Devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for transmission configuration indicator state activation

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for a terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal

Description

[001] Various example embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation. BACKGROUND

[002] Layer 1 (LI) or layer 2 (L2) triggered mobility (LTM) is a cell switch procedure, where network send to a user equipment (UE) a LTM cell switch command to switch the UE’s serving cell, e.g. a primary cell (PCell) or a primary secondary cell (PSCell). Before the cell switch procedure, the network may optionally activate TCI state(s) for one or more LTM candidate cells. The TCI state activation for the LTM candidate cells performed before the cell switch may be termed as “early TCI state activation.” If the TCI state activation is not performed before the cell switch, the LTM cell switch command will activate and indicate the target TCI state. When a TCI state is activated for a LTM candidate cell, the UE is expected to do fine time / frequency tracking and keep track of the timing of the activated TCI state. Currently, a dedicated medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) from the network is necessary for the UE to perform the early TCI state activation. In the most common case, the network will first need to receive a LI measurement report from the UE, and then send the TCI state activation MAC-CE to the UE. Then, the network may wait that the UE has actually activated the TCI state i.e. after a specified TCI state activation delay, before the network will send physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order for early timing advance (TA) acquisition, or LTM cell switch command. After the TCI state has been activated, the network may in most cases assume that the UE can perform PDCCH ordered random access channel (RACH) or LTM cell switch with a shorter delay and / or interruption. SUMMARY

[003] A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define scopes of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a preamble for a more detailed description provided below.

[004] In a first aspect, disclosed is an apparatus for a terminal device. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the terminal device at least to: receive from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[005] In a second aspect, disclosed is an apparatus for a network device. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the network device at least to: transmit to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[006] In a third aspect, disclosed is a method performed by an apparatus for a terminal device. The method may comprise: receiving from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[007] In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

[008] In an embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting to the network device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

[009] In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving from a network device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured with the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

[0010] In an embodiment, the method comprises: for the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0011] In an embodiment, the method comprises: performing layer 1 measurements on the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in the cell set or the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in a cell subset of the cell set; selecting one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation based on the performed layer 1 measurements; and for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells, respectively, performing the direct TCI state activation for at least one TCI state in the TCI state set.

[0012] In an embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting to the network device, a report of the layer 1 measurements at least for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells.

[0013] In an embodiment, the method comprises: for a LTM candidate cell in the cell set, selecting one or more TCI states from the TCI state set for the direct TCI state activation; performing the direct TCI state activation for the selected one or more TCI states; and transmitting to the network device, a third indication indicative of the selected one or more TCI states.

[0014] In an embodiment, the method comprises: performing layer 3 measurements on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and transmitting to the network device, a report of the layer 3 measurements for the network device to configure the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells.

[0015] In an embodiment, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set, and the method comprises: deactivating the TCI state if the condition for deactivating the TCI state is met.

[0016] In an embodiment, the direct TCI state activation is a TCI state activation without a TCI state activation command from the network device.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, disclosed is a method performed by an apparatus for a network device. The method may comprise: transmitting to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0018] In an embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

[0019] In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving from the terminal device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

[0020] In an embodiment, the method comprises: transmitting to the terminal device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured for the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

[0021] In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving from the terminal device, a report of layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal device at least for one or more LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation; and assuming that the terminal device has activated the TCI states corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells in the report.

[0022] In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving from the terminal device, a third indication indicative of one or more TCI states selected for the direct TCI state activation.

[0023] In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving from the terminal device, a report of the layer 3 measurements performed on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and configuring the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set based on the report of the layer 3 measurements.

[0024] In an embodiment, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set.

[0025] In a fifth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus for a terminal device. The apparatus for the terminal device may comprise: means for receiving from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and means for, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0026] In a sixth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus for a network device. The apparatus for the network device may comprise: means for transmitting to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0027] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may comprise program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device, may cause the terminal device at least to: receive from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0028] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may comprise program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a network device, cause the network device at least to: transmit to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0029] Other features and advantages of the example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 200 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 300 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 400 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 500 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 600 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 700 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] Throughout the drawings, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements. A repetitive description on the same elements would be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Herein below, some example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known circuits, techniques and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

[0040] Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for the early TCI state activation. According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the MAC-CE for the early TCI state activation may be skipped such that the LTM cell switch procedure may be optimized.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to the FIG. 1, a UE 110 may represent any terminal device in a radio network. A network device 150 may represent the network side serving the UE 110 in the radio network and may function as a base station (BS), e.g. an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), etc. Assuming that initially the UE 110 is in radio resource control (RRC) connected mode with the network device 150.

[0042] In an operation 112, the UE 110 may perform layer 3 (L3) measurements on a serving cell e.g. a PCell or a PSCell associated with the network device 150 and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell. Then, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 150, a report 114 of the L3 measurements, also referred to as L3 measurement report 114.

[0043] Receiving the L3 measurement report 114, in an operation 152, the network device 150 configures, for the UE 110, direct TCI state activation for at least one LTM candidate cell based on the report 114 of the L3 measurements. The term “direct TCI state activation” may refer to enabling a UE to in some situations autonomously perform the early TCI state activation without the early TCI state activation MAC-CE from the network device. More generally, the direct TCI state activation may refer to the UE autonomously triggering the early TCI state activation without a TCI state activation command from the network device. More generally, the direct TCI state activation may refer to the UE autonomously triggering the early TCI state activation. In some embodiments, if a reference signal (RS) resource of the received L3 measurement report 114 exceeds a threshold, the network device 150 may choose TCI states with quasi-colocation (QCL) relation to the RS for the direct TCI state activation. The RS may be e.g. synchronization signal block (SSB), channel state information (CSI), etc. The SSB also refers to synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block.

[0044] The network device 150 may configure the direct TCI state activation in an operation of configuring a configuration 154 for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, also referred to as LTM candidate cell configuration 154, of the UE 110. The LTM candidate cell configuration 154 may include a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set. Alternatively, the network device 150 may configure the direct TCI state activation separately from other operations, and transmit the standalone direct TCI state configuration to the UE 110.

[0045] In the FIG. 1, four LTM candidate cells 1-4 are listed as an example of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, and those skilled in the art may understand that the example embodiments of the present disclosure may apply in the scenario of more or less LTM candidate cells. Four TCI state sets 1-4 are configured for the LTM candidate cells 1-4, respectively. The TCI state set 1-4 may include identical or different TCI state(s).

[0046] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 150, a capability indication 116 indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation. The UE 110 may transmit the capability indication 116 before, after, or with the L3 measurement report 114. Receiving the capability indication 116, in the operation 152, the network device 150 may configure the direct TCI state activation also based on the capability indication 116. For example, if the capability indication 116 indicates that the UE 110 is capable to support the direct TCI state activation, in the operation 152 the network device 150 may configure the direct TCI state activation for the UE 110. If the capability indication 116 indicates that the UE 110 is not capable to support the direct TCI state activation, the network device 150 may refrain from performing the operation 152.

[0047] In some embodiments, if UE 110 is capable to support the direct TCI state activation, the capability indication 116 may include at least one of the following: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells. In some embodiments, the capability indication 116 may indicate the maximum number of the LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation. In the operation 152, the network device 150 may configure the direct TCI state activation with reference to the maximum number of TCI states / LTM candidate cells supported by the UE 110 for the direct TCI state activation.

[0048] In some embodiments, in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, the network device 150 may indicate one or more “default” TCI states which can be directly activated without the MAC-CE for the early TCI state activation. There may be at least one TCI state in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 for which the direct activation is not enabled. For example, four TCI state sets 1-4 for the LTM candidate cells 1-4 may be listed in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, wherein a TCI state X in the TCI state set 1 and a TCI state Y in the TCI state set 2 are indicated as the default TCI states. Other TCI state(s), if any, may be indicated as not default TCI states and, thus, excluded from the direct activation. The network device 150 may select the default TCI state(s) flexibly so that different LTM candidate cells and / or different UEs may be configured with different (numbers of) default TCI state(s).

[0049] The network device 150 may transmit to the UE 110, the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 for the UE 110 to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells 1-4, respectively, perform the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set 1-4. In some embodiments, the network device 150 may transmit the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 in a configuration message for the UE 110, e.g. a RRC reconfiguration message for the UE 110.

[0050] In some embodiments, the network device 150 may transmit to the UE 110, a first indication 158 indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured for the direct TCI state activation. For example, among the LTM candidate cells 1-4, the first indication 158 may indicate that, for example, the direct TCI state activation is configured / enabled for the LTM candidate cells 1 and 3 and is not configured / enabled for the LTM candidate cells 2 and 4. And in this case, the UE 110 would not perform the direct TCI state activation for the LTM candidate cells 2 and 4.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the network device 150 may transmit to the UE 110, a second indication 160 indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation. For example, the second indication 160 may indicate in the TCI state set 3, corresponding to the LTM candidate cell 3, a TCI state X is allowed for the direct TCI state activation and a TCI state Y is not allowed for the direct TCI state activation. And in this case, for the LTM candidate cell 3, the UE 110 would not perform the direct TCI state activation for the TCI state Y

[0052] The network device 150 may transmit the first indication 158 and the second indication 160 separately or as one indication. In some embodiments, the network device 150 may transmit the first indication 158 and / or the second indication 160 in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154.

[0053] If receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 in the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 150 a RRC reconfiguration complete message after completing the RRC reconfiguration.

[0054] Receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, the UE 110 may perform the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set according to the following solutions.

[0055] Solution 1

[0056] In some embodiments, in an operation 118, for the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, the UE 110 may perform the direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set. For example, the UE 110 may perform the direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set 1-4 if not disabled or prohibited by the first indication 158 or the second indication 160.

[0057] In some embodiments, in the operation 118, the UE 110 may add the TCI states in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 to a LTM candidate cell active TCI state list. For example, the UE 110 may add the TCI states in the TCI state set 1-4 to the LTM candidate cell active TCI state list and perform, for the LTM candidate cells 1-4, the direct TCI state activation for the TCI states.

[0058] In some embodiments, if in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, a TCI state X in the TCI state set 1 and a TCI state Y in the TCI state set 2 are indicated by the network device 150 as the default TCI states, in the operation 118, the UE 110 may add the TCI state X in the TCI state set 1 and the TCI state Y in the TCI state set 2 to the LTM candidate cell active TCI state list and perform the direct TCI state activation for the TCI state X for the LTM candidate cell 1 and for the TCI state Y for the LTM candidate cell 2.

[0059] In some embodiments, in the operation 118 the UE 110 may determine to add the TCI states to the LTM candidate cell active TCI state list based on the L3 measurements performed in the operation 112. For example, if the serving cell quality is below a threshold value and / or if the quality of the neighbor cells is higher than a threshold value, the UE 110 may determine to add the TCI states to the LTM candidate cell active TCI state list. For example, the UE 110 may compare the quality of a number of averaged samples measured within recent certain time duration, and select best LTM candidate cell(s) based on a UE internal quality ranking of the LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation.

[0060] According to the solution 1, the network device 150 can now perform the LTM cell switch for the UE 110 without receiving the LI measurement report from the UE 110.

[0061] In some embodiments, the network device 150 may start to calculate the activation delay based on the direct TCI state configuration, e.g. in the RRC reconfiguration message, for example, from transmitting the direct TCI state configuration, e.g. the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0062] Solution 2

[0063] In some embodiments, in an operation 120, the UE 110 may perform LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in the cell set or the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in a cell subset of the cell set. Assuming that among the LTM candidate cells 1-4, the LTM candidate cells 1-2 are configured with the direct TCI state activation, in the operation 120, the UE 110 may perform the LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells 1-2. Alternatively, in some embodiments, even if the LTM candidate cells 1-4 are configured with the direct TCI state activation, in the operation 120, the UE 110 may choose to perform the LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells 1-2.

[0064] Then, in an operation 122, the UE 110 may select / determine one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation based on the performed LI measurements. In some embodiments, if in the operation 120 the UE 110 performs the LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells 1-2, in the operation 122, the UE 110 may add the TCI states in the TCI state sets 1-2 to the LTM candidate cell active TCI state list. In another embodiment, the UE selects one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation, if a determined condition applies to the measurements. For example, if the UE detects the determined condition in the measurements, the UE may select the one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation.

[0065] In some embodiments, in the operation 122, if the quality, e.g. reference signal receiving power (RSRP), measured for a RS of a LTM candidate cell is above a certain given quality, e.g. above a configured or predefined threshold, the UE 110 may select the LTM candidate cell for the direct TCI state activation. In a further embodiment, the UE 110 may as a result of so determining, perform the direct TCI state activation for the determined LTM candidate cell.

[0066] In some embodiments, if in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 the LTM candidate cells 1-4 are configured with the direct TCI state activation, in the operation 120 the UE 110 may perform the LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells 1-4, and in the operation 122 the UE 110 may determine to activate up to M TCI states based on the performed LI measurements. For example, M = 1,2, and the value of M may be determined based on the UE capability and / or network configuration. The UE 110 may determine to activate, for example, M TCI state(s) corresponding to the LTM candidate cell(s) with the top quality(ies), e.g. RSRP(s), of the performed LI measurements.

[0067] Then, in an operation 124, for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells, respectively, the UE 110 may perform the direct TCI state activation for at least one TCI state in the TCI state set. In some embodiments, if the TCI state has been activated based on the LI measurements, the TCI State remains activated until deactivated.

[0068] Before, after, or in parallel to the operation 124, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 150, a report 126 of the LI measurements at least for the one or moreLTM candidate cells selected in the operation 122, also referred to as LI measurement report 126. If the RSRP is measured in the operation 120, the LI measurement report 126 may be termed as Ll-RSRP report.

[0069] In some embodiments, the network device 150 may assume that the UE 110 has activated the TCI states corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells in the LI measurement report 126. For example, in some embodiments, the UE 110 may indicate to network device 150 that the TCI state is activated by including the corresponding downlink (DL) RS in the LI measurement report 126. For example, the LI measurement report 126 may include an indication of the DL RS and / or the measurement result associated with the DL RS. If the UE 110 reports the DL RS corresponding to the TCI state for the direct TCI state activation, the network device may assume that the TCI state is activated. Alternatively or additionally, the LI measurement report 126 may include an indication indicative of a TCI state X being active and / or a TCI state associated with the DL RS is active. Receiving the LI measurement report 126, the network device 150 may be aware that the TCI state is activated.

[0070] In some embodiments, the network device 150 may start to calculate the activation delay from the first reporting instance, e.g. receiving the LI measurement report 126, if the DL RS corresponding to the TCI state for the direct TCI state activation was included in the LI measurement report 126. Alternatively, in some embodiments, similar to the solution 1, the network device 150 may start to calculate the activation delay based on the direct TCI state configuration, e.g. in the RRC reconfiguration message, for example, from transmitting the direct TCI state configuration, e.g. the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0071] Solution 3

[0072] In some embodiments, in an operation 128, for a LTM candidate cell in the cell set, the UE 110 may select one or more TCI states from the TCI state set for the direct TCI state activation. For example, the UE 110 may perform the selection based on e.g. LI measurements, L3 measurements and / or UE experienced round trip delay (RTD) between the serving cell and the LTM candidate cells. For example, the UE 110 may add a TCI state X for the LTM candidate cell 1 to the LTM candidate cell active TCI state list.

[0073] Similar to the solution 2, in some embodiments, if in the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 the LTM candidate cells 1-4 are configured with the direct TCI state activation, the UE 110 may perform the LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells 1-4, and in the operation 128 the UE 110 may determine to activate up to M TCI states based on the performed LI measurements. For example, M = 1,2, and the value of M may be determined based on the UE capability and / or network configuration. The UE 110 may determine to activate, for example, M TCI state(s) corresponding to the LTM candidate cell(s) with the top quality(ies), e.g. RSRP(s), of the performed LI measurements.

[0074] In an operation 130, the UE 110 may perform the direct TCI state activation for the selected one or more TCI states. Before, after, or in parallel to the operation 130, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 150, a third indication 132 indicative of the selected one or more TCI states. The UE 110 may transmit the third indication 132 in e.g. a LI measurement report, a L3 measurement report or a separate message.

[0075] Similar to the solution 2, in some embodiments, the UE 110 may indicate to network device 150 that the TCI state is activated by including the corresponding DL RS in the Ll-RSRP report. If the UE 110 reports the DL RS corresponding to the TCI state for the direct TCI state activation, the network device may assume that the TCI state is activated.

[0076] In some embodiments, the network device 150 may start to calculate the activation delay from the first reporting instance, e.g. receiving the third indication 132, Alternatively, similar to the solution 2, in some embodiments, the network device 150 may start to calculate the activation delay from the first reporting instance, e.g. receiving the Ll-RSRP report, if the DL RS corresponding to the TCI state for the direct TCI state activation was included in the Ll-RSRP report. Alternatively, in some embodiments, similar to the solution 1, the network device 150 may start to calculate the activation delay based on the direct TCI state configuration, e.g. in the RRC reconfiguration message, for example, from transmitting the direct TCI state configuration, e.g. the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0077] After the calculated TCI state activation delay, the network device 150 may assume that the UE 110 can perform PDCCH ordered RACH or LTM cell switch, when commanded, with a shorter delay than in the case when TCI state is not active at the time of PDCCH order or LTM cell switch. For example, the PDCCH ordered RACH delay or cell switch delay may not include components for fine time / frequency tracking, if the TCI state is active.

[0078] The early TCI state activation MAC-CE may apply in the above solutions 2 and 3. For example, if the early TCI state activation MAC-CE activates more than one TCI states, the UE 110 may perform a down selection from the more than one TCI states activated by the early TCI state activation MAC-CE and actually activate the selected subset of the TCI states. Moreover, those skilled in the art may understand that the embodiments under the solutions 1-3 may be combined if not contradicting each other.

[0079] After the UE 110 performs the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set according to the solution 1, the solution 2 and / or the solution 3, the network device 150 may transmit to the UE 110 the LTM cell switch command where the target TCI state is one of the activated TCI states.

[0080] In some embodiments, the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 or the standalone direct TCI state configuration may include a condition 156 for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set, and in an operation 134, the UE 110 may deactivate the TCI state if the condition 156 for deactivating the TCI state is met. In this case, no explicit MAC-CE for deactivating the TCI state is needed.

[0081] For example, the condition 156 may include a deactivation time. If the TCI state remains activated but no action comes during the deactivation time, when the deactivation time arrives, the condition 156 is met and the UE 110 may deactivate the TCI state. The deactivation time may start from the first reporting instance, e.g. transmitting the LI measurement report 126 or the third indication 132.

[0082] Alternatively or additionally, for example, the condition 156 may include a configured or specified threshold and / or a number N, if the measurement for a configured RS is below the configured or specified threshold and / or the measurement is not reported for the number N of times, then the condition 156 is met and the UE 110 may deactivate the associated TCI state. In this example, the network device 150 may derive the deactivation through reports, e.g. the Ll-RSRP report, so the UE 110 does not need to transmit an explicit indication for the deactivation.

[0083] The UE 110 may perform the operation 134 in the operation 124, in the operation 130 or as an operation separate from other operations. The UE 110 may activate some TCI states while deactivating others based on e.g. a threshold or the UE capability. If the UE 110 is capable of maintaining a number x of active TCI states, the UE 110 may deactivate others than the most recently x active TCI states.

[0084] In some embodiments, the UE 110 may indicate the direct TCI deactivation to the network device 150 in the LI measurement report 126 or the third indication 132. For example, the UE 110 may indicate the deactivation of a TCI state by reporting the associated DL RS with a non-valid RSRP value. Alternatively, for example, the LI measurement report 126 or the third indication 132 may include activated TCI states without the deactivated TCI states.

[0085] The example embodiments of the present disclosure propose the following: -For UE assumption on the active TCI states for LTM other than the indicated TCI state after the reception of the cell switch command, -If configured, retain all activate TCI states for LTM (for candidate and target cells) -Otherwise, deactivate all TCI states for LTM (for candidate and target cells)

[0086] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 200 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 200 may be performed for example by an apparatus for a terminal device such as the UE 110 above mentioned.

[0087] Referring to the FIG. 2, the example method 200 may comprise: an operation 210 of receiving from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, comprising a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and an operation 220 of for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[0088] Details of the operation 210 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0089] Details of the operation 220 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the solution 1, the solution 2 and the solution 3, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0090] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: receiving the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0091] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: transmitting to the network device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the capability indication 116, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0092] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: receiving from a network device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured with the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the first indication 158 and the second indication 160, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0093] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: for the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 118, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0094] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: performing LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in the cell set or the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in a cell subset of the cell set; selecting one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation based on the performed LI measurements; and for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells, respectively, performing the direct TCI state activation for at least one TCI state in the TCI state set. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operations 120, 122 and 124, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0095] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: transmitting to the network device, a report of the LI measurements at least for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the LI measurement report 126, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0096] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: for a LTM candidate cell in the cell set, selecting one or more TCI states from the TCI state set for the direct TCI state activation; performing the direct TCI state activation for the selected one or more TCI states; and transmitting to the network device, a third indication indicative of the selected one or more TCI states. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operations 128 and 130 and the third indication 132, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0097] In some embodiments, the example method 200 may comprise: performing L3 measurements on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and transmitting to the network device, a report of the L3 measurements for the network device to configure the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the operation 112 and the L3 measurement report 114, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0098] In some embodiments, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set, and the example method 200 may comprise: deactivating the TCI state if the condition for deactivating the TCI state is met. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the deactivation condition 156 and the operation 134, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[0099] In some embodiments, the direct TCI state activation is a TCI state activation without a TCI state activation command from the network device.

[00100] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 300 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 300 may be performed for example by an apparatus for a network device such as the network device 150 above mentioned.

[00101] Referring to the FIG. 3, the example method 300 may comprise: an operation 310 of transmitting to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, comprising a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00102] Details of the operation 310 have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least at least the LTM candidate cell configuration 154 and the solutions 1, 2 and 3, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00103] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may comprise: transmitting the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the LTM candidate cell configuration 154, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00104] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may comprise: receiving from the terminal device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the capability indication 116, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00105] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may comprise: transmitting to the terminal device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured for the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the first indication 158 and the second indication 160, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00106] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may comprise: receiving from the terminal device, a report of LI measurements performed by the terminal device at least for one or more LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation, and assuming that the terminal device has activated the TCI states corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells in the report. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the LI measurement report 126, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00107] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may comprise: receiving from the terminal device, a third indication indicative of one or more TCI states selected for the direct TCI state activation. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the third indication 132, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00108] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may comprise: receiving from the terminal device, a report of the L3 measurements performed on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and configuring the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set based on the report of the L3 measurements. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the L3 measurement report 114 and the operation 152, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00109] In some embodiments, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set. The more details have been described in the above descriptions with respect to at least the deactivation condition 156, and repetitive descriptions thereof are omitted here.

[00110] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 400 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of an apparatus for a terminal device such as the UE 110 in the above examples.

[00111] As shown in the FIG. 4, the example device 400 may include at least one processor 410 and at least one memory 420 that may store instructions 430. The instructions 430, when executed by the at least one processor 410, may cause the device 400 at least to perform the example method 200 described above.

[00112] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 410 in the example device 400 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Further, the at least one processor 410 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 4.

[00113] In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 420 in the example device 400 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a transitory memory and / or a non-transitory memory. The transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM), a cache, and so on. The non- transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). Further, the at least memory 420 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

[00114] Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 400 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[00115] In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 400, including the at least one processor 410 and the at least one memory 420, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and / or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

[00116] It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the UE 110 is not limited to the above example device 400.

[00117] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 500 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of an apparatus for a network device such as the network device 150 in the above examples.

[00118] As shown in the FIG. 5, the example device 500 may include at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520 that may store instructions 530. The instructions 530, when executed by the at least one processor 510, may cause the device 500 at least to perform the example method 300 described above.

[00119] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 510 in the example device 500 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Further, the at least one processor 510 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 5.

[00120] In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 520 in the example device 500 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a transitory memory and / or a non-transitory memory. The transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM), a cache, and so on. The non- transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e g., RAM vs. ROM). Further, the at least memory 520 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

[00121] Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 500 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[00122] In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 500, including the at least one processor 510 and the at least one memory 520, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and / or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

[00123] It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the network device 150 is not limited to the above example device 500.

[00124] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 600 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device such as the UE 110 in the above examples.

[00125] As shown in the FIG. 6, the example apparatus 600 may comprise: means 610 for receiving from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, comprising a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and means 620 for, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00126] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for receiving the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

[00127] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for transmitting to the network device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

[00128] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for receiving from a network device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured with the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

[00129] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for, for the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00130] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for performing LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in the cell set or the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in a cell subset of the cell set, means for selecting one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation based on the performed LI measurements; and means for, for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells, respectively, performing the direct TCI state activation for at least one TCI state in the TCI state set.

[00131] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for transmitting to the network device, a report of the LI measurements at least for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells.

[00132] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for, for a LTM candidate cell in the cell set, selecting one or more TCI states from the TCI state set for the direct TCI state activation; means for performing the direct TCI state activation for the selected one or more TCI states; and means for transmitting to the network device, a third indication indicative of the selected one or more TCI states.

[00133] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may comprise means for performing L3 measurements on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and means for transmitting to the network device, a report of the L3 measurements for the network device to configure the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells.

[00134] In some embodiments, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set, and the apparatus 600 may comprise means for deactivating the TCI state if the condition for deactivating the TCI state is met.

[00135] In some embodiments, the direct TCI state activation is a TCI state activation without a TCI state activation command from the network device.

[00136] In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 600 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 610 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 210 of the example method 200, and an example of means 620 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 220 of the example method 200.

[00137] The example apparatus 600 may further include means comprising circuitry configured to perform the example method 200. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

[00138] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 700 for the early TCI state activation according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a network device such as the network device 150 in the above examples.

[00139] As shown in the FIG. 7, the example apparatus 700 may comprise: means 710 for transmitting to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, comprising a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00140] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may comprise means for transmitting the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

[00141] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may comprise means for receiving from the terminal device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

[00142] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may comprise means for transmitting to the terminal device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured for the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

[00143] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may comprise means for receiving from the terminal device, a report of LI measurements performed by the terminal device at least for one or more LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation; and means for assuming that the terminal device has activated the TCI states corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells in the report.

[00144] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may comprise means for receiving from the terminal device, a third indication indicative of one or more TCI states selected for the direct TCI state activation.

[00145] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may comprise means for receiving from the terminal device, a report of the L3 measurements performed on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and means for configuring the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set based on the report of the L3 measurements.

[00146] In some embodiments, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set.

[00147] In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 700 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 710 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 310 of the example method 300.

[00148] The example apparatus 700 may further include means comprising circuitry configured to perform the example method 300. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

[00149] The example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device such as the UE 110 in the above examples, may cause the terminal device at least to: receive from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, comprising a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; and for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00150] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: receive the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

[00151] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: transmit to the network device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

[00152] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: receive from a network device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured with the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

[00153] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: for the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00154] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: perform LI measurements on the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in the cell set or the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in a cell subset of the cell set; select one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation based on the performed LI measurements; and for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells, respectively, perform the direct TCI state activation for at least one TCI state in the TCI state set.

[00155] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: transmit to the network device, a report of the LI measurements at least for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells.

[00156] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: for a LTM candidate cell in the cell set, select one or more TCI states from the TCI state set for the direct TCI state activation; perform the direct TCI state activation for the selected one or more TCI states; and transmit to the network device, a third indication indicative of the selected one or more TCI states.

[00157] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: perform L3 measurements on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and transmit to the network device, a report of the L3 measurements for the network device to configure the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells.

[00158] In some embodiments, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set, and the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: deactivate the TCI state if the condition for deactivating the TCI state is met.

[00159] In some embodiments, the direct TCI state activation is a TCI state activation without a TCI state activation command from the network device.

[00160] The example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus for a network device such as the network device 150 in the above examples, may cause the network device at least to: transmit to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of LTM candidate cells, comprising a TCI state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

[00161] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to: transmit the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

[00162] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to: receive from the terminal device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, wherein the capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation: the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; or the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

[00163] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to: transmit to the terminal device, at least one of the following: a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured for the direct TCI state activation; or a second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

[00164] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to: receive from the terminal device, a report of LI measurements performed by the terminal device at least for one or more LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation; and assume that the terminal device has activated the TCI states corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells in the report.

[00165] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to: receive from the terminal device, a third indication indicative of one or more TCI states selected for the direct TCI state activation.

[00166] In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to: receive from the terminal device, a report of the L3 measurements performed on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; and configure the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set based on the report of the L3 measurements.

[00167] In some embodiments, the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set.

[00168] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[00169] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehiclemounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the above description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[00170] The term “circuitry” throughout this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[00171] Another example embodiment may relate to computer program codes or instructions which may cause an apparatus to perform at least respective methods described above. Another example embodiment may be related to a computer readable medium having such computer program codes or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms such as a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a RAM, a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, a ROM, a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The non-volatile memory may also include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

[00172] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

[00173] Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and / or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and / or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and / or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[00174] As used herein, the term "determine / determining" (and grammatical variants thereof) can include, not least: calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, looking up (for example, looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also, "determining" can include receiving (for example, receiving information), accessing (for example, accessing data in a memory), obtaining and the like. Also, "determine / determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[00175] While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may perform similar functionalities with different components and / or circuit topologies, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and actions of the some embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

[00176] Abbreviations used in the description and / or in the figures are defined as follows: BS base station CSI channel state information DL downlink eNB evolved node B 5 gNB the next generation node B LI layer 1 L2 layer 2 L3 layer 3 LTM LI or L2 triggered mobility 10 MAC medium access control MAC-CE MAC control element PBCH physical broadcast channel PCell primary cell PDCCH physical downlink control channel 15 PSCell primary secondary cell QCL quasi-colocation RACH random access channel RRC radio resource control RS reference signal 20 RSRP reference signal receiving power RTD round trip delay SSB synchronization signal block synchronization signal and PBCH block TA timing advance 25 TCI transmission configuration indicator UE user equipment

Claims

1. An apparatus for a terminal device, comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device occasion at least to:receive from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; andfor at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to:receive the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is configured to:transmit to the network device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, andthe capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation:the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; orthe maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to:receive from a network device, at least one of the following:a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured with the direct TCI state activation; ora second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to:for the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for the TCI states in the TCI state set.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to:perform layer 1 measurements on the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in the cell set or the LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation in a cell subset of the cell set;select one or more LTM candidate cells for the direct TCI state activation based on the performed layer 1 measurements; andfor the selected one or more LTM candidate cells, respectively, perform the direct TCI state activation for at least one TCI state in the TCI state set.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is configured to:transmit to the network device, a report of the layer 1 measurements at least for the selected one or more LTM candidate cells.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to:for a LTM candidate cell in the cell set, select one or more TCI states from the TCI state set for the direct TCI state activation;perform the direct TCI state activation for the selected one or more TCI states; andtransmit to the network device, a third indication indicative of the selected one or more TCI states.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to:perform layer 3 measurements on a serving cell associated with the network device and oneor more neighboring cells of the serving cell; andtransmit to the network device, a report of the layer 3 measurements for the network device to configure the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set, and the apparatus is configured to:deactivate the TCI state if the condition for deactivating the TCI state is met.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the direct TCI state activation is a TCI state activation without a TCI state activation command from the network device.

12. An apparatus for a network device, comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to:transmit to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is configured to:transmit the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells in a configuration message for the terminal device.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the apparatus is configured to:receive from the terminal device, a capability indication indicative of whether being capable to support the direct TCI state activation, andthe capability indication comprises at least one of the following if being capable to support the direct TCI state activation:the maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation per candidate cell; orthe maximum number of TCI states for the direct TCI state activation across the candidate cells.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the apparatus is configured to:transmit to the terminal device, at least one of the following:a first indication indicative of whether a LTM candidate cell in the cell set is configured for the direct TCI state activation; ora second indication indicative of whether a TCI state in the TCI state set is allowed for the direct TCI state activation.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the apparatus is configured to:receive from the terminal device, a report of layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal device at least for one or more LTM candidate cells configured with the direct TCI state activation; andassume that the terminal device has activated the TCI states corresponding to the one or more LTM candidate cells in the report.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the apparatus is configured to:receive from the terminal device, a third indication indicative of one or more TCI states selected for the direct TCI state activation.

18. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the apparatus is configured to:receive from the terminal device, a report of the layer 3 measurements performed on a serving cell associated with the network device and one or more neighboring cells of the serving cell; andconfigure the direct TCI state activation for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in thecell set based on the report of the layer 3 measurements.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 18, wherein the configuration for the cell set of LTM candidate cells comprises a condition for deactivating a TCI state in the TCI state set.

20. A method performed by an apparatus for a terminal device, comprising:receiving from a network device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set; andfor at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, performing direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

21. A method performed by an apparatus for a network device, comprising:transmitting to a terminal device, a configuration for a cell set of layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility, LTM, candidate cells, comprising a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state set of TCI states for the respective LTM candidate cells in the cell set, for the terminal device to, for at least one of the LTM candidate cells in the cell set, respectively, perform direct TCI state activation for at least one of the TCI states in the TCI state set.

22. An apparatus, comprising means for performing the method of claim 20 or 21.

23. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the method of claim 20 or 21.39

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