the indication, and / or a list of conditions associated with the measurement, etc. For example, the configuration information may be transmitted via system information.

[0069] In this scenario, if the network configuration's authentication signal list is included in the System Information Broadcast (SIB), the second device 120 can indicate the index or entry in the network configuration's authentication signal list (i.e., the type of authentication signal (SSB or CSI-RS), periodicity, duration, start offset, etc.) in the request. In other words, if a UE measurement type list is configured in the SIB, the second device 120 can indicate the expected type of UE feedback and / or measurement in the request.

[0070] In some example embodiments, configuration information may be included in system information or in radio resource control (RRC) messages received on the first cell.

[0071] The first device 110 may receive (210) configuration information. Therefore, the first device 110 may know the configured beams and / or signals that may be measured, the possible measurement types, the possible time periods for providing the indication, the conditions associated with the measurement, etc. In some example embodiments, the request received by the first device 110 (220) may indicate, for example, which of the configured beams to measure, which of the signals to measure, which of the measurement types to use, which of the time periods to use, and / or which of the conditions to apply.

[0072] like Figure 2 As shown, the first device 110 receives (220) a request and performs a measurement accordingly. The first device 110 then provides (225) an indication (also known as UE feedback) to the second device 120. This indication indicates whether the measurement result satisfies at least one predetermined condition (also referred to as an “additional condition” in some example embodiments). This indication can be explicit “yes” or “no”, or implicit “no” (which can correspond to not transmitting an indication if at least one condition is not met). The message carrying this indication may also additionally or alternatively include any (or more) results of at least one measurement. The at least one condition may include, for example, but not limited to: whether the signal reception time difference (RTD) between the PCell and SCell is within the cyclic prefix (CP), and / or whether the received power level per resource element (EPRE) of the SCell is within a threshold range relative to a reference cell (e.g., the PCell), as described above in conjunction with the additional condition.

[0073] In some example embodiments, upon receiving a PDCCH command of DCI format 1_0 from the second device 120, the first device 110 may perform a measurement of the configured verification signal in a SCell intended to operate without SSB, based on the PDCCH command of DCI format 1_0. The first device 110 may then evaluate whether at least one given condition is met based on the measurement result of the configured verification signal, and may trigger feedback of the measurement result to the second device 120 in response to the PDCCH command.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the indication may be transmitted in a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message (225). Alternatively, the indication may be transmitted in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (225). Alternatively, the indication may be transmitted in a Layer 1 signal or in a message carried on a Layer 1 uplink control channel or uplink data channel (225). For example, the Layer 1 signal may be a PRACH. In this case, UE feedback may be based on a PRACH signal indicating to the second device 120 "yes" (at least one condition is met) or "no" (at least one condition is not met). Alternatively, an implicit "no" may be considered. More specifically, if the first device 110 does not provide PRACH feedback before a timer (e.g., T) expires, the second device 120 may consider it "no" (at least one condition is not met). The timer T may be pre-configured to the first device 110 or indicated via a PDCCH command.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the indication may be transmitted within a time period after the request is received, for which the indication is provided. This time period may be predetermined or may be obtained from the request or configuration information. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit the measurement results to the second device via pre-configured resources, Media Access Control (MAC) commands, or Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

[0076] Specifically, the indication (possibly carrying measurement result reports) is transmitted via some L1 resources, L2 MAC commands, or L3 reports. To carry this indication, multiple PUCCH / PUSCH resources can be configured in the serving cell (PCell). The first device 110 is able to transmit the indication in response to a PDCCH command trigger within a certain time period. This is defined as the measurement reporting delay triggered by the PDCCH command, i.e., the time between the PDCCH command and the moment the first device 110 begins transmitting the indication via the air interface. This PUCCH / PUSCH transmission triggered by the PDCCH command can employ fixed timing, i.e., timer-based or configured timing-based PUCCH / PUSCH transmission.

[0077] In some other example embodiments, the time period may be based on the type of measurement to be performed. Alternatively or additionally, the time period may be based on the processing time for processing downlink control information and / or the measurement time for performing the measurement and evaluating the measurement results. That is, the reporting delay may be determined based on at least the following: 1) the processing time for processing PDCCH commands, such as a defined fixed timing; and / or 2) the measurement / evaluation time for determining whether at least one condition is met.

[0078] When defining the measurement period, two scenarios need to be considered. In the first scenario (Scenario 1), if neighboring cell measurements on the SCell have already been configured for the first device 110, then the first device 110 has detected the SCell and can perform measurements quickly after receiving the PDCCH command (i.e., request). The measurement period can be defined as the time required to measure, for example, RTD. This time is determined based on the number of measurement samples, measurement timing (e.g., SMTC), verification signal periodicity, discontinuous reception (DRX) period, etc.

[0079] In the second scenario (i.e., scenario 2), if neighboring cell measurements on the SCell have not yet been configured for the first device 110, the first device 110 needs to identify the SCell, which takes longer than in scenario 1 (assuming that verification signaling can also be used for cell identification). The cell identification time needs to be added to the reporting delay.

[0080] The second device 120 receives (230) an instruction from the first device 110 and determines (235) whether to transmit an SCellConfig message and / or a synchronization signal on the second cell. This determination is based on the instruction. In some example embodiments, based on UE feedback using a PDCCH command mechanism, the second device 120 may decide whether to configure an SSB-free SCell for the first device 110 by sending an SCellConfig message. If the instruction indicates that at least one condition is not met, the first device 110 may receive the configuration of the synchronization signal to be transmitted on the second cell.

[0081] Specifically, if the instruction (230) received from the first device 110 indicates that the measurement result does not meet at least one condition, the second device 120 can determine that a synchronization signal needs to be transmitted on the second cell. Then, the second device 120 can determine the configuration of the synchronization signal to be transmitted on the second cell. Subsequently, the second device 120 can transmit the configuration of the synchronization signal on the second cell to the first device 110. On the other hand, if the instruction indicates that the measurement result meets at least one condition, the second device 120 can determine that a synchronization signal does not need to be transmitted on the second cell (in this case, there is no need to transmit the configuration of the synchronization signal).

[0082] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the synchronization signal on the second cell may include, for example, but not limited to, the periodicity of the synchronization signal, the start point of the synchronization signal, the transmission duration of the synchronization signal, and / or the time-frequency resources allocated to the synchronization signal.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may include a terminal device, and the second device 120 may include a network device. The first cell may be a PCell, and the second cell may be a SCell.

[0084] In view of the above, a mechanism for triggering UE measurements in CA SCell based on PDCCH commands is proposed. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a CA SCell measurement process according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Discussing schematic diagram 300. Schematic diagram 300 relates to a first device 110 and a second device 120. For illustrative purposes, some example embodiments may be described where the first device 110 operates as a terminal device (e.g., UE) and the second device 120 operates as a network device (e.g., gNB).

[0085] like Figure 3 As shown, the second device 120 requests or triggers a first device 110 (e.g., an RRC_CONNECTED UE) with CA capability based on a PDCCH command (e.g., a PDCCH command in DCI format 1_0) to perform measurement evaluation or verification before configuring / operating an expected SSB-free SCell. The first device 110 then performs measurements on the configured verification signal (e.g., a TRS in a (multiple) Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) burst) in the expected SSB-free SCell triggered by the PDCCH command. Subsequently, the first device 110 transmits corresponding feedback to the second device 120 to assist the second device 120 in determining whether SSB-free operation can be adopted for the UE on the expected SCell. The second device 120 may determine, based on the feedback from the first device 110, whether to transmit an SCellConfig message and / or a synchronization signal to the first device 110. In one embodiment, the configuration of the synchronization signal is included in the SCellConfig.

[0086] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The angle description method of the first device 110 in the middle is 400.

[0087] At box 410, the first device 110 receives a request from the second device 120 to perform a measurement on a second cell, which is different from the first cell serving the first device 110. This request is included in downlink control information.

[0088] At frame 420, the first device 110 provides the second device 120 with an indication of whether the measurement result meets at least one condition.

[0089] In some example implementations, downlink control information includes physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) commands.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the request includes at least one of the following fields: an uplink (UL) / supplementary uplink (SUL) field corresponding to a second cell on which the first device intends to perform measurements; a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) index field corresponding to an SSB beam in the second cell on which the first device intends to perform measurements; or a field specifically for indicating the execution of measurements.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the request indicates at least one of the following: an indication of whether a measurement should be performed, an indication of the beam on which the measurement is performed, an indication of the type of measurement, an indication of the signal to be measured, or an indication of the time period for which the indication is provided.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may also receive configuration information from the second device, the configuration information indicating at least one of the following: a beam list, wherein at least one beam is indicated to be measured; a measurement type list, wherein at least one measurement type is indicated to be performed; a signal list, wherein at least one signal is indicated to be measured; a time period list for providing the indication; or a list of conditions associated with the measurement.

[0093] In some example embodiments, configuration information is included in system information or in radio resource control (RRC) messages received on the first cell.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the instruction is transmitted in at least one of the following: a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Layer 1 signal, or a message carried in a Layer 1 uplink control channel or uplink data channel.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the indication is transmitted within a time period after the request is received, wherein the time period is predetermined or obtained from the request or configuration information.

[0096] In some example implementations, the time period is based on the type of measurement to be performed.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the time period is based on at least one of the following: processing time for processing downlink control information, and measurement time for performing measurements and evaluating measurement results.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may also transmit measurement results to the second device via pre-configured resources, media access control (MAC) commands, or radio resource control (RRC) messages.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may also receive from the second device a configuration for a synchronization signal to be transmitted on the second cell, the configuration being determined if the indication indicates that the measurement result does not meet at least one condition.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0101] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method of angle description 500.

[0102] At frame 510, the second device 120 transmits a request to the first device 110 to perform a measurement on a second cell, which is different from the first cell serving the first device.

[0103] At frame 520, the second device 120 receives from the first device 110 an indication of whether the measurement result meets at least one condition.

[0104] At box 530, the second device 120 determines whether to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell based on the instruction, wherein the request is included in the downlink control information.

[0105] In some example implementations, downlink control information includes physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) commands.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the request includes at least one of the following fields: an uplink (UL) / supplementary uplink (SUL) field corresponding to a second cell on which the first device intends to perform measurements; a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) index field corresponding to an SSB beam in the second cell on which the first device intends to perform measurements; or a field specifically for indicating the execution of measurements.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the request indicates at least one of the following: an indication of whether a measurement should be performed, an indication of the beam on which the measurement is performed, an indication of the type of measurement, an indication of the signal to be measured, or an indication of the time period for which the indication is provided.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may also transmit configuration information to the first device, the configuration information indicating at least one of the following: a beam list, wherein at least one beam is indicated to be measured; a measurement type list, wherein at least one measurement type is indicated to be performed; a signal list, wherein at least one signal is indicated to be measured; a time period list for providing the indication; or a list of conditions associated with the measurement.

[0109] In some example embodiments, configuration information is included in system information or in radio resource control (RRC) messages received on the first cell.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the instruction is transmitted in at least one of the following: a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Layer 1 signal, or a message carried in a Layer 1 uplink control channel or uplink data channel.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the indication is received within a time period after the transmission request to provide the indication, wherein the time period is predetermined or obtained from the request or configuration information.

[0112] In some example implementations, the time period is based on the type of measurement to be performed.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the time period is based on at least one of the following: processing time for processing downlink control information, or measurement time for performing measurements and evaluating measurement results.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may also receive measurement results from the first device via pre-configured resources, media access control (MAC) commands, or radio resource control (RRC) messages.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may further: determine that a synchronization signal needs to be transmitted on the second cell based on the determination that the indication indicates that the measurement result does not meet at least one condition; determine the configuration of the synchronization signal to be transmitted on the second cell; and transmit the configuration of the synchronization signal on the second cell to the first device.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may also: determine that it is not necessary to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell based on the determination that the indication indicates that the measurement result meets at least one condition.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the synchronization signal on the second cell includes at least one of the following: the periodicity of the synchronization signal, the start point of the synchronization signal, the transmission duration of the synchronization signal, or the time-frequency resources allocated for the synchronization signal.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, and the second device includes a network device.

[0119] In some example embodiments, a first device capable of performing any operation of method 400 (e.g. Figure 1The first device 110 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 400. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented by circuitry or software modules. The first device may be implemented as... Figure 1 The first device 110 may be included in the first device 110.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for receiving from the second device a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; and a component for providing the second device with an indication indicating whether the measurement result meets at least one condition.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes components for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 400 or the first device 110. In some example embodiments, these components include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to perform corresponding operations.

[0122] In some example embodiments, a second device capable of performing any operation of method 500 (e.g. Figure 1 The second device 120 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 500. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented by circuitry or software modules. The second device may be implemented as... Figure 1 The second device 120 may be included in the second device 120.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: components for transmitting to the first device a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; components for receiving from the first device an indication of whether the measurement result satisfies at least one condition; and components for determining, based on the indication, whether to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes components for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 500 or the second device 120. In some example embodiments, these components include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to perform corresponding operations.

[0125] Figure 6 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 600 can be used to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to processor 610.

[0126] Communication module 640 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces for communicating with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communicating with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0127] As a non-limiting example, processor 610 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 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock that synchronizes with the main processor.

[0128] Memory 620 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) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, 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) 622 and other volatile memories that cannot retain data during power loss.

[0129] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 610. The instructions of program 630 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 630 may be stored in memory (e.g., ROM 624). Processor 610 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 622.

[0130] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by program 630, enabling device 600 to execute the reference reference. Figures 2 to 7 Any process described in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented using hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0131] In some example embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 600 (e.g., memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible to device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 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" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0132] Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. A program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium 700.

[0133] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented by hardware, while others can be implemented by firmware or software executable 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 other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0134] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions (e.g., instructions included in a program module) that execute 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 specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute within a local device or a distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0135] The program code used to perform 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 apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code enables 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.

[0136] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0137] 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, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0138] 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 of the shown operations, in order to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the foregoing discussion contains several specific implementation details, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless otherwise expressly stated, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0139] Although this disclosure has been described using 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 for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, 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 at least: A request to perform a measurement is received from a second device on a second cell, which is different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; as well as The second device is provided with an indication of whether the result of the measurement meets at least one predetermined condition.

2. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downlink control information includes physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) commands.

3. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the request includes at least one of the following fields: The Uplink (UL) / Supplemental Uplink (SUL) field corresponds to the second cell on which the first device will perform the measurement. The Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) index field corresponds to the SSB beam in the second cell on which the first device is to perform the measurement, or A field specifically used to indicate the execution of the measurement.

4. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the request indicates at least one of the following: Indicates whether the measurement should be performed. The measurement is performed on the beam to indicate the beam. Indication of the type of measurement, Indication of the signal to be measured, or Indication for the time period used to provide the indication.

5. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first device is made to: Receive configuration information from the second device indicating at least one of the following: A beam list, in which at least one beam is indicated for measurement. A list of measurement types, wherein at least one measurement type is indicated to be performed. A list of signals, in which at least one signal is indicated to be measured. A list of time periods used to provide the indication, or A list of conditions associated with the measurement.

6. The first apparatus of claim 5, wherein the configuration information is included in system information or in a radio resource control (RRC) message received on the first cell.

7. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the instruction is transmitted in at least one of the following: Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, Layer 1 signals or messages carried in the Layer 1 uplink control channel or uplink data channel.

8. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the indication is transmitted during a time period after the request is received, wherein the time period is predetermined or obtained from the request or configuration information.

9. The first apparatus of claim 8, wherein the time period is based on the type of measurement to be performed.

10. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the time period is based on at least one of: processing time for processing downlink control information, or measurement time for performing the measurement and evaluating the result of the measurement.

11. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first device is made to: The measurement results are transmitted to the second device via pre-configured resources, Media Access Control (MAC) commands, or Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

12. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first device is made to: Configuration for receiving a synchronization signal to be transmitted on the second cell from the second device if the indication indicates that the result of the measurement does not meet at least one of the conditions.

13. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first device includes a terminal device and the second device includes a network device.

14. A second device, 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 second device to at least: A request to perform a measurement on a second cell is transmitted to the first device, the second cell being different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; Receive from the first device an indication of whether the result of the measurement meets at least one predetermined condition; as well as Based on the instruction, determine whether to transmit the synchronization signal on the second cell.

15. The second apparatus of claim 14, wherein the downlink control information includes physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) commands.

16. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 15, wherein the request includes at least one of the following fields: The Uplink (UL) / Supplemental Uplink (SUL) field corresponds to the second cell on which the first device will perform the measurement. The Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) index field corresponds to the SSB beam in the second cell on which the first device is to perform the measurement, or A field specifically used to indicate the execution of the measurement.

17. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the request indicates at least one of the following: Indicates whether the measurement should be performed. The measurement is performed on the beam to indicate the beam. Indication of the type of measurement, Indication of the signal to be measured, or Indication for the time period used to provide the indication.

18. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 176, wherein the second device is made to: Transmit configuration information to the first device indicating at least one of the following: A beam list, in which at least one beam is indicated for measurement. A list of measurement types, wherein at least one measurement type is indicated to be performed. A list of signals, in which at least one signal is indicated to be measured. A list of time periods used to provide the indication, or A list of conditions associated with the measurement.

19. The second apparatus of claim 18, wherein the configuration information is included in system information or in a radio resource control (RRC) message received on the first cell.

20. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the instruction is transmitted in at least one of the following: Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) messages, Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or Layer 1 signals or messages carried in the Layer 1 uplink control channel or uplink data channel.

21. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the indication is received during a time period for providing the indication after the transmission of the request, wherein the time period is predetermined or obtained from the request or configuration information.

22. The second apparatus of claim 21, wherein the time period is based on the type of measurement to be performed.

23. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 22, wherein the time period is based on at least one of: processing time for processing downlink control information, or measurement time for performing the measurement and evaluating the result of the measurement.

24. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 23, wherein the second device is made to: The measurement results are received from the first device via pre-configured resources, Media Access Control (MAC) commands, or Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages.

25. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein the second device is made to: Based on the determination that the indication indicates that the measurement result does not meet at least one condition, it is determined that a synchronization signal needs to be transmitted on the second cell; Determine the configuration of the synchronization signal to be transmitted on the second cell; as well as The configuration for transmitting the synchronization signal on the second cell to the first device.

26. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein the second device is made to: Based on the determination that the indication indicates the measurement results meet at least one condition, it is determined that no synchronization signal needs to be transmitted on the second cell.

27. The second apparatus of claim 25, wherein the configuration of the synchronization signal on the second cell includes at least one of the following: The periodicity of the synchronization signal, The starting point of the synchronization signal, The transmission duration of the synchronization signal, or Time and frequency resources allocated for the synchronization signal.

28. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 27, wherein the first apparatus includes a terminal device and the second apparatus includes a network device.

29. A method comprising: The device receives a request to perform a measurement on a second cell, which is different from the first cell serving the first device, and the request is included in downlink control information. as well as The second device is provided with an indication of whether the result of the measurement meets at least one predetermined condition.

30. A method comprising: A request to perform a measurement on a second cell is transmitted to the first device, the second cell being different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; Receive from the first device an indication of whether the result of the measurement meets at least one predetermined condition; as well as Based on the instruction, determine whether to transmit the synchronization signal on the second cell.

31. A first device, comprising: A component for receiving a request from a second device to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; as well as A component for providing the second device with an indication of whether the result of the measurement meets at least one predetermined condition.

32. A second device, comprising: A component for transmitting a request to the first device to perform a measurement on a second cell, the second cell being different from the first cell serving the first device, wherein the request is included in downlink control information; A component for receiving from the first device an indication of whether the result of the measurement meets at least one predetermined condition; as well as A component for determining whether to transmit a synchronization signal on the second cell based on the indication.

33. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause a device to perform at least the method of claim 29 or the method of claim 30.

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