Reference signaling for secondary cells

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A network entity may identify a set of cells associated with performing communications with a user equipment (UE). The network entity may transmit a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of reference signal formats, each set of reference signal formats including a mapping of reference signal formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The network entity may transmit a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of reference signal formats of the one or more sets of reference signal formats, the trigger signal indicating reference signal transmission from cells of the set of cells according to the reference signal formats associated with the active set of reference signal formats.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] cross reference This patent application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 687,433, entitled "REFERENCE SIGNAL SIGNALING FOR SECONDARY CELLS," filed Mar. 04, 2022, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63 / 159,413, entitled "REFERENCE SIGNAL SIGNALING FOR SECONDARY CELLS," filed Mar. 10, 2021, by TAKEDA et al., which is assigned to the assignee of this application.

[0002] The following relates to wireless communications involving reference signal signaling for a secondary cell. [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM), etc. A wireless multiple-access communication system may include one or more network entities (e.g., base stations) or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which in some cases may be known as user equipment (UE). Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support reference signal (RS) signaling for secondary cells (SCells). In general, the described techniques provide a network entity (e.g., a primary cell (PCell)) for configuring a user equipment (UE) (e.g., using radio resource control (RRC) signaling) with multiple sets of RS formats, each set mapping an RS format to a respective cell. For example, the network entity (e.g., a base station) may configure the UE with a table of possible field values ​​(e.g., corresponding to available aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI) request fields, or other fields) associated with rows in the table. The columns of the table may correspond to the PCell and available SCells of the UE. A point corresponding to a particular row / column may provide an indication of the RS format for the PCell or SCell. The network entity may transmit a trigger signal (downlink control information (DCI) signal) to the UE indicating one of the field values. The UE may then determine the activation state of each cell in the row and then use the column to determine the RS format for the corresponding cell. Although the table and corresponding row may indicate a particular RS format to be monitored, the UE may choose to follow the table based on the activation state of the cell. If the SCell is deactivated, the UE may ignore the indicated RS format for monitoring. If the SCell is already activated, the UE may choose to follow the indicated RS format if it corresponds to a format suitable for the already activated cell (e.g., A-CSI-RS or tracking reference signal (TRS)).When a SCell is activated, the UE may choose to follow the indicated RS format if it corresponds to a suitable format for the to-be-activated cell (e.g., a new temporary RS). Based on the configured and triggered RS format and the activation status of the cell, the UE may determine and implement a monitoring scheme for the cell.

[0005] A method for wireless communication in a UE is described that may include receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of a set of cells, receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats, identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells, determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS format in the active set of RS formats, and performing the monitoring scheme for the RS transmissions from the at least one SCell.

[0006] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of a set of cells; receive a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats; identify an activation state for each cell in the set of cells; determine a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS format in the active set of RS formats; and perform the monitoring scheme for the RS transmissions from the at least one SCell.

[0007] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described that may include means for receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of a set of cells, means for receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats, means for identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells, means for determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on a respective activation state of the at least one SCell and a respective RS format in the active set of RS formats, and means for performing the monitoring scheme for the RS transmissions from the at least one SCell.

[0008] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a UE is described, which may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of a set of cells, receive a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats, identify an activation state for each cell in the set of cells, determine a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS format in the active set of RS formats, and perform the monitoring scheme for the RS transmissions from the at least one SCell.

[0009] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that an activation state of the at least one SCell may be an activated state, where the at least one SCell may already be activated; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being an activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including the temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0010] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a downlink transmission may be scheduled using overlapping resources that overlap with an RS transmission from at least one SCell, and decoding the downlink transmission based on an assumption that the downlink transmission has been punctured or rate matched around the overlapping resources.

[0011] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that an activation state of at least one SCell may be an activated state, in which the at least one SCell may already be activated; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a tracking RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being an activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including the tracking RS format.

[0012] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that an activation state of at least one SCell may be a to-be-activated state, in which the at least one SCell may be in the process of activation; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a tracking RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a to-be-activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including the tracking RS format.

[0013] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that an activation state of at least one SCell may be a to-be-activated state, in which the at least one SCell may be in the process of activation; determining that an RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a to-be-activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including a temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0014] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that an RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats indicates a first RS format associated with a first activation state and a second RS format associated with a second activation state, and selecting a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell based on whether the at least one SCell may be in the first activation state or the second activation state.

[0015] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell may be activated in the UE, and determining, based on the SCell activation message, that the at least one SCell may be in a first activation state.

[0016] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for identifying that an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats includes a transient aperiodic RS format that includes a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, where the first portion and the second portion may be in consecutive slots.

[0017] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for identifying that an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format including a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, where the first portion and the second portion may be in consecutive slots and the tracking RS may be repeated in non-consecutive slots.

[0018] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for identifying that an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats includes a transient aperiodic RS format that includes a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, where the first portion and the second portion may be in non-contiguous slots.

[0019] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that an activation state of the at least one SCell may be a deactivated state, in which the at least one SCell may be deactivated, and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a deactivated state.

[0020] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell may be activated in the UE, where an activation state for the at least one SCell may be based on the SCell activation message.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the SCell activation message may be received using a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) message.

[0022] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a trigger signal may be received during a time window, where the time window is based on a delay time and a threshold time limit after which a configuration signal may be received, and applying an active set of RS formats based on the trigger signal being received during the time window.

[0023] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a trigger signal may be received prior to a time window, where the time window is based on a delay time and a threshold time limit after which a configuration signal may be received, and refraining from applying the active set of RS formats based on the trigger signal being received prior to the time window.

[0024] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a trigger signal may be received after a time window, where the time window is based on a delay time and a threshold time limit after which a constituent signal may be received, and applying an active RS format of an active set of RS formats based on the trigger signal being received after the time window.

[0025] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the configuration signal may be received within a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the trigger signal may be received within an aperiodic channel state information request field of the MAC CE or downlink control information (DCI).

[0027] A method of wireless communication in a network entity is described, which may include identifying a set of cells associated with performing communication with a UE, transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of the set of cells, and transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells in accordance with an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0028] An apparatus for wireless communication in a network entity is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: identify a set of cells associated with performing communication with the UE; transmit a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of the set of cells; and transmit a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells in accordance with an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0029] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a network entity is described, which may include means for identifying a set of cells associated with performing communication with a UE, means for transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of the set of cells, and means for transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells in accordance with an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0030] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a network entity is described, which may include instructions executable by a processor to identify a set of cells associated with performing communication with the UE, transmit a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of the set of cells, and transmit a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells in accordance with an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0031] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats indicates a first RS format associated with a first activation state and a second RS format associated with a second activation state.

[0032] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a SCell activation message to the UE indicating that at least one SCell may be activated in the UE, where the at least one SCell may be in a first activation state based on the SCell activation message.

[0033] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell may be activated in the UE, where an activation state for the at least one SCell may be based on the SCell activation message.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the SCell activation message may be transmitted using a MAC CE message.

[0035] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the configuration signal may be transmitted within an RRC message.

[0036] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the trigger signal may be transmitted within an aperiodic channel state information request field of a MAC CE or DCI. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system that supports reference signal (RS) signaling for a secondary cell (SCell), according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] A diagram illustrating an example of an RS format configuration supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] A diagram illustrating an example of an RS format configuration supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an RS format structure supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an RS format structure supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4C] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an RS format structure supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a process for supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a block diagram of a communications manager supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram of a system including a device that supports RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a block diagram of a communications manager supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram of a system including a device that supports RS signaling for a SCell, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 15]11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] There is currently agreement to use temporary reference signals (RS) to improve secondary cell (SCell) activation. The temporary RS may be a different RS than the existing RS and may be optimized for fast activation of the SCell. For example, the primary cell (PCell) may configure the SCell to be activated to transmit the temporary RS to allow the user equipment (UE) to quickly perform automatic gain control (AGC) that adjusts its receive amplifier gain and also performs time / frequency tuning with the SCell. In the absence of temporary RS, the UE would use synchronization signal block (SSB) transmissions that have a relatively long periodicity for activating the SCell. The UE may be signaled that the SCell may be configured to transmit these temporary RS, but may want additional flexibility in determining whether the UE monitors the temporary RS. In some cases, the UE may prefer to monitor already active SCells for channel performance measurement / tuning using aperiodic channel state information reference signals (A-CSI-RS), tracking reference signals (TRS), etc.

[0039] Aspects of the present disclosure are first described in the context of a wireless communication system. In general, the described techniques provide a network entity (e.g., PCell) for configuring a UE (e.g., using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling) with multiple sets of RS formats, each set mapping an RS format to a respective cell. For example, the network entity (e.g., base station) may configure the UE with a table of possible field values ​​(e.g., corresponding to an available aperiodic channel state information (A-CSI) request field, or other fields) associated with rows in the table. The columns of the table may correspond to the PCell and available SCells of the UE. A point corresponding to a particular row / column may provide an indication of the RS format for the PCell or SCell. The network entity may send a trigger signal (a downlink control information (DCI) signal) to the UE indicating one of the field values. The UE may then determine the activation state of each cell in the row and then use the column to determine the RS format for the corresponding cell. Although the table and corresponding row may indicate a particular RS format to be monitored, the UE may choose to follow the table based on the activation state of the cell. If the SCell is deactivated, the UE may ignore the indicated RS format for monitoring. If the SCell is already activated, the UE may choose to follow the indicated RS format if it corresponds to a format suitable for the already activated cell (e.g., A-CSI-RS or TRS). If the SCell is activated, the UE may choose to follow the indicated RS format if it corresponds to a format suitable for the to-be-activated cell (e.g., new temporary RS). Based on the configured and triggered RS format and the activation state of the cell, the UE may determine and implement a monitoring scheme for the cell.

[0040] Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts relating to reference signal signaling for SCells.

[0041] 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting reference signal signaling for a SCell according to an aspect of the disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, a LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0042] The network entities 105 may be distributed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communication system 100 and may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. The network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each network entity 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which the UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which the network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may support communication of signals via one or more radio access technologies.

[0043] The UEs 115 may be distributed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be fixed, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are shown in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, network entities 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment) as shown in FIG. 1.

[0044] The network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with each other, or both. For example, the network entities 105 may interface with the core network 130 through one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N3, or other interface). The network entities 105 may communicate with each other through the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or other interface), either directly (e.g., directly between the network entities 105), or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or both. In some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

[0045] One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include or be referred to as a base transceiver station, base station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, Node B, eNodeB (eNB), next generation Node B or giganode B (any of which may be referred to as gNB), Home Node B, Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology by those skilled in the art.

[0046] The UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, and a "device" may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. The UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, the UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various articles, such as an appliance, or a vehicle, a meter, among other examples.

[0047] The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, which may at times act as relays, as shown in FIG. 1, as well as network entities 105 and network equipment, including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay network entities 105, among other examples.

[0048] The UE 115 and the network entity 105 may wirelessly communicate with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure to support the communication link 125. For example, a carrier used for the communication link 125 may include a portion (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) of a radio frequency spectrum band that operates according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry collection signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling that coordinates operation on the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers.

[0049] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have collection or control signaling to coordinate operation with respect to other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)) and may be arranged according to a channel raster for discovery by the UE 115. A carrier may be operated in a standalone mode, where initial collection and connection may be made by the UE 115 over the carrier, or the carrier may be operated in a non-standalone mode, where a connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or different radio access technology).

[0050] The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmissions from the UE 115 to the network entity 105 or downlink transmissions from the network entity 105 to the UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0051] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the carrier or the “system bandwidth” of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of several predefined bandwidths for a carrier of a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 Megahertz (MHz)). The devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., the network entity 105, the UE 115, or both) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a network entity 105 or a UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via a carrier associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a sub-band, BWP), or all, of the carrier bandwidth.

[0052] A signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may consist of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements and the higher the order of the modulation scheme that the UE 115 receives, the higher the data rate of the UE 115 may be. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with the UE 115.

[0053] One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, where the numerology may include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs having the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time, and communication for the UE 115 may be limited to one or more active BWPs.

[0054] The time interval for the network entity 105 or the UE 115 may be, for example, T s =1 / (Δf max N f ) seconds, where Δf max may represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and Nf may represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. The communication resource time intervals may be organized according to radio frames, each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0055] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into several slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of slots, and the number of slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include several symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of a cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may be further divided into multiple minislots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may include one or more (e.g., N f The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or the frequency band of operation.

[0056] A subframe, slot, minislot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., among a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0057] The physical channels may be multiplexed on the carriers according to various techniques. The physical control channels and the physical data channels may be multiplexed on the downlink carriers using, for example, one or more of a time division multiplexing (TDM), a frequency division multiplexing (FDM), or a hybrid TDM-FDM technique. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for the physical control channel may be defined by a number of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth of the carrier or a subset of the system bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) may be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search the control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or more control channel candidates at one or more aggregation levels configured in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for the control channel candidates may refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with the coded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space sets may include a common search space set configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a particular UE 115 .

[0058] Each network entity 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, e.g., macro cells, small cells, hot spots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with the network entity 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID), or other) to distinguish neighboring cells. In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion (e.g., a sector) of a geographic coverage area 110 in which the logical communication entity operates. Such a cell may range from a smaller area (e.g., a structure, a subset of a structure) to a larger area depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the network entity 105. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or an outside space between or overlapping with the geographic coverage area 110, among other examples.

[0059] A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 115 subscribing to the service of a network provider supporting the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a lower power network entity 105 compared to a macro cell, and the small cell may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency band as the macro cell. A small cell may provide unrestricted access to UEs 115 subscribing to the service of a network provider, or may provide restricted access to UEs 115 that have an association with the small cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs 115 associated with a user in a home or office). A network entity 105 may support one or more cells and may also support communication on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0060] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) that may provide access to different types of devices.

[0061] In some examples, the network entities 105 may be mobile and thus provide communication coverage to moving geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, the different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In other examples, the overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include a heterogeneous network, for example, where different types of network entities 105 provide coverage to various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0062] The wireless communication system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the network entities 105 may have similar frame timing and transmissions from different network entities 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the network entities 105 may have different frame timing and transmissions from different network entities 105 may not be aligned in time, in some examples. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operation.

[0063] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with each other or with network entities 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from devices that incorporate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay that information to a central server or application program that utilizes such information or presents the information to a human interacting with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

[0064] Some UEs 115 may be configured to use operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, the half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power saving techniques for the UE 115 include entering a power saving deep sleep mode when not engaged in active communication, operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., in accordance with narrowband communication), or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) within a carrier, within a guard band of the carrier, or outside of the carrier.

[0065] The wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) or mission-critical communications. The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functionality). Ultra-reliable communications may include private or group communications and may be supported by one or more mission-critical services, such as mission critical push-to-talk (MCPTTT), mission critical video (MCVideo), or mission critical data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functions may include service prioritization, and the mission-critical services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

[0066] In some examples, the UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol or a D2D protocol). One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within a geographic coverage area 110 of the network entity 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside of the geographic coverage area 110 of the network entity 105 or may not be able to receive transmissions from the network entity 105 in some examples. In some examples, a group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 communicates to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, the network entity 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without the involvement of the network entity 105.

[0067] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, the vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination thereof. The vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergency situations, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, the vehicles in the V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with a network via one or more network nodes (e.g., network entity 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, or both.

[0068] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) that manages access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)) that routes packets or interconnects to external networks. The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by network entities 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be forwarded through a user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to one or more network operators' IP services 150. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, an intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0069] Some of the network devices, such as the network entities 105, may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with the UE 115 through one or more other access network transmitting entities 145, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission / reception points (TRPs). Each access network transmitting entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or may be integrated into a single network entity 105 (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or may be integrated into a single network entity 105 (e.g., base station).

[0070] The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). The 300 MHz to 3 GHz region is commonly referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter in length. Although UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macrocell to serve UEs 115 located indoors. Transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to transmissions using lower frequencies and longer waves in the shortwave (high frequency (HF)) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0071] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the super high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also referred to as the centimeter band, or in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), also referred to as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UE 115 and the network entity 105, and the EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the devices. However, propagation of EHF transmissions may experience more atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed over transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of the bands over these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory body.

[0072] The wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band, such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, the network entity 105 and devices such as the UE 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in the unlicensed band may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating in the licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operation in the unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

[0073] The network entity 105 or the UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of the network entity 105 or the UE 115 may be located in one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more network entity antennas or antenna arrays may be collocated in an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with the network entity 105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. The network entity 105 may have an antenna array with several rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panels may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted through the antenna ports.

[0074] A network entity 105 or a UE 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. Multiple signals may be transmitted by a transmitting device, for example, via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, multiple signals may be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits related to the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0075] Beamforming, sometimes referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., network entity 105, UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., transmit beam, receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals communicated through antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating in a particular orientation relative to the antenna array are subject to constructive interference, while other signals are subject to destructive interference. Adjustment of signals communicated through antenna elements may include a transmitting or receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals carried through an antenna element associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or to some other orientation).

[0076] The network entity 105 or the UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of a beamforming operation. For example, the network entity 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to perform a beamforming operation for directional communication with the UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by the network entity 105 multiple times in different directions. For example, the network entity 105 may transmit signals according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. The transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify beam directions for subsequent transmission or reception by the network entity 105 (e.g., by a transmitting device such as the network entity 105 or by a receiving device such as the UE 115).

[0077] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by the network entity 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with a receiving device, such as the UE 115). In some examples, a beam direction associated with a transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based on signals transmitted in one or more beam directions. For example, the UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted in different directions by the network entity 105 and may report to the network entity 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 received with the highest signal quality or possibly an acceptable signal quality.

[0078] In some examples, transmission by a device (e.g., by the network entity 105 or the UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or radio frequency beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from the network entity 105 to the UE 115). The UE 115 may report feedback indicating precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured number of beams across the system bandwidth or one or more subbands. The network entity 105 may transmit reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS)) that may or may not be precoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by the network entity 105 in one or more directions, the UE 115 may employ similar techniques for transmitting a signal multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or for transmitting a signal in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

[0079] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115) may attempt multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals, from the network entity 105. For example, the receiving device may attempt multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing the received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, or by processing the received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" with different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned to a beam direction determined based on listening with different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or possibly acceptable signal quality based on listening with multiple beam directions).

[0080] The wireless communication system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communication at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate on logical channels. The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may establish, configure, and maintain an RRC connection between the UE 115 and the network entity 105 or the core network 130, which supports radio bearers for user plane data. In the physical layer, the transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

[0081] The UE 115 and the network entity 105 may support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood that the data is successfully received. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is one technique for increasing the likelihood that the data is correctly received on the communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ may improve throughput at the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise conditions). In some examples, a device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, in which the device may provide HARQ feedback in a particular slot for data received in a previous symbol in that slot. In other cases, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot or according to some other time interval.

[0082] The UE 115 may receive a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The UE 115 may receive a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. The UE 115 may identify an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The UE 115 may determine a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS formats in the active set of RS formats. The UE 115 may perform the monitoring scheme for the RS transmissions from the at least one SCell.

[0083] The network entity 105 may identify a set of cells associated with performing communication with the UE 115. The network entity 105 may send a configuration signal to the UE 115 indicating one or more sets of RS formats, where each set of RS formats includes a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The network entity 105 may send a trigger signal to the UE 115 indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, where the trigger signal indicates RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0084] 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting RS signaling for a SCell in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 200 may include a network entity 205, a network entity 210, a network entity 215, a network entity 220, and a UE 225, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

[0085] That is, in some aspects, the network entity 205 may be configured to serve a PCell for the UE 225, and the network entity 210, the network entity 215, and / or the network entity 220 may be an SCell (e.g., either an active SCell, a to-be-activated SCell, or an inactive SCell) available for communication with the UE 225. However, it should be understood that the PCell and the SCell may be associated with the same network entity and / or may be associated with different network entities. In examples where the PCell and the SCell are associated with different network entities, such network entities may coordinate aspects of communication with the UE 225 wirelessly and / or via a wired connection (e.g., via a backhaul connection).

[0086] Some wireless communication systems may support temporary RSs during SCell activation to expedite the activation process and improve efficiency. The temporary RSs may be supported, for example, in frequency range one (FR1), frequency range two (FR2), and / or some other FRs for SCell activation. Broadly, the temporary RSs may support functions related to AGC settling, time and / or frequency tracking / tuning during SCell activation, etc.

[0087] In some aspects, a temporary RS may also be referred to as an aperiodic RS and may be an example of a TRS, aperiodic CSI-RS, persistent CSI-RS, semi-persistent CSI-RS, sounding reference signal (SRS), PSS / SSS-based reference signal, a combination of two or more, etc. Other examples of RS types that may be configured as aperiodic reference signals include, but are not limited to, phase tracking reference signals, beam tracking / management reference signals, etc. Thus, terms such as TRS, aperiodic reference signal, new temporary RS, etc. may be used interchangeably herein.

[0088] Thus, in some examples, a TRS waveform may be selected as a temporary RS (e.g., aperiodic RS) for SCell activation. In some examples, the temporary RS may be triggered by a DCI, a MAC CE, etc. The UE 225 may measure the triggered temporary RS during the SCell activation procedure within a configured time threshold or later (e.g., after slot m).

[0089] Conventionally, upon receiving an SCell activation command in a slot, the UE 225 is responsible for sending a valid CSI report and for

[0090]

number

[0091] It may support applying actions regarding SCell activation commands to previously activated SCells. HARQ T may refer to the timing (in ms) between a downlink data transmission and an acknowledgment of the downlink data transmission (e.g., HARQ-ACK feedback). activation_time may refer to the SCell activation delay in ms. If the SCell to be activated is known and belongs to FR1, T activation_timeIf the SCell measurement cycle is less than or equal to 160 ms (e.g., to support fine-grained tracking), T FirstSSB +5ms, or if the SCell measurement cycle is greater than 160ms (e.g., to support AGC plus fine-grained time / frequency tracking), T FirstSSB_Max +T rs +5ms. If the SCell is unknown and belongs to FR1, T activation_time (e.g., to support AGC, fine time / frequency tracking, and SSB detection) FirstSSB_Max +T SMTC_Max +2*T rs Sometimes +5ms. rs Generally, T may refer to the SSB-based measurement and timing configuration (SMTC) period of the SCell to be activated if the UE has been provided with an SMTC configuration for the SCell in the SCell addition message. Otherwise, T rs may refer to the SMTC configured in measObjectNR with the same SSB frequency and subcarrier spacing. If the UE 225 is not given an SMTC configuration or measurement object on this frequency, T rs The requirement including T equals 5 ms, assuming an SSB transmission period of 5 ms. rs It can be applied in T FirstSSB is a slot

[0092]

number

[0093] It may refer to the time until the end of the first complete SSB burst, which is later indicated by the SMTC. FirstSSB_Max is a slot

[0094]

number

[0095] It may refer to the time until the end of the first complete SSB burst as indicated later by the SMTC. In FR1, for intra-band SCell activation, this may satisfy the requirement that all active serving cells and SCells to be activated or released are transmitting SSB bursts in the same slot. In inter-band SCell activation, this may refer to the first time that the activated SCell is transmitting an SSB burst. In FR2, this may refer to the time that all active serving cells and SCells to be activated or released are transmitting SSB bursts in the same slot.

[0096] Therefore, in FR1, for SCell activation using temporary RS under certain conditions (e.g., SCell measurement cycle <= 160 ms), the SCell activation delay is

[0097]

number

[0098] In this case, T HARQ Generally, T refers to the timeline until the HARQ-ACK is transmitted. activation_time Generally, T FirstTempRS +5ms, where T FirstTempRS is n+T HARQ +3ms after the start or end of the temporary reference signal. CSI_Reporting Generally, β refers to the delay until the first available CSI report includes the CSI resource uncertainty in the CSI report.

[0099] Thus, in some examples, the temporary RS may be a tracking RS (TRS) (e.g., a non-zero power (NZP)-CSI-RS resource set configured in the parameter trs-Info). Conventionally, this may include two NZP-CSI-RS resources configured in a slot (over two OFDM symbols), or four NZP-CSI-RS resources configured in two consecutive slots. The TRS may span the bandwidth of a downlink BWP that is active when the SCell is activated (e.g., at least initially). The downlink BWP may correspond to the first active DL-BWP-id configured for the UE 225.

[0100] Either the slot, the NZP-CSI-RS resource set index, or a combination in which the temporary RS is transmitted may be indicated by the triggering signaling of the temporary RS. In one option, this may include the triggering signaling being conveyed in a MAC CE carried by a PDSCH. For example, the MAC CE that triggers the temporary RS may be carried by a PDSCH that also carries the MAC CE that activates the SCell. In another example, the MAC CE that triggers the temporary RS may be indicated by a different PDSCH than the PDSCH that carries the MAC CE that activates the SCell. Another option may include the triggering signaling being conveyed in a DCI. For example, this may include a DCI that schedules a PDSCH that carries the MAC CE that activates the SCell. In another example, this may include a DCI that schedules a PDSCH that carries the MAC CE that activates the SCell.

[0101] According to such conventional techniques, the time domain allocation of a temporary RS may generally consist of two CSI-RS resources configured in a slot, or four CSI-RS resources configured in consecutive slots (which may be the same across two consecutive slots), which may be defined by the higher layer parameter CSI-RS-resourceMapping.

[0102] Therefore, using a temporary RS configuration, fast SCell activation can be improved. In this context, the SCell activation delay is

[0103]

number

[0104] It can correspond to T HARQ Again, T corresponds to the timeline until the ACK is sent. activation_time Generally, T temp RS +5ms, where T temp RS is n+T HARQ +3 ms to TRS. In some aspects, the activation time may correspond to the time during which the UE 225 sends a HARQ-ACK for the activation command, the time it takes the UE 225 to measure the TRS, and the time the UE 225 is ready to send a CSI-RS report based on the measurement.

[0105] For example, in a known SCell with a measurement cycle of more than 160 ms, the temporary RS may include two portions of an RS symbol separated in time. One portion may be used for AGC and the other portion may be used for fine time / frequency tracking. The temporary RS may be a set of TRS (e.g., NZP-CSI-RS resource set with trs-info). In another option, the temporary RS may include one portion of an RS symbol and the UE may use the temporary RS and the SSB. For example, the temporary RS may be used for AGC and the SSB may be used for fine time / frequency tracking, or vice versa.

[0106] In a known SCell, the temporary RS may include four portions of an RS symbol separated in time. The temporary RS may be a set of TRS (e.g., NZP-CSI-RS resource set with trs-info). In another option, the temporary RS may include one or more portions of an RS symbol, and the UE may use the temporary RS and an SSB. For example, at least four portions of one or more temporary RSs and one or more SSBs may be used. Depending on the number of portions of the temporary RS, the number of SSBs required may be different, and the SCell activation delay may be different in this situation.

[0107] While this approach may be suitable for SCells activated with a SCell measurement cycle <= 160 ms, other issues may arise for SCells activated with a SCell measurement cycle > 160 ms. For SCell measurement cycle > 160 ms, two SSBs are typically used. Since the two SSBs are separated in the time domain by at least 5 ms, the UE 225 has enough time to process AGC (e.g., using the first SSB) and track continuously (e.g., using the second SSB for time / frequency tracking / fine tuning). However, the temporary RS technique discussed above may limit the NZP-CSI-RS resource to be present in either one slot or two consecutive slots. That is, since the NZP-CSI-RS resource is included within a short duration (e.g., up to two slots), the UE 225 may not have enough time to process AGC and perform fine tracking. That is, the slot duration (e.g., NR slot length) may be 1 ms, 0.5 ms, 0.25 ms, and 0.125 ms for SCS of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, and 120 kHz, respectively. Restricting the configuration of temporary RS resources to within a single slot or across two consecutive slots may not provide enough time for the UE 225 to use the temporary RS for AGC operation and then fine tuning.

[0108] Moreover, if AGC and time / frequency tracking are required for SCell activation, the UE 225 may require a certain level of time gap between the RS for AGC and the RS used for time / frequency tracking. For example, a TRS (e.g., NZP-CSI-RS resource set with trs-info) may be used for SCell activation. The TRS may contain multiple NZP-CSI-RS symbols in two consecutive slots with a minimum of four OFDM symbol separation. This may be insufficient in some situations. Therefore, aspects of the described techniques provide a sufficient time gap between the two parts of the temporary RS (e.g., the first and second parts of the temporary RS may be split at a sufficient distance to support AGC and fine time / frequency tracking in the time domain).

[0109] However, for already active SCells, such a structure for temporary RS may not be necessary, although A-CSI-RS and TRS for CSI measurements (e.g., NZP-CSI-RS resource set with trs-info) may still be useful for active serving cells, i.e., other forms of temporary RS design target some specific conditions / purposes (e.g., known cells with measurement cycle >160 ms or unknown cells) and therefore may not be useful for already active cells (e.g., for cells with activation state already active).

[0110] Thus, aspects of the described techniques may include a network entity 205 (e.g., in this example, the PCell serving UE 225) configuring the UE 225 with one RS configuration for each cell for each code point in the configured table. For example, the network entity 205 may transmit or otherwise provide configuration signaling to the UE 225 that identifies or otherwise indicates a set of RS formats, where each set of RS formats includes a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of the set of cells (e.g., to each of the network entity 205, the network entity 210, the network entity 215, and / or the network entity 220). In some aspects, the configuration signal may use RRC signaling or other signaling techniques from the network entity 205 to the UE 225.

[0111] In some examples, the set of RS formats may include a table that lists (e.g., indicates) for each cell available for communication with the UE 225, the RS format that the cell should use. The table may include multiple columns, with a first column corresponding to a field value (e.g., an indication) and other columns corresponding to each cell (e.g., the second column corresponds to PCell, the third column corresponds to SCell1, etc.). The table may include multiple rows, with each row having a set of RS formats for the cell in the corresponding column. As discussed, each row may include a column (e.g., a first column) that corresponds to an indication provided in a trigger signal that signals which row of the table is activated for RS transmission (e.g., indicating which set of RS formats is activated for the cell). For example, the first column in the table may correspond to a field indicating an active set of RS formats in the set of RS formats. That is, the field value column may include a different field value for each row, and the field value indicated in the trigger signal identifies which row / set of RS formats is active for the cell for use for RS transmission.

[0112] Thus, the network entity 205 may transmit or possibly provide a trigger signal to the UE 225 indicating an active set of RS formats from the set of RS formats. The trigger signal may identify or possibly indicate RS transmission from the cell according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. That is, the trigger signal (e.g., MAC CE, DCI, etc.) may include a bit, field, parameter, etc. set to a particular field value corresponding to a first column in the table. A particular field value corresponding to a particular row in the table may signal which RS format is active for RS transmission from the cell. The active RS formats in the row corresponding to the indicated field value may signal to the cells in the corresponding column which RS format each cell should use for such RS transmission. In one non-limiting example, the indication provided in the trigger signal may be provided in an A-CSI request field of the DCI. However, this indication is not limited to the A-CSI request field of the DCI, but may instead be signaled in a different field and / or in a different signal (e.g., in the MAC CE).

[0113] In some aspects, the active RS format may be based on the activation state of each cell. For example, the UE 225 may identify or possibly determine which cells are active for communication with the UE 225 or inactive (e.g., deactivated) for communication with the UE 225. Each cell may be in either an inactive state, a currently active state, or a to-be-activated state (e.g., the cell was inactive but is transitioning to an active state to support communication with the UE 225).

[0114] Based on the activation state of each cell, in addition to the active set of RS formats indicated in the trigger signal, UE 225 may select, identify, or possibly determine a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell in the set of cells. That is, UE 225 may generally determine how to monitor RS transmissions from active and / or to-be-activated cells using RS formats from a table row indicated in the trigger signal.

[0115] A monitoring scheme may generally determine whether and / or how the UE 225 monitors RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells. For example, the UE 225 may use an active set of RS formats in addition to the active state of each cell to determine whether and, if so, how to monitor RS transmissions from a cell. Thus, the UE 225 may implement (e.g., execute) a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from at least one cell in the set of cells.

[0116] Thus, aspects of the described techniques provide for the use of (in some examples) the A-CSI request field (e.g., DCI format 0_1 ​​and / or 0_2) of the uplink DCI to indicate a triggered set of RS formats. For cells associated with the field value, RRC signaling may be used as a configuration signal to configure the temporary RS format for each cell. The RS format may be a legacy TRS (e.g., NZP-CSI-RS resource set with trs-info) or a new temporary RS format. For example, a code point (e.g., an indicated field value) in the trigger signal may indicate legacy TRS for all of the indicated cells, may indicate a new temporary RS for all of the indicated cells, or may indicate legacy TRS for some cells and a new temporary RS format for other cells. As discussed, the association between a particular code point (e.g., an indicated field value in the trigger signal) and a configuration (e.g., a set of RS formats) for each cell may be provided via a configuration signal (e.g., RRC signaling). In the situation where a cell is not included in the configured set of RS formats, the UE 225 may ignore the cell when triggered by the trigger signal, i.e., if one or more SCells having an associated RS format configuration for a codepoint are deactivated (e.g., in an inactive activation state) and if the codepoint is indicated by an A-CSI request field, the UE 225 may ignore the indication regarding the deactivated cells.

[0117] If one or more SCells having an associated RS format configuration for the code point are active (e.g., in an active activation state), and if the RS format is for a new temporary RS and the code point is indicated by an A-CSI request field, the UE 225 may have different options available. In one option, the UE 225 may ignore the indication (e.g., not consider the new temporary RS as being transmitted by an already activated cell). For example, the UE 225 may identify or possibly determine that the activation state for at least one SCell is an activated state (e.g., already activated). The UE 225 may identify or possibly determine that the RS format associated with the SCell is a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new RS format). Thus, in some examples, the UE 225 may implement or possibly employ a monitoring scheme that includes refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the SCell. This may be based, at least in some aspects, on an already activated activation state and that the SCell is configured with a temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0118] Refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the SCell based on an already activated activation state and a temporary aperiodic RS format being configured and activated by a trigger signal may include different options for the UE 225. In one option, the UE 225 simply ignores the RS transmission from the SCell. In another option, if a PDSCH is scheduled on the SCell that overlaps with an RS resource element, the UE 225 may assume that the PDSCH resource element is rate-matched or punctured around the resource element for the RS. That is, the UE 225 may determine that a downlink transmission (e.g., a PDSCH) is scheduled using overlapping resources that overlap at least to some extent with the RS transmission from the SCell. In this example, the UE 225 may decode the downlink transmission based on the assumption that the downlink transmission was either punctured or rate-matched around the overlapping resource.

[0119] In some examples, the UE 225 may follow the RS format configured via the active set of RS formats indicated in the RRC signaling and trigger signals (e.g., may consider the RS to be transmitted by the cell). For example, the UE 225 may determine that the SCell is in an activation state and that the RS format associated with the SCell is a TRS format. In this example, a monitoring scheme implemented or possibly employed by the UE 225 may include the UE 225 monitoring RS transmissions from the SCell according to the configuration and trigger signals. The monitoring, at least for this example, may be based on an already activated activation state and the RS format configured for the SCell being a TRS RS format (e.g., a legacy TRS format).

[0120] In some examples, a cell in the set of cells may be in a to-be-activated state (e.g., may be in the process of being activated). In this situation, a monitoring scheme implemented or possibly adopted by the UE 225 may be based on the RS format for the SCell being activated. For example, if the UE 225 determines that the RS format for the SCell in the active set of RS formats is the TRS format, the monitoring scheme may include the UE 225 refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the to-be-activated SCell. In a situation where the UE 225 determines that the RS format for the SCell in the active set of RS formats is a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new RS format), the UE 225 may implement or possibly adopt a monitoring scheme that includes the UE 225 monitoring RS transmissions from the to-be-activated SCell.

[0121] Continuing with the SCell activation scenario, in some examples, the UE 225 may receive a SCell activation message indicating that a SCell is activated for communication with the UE 225. The SCell activation message may use MAC CE signaling and may identify the SCell being activated. That is, in some examples, the SCell activation message may be transmitted separately from the trigger signal. In other examples, a trigger signal (e.g., a DCI) may be used as the SCell activation message (e.g., the DCI may schedule a PDSCH carrying the MAC CE SCell activation message).

[0122] Thus, the UE 225 may use the activation state of each cell in the set of cells in addition to the active set of RS formats indicated by the trigger signal to develop a monitoring scheme for the UE 225 to use to monitor RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells. The UE 225 may execute a monitoring scheme for each cell in the set of cells according to the configuration of the active set of RS formats and the set of RS formats.

[0123] 3A and 3B illustrate an example of an RS format configuration 300 supporting RS signaling for a SCell according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The RS format configuration 300 may implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100 and / or 200. Aspects of the RS format configuration 300 may be implemented by a UE and / or a network entity, which may be an example of a corresponding device described herein. In this example, the network entity may be configured as a PCell and / or a SCell (e.g., a set of cells) available for communication with the UE. Broadly, the RS format configuration 300-a of FIG. 3A and the RS format configuration 300-b of FIG. 3B both illustrate non-limiting examples of one or more sets of RS formats shown for a UE, where the RS format configuration 300-a includes a single RS format configured for each set of RS formats for each cell, and the RS format configuration 300-b includes multiple RS formats configured for each set of RS formats for several cells.

[0124] As discussed above, aspects of the described techniques provide various mechanisms that may improve RS transmission from cells available for communication with a UE. For example, a network entity may use configuration signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) to configure or possibly indicate one or more sets of RS formats to the UE.

[0125] Referring initially to the RS format configuration 300-a of FIG. 3A, each set of RS formats may correspond to a row 305. For example, row 305-a may correspond to a first set of RS formats, row 305-b may correspond to a second set of RS formats, row 305-c may correspond to a third set of RS formats, and row 305-d may correspond to a fourth set of RS formats. It should be understood that a set of RS formats may include more or fewer sets of RS formats (e.g., more rows 305 or fewer rows 305). The top row (not labeled) of the RS format configuration 300-a may simply be a header row.

[0126] Each set of RS formats may map an RS format to a respective cell of a set of cells. In this example, the set of cells may correspond to a PCell mapped to column 310-b, a SCell1 mapped to column 310-c, a SCell2 mapped to column 310-d, and a SCell3 mapped to column 310-e. Column 310-a may correspond to a set of field values ​​that may be included in a trigger signal to indicate which set of RS formats are active. It should be understood that a set of cells may include more or fewer cells (e.g., more columns 310 or fewer columns 310) in the set of cells. The first column 310-a generally corresponds to a set of field values ​​that may be provided in a trigger signal to indicate which set of RS formats are active.

[0127] The network entity may then transmit a trigger signal to the UE that carries or possibly communicates an indication of an active set of RS formats of the set of RS formats. Broadly, the trigger signal may indicate that RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells are to be performed according to RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. In some examples, this may include a trigger signal that carries or possibly communicates a field value from column 310-a. For example, the trigger signal may indicate "00" to signal that a first set of RS formats is active for RS transmission, may indicate "01" to signal that a second set of RS formats is active for RS transmission, etc.

[0128] The UE may then determine an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The activation state may generally correspond to an active activation state (e.g., the cell is already in an active state), a deactivated state, or a to-be-activated state (e.g., for a cell being activated for communication with the UE). An active cell may be known to the UE (e.g., because the UE is already communicating with an active cell). An inactive cell may or may not be known to the UE (e.g., the UE may or may not be configured with an inactive cell). A to-be-activated cell may be known to the UE based on a network entity sending or possibly conveying an SCell activation message to the UE to identify which cell is being activated for communication with the UE. In the non-limiting example shown in the RS format configuration 300-a of FIG. 3A, PCell and SCell1 are in an active state or a to-be-activated state, and SCell2 and SCell3 are in an inactive state.

[0129] Based on the activation state of each cell as well as the active set of RS formats indicated in the trigger signal, the UE may select, determine, or possibly identify a monitoring scheme for cells in the set of cells. For example, if the trigger signal indicates that the set of active RS formats corresponds to row 305-a, the UE may know (e.g., based on configuration signaling) that both PCell and SCell1 will perform RS transmissions using the legacy TRS RS format. If the trigger signal indicates that the set of active RS formats corresponds to row 305-c, the UE may know (e.g., based on configuration signaling) that PCell will perform RS transmissions using the A-CSI-RS RS format and SCell1 will perform RS transmissions using the new temporary RS format. Because SCell2 and SCell3 are both in an inactive deactivation state, the UE may discard the RS formats for these cells.

[0130] Thus, the UE may perform a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells according to the active RS format configured by RRC configuration signaling and the activation state of each cell. For example, the UE may refrain from monitoring RS transmissions from already activated cells configured with a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new temporary RS format) but may monitor RS transmissions from already activated cells configured with a TRS RS format (e.g., a legacy TRS format and / or an A-CSI-RS format). In another example, the UE may monitor RS transmissions from a to-be-activated cell configured with a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new temporary RS format) but may refrain from monitoring RS transmissions from a to-be-activated cell configured with a TRS RS format (e.g., a legacy TRS format and / or an A-CSI-RS format).

[0131] 3B, again each set of RS formats may correspond to a row 315. For example, row 315-a may correspond to a first set of RS formats, row 315-b may correspond to a second set of RS formats, row 315-c may correspond to a third set of RS formats, and row 315-d may correspond to a fourth set of RS formats. It should be understood that a set of RS formats may include more or fewer sets of RS formats (e.g., more or fewer rows 315). The top row (not labeled) of RS format configuration 300-b may simply be a header row.

[0132] Each set of RS formats may map an RS format to a respective cell of a set of cells. In this example, the set of cells may correspond to PCell mapped to column 320-b, SCell1 mapped to column 320-c, SCell2 mapped to column 320-d, and SCell3 mapped to column 320-e. Column 320-a may correspond to a set of field values ​​that may be included in a trigger signal to indicate which set of RS formats are active. It should be understood that a set of cells may include more or fewer cells in a set of cells (e.g., more columns 320 or fewer columns 320). The first column 320-a generally corresponds to a set of field values ​​that may be provided in a trigger signal to indicate which set of RS formats are active.

[0133] RS format configuration 300-b illustrates an example in which the configuration signaling may include two or more RS formats configured for each set of RS formats for one or more cells in the set of cells. That is, the UE may identify or possibly determine that the RS formats associated with at least one SCell include a first RS format and a second RS format. In this example, each RS format may be associated with a particular activation state of a cell in the set of cells. For example, when the trigger signal indicates "00" signaling that row 315-a is an active set of RS formats, the UE may determine activation states for SCell1, SCell2, and SCell3. If the activation state of each cell is an active activation state (e.g., already active), the UE may determine that the active RS format for each cell is the legacy TRS RS format. If the activation state for each cell is a to-be-activated activation state (e.g., the SCell is activated, such as based on the UE receiving a SCell activation message), the UE may determine that the active RS format for each cell is the new temporary RS format.

[0134] Thus, the UE may select and execute a monitoring scheme for each cell using the active RS format based on the activation state for each cell. For example, if the trigger signal indicates "10" signaling that row 315-c corresponds to an active set of RS formats, the monitoring scheme may include the UE monitoring RS transmissions using the A-CSI-RS format from SCell1 if SCell1 is already in an activated activation state, or using a new temporary RS format if SCell1 is in a to-be-activated activation state. Thus, the UE may execute a monitoring scheme for cells in the set of cells according to the configuration of the RS formats and the activated set and activation state of each cell.

[0135] Accordingly, aspects of the described techniques may include using an A-CSI request field (e.g., DCI format 0_1 ​​and / or 0_2) in an uplink DCI to indicate a triggered RS. For a serving cell associated with the field's codepoint, RRC signaling may configure one or more temporary RS structures (e.g., formats) for each serving cell, where an actual RS format is identified based on certain conditions. For example, an A-CSI request field indicating "10" may activate either an A-CSI-RS or a new temporary RS format for SCell1 depending on the condition (e.g., activation state) of SCell1, and may activate either a legacy TRS or a new temporary RS format for SCell2 depending on the condition of SCell2. In one non-limiting example, if SCell1 is in an inactive activation state, the field may be considered to trigger a new temporary RS format for SCell1 (e.g., SCell1 is activated). If SCell1 is in an active activation state, the field may be considered to trigger A-CSI-RS on SCell1.

[0136] For serving cells associated with the codepoints in the field, RRC configuration signaling configures one or more temporary RS structures (e.g., formats) for each serving cell, and the actual temporary RS format may be identified based on (a set of) certain conditions.

[0137] For example, the condition may be whether the cell indicated by the field is associated with the SCell activation procedure. The SCell activation procedure may start from slot n+k, where n is the slot where the MAC-CE SCell activation command for the SCell is received, and k may be k1+N+1, where k1 is the time offset for the HARQ-ACK feedback for the PDSCH carrying the MAC-CE SCell activation command, and N is the number of slots up to slot n+M, which corresponds to 3 ms, where M corresponds to the number of slots corresponding to a certain time period (e.g., 20 ms) required for SCell activation. If an A-CSI-RS, legacy TRS, or DCI triggering a new temporary RS is received on the SCell from slot n+k to slot n+M, the field triggers the RS (e.g., new temporary RS format) required for the SCell activation procedure. If a DCI triggering A-CSI-RS, legacy TRS, or a new temporary RS on the SCell is received after slot n+M, the field triggers the RS format (e.g., A-CSI-RS or legacy TRS) useful for the active SCell. If a DCI triggering A-CSI-RS, legacy TRS, or a new temporary RS format on the SCell is received before slot n+k, the UE may ignore the indication for the SCell. The exact values ​​of k and M may vary from the above and may depend on various other factors.

[0138] Thus, the UE may identify or possibly determine that the trigger signal is received during a time window bounded by a first threshold time limit and a second threshold time limit. The first threshold time limit may correspond to a delay time after receipt of an SCell activation message that activates the SCell. The second threshold time limit may correspond to an activation time for the SCell. The UE may apply an active set of RS formats when the trigger signal is received during the time window, or refrain from applying an active set of RS formats when the trigger signal is received prior to the time window. If the trigger signal is received after the time window, the UE may apply an RS format (e.g., legacy TRS and / or A-CSI-RS format) associated with the SCell's activation state for the activated SCell (e.g., regardless of the active set of RS formats).

[0139] 4A-4C illustrate examples of RS format structures 400 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to aspects of the present disclosure. The RS format structure 400 may implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100 and / or 200 and / or aspects of the RS format configuration 300. Aspects of the RS format structure 400 may be implemented by a UE and / or a network entity, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein. In this example, the network entity may be configured as a PCell and / or a SCell (e.g., a set of cells) available for communication with the UE. Broadly, the RS format structure 400-a of FIG. 4A, the RS format structure 400-b of FIG. 4B, and the RS format structure 400-c of FIG. 4C illustrate non-limiting examples of structures of how RS transmissions may be performed by cells in a set of cells.

[0140] As discussed above, aspects of the described techniques provide various mechanisms that may improve RS transmissions from cells available for communication with a UE. For example, a network entity may use configuration signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) to configure or possibly indicate one or more sets of RS formats to the UE. Each set of RS formats may map RS formats to respective cells of a set of cells. In this example, the set of cells may correspond to a PCell and one or more SCells. The network entity may then transmit a trigger signal to the UE that carries or possibly conveys an indication of an active set of RS formats of the set of RS formats. In general, the trigger signal may indicate that RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells are to be performed according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0141] The UE may then determine an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The activation state may generally correspond to an active activation state (e.g., the cell is already in an active state), a deactivated state, or a to-be-activated state (e.g., for a cell to be activated for communication with the UE). An active cell may be known to the UE (e.g., because the UE is already communicating with an active cell). An inactive cell may or may not be known to the UE (e.g., the UE may or may not be configured with an inactive cell). A to-be-activated cell may be known to the UE based on a network entity sending or possibly conveying an SCell activation message to the UE to identify which cell is to be activated for communication with the UE.

[0142] Based on the activation state of each cell and the active set of RS formats indicated in the trigger signal, the UE may select, determine, or possibly identify a monitoring scheme for cells in the set of cells. Thus, the UE may perform a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells according to the active RS formats configured by the RRC configuration signaling and the activation state of each cell. For example, the UE may refrain from monitoring RS transmissions from already activated cells configured with a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new temporary RS format) but may monitor RS transmissions from already activated cells configured with a TRS RS format (e.g., a legacy TRS format and / or an A-CSI-RS format). In another example, the UE may monitor RS transmissions from a to-be-activated cell configured with a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new temporary RS format) but may refrain from monitoring RS transmissions from a to-be-activated cell configured with a TRS RS format (e.g., a legacy TRS format and / or an A-CSI-RS format).

[0143] Referring first to the RS format structure 400-a of FIG. 4A, an active RS format may include multiple portions of an RS transmission that are separated in the time domain. For example, a UE may identify or possibly determine that an active set of RS formats includes an aperiodic RS 405 (e.g., a new temporary RS format, a legacy TRS format, and / or an A-CSI-RS format) that includes a first portion of an RS and a second portion of an RS that are in consecutive slots. For example, a first portion of an aperiodic RS 405 in a first slot (which in this example includes two RS transmissions), and then a second portion of an aperiodic RS 405 in a next slot (which in this example also includes two RS transmissions). In some examples, an RS format structure 400-a having a known cell associated with a measurement cycle of 160 ms or less may be applied.

[0144] Referring to the RS format structure 400-b of FIG. 4B, an example is shown in which an aperiodic RS 405 may again be split into a first and second part in consecutive slots, but then repeated in non-consecutive slots. The first repetition of the first / second part of the aperiodic RS 405 may be used by the UE for AGC, and the second repetition in the non-consecutive slots may be used for fine frequency / time tuning by the UE. In some examples, the RS format structure 400-b having known or unknown cells associated with a measurement cycle greater than 160 ms (e.g., to support both AGC and fine time / frequency tuning) may be applied.

[0145] 4C, an example is shown in which an aperiodic RS 405 is split into a first and a second portion over non-consecutive slots. The first portion of the aperiodic RS 405 may be used by the UE for AGC during the first slot, and then the second portion of the aperiodic RS 405 may be used by the UE for fine frequency / time tuning during the second slot.

[0146] As also discussed above, the aperiodic RS 405 may use various RS formats. For example, the temporary RS (e.g., the aperiodic RS 405) may be a TRS (e.g., an A-CSI-RS and / or NZP-CSI-RS resource set configured in parameter trs-info) (e.g., may use one type of known A-CSI-RS format). Additionally or alternatively, the temporary RS (e.g., the aperiodic RS 405) may be a modified TRS, such as when a first portion of the TRS is in slot n and a second portion of the TRS is in slot n+k, where k>0 (e.g., a new structure may be used for the TRS). Additionally or alternatively, the temporary RS may be a repeated TRS, such as when gaps between repeated TRSs may be separated in the time domain by several slots or symbols (e.g., a completely new structure may be used for the temporary RS).

[0147] Although the RS format structure 400 generally shows a non-periodic RS 405 being split into two parts (e.g., to support AGC and frequency / time tuning), it should be understood that in some examples, the RS may be split into three or more parts.

[0148] 5 illustrates an example of a process 500 for supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to aspects of the disclosure. The process 500 may implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100 and / or 200, the RS format configuration 300, and / or the RS format structure 400. Aspects of the process 500 may be implemented by or in a PCell 505, a UE 510, and / or a SCell 515, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein. In some aspects, the PCell 505 and the SCell 515 may be associated with the same network entity or with separate network entities. It should be understood that two or more SCells may be included within a set of cells available for communication with the UE 510.

[0149] At 520, the PCell 505 may transmit or possibly provide (and the UE 510 may receive or possibly obtain) a configuration signal that carries or possibly communicates an indication of one or more sets of RS formats. Each set of RS formats may be mapped to or possibly associated with an RS format for a respective cell of the set of cells. In some aspects, the configuration signaling may include RRC signaling or some other higher layer signaling used to convey the indication of the set of RS formats. In some examples, the indication may be associated with a table having multiple rows, each row corresponding to a different set of RS formats and each column corresponding to a different cell in the set of cells.

[0150] At 525, the PCell 505 may transmit or possibly provide (and the UE 510 may receive or possibly obtain) a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats from a configured set of RS formats. The trigger signal may indicate to the UE 510 that RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells will be performed according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. In one non-limiting example, the trigger signal may include a DCI, and the indication of the active set of RS formats may be conveyed within an A-CSI request field of the DCI. In other examples, the trigger signal may be conveyed within a MAC CE, or some other signaling between the PCell 505 and the UE 510. In some examples, the indication carried or possibly conveyed in the trigger signal may include a field value associated with a particular row in a table that lists the set of RS formats.

[0151] At 530, the UE 510 may determine or possibly identify an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. For example, the UE 505 may determine whether each cell (e.g., each SCell) is in an activation state where the cell is already active for communication with the UE 510, in an inactive or deactivated state where the cell is not communicating with the UE 510, or in a to-be-activated state where the cell is in the process of being activated for communication with the UE 510. For example, the PCell 505 may transmit or possibly provide (and the UE 510 may receive or possibly obtain) an SCell activation message indicating that one or more of the cells in the set of cells are activated for the UE 510. The activation state for those one or more cells may be based on the SCell activation message.

[0152] At 535, the UE 510 may use the activation state of each cell in combination with the set of active RS formats indicated by the trigger signal to identify or possibly determine a monitoring scheme for at least one cell in the set of cells. That is, the UE 510 may determine the activation state for a cell and a format for RS transmission from the cell based on the active set of RS formats. This may indicate whether the UE will monitor RS transmissions from cells in the set of cells, and if so, how such monitoring will be performed (e.g., which RS format to monitor). At 540, the UE 510 may perform a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from at least one SCell (e.g., SCell 515) in the set of cells in addition to RS transmissions from the PCell 505, in some examples. For example, the UE 510 may monitor RS transmissions from the PCell 505 using the active RS format configured for the PCell 505 and monitor RS transmissions from the SCell 515 using the active RS format configured for the SCell 515.

[0153] In some aspects, the monitoring scheme may be based on the activation state of the cell in addition to the RS format for the cell activated by the trigger signal. In one example, this may include the UE 510 refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from already activated cells when the active RS format is a temporary aperiodic RS format (e.g., a new temporary RS format). In another example, this may include the UE 510 monitoring RS transmissions from already activated cells when the active RS format is a TRS format (e.g., a legacy TRS format and / or an A-CSI-RS format). In yet another example, this may include the UE 510 refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from activated cells when the active RS format is a TRS format. Conversely, in another example, this may include the UE 510 monitoring RS transmissions from activated cells when the active RS format is a temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0154] As discussed above, in some examples, the active RS format may include multiple RS formats configured for a cell / cells in the set of cells, and the RS format is selected based on the activation state of the cell. For example, a first RS format and a second RS format may be configured for a particular cell and indicated as active in the triggering signal. The UE 510 may identify or possibly determine the activation state of the cell and select the first RS format or the second RS format based on the activation state. For example, the cell may be configured with a TRS format as well as a new temporary RS format. The UE 510 may select a TRS format if the cell is already activated or may select a new temporary RS format if the cell is in the process of being activated, or vice versa.

[0155] As also discussed above, in some examples, an RS transmission may be separated into a first portion and a second portion, which may be in consecutive slots or in non-consecutive slots. In examples where the first portion and the second portion are configured in consecutive slots, this particular RS structure may be repeated across non-consecutive slots by cells in that RS transmission.

[0156] 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of a device 605 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of an aspect of a UE 115 described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0157] The receiver 610 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels associated with RS signaling for the SCell). The information may be passed to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may use a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0158] The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various information channels (e.g., a control channel, a data channel, an information channel related to RS signaling for the SCell). In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be collocated with the receiver 610 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0159] The communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of RS signaling for a SCell as described herein. For example, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0160] In some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communications management circuit). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or possibly supporting means for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by the processor executing instructions stored in the memory).

[0161] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by a processor (e.g., as communications management software or firmware). If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or in some cases supporting a means for performing the functions described in this disclosure).

[0162] In some examples, the communications manager 620 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using, or possibly cooperating with, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to receive information, transmit information, or perform various other operations described herein.

[0163] The communications manager 620 may support wireless communications in a UE according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The communications manager 620 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. The communications manager 620 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The communications manager 620 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS formats in the active set of RS formats. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or may possibly support a means for performing a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from at least one SCell.

[0164] By including or configuring the communications manager 620 according to the examples described herein, the device 605 (e.g., a processor that controls or is possibly coupled to the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, the communications manager 620, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for signaling RS format / activation state for cells in a set of cells configured for communication with the UE.

[0165] 7 illustrates a block diagram 700 of a device 705 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of an aspect of a device 605 or a UE 115 described herein. The device 705 may include a receiver 710, a transmitter 715, and a communications manager 720. The device 705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0166] The receiver 710 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels associated with RS signaling for the SCell). The information may be passed to other components of the device 705. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0167] The transmitter 715 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 705. For example, the transmitter 715 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various information channels (e.g., a control channel, a data channel, an information channel related to RS signaling for the SCell). In some examples, the transmitter 715 may be collocated with the receiver 710 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 715 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0168] The device 705 or various components thereof may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of RS signaling for SCells described herein. For example, the communications manager 720 may include an RS format configuration manager 725, a trigger signal manager 730, an activation state manager 735, a monitoring scheme manager 740, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 720 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 620 described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 720, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or possibly cooperating with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both. For example, the communications manager 720 may be integrated with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both to receive information from the receiver 710, send information to the transmitter 715, or receive information, transmit information, or perform various other operations described herein.

[0169] The communications manager 720 may support wireless communications in a UE according to examples disclosed herein. The RS format configuration manager 725 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The trigger signal manager 730 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats. The activation state manager 735 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The monitoring scheme manager 740 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS format in the active set of RS formats. The monitoring scheme manager 740 may be configured as or may possibly support a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from at least one SCell.

[0170] 8 illustrates a block diagram 800 of a communications manager 820 supporting RS signaling for SCells according to an aspect of the disclosure. The communications manager 820 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 620, the communications manager 720, or both described herein. The communications manager 820, or various components thereof, may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of the RS signaling for SCells described herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may include an RS format configuration manager 825, a trigger signal manager 830, an activation state manager 835, a monitoring scheme manager 840, an active cell manager 845, a cell activation manager 850, a multi-RS format manager 855, an RS structure manager 860, an inactive cell manager 865, a trigger timing manager 870, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may be in direct or indirect communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0171] The communications manager 820 may support wireless communications in a UE according to examples disclosed herein. The RS format configuration manager 825 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The trigger signal manager 830 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS format associated with the active set of RS formats. The activation state manager 835 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The monitoring scheme manager 840 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS format in the active set of RS formats. In some examples, the monitoring scheme manager 840 may be configured as or may possibly support a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from at least one SCell.

[0172] In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the activation state of at least one SCell is an activated state, where the at least one SCell is already activated. In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format. In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for performing a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being an activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including a temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0173] In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that a downlink transmission is scheduled using overlapping resources that overlap with an RS transmission from at least one SCell. In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for decoding a downlink transmission based on an assumption that the downlink transmission is either punctured or rate matched around the overlapping resources.

[0174] In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the activation state of at least one SCell is an activation state, where at least one SCell has already been activated. In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that an RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a tracking RS format. In some examples, the active cell manager 845 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for performing a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell by monitoring RS transmissions from at least one SCell based on the activation state of at least one SCell being an activation state and the RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats including a tracking RS format.

[0175] In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the activation state of at least one SCell is to be activated, where the at least one SCell is in the process of being activated. In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the RS format associated with at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats includes a tracking RS format. In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for performing a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being to be activated and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including a tracking RS format.

[0176] In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the activation state of at least one SCell is a to-be-activated state, in which the at least one SCell is in the process of being activated. In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format. In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for performing a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell by monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a to-be-activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including a temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0177] In some examples, the multi-RS format manager 855 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that an RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats indicates a first RS format associated with a first activation state and a second RS format associated with a second activation state. In some examples, the multi-RS format manager 855 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for selecting a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell based on whether the at least one SCell is in a first activation state or a second activation state.

[0178] In some examples, the multi-RS format manager 855 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for receiving an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE. In some examples, the multi-RS format manager 855 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining, based on the SCell activation message, that at least one SCell is in a first activation state.

[0179] In some examples, the RS structure manager 860 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying that an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format that includes a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, where the first portion and the second portion are in consecutive slots.

[0180] In some examples, the RS structure manager 860 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying that an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format that includes a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, where the first portion and the second portion are in consecutive slots and the tracking RS is repeated in non-consecutive slots.

[0181] In some examples, the RS structure manager 860 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying that an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format that includes a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, where the first portion and the second portion are in non-consecutive slots.

[0182] In some examples, the inactive cell manager 865 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the activation state of the at least one SCell is in a deactivated state, where the at least one SCell is deactivated. In some examples, the inactive cell manager 865 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on the activation state of the at least one SCell being in a deactivated state.

[0183] In some examples, the cell activation manager 850 may be configured or may support as a means for receiving an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, and the activation state for the at least one SCell is based on the SCell activation message. In some examples, the SCell activation message is received using a MAC CE message.

[0184] In some examples, the trigger timing manager 870 may be configured as or may possibly support a means for determining that a trigger signal is received during a time window, the time window being based on a delay time and a threshold time limit after the configuration signal is received. In some examples, the trigger timing manager 870 may be configured as or may possibly support a means for applying an active set of RS formats based on the trigger signal being received during the time window.

[0185] In some examples, the trigger timing manager 870 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that a trigger signal is received prior to a time window, the time window being based on a delay time and a threshold time limit after the configuration signal is received. In some examples, the trigger timing manager 870 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for refraining from applying an active set of RS formats based on the trigger signal being received prior to the time window.

[0186] In some examples, the trigger timing manager 870 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for determining that the trigger signal is received after a time window, the time window being based on a delay time and a threshold time limit after the configuration signal is received. In some examples, the trigger timing manager 870 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for applying an active RS format of an active set of RS formats based on the trigger signal being received after the time window. In some examples, the configuration signal is received within an RRC message. In some examples, the trigger signal is received within an aperiodic channel state information request field of a MAC CE or DCI.

[0187] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of or may include components of a device 605, a device 705, or a UE 115 described herein. The device 905 may wirelessly communicate with one or more network entities 105, a UE 115, or any combination thereof. The device 905 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 920, an input / output (I / O) controller 910, a transceiver 915, an antenna 925, a memory 930, code 935, and a processor 940. These components may be in electronic communication or may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 945).

[0188] The I / O controller 910 may manage input and output signals for the device 905. The I / O controller 910 may also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated with the device 905. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I / O controller 910 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 940. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 through the I / O controller 910 or through hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 910.

[0189] In some cases, the device 905 may include a single antenna 925. However, in some other cases, the device 905 may have two or more antennas 925, which may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 915 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 925, a wired link, or a wireless link, as described herein. For example, the transceiver 915 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 915 may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to the one or more antennas 925 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from the one or more antennas 925. The transceiver 915, or the transceiver 915 and the one or more antennas 925, may be an example of the transmitter 615, the transmitter 715, the receiver 610, the receiver 710, or any combination or components thereof, as described herein.

[0190] The memory 930 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). The memory 930 may store computer readable, computer executable code 935 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 940, cause the device 905 to perform various functions described herein. The code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as a system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 935 may not be directly executable by the processor 940, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause a computer to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 930 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices, among other things.

[0191] The processor 940 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 940 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, the memory controller may be integrated with the processor 940. The processor 940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 930) to cause the device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting RS signaling for a SCell). For example, the device 905 or a component of the device 905 may include a processor 940 and a memory 930 coupled to the processor 940, where the processor 940 and the memory 930 are configured to perform various functions described herein.

[0192] The communications manager 920 may support wireless communications in a UE according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 may be configured as or may otherwise support a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or may otherwise support a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or may otherwise support a means for identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or may otherwise support a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS formats in the active set of RS formats. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or may possibly support a means for performing a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from at least one SCell.

[0193] By including or configuring a communications manager 920 according to examples described herein, the device 905 may support techniques for signaling RS format / activation status for cells within a set of cells configured for communication with the UE.

[0194] In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using, or possibly in cooperation with, the transceiver 915, one or more antennas 925, or a combination thereof. Although the communications manager 920 is shown as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with respect to the communications manager 920 may be supported or performed by the processor 940, the memory 930, the code 935, or a combination thereof. For example, the code 935 may include instructions executable by the processor 940 to cause the device 905 to perform various aspects of RS signaling for a SCell as described herein, or the processor 940 and the memory 930 may be configured to perform or support such operations, as the case may be.

[0195] 10 illustrates a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of an aspect of a network entity 105 described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a transmitter 1015, and a communications manager 1020. The device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0196] The receiver 1010 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to RS signaling for the SCell). The information may be passed to other components of the device 1005. The receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0197] The transmitter 1015 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 1005. For example, the transmitter 1015 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various information channels (e.g., a control channel, a data channel, an information channel related to RS signaling for the SCell). In some examples, the transmitter 1015 may be collocated with the receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 1015 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0198] The communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of RS signaling for a SCell as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0199] In some examples, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communications management circuit). The hardware may include a processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or possibly supporting means for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some examples, the processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by the processor executing instructions stored in the memory).

[0200] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by a processor (e.g., as communications management software or firmware). When implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or in some cases supporting a means for performing the functions described in this disclosure).

[0201] In some examples, the communications manager 1020 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using, or possibly in cooperation with, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both. For example, the communications manager 1020 may receive information from the receiver 1010, send information to the transmitter 1015, or be integrated with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to receive information, transmit information, or perform various other operations described herein.

[0202] The communications manager 1020 may support wireless communications in a network entity according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1020 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying a set of cells associated with performing communications with the UE. The communications manager 1020 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The communications manager 1020 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0203] By including or configuring the communications manager 1020 according to the examples described herein, the device 1005 (e.g., a processor that controls or is possibly coupled to the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, the communications manager 1020, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for signaling RS format / activation status for cells in a set of cells configured for communication with the UE.

[0204] 11 illustrates a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 1105 may be an example of an aspect of a device 1005 or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a transmitter 1115, and a communications manager 1120. The device 1105 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0205] The receiver 1110 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., a control channel, a data channel, an information channel related to RS signaling for the SCell). The information may be passed to other components of the device 1105. The receiver 1110 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0206] The transmitter 1115 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 1105. For example, the transmitter 1115 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof, associated with various information channels (e.g., a control channel, a data channel, an information channel related to RS signaling for the SCell). In some examples, the transmitter 1115 may be collocated with the receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 1115 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

[0207] The device 1105 or various components thereof may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of RS signaling for SCell described herein. For example, the communications manager 1120 may include a multi-cell manager 1125, a configuration manager 1130, a trigger signal manager 1135, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1120 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 1020 described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1120, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or possibly cooperating with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both. For example, the communications manager 1120 may be integrated with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both to receive information from the receiver 1110, send information to the transmitter 1115, or receive information, transmit information, or perform various other operations described herein.

[0208] The communications manager 1120 may support wireless communications in a network entity according to examples disclosed herein. The multi-cell manager 1125 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying a set of cells associated with performing communications with the UE. The configuration manager 1130 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The trigger signal manager 1135 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0209] FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram 1200 of a communications manager 1220 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The communications manager 1220 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 1020, the communications manager 1120, or both described herein. The communications manager 1220, or various components thereof, may be an example of a means for performing various aspects of RS signaling for a SCell described herein. For example, the communications manager 1220 may include a multi-cell manager 1225, a configuration manager 1230, a trigger signal manager 1235, a cell activation trigger manager 1240, a cell activation manager 1245, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may be in direct or indirect communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0210] The communications manager 1220 may support wireless communications in a network entity according to examples disclosed herein. The multi-cell manager 1225 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for identifying a set of cells associated with performing communications with the UE. The configuration manager 1230 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The trigger signal manager 1235 may be configured as, or may possibly support, a means for transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RF formats of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0211] In some examples, the RS format associated with at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats indicates a first RS format associated with a first activation state and a second RS format associated with a second activation state.

[0212] In some examples, the cell activation manager 1245 may be configured or may support as a means for transmitting an SCell activation message to the UE indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, the at least one SCell being in a first activation state based on the SCell activation message.

[0213] In some examples, the cell activation trigger manager 1240 may be configured as or possibly support a means for transmitting an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, and the activation state for the at least one SCell is based on the SCell activation message. In some examples, the SCell activation message is transmitted using a MAC CE message. In some examples, the configuration signal is transmitted via an RRC message. In some examples, the trigger signal is transmitted within an aperiodic channel state information request field in the DCI.

[0214] FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 supporting RS signaling for a SCell, according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 1305 may be an example of or may include a component of a device 1005, a device 1105, or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1305 may wirelessly communicate with one or more network entities 105, UEs 115, or any combination thereof. The device 1305 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 1320, a network communications manager 1310, a transceiver 1315, an antenna 1325, a memory 1330, code 1335, a processor 1340, and an inter-station communications manager 1345. These components may be in electronic communication or may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1350).

[0215] The network communications manager 1310 may manage communications with the core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications manager 1310 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

[0216] In some cases, the device 1305 may include a single antenna 1325. However, in some other cases, the device 1305 may have two or more antennas 1325, which may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 1315 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 1325, a wired link, or a wireless link, as described herein. For example, the transceiver 1315 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1315 may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 1325 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from the one or more antennas 1325. The transceiver 1315, or the transceiver 1315 and one or more antennas 1325, may be an example of the transmitter 1015, the transmitter 1115, the receiver 1010, the receiver 1110, or any combination or components thereof, as described herein.

[0217] The memory 1330 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1330 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1335 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1340, cause the device 1305 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1335 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1335 may not be directly executable by the processor 1340, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause the computer to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1330 may include a BIOS, which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices, among other things.

[0218] The processor 1340 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 1340 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, the memory controller may be integrated with the processor 1340. The processor 1340 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1330) to cause the device 1305 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting RS signaling for a SCell). For example, the device 1305 or a component of the device 1305 may include a processor 1340 and a memory 1330 coupled to the processor 1340, where the processor 1340 and the memory 1330 are configured to perform various functions described herein.

[0219] The inter-station communications manager 1345 may manage communications with other network entities 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with the UE 115 in cooperation with the other network entities 105. For example, the inter-station communications manager 1345 may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to the UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques, such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-station communications manager 1345 may provide an X2 interface in LTE / LTE-A wireless communications network technology to communicate between the network entities 105.

[0220] The communications manager 1320 may support wireless communications in a network entity according to examples disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1320 may be configured as or may support as a means for identifying a set of cells associated with performing communications with a UE. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or may support as a means for transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or may support as a means for transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0221] By including or configuring a communications manager 1320 according to examples described herein, the device 1305 may support techniques for signaling RS format / activation status for cells within a set of cells configured for communication with the UE.

[0222] In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using, or possibly in cooperation with, the transceiver 1315, one or more antennas 1325, or a combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1320 is shown as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with respect to the communications manager 1320 may be supported or performed by the processor 1340, the memory 1330, the code 1335, or a combination thereof. For example, the code 1335 may include instructions executable by the processor 1340 to cause the device 1305 to perform various aspects of RS signaling for a SCell as described herein, or the processor 1340 and the memory 1330 may be configured to perform or support such operations, as the case may be.

[0223] FIG. 14 illustrates a flow chart illustrating a method 1400 of supporting RS signaling for a SCell according to an aspect of the disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be performed by the UE 115 as described with reference to FIGS. 1-9. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0224] At 1405, the method may include receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of a set of cells. The operations of 1405 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by an RS format configuration manager 825 as described with reference to FIG.

[0225] At 1410, the method may include receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. The operations of 1410 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a trigger signal manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0226] At 1415, the method may include identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The operations of 1415 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by an activation state manager 835 as described with reference to FIG.

[0227] At 1420, the method may include determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on an activation state of each of the at least one SCell and each RS format in the active set of RS formats. The operations of 1420 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed by a monitoring scheme manager 840 as described with reference to FIG.

[0228] At 1425, the method may include performing a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from the at least one SCell. The operations of 1425 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1425 may be performed by a monitoring scheme manager 840 as described with reference to FIG.

[0229] FIG. 15 illustrates a flow chart illustrating a method 1500 of supporting RS signaling for a SCell according to an aspect of the disclosure. The operations of method 1500 may be implemented by a UE or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGS. 1-9. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0230] At 1505, the method may include receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of a set of cells. The operations of 1505 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by an RS format configuration manager 825 as described with reference to FIG.

[0231] At 1510, the method may include receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to the RS formats associated with the active set of RS formats. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a trigger signal manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0232] At 1515, the method may include identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells. The operations of 1515 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by an activation state manager 835 as described with reference to FIG.

[0233] At 1520, the method may include determining that an activation state of the at least one SCell is an activation state in which the at least one SCell is already active. The operations of 1520 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed by an active cell manager 845 as described with reference to FIG.

[0234] At 1525, the method may include determining that an RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format. The operations of 1525 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1525 may be performed by an active cell manager 845 as described with reference to FIG.

[0235] At 1530, the method may include determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on an activation state of each of the at least one SCell and each RS format in the active set of RS formats. The operations of 1530 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1530 may be performed by a monitoring scheme manager 840 as described with reference to FIG.

[0236] At 1535, the method may include performing a monitoring scheme for RS transmissions from the at least one SCell. The operations of 1535 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1535 may be performed by a monitoring scheme manager 840 as described with reference to FIG.

[0237] At 1540, the method may include performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based on an active state of the at least one SCell being an activated state and an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats including a temporary aperiodic RS format. The operations of 1540 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1540 may be performed by an active cell manager 845 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0238] FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart illustrating a method 1600 of supporting RS signaling for a SCell according to an aspect of the disclosure. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a network entity or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1600 may be performed by the network entity 105 as described with reference to FIGS. 1-5 and 10-13. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0239] At 1605, the method may include identifying a set of cells associated with performing communication with the UE. The operations of 1605 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed by a multi-cell manager 1225 as described with reference to FIG.

[0240] At 1610, the method may include transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The operations of 1610 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed by a configuration manager 1230 as described with reference to FIG.

[0241] At 1615, the method may include transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats. The operations of 1615 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1615 may be performed by a trigger signal manager 1235 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0242] FIG. 17 illustrates a flow chart illustrating a method 1700 of supporting RS signaling for a SCell according to an aspect of the disclosure. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by a network entity or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1700 may be performed by the network entity 105 as described with reference to FIGS. 1-5 and 10-13. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using dedicated hardware.

[0243] At 1705, the method may include identifying a set of cells associated with performing communication with the UE. The operations of 1705 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed by a multi-cell manager 1225 as described with reference to FIG.

[0244] At 1710, the method may include transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to respective cells of the set of cells. The operations of 1710 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be performed by a configuration manager 1230 as described with reference to FIG.

[0245] At 1715, the method may include transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats. The operations of 1715 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be performed by a trigger signal manager 1235 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0246] At 1720, the method may include transmitting an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, where an activation state for the at least one SCell is based on the SCell activation message. The operations of 1720 may be performed according to examples disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1720 may be performed by a cell activation trigger manager 1240 as described with reference to FIG.

[0247] The following provides a summary of aspects of the disclosure.

[0248] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communications in a UE, the method comprising: receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of a set of cells; receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmissions from cells of the set of cells according to an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats; identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells; determining a monitoring scheme for at least one SCell of the set of cells based on the activation state of each of the at least one SCell and the respective RS format in the active set of RS formats; and performing the monitoring scheme for the RS transmissions from the at least one SCell.

[0249] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, further comprising: determining that an activation state of the at least one SCell is an activated state, where the at least one SCell is already activated; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based at least in part on the activation state of the at least one SCell being an activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including the temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0250] Aspect 3: The method of aspect 2, further comprising: determining that a downlink transmission is scheduled using overlapping resources that overlap with an RS transmission from at least one SCell; and decoding the downlink transmission based at least in part on an assumption that the downlink transmission is punctured or rate matched around the overlapping resources.

[0251] Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1 to 3, further comprising: determining that an activation state of the at least one SCell is an activated state, where the at least one SCell is already activated; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a tracking RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based at least in part on the activation state of the at least one SCell being an active state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including the tracking RS format.

[0252] Aspect 5: The method of any of aspects 1 to 4, further comprising: determining that an activation state of at least one SCell is a to-be-activated state, in which the at least one SCell is in the process of being activated; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a tracking RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based at least in part on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a to-be-activated state and on the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including the tracking RS format.

[0253] Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 to 5, further comprising: determining that an activation state of at least one SCell is a to-be-activated activation state, in which the at least one SCell is in the process of being activated; determining that an RS format associated with the at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based at least in part on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a to-be-activated state and the RS format associated with the at least one SCell in the active set of RS formats including a temporary aperiodic RS format.

[0254] Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 to 6, further comprising: determining that an RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats indicates a first RS format associated with a first activation state and a second RS format associated with a second activation state; and selecting a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell based at least in part on whether the at least one SCell is in the first activation state or the second activation state.

[0255] Aspect 8: The method of aspect 7, further comprising: receiving an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE; and determining, based at least in part on the SCell activation message, that the at least one SCell is in a first activation state.

[0256] Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1 to 8, further comprising: identifying that an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format including a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, wherein the first portion and the second portion are in consecutive slots.

[0257] Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1 to 9, further comprising: identifying that an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format including a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, wherein the first portion and the second portion are in consecutive slots and the tracking RS is repeated in non-consecutive slots.

[0258] Aspect 11: The method of any of aspects 1 to 10, further comprising: identifying that an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats includes a temporary aperiodic RS format including a first portion of a tracking RS and a second portion of the tracking RS, wherein the first portion and the second portion are in non-consecutive slots.

[0259] Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 1 to 11, further comprising: determining that an activation state of the at least one SCell is a deactivated state, in which the at least one SCell is deactivated; and performing a monitoring scheme for the at least one SCell by refraining from monitoring RS transmissions from the at least one SCell based at least in part on the activation state of the at least one SCell being a deactivated state.

[0260] Aspect 13: The method of any of aspects 1 to 12, further comprising receiving an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, where an activation state for the at least one SCell is based at least in part on the SCell activation message.

[0261] Example 14: The method of example 13, wherein the SCell activation message is received using a MAC CE message.

[0262] Aspect 15: The method of any of aspects 1 to 14, further comprising: determining that a trigger signal is received during a time window, the time window being based at least in part on a delay time after the configuration signal is received and a threshold time limit; and applying an active set of RS formats based at least in part on the trigger signal being received during the time window.

[0263] Aspect 16: The method of any of aspects 1 to 15, further comprising: determining that a trigger signal is received prior to a time window, the time window being based at least in part on a delay time after the configuration signal is received and a threshold time limit; and refraining from applying the active set of RS formats based at least in part on the trigger signal being received prior to the time window.

[0264] Aspect 17: The method of any of aspects 1 to 16, further comprising: determining that a trigger signal is received after a time window, the time window being based at least in part on a delay time after the configuration signal is received and a threshold time limit; and applying an active RS format of the active set of RS formats based at least in part on the trigger signal being received after the time window.

[0265]

[0031] Aspect 18: The method of any of aspects 1 to 17, wherein the configuration signal is received in an RRC message.

[0266] Aspect 19: The method of any of aspects 1 to 18, wherein the trigger signal is received within an aperiodic channel state information request field of a MAC CE or DCI.

[0267] Aspect 20: A method for wireless communication in a network entity, the method comprising: identifying a set of cells associated with performing communication with a UE; transmitting a configuration signal to the UE indicating one or more sets of RS formats, each set of RS formats including a mapping of RS formats to a respective cell of the set of cells; and transmitting a trigger signal to the UE indicating an active set of RS formats of the one or more sets of RS formats, the trigger signal indicating RS transmission from a cell of the set of cells in accordance with an RS format associated with the active set of RS formats.

[0268] Aspect 21: The method of aspect 20, wherein the RS format associated with at least one SCell in an active set of RS formats indicates a first RS format associated with a first activation state and a second RS format associated with a second activation state.

[0269] Aspect 22: The method of aspect 21, further comprising: transmitting, to the UE, a SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, the at least one SCell being in a first active state based at least in part on the SCell activation message.

[0270] Aspect 23: The method of any of aspects 20 to 22, further comprising: transmitting an SCell activation message indicating that at least one SCell is activated in the UE, the activation state for the at least one SCell being based at least in part on the SCell activation message.

[0271] Example 24: The method of example 23, wherein the SCell activation message is transmitted using a MAC CE message.

[0272]

[0041] Aspect 25: The method of any of aspects 20 to 24, wherein the configuration signal is transmitted within an RRC message.

[0273] Aspect 26: The method of any of aspects 20 to 25, wherein the trigger signal is transmitted within an aperiodic channel state information request field of the DCI.

[0274] Aspect 27: An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE, the apparatus including: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods of aspects 1 to 19.

[0275] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE, comprising at least one means for performing the method of any of aspects 1 to 19.

[0276] Aspect 29: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a UE, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of any of aspects 1 to 19.

[0277] Aspect 30: An apparatus for wireless communication in a network entity, the apparatus including: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform any of the methods of aspects 20 to 26.

[0278] Aspect 31: An apparatus for wireless communication in a network entity, comprising at least one means for performing the method of any of aspects 20 to 26.

[0279] Aspect 32: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication in a network entity, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform any of the methods of aspects 20 to 26.

[0280] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, that the acts and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and that other implementations are possible. Additionally, aspects from two or more of these methods may be combined.

[0281] Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described as examples, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used throughout much of the description, the techniques described herein may be applicable to other than LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to various other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0282] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a wide variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0283] The various example blocks and components described with respect to the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0284] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0285] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or a general purpose or special purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of computer readable media. As used herein, disk and disc include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.

[0286] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such as, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, the phrase "based on" as used herein should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the phrase "based on" as used herein is to be construed similarly to the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0287] The terms "determine" or "determining" encompass a wide variety of actions, and thus "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., by looking up in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. "Determining" can also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. "Determining" can also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such similar actions.

[0288] In the accompanying figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes the similar components. If only a first reference label is used herein, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label, or any other subsequent reference label.

[0289] The description set forth herein with reference to the accompanying drawings describes exemplary configurations and does not necessarily represent all examples that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. As used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for the purposes of providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0290] The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0291] 100 Wireless communication system 105 Network Entities 110 Coverage Area, Geographical Coverage Area 115 UE 120 backhaul links 125 Communication Links 130 Core Network 135 Device-to-Device (D2D) Communication Links 140 Access Network Entity 145 Access Network Transmission Entity 150 IP Services 200 Wireless Communication System 205 Network Entities 210 Network Entities 215 Network Entities 220 Network Entities 225 UE, PCell serving UE 300 RS format configuration 300-a RS format configuration 300-b RS format configuration Line 305 Line 305-a Line 305-b Line 305-c Line 305-d 310 columns Column 310a Column 310-b Column 310-c Column 310-d Column 310-e 315 lines Line 315-a Line 315-b Line 315-c Line 315-d 320 columns Row 320-a, 1st row Column 320-b 320-c column Column 320-d Column 320-e 400 RS format structure 400-a RS format structure 400-b RS format structure 400-c RS format structure 405 Aperiodic RS 500 processes 505 PCell 510UE 515 SCell 600 Block Diagram 605 Devices 610 Receiver 615 Transmitter 620 Communications Manager 700 Block Diagram 705 Devices 710 Receiver 715 Transmitter 720 Communications Manager 725 RS Format Configuration Manager 730 Trigger Signal Manager 735 Activation Status 740 Monitoring Manager 800 Block Diagram 820 Communications Manager 825 RS Format Configuration Manager 830 Trigger Signal Manager 835 Activation State Manager 840 Monitoring Manager 845 Active Cell Manager 850 Cell Activation Manager 855 Multi RS Format Manager 860 RS Structure Manager 865 Inactive Cell Manager 870 Trigger Timing Manager 900 System 905 Devices 910 Input / Output (I / O) Controller 915 Transceiver 920 Communications Manager 925 Antenna 930 Memory 935 Code 940 Processor 945 Bus 1000 Block Diagram 1005 Devices 1010 Receiver 1015 Transmitter 1020 Communications Manager 1100 Block Diagram 1105 Devices 1110 Receiver 1115 Transmitter 1120 Communications Manager 1125 Multi-Cell Manager 1130 Configuration Manager 1135 Trigger Signal Manager 1200 Block Diagram 1220 Communications Manager 1225 Multi-Cell Manager 1230 Configuration Manager 1235 Trigger Signal Manager 1240 Cell Activation Trigger Manager 1245 Cell Activation Manager 1300 System 1305 Devices 1310 Network Communications Manager 1315 Transceiver 1320 Communications Manager 1325 Antenna 1330 Memory 1335 Code 1340 Processor 1345 Inter-Station Communications Manager 1350 Bus 1350 Bus 1400 methods 1500 ways 1600 methods 1700 methods

Claims

1. 1. A method for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a configuration signal indicating one or more sets of reference signal formats, each set of reference signal formats including a mapping of reference signal formats to respective cells of a set of cells, the one or more sets of reference signal formats including at least one of a temporary aperiodic reference signal format and a tracking reference signal format; receiving a trigger signal indicating an active set of reference signal formats of the one or more sets of reference signal formats; identifying an activation state for each cell in the set of cells; determining a monitoring scheme for at least one secondary cell of the set of cells based on an activation state of each of the at least one secondary cell and a respective reference signal format in the active set of reference signal formats, the respective activation state including one of: already activated or in the process of being activated; performing the monitoring scheme for reference signal transmissions from the at least one secondary cell, refraining from monitoring RS transmissions when the activation state of the at least one secondary cell is already an activated activation state and the reference signal format is a temporary aperiodic reference signal format; monitoring an RS transmission when the activation state of the at least one secondary cell is an already-activated activation state and the reference signal format is a tracking reference signal format; monitoring RS transmission when the activation state of the at least one secondary cell is an activation state in the process of being activated and the reference signal format is a non-temporary aperiodic reference signal format; refraining from monitoring RS transmission when the activation state of the at least one secondary cell is an activation state in the process of being activated and the reference signal format is a tracking reference signal format; and further comprising one of: method.

2. determining that the reference signal format associated with the at least one secondary cell in the active set of reference signal formats indicates a first reference signal format associated with a first activation state and a second reference signal format associated with a second activation state; selecting the monitoring scheme for the at least one secondary cell based at least in part on whether the at least one secondary cell is in the first activation state or the second activation state; receiving a secondary cell activation message indicating that the at least one secondary cell is to be activated in the UE; determining, based at least in part on the secondary cell activation message, that the at least one secondary cell is in the first activation state; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

3. identifying that the active set of reference signal formats of the one or more sets of reference signal formats includes a temporary aperiodic reference signal format including a first portion of a tracking reference signal and a second portion of the tracking reference signal, the first portion and the second portion being in consecutive slots. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

4. identifying that the active set of reference signal formats of the one or more sets of reference signal formats includes a temporally aperiodic reference signal format including a first portion of a tracking reference signal and a second portion of the tracking reference signal, the first portion and the second portion being in consecutive slots and the tracking reference signal being repeated in non-consecutive slots. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

5. identifying that the active set of reference signal formats of the one or more sets of reference signal formats includes a temporary aperiodic reference signal format including a first portion of a tracking reference signal and a second portion of the tracking reference signal, the first portion and the second portion being in non-consecutive slots. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

6. determining that the activation state of the at least one secondary cell is an inactive state, where the at least one secondary cell is deactivated; performing the monitoring scheme for the at least one secondary cell by refraining from monitoring the reference signal transmissions from the at least one secondary cell based at least in part on the activation state of the at least one secondary cell being in the inactive state; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

7. receiving a secondary cell activation message indicating that the at least one secondary cell is to be activated at the UE, the activation state for the at least one secondary cell being based at least in part on the secondary cell activation message; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the secondary cell activation message is received using a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) message.

9. determining that the trigger signal is received during a time window, the time window being based at least in part on a delay time after the configuration signal is received and a threshold time limit; applying the active set of reference signal formats based at least in part on the trigger signal being received during the time window; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

10. determining that the trigger signal is received prior to a time window, the time window being based at least in part on a delay time after the constituent signals are received and a threshold time limit; refraining from applying the active set of reference signal formats based at least in part on the trigger signal being received prior to the time window; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

11. determining that the trigger signal is received after a time window, the time window being based at least in part on a delay time after the constituent signal is received and a threshold time limit; applying an active reference signal format of the active set of reference signal formats based at least in part on the trigger signal being received after the time window; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration signal is received within a radio resource control (RRC) message.

13. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is received within an aperiodic channel state information request field of a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

14. An apparatus for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions causing the device to executable by the processor to cause Device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing code for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), the code comprising a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. includes instructions executable by a processor to A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

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