Method and communication device for processing uplink transmissions

Abstract

To provide a method and a communication device for processing downlink (DL) signal reception for processing uplink (UL) transmissions.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system, a communication device receives a configuration from a network and performs at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in a set of candidate configurations according to at least one indicator. The configuration includes the set of candidate configurations, and each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations includes at least one of candidate identification information (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB, SSB periodicity, and SSB transmission power.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 573,492, filed April 3, 2024. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 573,493, filed April 3, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a method and communication apparatus for use in a wireless communication system, and more particularly to a method and communication apparatus for processing uplink transmissions. [Background technology]

[0003] The Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, which supports the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Rel-8 and / or 3GPP Rel-9 standards, was developed by 3GPP as the successor to the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) to further improve upon UMTS performance and meet the growing needs of users.

[0004] The LTE®-A (LTE® Advanced) system, as its name suggests, is an evolution of the LTE® system. The LTE®-A system aims to achieve fast switching between power states, improve performance at the coverage edge of evolved Node-Bs (eNBs), increase peak data rates and throughput, and includes advanced technologies such as carrier aggregation (CA) and uplink (UL) multiple-input multiple-output (UL-MIMO).

[0005] Next-generation radio access networks (NG-RANs) supporting 3GPP® Rel-15 to 3GPP® Rel-19 standards are being developed to further enhance the LTE-A system. NG-RANs include one or more next-generation node Bs (gNBs) and have characteristics such as wider operating bands, different numerologies for different frequency ranges, massive MIMO, and advanced channel coding.

[0006] In a Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 2 (L2) triggered mobility (LTM) or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, a communication device may periodically report measurement reports about beams or cells to the NG-RAN to perform a cell / beam switching procedure. However, the transmissions for the periodic measurement reports occupy UL resources. Furthermore, the communication device may not know whether to perform a cell / beam switching procedure without a cell / beam switching instruction from the NG-RAN. Therefore, how to handle UL transmissions to perform a cell / beam switching procedure is an important issue to be resolved. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a method and a communication device for processing downlink (DL) signal reception to solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A method for a communications device processing uplink (UL) transmissions includes receiving configurations from a network, the configurations including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate identification (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of SSBs, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power, and performing at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations according to at least one indicator.

[0009] A communications device for processing uplink (UL) transmissions comprises at least one storage device and at least one processing circuit coupled to the at least one storage device, wherein the at least one storage device is configured to store instructions, and the at least one processing circuit is configured to execute the instructions to: receive configurations from a network, the configurations including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate identification (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of SSBs, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power; and perform at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations according to at least one indicator.

[0010] A method for a network processing uplink (UL) transmissions includes generating a configuration, the configuration including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate identification (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power; and transmitting the configuration to a communication device.

[0011] These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of determining whether at least one RS satisfies a condition according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of determining whether at least one RS satisfies a condition according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of determining whether at least one RS satisfies a condition according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of determining whether at least one RS satisfies a condition according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of determining whether at least one RS satisfies a condition according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of determining whether at least one RS satisfies a condition according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 15]1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 1 is a flowchart of a process according to an example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 10 according to an example of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 10, simply stated, includes a network 12 and multiple communication devices 14. The wireless communication system 10 may support a time division duplex (TDD) mode, a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, a TDD-FDD interoperation mode, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) mode, or a licensed assisted access (LAA) mode. That is, the network 12 and the communication devices 14 may communicate with each other via an FDD carrier, a TDD carrier, a licensed carrier (licensed serving cell), and / or an unlicensed carrier (unlicensed serving cell). The wireless communication system 10 may also support carrier aggregation (CA). That is, the network 12 and the communication devices 14 may communicate with each other via multiple serving cells (e.g., multiple serving carriers), including a primary cell (e.g., a primary component carrier) and one or more secondary cells (e.g., secondary component carriers).

[0014] In FIG. 1 , the network 12 and the communication device 14 are used merely to illustrate the configuration of the wireless communication system 10. In practice, the network 12 may be a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) including at least one Node B (NB) in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). In one example, the network 12 may be an Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) including at least one Evolved NB (eNB) and / or at least one relay node in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, an evolution of the LTE-A system, etc. In one example, the network 12 may be a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) including at least one Next Generation Node B (gNB) and / or at least one Fifth Generation (5G) Base Station (BS). In one example, the gNB or 5G BS of the network 12 may include a NTN gateway and an NTN payload. In one example, the gNB or 5G BS of the network 12 may be a Transmit Receiving Point (TRP). In one example, network 12 may be any BS that conforms to a particular communication standard for communicating with communication devices 14 .

[0015] New Radio (NR) is a standard defined for 5G systems (or 5G networks) to provide a unified air interface with superior performance. gNBs are deployed to realize 5G systems that support advanced features such as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency LAN (URLLC), and massive multi-moderate concurrent connections (mMTC). eMBB provides broadband services with greater bandwidth and low / medium latency. URLLC provides applications (e.g., end-to-end communications) with higher reliability and low latency characteristics. Example applications include the industrial internet, smart grids, infrastructure protection, remote surgery, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). mMTC can support the Internet of Things (IoT) in 5G systems, which include a large number of connected devices and / or sensors.

[0016] Furthermore, the network 12 may also include at least one of a UTRAN / E-UTRAN / NG-RAN and a core network, where the core network may include network entities such as a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), a self-organizing network (SON) server and / or a radio network controller (RNC), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user plane function (UPF), an authentication server function (AUSF), etc. In one example, after the network 12 receives information transmitted by the communication device 14, the information may be processed only by the UTRAN / E-UTRAN / NG-RAN, and a decision corresponding to the information is made in the UTRAN / E-UTRAN / NG-RAN. In one example, the UTRAN / E-UTRAN / NG-RAN may forward the information to the core network, and a decision corresponding to the information is made in the core network after the core network processes the information. In one example, the information may be processed by both the UTRAN / E-UTRAN / NG-RAN and the core network, and a decision is made after coordination and / or cooperation is performed by the UTRAN / E-UTRAN / NG-RAN and the core network.

[0017] The communication device 14 may be a user equipment (UE), a very small aperture terminal (VSAT), a low-cost device (e.g., a machine-type communication (MTC) device), a device-to-device (D2D) communication device, a narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) (NB-IoT), a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an e-book, a portable computer system, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the network 12 and the communication device 14 may be considered as a transmitter or a receiver according to the direction (i.e., the transmission direction), e.g., in the case of an uplink (UL), the communication device 14 is the transmitter and the network 12 is the receiver, and in the case of a downlink (DL), the network 12 is the transmitter and the communication device 14 is the receiver.

[0018] The communication device 14 may perform Layer 1 (L1) measurements to generate L1 measurement results and change serving cells according to the L1 measurement results. This procedure may be referred to as Conditional L1 / L2 Triggered Mobility (C-LTM). C-LTM may support intra-gNB-Distributed Unit (intra-gNB-DU) mobility, intra-gNB-Central Unit (intra-gNB-CU) mobility, and / or inter-gNB-DU mobility. C-LTM may support intra-frequency mobility and / or inter-frequency mobility. C-LTM may be supported for licensed spectrum. C-LTM may support at least one of the following scenarios: a primary cell (PCell) change in a non-CA scenario or / and a non-dual connectivity (non-DC) scenario, a PCell and secondary cell (SCell) change in a CA scenario, and a DC scenario. The communication device 14 may execute an L3 handover command sent by the network 12.

[0019] 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 20 according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device 20 may be the communication device 14 or the network 12 shown in FIG. 1 , but is not limited thereto herein. The communication device 20 may include at least one processing circuit 200, such as a microprocessor or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), at least one storage device 210, and at least one communication interface device 220. The at least one storage device 210 may be any data storage device capable of storing program code 214 that is accessed and executed by the at least one processing circuit 200. Examples of the at least one storage device 210 include, but are not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc ROM (DVD-ROM), a Blu-ray disc ROM (BD-ROM), a magnetic tape, a hard disk, an optical data storage device, a non-volatile storage device, a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., a tangible medium), etc. The at least one communication interface device 220 is preferably at least one transceiver, and is used to transmit and receive signals (eg, data, messages and / or packets) according to the processing results of the at least one processing circuit 200.

[0020] 3 is a flowchart of a process 30 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 30 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., communication device 14 of FIG. 1 or communication device 20 of FIG. 2) to process an UL transmission. The process 30 may be compiled into program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 300: Start. Step 302: Receive a first configuration from a network, the first configuration including a set of reference signals (RS). Step 304: Perform at least one measurement on the set of RSs to generate a measurement report. Step 306: In response to at least one RS in the set of RSs satisfying the condition, transmit a first UL channel to the network. Step 308: Send the second UL channel containing the measurement report to the network. Step 310: End.

[0021] According to process 30, the communication device receives a first configuration from a network, the first configuration including a set of RSs. The communication device performs at least one measurement on the set of RSs to generate a measurement report (e.g., a beam report). The communication device transmits a first UL channel to the network when (e.g., in response to) at least one RS of the set of RSs satisfies a condition. For example, the communication device transmits a second UL channel including the measurement report to the network after transmitting the first UL channel to the network. That is, instead of periodically reporting the measurement report, the communication device transmits the measurement report via the second UL channel when a condition occurs. This can save UL resources for periodically reporting the measurement report.

[0022] The implementation of the process 30 is not limited to the above description. The following examples may be applied to implement the process 30.

[0023] In one example, a communication device performs at least one communication operation with a network according to at least one configuration. In one example, the at least one configuration is different from a first configuration. In one example, the at least one communication operation includes at least one of the following operations: receiving downlink (DL) control information (DCI) from the network via a first cell, receiving a DL channel from the network via a second cell, and transmitting a fifth UL channel to the network via the second cell. In one example, the first cell is the same as or different from the second cell. In one example, the at least one configuration includes at least one of the following factors: a search space (SS) set configuration, a control resource set (CORESET) configuration, a second configuration for receiving a DL channel, a third configuration for configuring the first cell to receive DCI, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state, and a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI).

[0024] In one example, the first UL channel satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the first UL channel includes (e.g., is) a physical UL control channel (PUCCH); the first UL channel carries one-bit information; the first UL channel is configured with at least one of a first periodicity and a first offset; and the first UL channel indicates (e.g., notifies) that the second UL channel carries a measurement report. In one example, the first UL channel carries channel state information (CSI). In one example, the one-bit information indicates whether the second UL channel is transmitted. For example, one-bit information having a first value (e.g., 0) indicates that the second UL channel is not transmitted. For example, one-bit information having a second value (e.g., 1) indicates that the second UL channel is transmitted.

[0025] In one example, the second UL channel satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the second UL channel includes (e.g., is a configured Grant Physical UL Shared Channel (CG-PUSCH) or a Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH); and the second UL channel is configured with at least one of a second periodicity and a second offset. In one example, the communication device determines a duration of the second UL channel according to the first periodicity. In one example, the second UL channel includes at least one of an event identification (ID), a candidate ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) resource indicator (SSBRI), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource indicator (CRI). In one example, the candidate ID is an ID of a candidate cell, a candidate RS, or a candidate beam.

[0026] In one example, the first UL channel and the second UL channel satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the first UL channel and the second UL channel are configured with the same periodicity; and the first UL channel and the second UL channel are configured with an offset, respectively. For example, the second periodicity is the same as the first periodicity and the second offset is the same as the first offset. For example, the second periodicity is the same as the first periodicity and the second offset is different from the first offset.

[0027] In one example, when the communication device indicates by (or via) the first UL channel that the second UL channel will not be transmitted, the communication device does not transmit the second UL channel until the communication device indicates by (or via) the first UL channel that the second UL channel will be transmitted. In one example, when the communication device indicates that the second UL channel will be transmitted by the first UL channel, the communication device transmits the second UL channel until the communication device indicates that the second UL channel will not be transmitted by the first UL channel. In one example, when the communication device indicates (or notifies) that the second UL channel will be transmitted by the first UL channel, the second UL channel is available to the communication device until the communication device transmits the second UL channel.

[0028] In one example, the communication device starts a first timer after transmitting the second UL channel, and in one example, the communication device does not retransmit the measurement report before the first timer expires (e.g., while the first timer is running).

[0029] In one example, the measurement report includes at least one of a first number of the set of RSs, at least one signal quality, a plurality of differential signal qualities, and an event ID. In one example, the measurement report includes a plurality of capacity indexes for the set of RSs. In one example, the first number is configured by a first higher layer signal. In one example, the first number is a fixed value. In one example, the first number of the set of RSs includes (e.g., is) a first number of SSBRIs or a first number of CRIs. In one example, the at least one signal quality includes (e.g., is) at least one Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP), at least one Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or at least one Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise Ratio (SINR). In one example, the sum of the at least one signal quality and the plurality of differential signal qualities is a first number. In one example, the at least one signal quality and the plurality of differential signal qualities are each associated with the signal qualities of the first number of the set of RSs.

[0030] In one example, the communication device is configured (e.g., provided) with a second higher layer signal indicating an aggregate transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. In one example, the communication device receives a DCI indicating a TCI state for a DL channel (e.g., a physical DL shared channel (PDSCH), a physical DL control channel (PDCCH), and / or a CSI-RS) from the network when the communication device is configured (e.g., if configured) with the second higher layer signal indicating the aggregate TCI state. In one example, when the communication device receives (e.g., if received) the DCI indicating the TCI state, the communication device stops (or disables) transmission of the second UL channel. In one example, when the communication device receives (e.g., if received) a TCI state activation from the network (e.g., by a medium access control control element (MAC-CE)), the communication device stops (or disables) transmission of the second UL channel. For example, when (e.g., if) the communication device receives a TCI state activation from the network (e.g., by the MAC-CE) and when (e.g., if) the communication device is not configured with a second upper layer signal indicating an integrated TCI state, the communication device stops (or disables) transmission of the second UL channel.

[0031] In one example, the communication device receives DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command for a candidate cell of the communication device) from a network (e.g., from a serving cell of the communication device). In one example, the communication device transmits at least one physical random access channel (PRACH) to the candidate cell of the communication device according to the DCI. In one example, the communication device receives a DL channel (e.g., a DCI or a PDSCH) including a cell switch command from the network (e.g., from a serving cell of the communication device). In one example, the communication device performs a cell switch according to the cell switch command.

[0032] In one example, the communication device (e.g., an upper layer of the communication device, such as a media access control (MAC) layer) determines whether the at least one RS satisfies the condition according to the second number and the third number of the at least one event instance for the at least one RS. In one example, the third number is configured by a third upper layer signal. In one example, the third number is a fixed value.

[0033] In one example, the communication device (e.g., an upper layer of the communication device, such as a MAC layer) determines that the at least one RS satisfies the condition in response to the second number of the at least one event instance for the at least one RS being not less than a third number. In one example, the communication device (e.g., an upper layer of the communication device, such as a MAC layer) determines that the at least one RS does not satisfy the condition in response to the second number of the at least one event instance for the at least one RS being less than the third number.

[0034] In one example, the communication device (e.g., an upper layer of the communication device, such as a MAC layer) determines that the at least one RS satisfies the condition in response to the second number of the at least one event instance for the at least one RS within the time window being not less than the third number. In one example, the time window is configured by a fourth upper layer signal. In one example, the communication device (e.g., an upper layer of the communication device, such as a MAC layer) determines that the at least one RS does not satisfy the condition in response to the second number of the at least one event instance for the at least one RS within the time window being less than the third number.

[0035] In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) a second timer configured with a third value in response to one of the at least one event instance occurring (or occurring). In one example, the third value is configured by a fifth upper layer signal. In one example, the third value is not less than a minimum value of the first periodicity and the second periodicity. In one example, the third value is not greater than twice the minimum value. In one example, the communication device resets (e.g., sets to zero) a counter for determining a second number of the at least one event instance in response to the second timer expiring.

[0036] In one example, the communication device sets (or resets) the time window to a fourth value. In one example, the fourth value is configured by a sixth upper layer signal. In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) the time window in response to a first (e.g., earliest) event instance occurring among the at least one event instance. In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) a third timer configured with the fourth value in response to a first event instance occurring among the at least one event instance. In one example, the communication device determines (e.g., the periodicity of) the at least one event instance according to the periodicity of the set of RSs.

[0037] In one example, the counter determines (e.g., displays) a second number of the at least one event instance. In one example, the communication device increments the counter by one in response to an event instance (e.g., one of the at least one event instance) occurring. In one example, the communication device resets (e.g., sets the counter to zero) the counter for determining the second number of the at least one event instance after the time window. In one example, the communication device resets (e.g., sets the counter to zero) the counter for determining the second number of the at least one event instance in response to a third timer expiring.

[0038] In one example, an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device processes the second timer. In one example, an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device processes the third timer. In one example, an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device processes the counter.

[0039] In one example, the communication device performs an UL transmission (e.g., transmits the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) in response to at least one RS satisfying the condition. In one example, the communication device does not perform an UL transmission (e.g., does not transmit the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) in response to at least one RS not satisfying the condition.

[0040] In one example, the communication device performs an UL transmission (e.g., transmits the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) after (or within) the time window in response to at least one RS satisfying the condition. In one example, the communication device performs an UL transmission (e.g., transmits the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) in response to at least one RS satisfying the condition before, when, or after the third timer expires. In one example, the communication device does not perform an UL transmission (e.g., does not transmit the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) after the time window in response to at least one RS not satisfying the condition. In one example, the communication device does not perform an UL transmission (e.g., does not transmit the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) in response to at least one RS not satisfying the condition before, when, or after the third timer expires.

[0041] In one example, the communication device performs an UL transmission (e.g., transmits a first UL channel and / or a second UL channel) in response to at least one RS satisfying a condition. "At least one RS satisfying the condition" indicates that a second timer does not expire after a time window. In one example, the communication device performs an UL transmission (e.g., transmits a first UL channel and / or a second UL channel) in response to at least one RS satisfying a condition. "At least one RS satisfying the condition" indicates that a second timer does not expire and a third timer has expired. In one example, the communication device does not perform an UL transmission (e.g., does not transmit a first UL channel and / or a second UL channel) in response to at least one RS not satisfying a condition. "At least one RS not satisfying the condition" indicates that a second timer has expired after a time window. In one example, the communication device does not perform an UL transmission (e.g., does not transmit a first UL channel and / or a second UL channel) in response to at least one RS not satisfying a condition. "At least one RS not satisfying the condition" indicates that the second timer expires after the third timer expires.

[0042] In one example, the communications device performs at least one action in response to at least one RS satisfying the condition. In one example, the at least one action includes at least one of the following actions: resetting a counter (e.g., setting the counter to zero), starting (or restarting) a second timer configured with a fifth value, and starting (or restarting) a third timer configured with a sixth value. In one example, the fifth value is the same as or different from the third value. In one example, the sixth value is the same as or different from the fourth value.

[0043] In one example, after performing the at least one operation, the communication device determines (e.g., again) whether the at least one RS satisfies the condition according to the fourth number and the fifth number of the at least one event instance for the at least one RS. In one example, the fourth number is the same as or different from the second number. In one example, the fifth number is the same as or different from the third number. Details for the communication device to determine whether the at least one RS satisfies the condition may refer to the previous paragraph and will not be detailed here for the sake of brevity.

[0044] In one example, the at least one event instance indicates that at least one signal quality (e.g., at least one radio link quality) of the at least one RS becomes a threshold value better than the signal quality of the RS. In one example, the at least one signal quality includes (e.g., is) at least one L1-RSRP. In one example, a lower layer (e.g., a physical layer) of the communication device transmits at least one indicator to an upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the communication device in response to the at least one event instance occurring. In one example, the at least one indicator indicates that at least one condition corresponding to the at least one RS is satisfied.

[0045] In one example, each of the at least one event instance is associated with a first function of a serving cell of the communication device and / or a second function of a candidate cell of the communication device. In one example, each of the at least one event instance is associated with a first function of a serving RS of the communication device and / or a second function of a candidate RS of the communication device. For example, a condition (e.g., one of the at least one condition) is satisfied in response to the first function being less than the second function. For example, an event instance occurs in response to the first function being less than a first measurement threshold and / or the second function being greater than a second measurement threshold. In one example, the first measurement threshold and the second measurement threshold are configured by a seventh upper layer signal.

[0046] In one example, the first function is a measurement result of the serving cell (or serving RS). In one example, the first function is a sum of a first measurement offset and a measurement result of the serving cell. In one example, the first measurement offset may be determined according to at least one of a first cell-specific offset, a first RS-specific offset, and a first hysteresis parameter. In one example, the first cell-specific offset, the first RS-specific offset, and the first hysteresis parameter are configured by an eighth higher layer signal. In one example, the second function is a measurement result of the candidate cell (or candidate RS). In one example, the second function is a sum of a second measurement offset and a measurement result of the candidate cell. The second measurement offset may be determined according to at least one of a second cell-specific offset, a second RS-specific offset, and a second hysteresis parameter. In one example, the second cell-specific offset, the second RS-specific offset, and the second hysteresis parameter are configured by a ninth higher layer signal.

[0047] In one example, the first measured offset, the second measured offset, the first measurement threshold, and the second measurement threshold are updated in response to the communications device starting (or restarting) a third timer configured with a sixth value. In one example, the first measured offset, the second measured offset, the first measurement threshold, and the second measurement threshold are updated in response to the value of the counter being greater than zero.

[0048] In one example, measurements (e.g., measurements of a serving cell or a candidate cell) are associated with filtering / averaging of channel measurements. For example, an averaged measurement is an average of measurements (e.g., L1-RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR) at different time instances (e.g.,

number

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number

number

number

number

number

[0049] In one example, at least one indicator (e.g., at least one LTM indicator) indicates whether at least one condition corresponding to at least one RS is met. In one example, an indicator (e.g., one of the at least one indicator) having a seventh value (e.g., 1) indicates that the corresponding condition (e.g., one of the at least one condition) is met. In one example, an indicator (e.g., one of the at least one indicator) having an eighth value (e.g., 0) indicates that the corresponding condition (e.g., one of the at least one condition) is not met.

[0050] In one example, the communications device starts (or restarts) a third timer in response to the communications device obtaining a first plurality (e.g., consecutive) of indicators (e.g., at least one indicator) having a seventh value. The number of the first plurality (e.g., consecutive) of indicators may be a third number or a fifth number, but is not limited herein. In one example, the communications device, after the third timer expires, determines the number of a second plurality (e.g., consecutive) of indicators (e.g., at least one indicator) having an eighth value that was obtained by the communications device during the third timer execution.

[0051] In one example, the communication device determines that the condition is met in response to the number of the second plurality (e.g., consecutive) indicators being less than a threshold. In one example, the communication device performs an UL transmission (e.g., transmits the first UL channel and / or the second UL channel) in response to the condition being met. In one example, the communication device determines that the condition is not met in response to the number of the second plurality (e.g., consecutive) indicators not being less than a threshold. In one example, the threshold is configured by a tenth upper layer signal. In one example, the threshold is a fixed value. It should be noted that "the communication device obtains (e.g., consecutive) indicators" refers to a lower layer (e.g., physical layer) of the communication device transmitting the (e.g., consecutive) indicators to an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device.

[0052] In one example, the first UL channel corresponds to a first priority index. In one example, the communication device transmits the first UL channel and disables transmission of the third UL channel in response to the first priority index being greater than the second priority index of the third UL channel, for example, when the first UL channel and the third UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the communication device disables transmitting the first UL channel and transmits the third UL channel in response to the first priority index not being greater than the second priority index of the third UL channel, for example, when the first UL channel and the third UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the communication device transmits the first UL channel and disables transmission of the third UL channel, for example, when the first UL channel and the third UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the first UL channel may include (e.g., multiplex) a first UL signal (e.g., a first UCI) of the third UL channel. In one example, the communication device transmits the third UL channel and disables the transmission of the first UL channel, for example, when the first UL channel and the third UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the third UL channel may include (e.g., multiplex) a second UL signal (e.g., a second UCI) of the first UL channel. In one example, the third UL channel includes (e.g., is) a PUSCH (e.g., a configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)) or a PUCCH.

[0053] In one example, the second UL channel corresponds to a third priority index. In one example, the communication device transmits the second UL channel and disables transmission of the fourth UL channel in response to the third priority index being greater than the fourth priority index of the fourth UL channel, for example, when the second UL channel and the fourth UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the communication device disables transmitting the second UL channel and transmits the fourth UL channel in response to the third priority index not being greater than the fourth priority index of the fourth UL channel, for example, when the second UL channel and the fourth UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the communication device transmits the second UL channel and disables transmission of the fourth UL channel, for example, when the second UL channel and the fourth UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the second UL channel may include (e.g., multiplex) a third UL signal (e.g., a third UCI) of the fourth UL channel. In one example, the communication device transmits the fourth UL channel and disables the transmission of the second UL channel, for example, when the second UL channel and the fourth UL channel collide in the same time period. In one example, the fourth UL channel may include (e.g., multiplex) a fourth UL signal (e.g., a fourth UCI) of the second UL channel. In one example, the fourth UL channel includes (e.g., is) a PUSCH (e.g., a configured grant PUSCH (CG-PUSCH)) or a PUCCH.

[0054] In one example, the communication device transmits the PRACH and disables transmission of the first UL channel, e.g., when the first UL channel and the PRACH collide in the same time period. In one example, the communication device transmits the PRACH and disables transmission of the second UL channel, e.g., when the second UL channel and the PRACH collide in the same time period.

[0055] In one example, the communication device receives DCI including a request from the network. In one example, the request triggers CSI reporting. In one example, the communication device transmits a fifth UL channel (e.g., a PUSCH) carrying the CSI to the network in accordance with the request.

[0056] In one example, the communications device transmits first capability information to the network regarding a maximum number of sets of RSs. In one example, the communications device transmits second capability information to the network. The second capability information indicates at least one of the following information: whether the communications device supports UE-triggered / directed cell switch, whether the communications device supports acquisition before a triggering event / condition, whether the communications device supports timing advance (TA) acquisition after a triggering event / condition, whether the communications device supports UE-based TA measurement, whether the communications device supports time-domain filtering / averaging of channel measurements, and whether the communications device supports spatial-domain filtering / averaging of channel measurements.

[0057] In one example, the communication device and network operate in a carrier aggregation (CA) system. In one example, the communication device is configured with multiple serving cells. In one example, the communication device receives a DL channel (e.g., the DL channel described above, but not limited herein) from a first serving cell of the network in accordance with DCI received from a second serving cell of the network. In one example, the communication device transmits a UL channel (e.g., the first UL channel, the second UL channel, the third UL channel, the fourth UL channel, or the fifth UL channel, but not limited herein) to a third serving cell of the network in accordance with DCI received from a fourth serving cell of the network. In one example, the communication device receives a DL channel from the network in accordance with DCI indicating at least one of a TCI state and an SRI. In one example, the communication device is configured with at least one of an SS set configuration, an SS configuration, a CORESET configuration, and a configuration for DL ​​channel repetition. In one example, at least one of the SS set configuration, the SS configuration, the CORESET configuration, and the configuration for DL ​​channel repetition is used to receive (eg, monitor) the DCI.

[0058] 4 is a flowchart of a process 40 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 40 may be utilized to process UL transmissions in a network (e.g., the network 12 of FIG. 1 or the communication device 20 of FIG. 2). The process 40 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 400: Start. Step 402: Send a first configuration to the communication device, where the first configuration includes a set of RSs. Step 404: Receive a first UL channel from the communication device in response to at least one RS of the set of RSs satisfying the condition. Step 406: Receive a second UL channel including measurement reports for the set of RSs from the communication device. Step 408: End.

[0059] According to process 40, the network sends a first configuration to the communication device, the first configuration including a set of RSs. The network receives a first UL channel from the communication device in response to at least one RS of the set of RSs satisfying a condition. For example, after receiving the first UL channel from the communication device, the network receives a second UL channel including a measurement report (e.g., a beam report) of the set of RSs from the communication device. That is, the network does not receive the measurement report periodically. This can save UL resources for reporting the measurement report periodically.

[0060] The implementation of process 40 is not limited to the above description, and examples in process 30 may be applied to process 40, but for the sake of brevity, will not be detailed here.

[0061] 5 is a flowchart of a process 50 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 50 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., communication device 14 of FIG. 1 or communication device 20 of FIG. 2) to process an UL transmission. The process 50 may be compiled into program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 500: Start. Step 502: Receive a first configuration from the network, the first configuration including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate ID, a physical cell ID, an SSB frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power. Step 504: Perform at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations according to the at least one indicator. Step 506: End.

[0062] According to process 50, the communication device receives a first configuration from the network. The first configuration includes a set of candidate configurations. Each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations includes at least one of a candidate ID, a physical cell ID, an SSB frequency, an SSB SCS, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power. The communication device performs (e.g., determines to perform) at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations according to the at least one indicator. That is, information in the first configuration is used by the communication device to perform at least one UL transmission (e.g., to send a cell switch request). Thus, the communication device may perform a cell switch procedure even without a cell switch instruction from the network.

[0063] The implementation of the process 50 is not limited to the above description. The following examples may be applied to implement the process 50.

[0064] In one example, the communication device receives at least one indicator from the network. In one example, a lower layer (e.g., a physical layer) of the communication device transmits at least one indicator to an upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the communication device, for example, in response to the occurrence of at least one event instance. In one example, the at least one event instance indicates that at least one signal quality (e.g., at least one radio link quality) of the at least one candidate RS is better than the signal quality of the serving RS by a first threshold. In one example, the at least one event instance indicates that at least one signal quality (e.g., at least one radio link quality) of the at least one candidate RS is greater than a third measurement threshold and / or the signal quality of the serving RS is less than a fourth measurement threshold. In one example, the at least one indicator is associated with at least one of a candidate configuration and a first RS (e.g., the candidate RS) in a set of candidate configurations. In one example, the candidate configuration corresponds to the first RS.

[0065] In one example, the communication device performs at least one measurement on the first set of RSs according to a second configuration (e.g., the first configuration in process 30) to generate at least one measurement result. In one example, the second configuration is different from the first configuration. In one example, the second configuration is the same as the first configuration. In one example, the communication device determines, according to the at least one measurement result, that at least one condition corresponding to at least one RS in the first set of RSs is satisfied. Details of the at least one condition may refer to the example of process 30, and will not be described in detail here for brevity.

[0066] In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) a first timer (i.e., the third timer in the example of process 30) in response to one of the at least one condition being satisfied. In one example, the communication device (e.g., without a valid TA for the communication device's candidate cell after a first time period) transmits an UL channel to the communication device's serving cell during the first timer operation. The first time period may be a fixed length or may be configured by the network. In one example, the communication device receives at least one indicator (e.g., a PDCCH command) from the communication device's serving cell, for example, after transmitting the UL channel. In one example, the communication device determines whether an execution condition is satisfied in response to the first timer expiring. The execution condition may be a condition in process 30. Details of the execution condition may refer to examples related to process 30 and will not be described in detail here for brevity.

[0067] In one example, the UL channel includes (e.g., is) a PUCCH carrying UCI. In one example, the UL channel is associated with TA acquisition or resource acquisition. In one example, the UL resource for the UL channel corresponds to at least one of a candidate cell ID and an SSB of the candidate cell. In one example, the communication device indicates a candidate cell ID (e.g., a candidate ID configured by a candidate configuration) to a serving cell of the communication device via the UL channel, for example, when one of the at least one condition is met. In one example, the communication device indicates a predetermined value, for example, when the at least one condition is not met. In one example, the communication device indicates an index of an RS (or group index) to a serving cell of the communication device via the UL channel. In one example, the RS is an SSB or a CSI-RS. In one example, an RS with an odd ID corresponds to a first group index. In one example, an RS with an even ID corresponds to a second group index.

[0068] In one example, the UL channel is configured with a second timer (e.g., ProhibitTimer). In one example, the communication device transmits the UL channel and starts (or re-starts) the second timer in response to the second timer not running during a second time period for transmitting the UL channel. In one example, the UL channel includes (e.g., is) a PUCCH or PUSCH carrying a UCI (e.g., SR) or a MAC-CE. In one example, the UCI or MAC-CE includes at least one of the following information: a candidate cell ID (e.g., a candidate ID configured by candidate configuration), an index (e.g., SSBRI or CRI) of an RS (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) of the candidate cell, signal quality of the RS (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR), differential signal quality between the RSs, signal quality of the serving cell (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR), and differential signal quality between the candidate cell (or candidate RS) and the serving cell (or serving RS).

[0069] In one example, the at least one indicator includes a DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command) transmitted by the network. In one example, the DCI includes at least one of the following: a random access preamble (RAP) set indicator, a RAP indicator, an SS / PBCH index, a PRACH mask index, a cell indicator, and a PRACH retransmission indicator. In one example, the communication device determines a RAP according to the DCI. In one example, the step of performing at least one UL transmission includes the communication device transmitting a PRACH (e.g., to a candidate cell) according to the DCI. In one example, the RAP set indicator indicates a RAP set configured by a first upper layer signal. The first upper layer signal configures multiple RAP sets. In one example, the RAP indicator indicates at least one first RAP index. The at least one first RAP index may be included in the RAP set indicated by the RAP set indicator. In one example, the SS / PBCH index indicates an SS / PBCH for determining a RACH opportunity for a PACH transmission, for example, if the at least one first RAP index is not all zeros. In one example, the SS / PBCH index is reserved, for example, if at least one first RAP index is all zeros. In one example, the PRACH mask index indicates a RACH opportunity associated with the SS / PBCH indicated by the SS / PBCH index, for example, if at least one first RAP index is not all zeros. In one example, the cell indicator indicates a cell (e.g., a candidate cell or a serving cell) for PACH transmission. For example, a first bit-field index having a first value (e.g., 0) of the cell indicator is mapped to a serving cell. For example, a second bit-field index having a second value (e.g., a value different from the first value) of the cell indicator is mapped to a candidate cell. In one example, the PRACH retransmission indicator indicates an initial transmission or a retransmission of the PRACH, for example, if the cell indicated by the cell indicator is a candidate cell.

[0070] In one example, a communication device receives a first DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command) for initiating a random access (RA) procedure from a network. In one example, the communication device determines a cell (e.g., a candidate cell) for initiating the RA procedure according to a cell indicator in the first DCI. In one example, the communication device determines whether at least one first RAP index indicated by a RAP indicator in the first DCI is all zeros.

[0071] In one example, in response to at least one first RAP index indicated by a RAP indicator in the first DCI being not all zero, the communications device performs at least one of the following actions: selecting at least one SS / PBCH index corresponding to at least one resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI and / or CRI) of a candidate cell that satisfies one of at least one condition (e.g., according to a cell indicator in the first DCI); selecting at least one first PRACH according to at least one of the at least one SS / PBCH index, cell indicator, RAP indicator, and PRACH mask index; and transmitting the selected at least one first PRACH to the candidate cell.

[0072] In one example, in response to at least one first RAP index indicated by a RAP indicator in the first DCI being all zeros, the communication device performs at least one of the following actions: selecting at least one second RAP index from a RAP set corresponding to at least one resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI and / or CRI) of a candidate cell that satisfies one of at least one conditions (e.g., according to a cell indicator in the first DCI), and performing an RA procedure according to the selected at least one second RAP index.

[0073] In one example, in response to at least one first RAP index indicated by a RAP indicator in the first DCI being not all zero, the communication device performs at least one of the following operations: determining whether the RAP indicator indicates multiple RAP indices; in response to the RAP indicator indicating multiple RAP indices, selecting at least one third RAP index from the at least one first RAP index corresponding to at least one resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI and / or CRI) of a candidate cell that satisfies one of the at least one condition (e.g., according to a cell indicator in the first DCI) and performing an RA procedure according to at least one of the selected at least one third RAP index and a PRACH mask index; and in response to the RAP indicator not indicating multiple RAP indices, performing an RA procedure according to at least one of the cell indicator, the RAP indicator, the SS / PBCH index, and the PRACH mask index.

[0074] In one example, the communications device transmits multiple PRACHs corresponding to at least one SS / PBCH, eg, where the multiple PRACHs do not overlap in time.

[0075] In one example, after transmitting at least one first PRACH to a candidate cell, the communication device monitors a first DL channel transmitted by a serving cell of the communication device within a first window. In one example, the first DL channel includes (e.g., is) a second DCI. In one example, the first window includes (e.g., is) a random access response (RAR) window configured by a second higher layer signal. In one example, the first window starts after the communication device transmits at least one first PRACH. In one example, the communication device determines (e.g., obtains) at least one of the following information according to the first DL channel or a MAC-CE (e.g., transmitted by a PDSCH scheduled by the first DL channel): a candidate ID (e.g., candidate cell ID), a TA value, scheduling or activation of a PUSCH (e.g., CG-PUSCH), an SS / PBCH for a PUSCH (e.g., CG-PUSCH), and an SS / PBCH for a TA. In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) a third timer (e.g., TimeAlignmentTimer) for the candidate cell (e.g., indicated by a MAC-CE or candidate ID) in response to the communication device obtaining (e.g., receiving) the TA value. In one example, the third timer is configured with a third value. In one example, the third value is configured for each candidate cell (e.g., by a third higher layer signal). In one example, the third value is a common value configured for all candidate cells of the communication device (e.g., by a fourth higher layer signal). In one example, the third value is indicated in a MAC-CE (e.g., transmitted by a PDSCH scheduled by the first DL channel). In one example, the third value is indicated in the first DL channel.

[0076] In one example, the communication device calculates (or computes) at least one TA value for at least one UL transmission, i.e., the communication device performs UE-based TA measurement and determines at least one TA value according to the UE-based TA measurement result.

[0077] In one example, the communication device determines at least one TA value for at least one UL transmission according to the MAC-CE transmitted by the network, and in one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) a fourth timer in response to receiving the at least one TA value.

[0078] In one example, the at least one UL transmission includes cell switch information. In one example, the at least one UL transmission includes (e.g., is) a CG-PUSCH. In one example, the cell switch information includes (e.g., is) a cell switch request. In one example, the communication device determines at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission according to at least one of higher layer signaling and MAC-CE. In one example, the at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission is configured with periodicity, and the at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission is indicated by a third time period and is valid (or available) within the third time period. In one example, the periodicity is configured by a fifth higher layer signal. In one example, the communication device performs at least one UL transmission via the at least one UL resource. In one example, the communication device periodically performs the at least one UL transmission via the at least one UL resource according to the periodicity.

[0079] In one example, the communication device determines that the cell switch procedure is complete by receiving a message (e.g., a cell switch complete message) from the network. In one example, the message includes (e.g., is) an indicator or configuration.

[0080] In one example, the at least one indicator indicates at least one of the following events: the fifth timer expiring, and the fourth value of the first counter being less than or equal to the second threshold. In one example, the second threshold is zero or a positive integer, but is not limited thereto herein. In one example, the fifth timer is associated with the second RS. In one example, the second RS is one of the first set of RSs. In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) the fifth timer in response to the first condition being satisfied. In one example, the first condition is satisfied in response to the fifth value of the second counter not being less than the third threshold. In one example, the communication device increments (e.g., by one) the fourth value of the first counter in response to at least one event instance not occurring. In one example, the communication device increments (e.g., by one) the fifth value of the second counter in response to at least one event instance occurring. In one example, the fourth value of the first counter indicates the number of at least one event instance not occurring. In one example, a fifth value of the second counter indicates a number of at least one event instance that has occurred. In one example, the communication device is configured with the second threshold and the third threshold by the sixth upper layer signal.

[0081] In one example, a lower layer (e.g., a physical layer) of the communication device transmits an indicator (e.g., an LTM indicator) having a sixth value (e.g., 0) to an upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the communication device in response to at least one event instance not occurring. In one example, a lower layer (e.g., a physical layer) of the communication device transmits an indicator (e.g., an LTM indicator) having a seventh value (e.g., 1) to an upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the communication device in response to at least one event instance occurring. In one example, a fourth value of the first counter indicates the number of (e.g., consecutive) indicators (e.g., consecutive LTM indicators) having the sixth value. In one example, a fifth value of the second counter indicates the number of (e.g., consecutive) indicators (e.g., consecutive LTM indicators) having the seventh value. In one example, the at least one event instance occurs when at least one signal quality (e.g., at least one radio link quality) of the at least one candidate RS reaches a fourth threshold that is better (or not better) than the signal quality of the serving RS. In one example, at least one event instance occurs when at least one signal quality (e.g., at least one radio link quality) of at least one candidate RS is greater than (or not greater than) a fifth measurement threshold and / or when the signal quality of the serving RS is less than (or not less than) a sixth measurement threshold.

[0082] In one example, the at least one UL transmission satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the at least one UL transmission includes at least one second PRACH in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid, and the at least one UL transmission includes at least one PUSCH in response to the at least one TA for the candidate cell being valid. In one example, the at least one second PRACH includes cell switch information (e.g., a cell switch request). In one example, the at least one PUSCH includes cell switch information (e.g., a cell switch request). In one example, the at least one TA for the candidate cell is valid in response to a sixth timer (e.g., a TimeAlignmentTimer) associated with the candidate cell not expiring.

[0083] In one example, the at least one UL transmission satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the at least one UL transmission includes at least one second PRACH in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid; the at least one UL transmission includes at least one PUSCH transmitted after the fourth time period in response to the at least one TA for the candidate cell being valid and the communication device being in the fourth time period; and the at least one UL transmission includes at least one PUSCH in response to the at least one TA for the candidate cell being valid and the communication device not being in the fourth time period. In one example, the fourth time period is configured by a seventh upper layer signal. In one example, the fourth time period begins after the communication device transmits at least one first PRACH (e.g., to the candidate cell) in accordance with the first DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command).

[0084] In one example, after transmitting a PRACH (e.g., to a candidate cell) in accordance with the first DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command), the communication device monitors a second DL channel transmitted by the candidate cell of the communication device within a second window. In one example, the second DL channel includes (e.g., is) a third DCI. In one example, the second window includes (e.g., is) an RAR window configured by an eighth higher layer signal.

[0085] In one example, the communications device stops performing the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell (e.g., transmitting cell switch information) in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid. In one example, the communications device stops performing the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell after a fourth time period in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid and the communications device being in a fourth time period. In one example, the communications device stops performing the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid and the communications device not being in the fourth time period.

[0086] In one example, the at least one UL transmission satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the at least one UL transmission includes at least one PUSCH in response to the at least one TA for the candidate cell being valid, and the at least one UL transmission includes at least one second PRACH in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid and PRACH resources (e.g., for a cell switch procedure) being configured for the candidate cell. In one example, the communications device stops performing the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell in response to the TA for the candidate cell not being valid and PRACH resources (e.g., for a cell switch procedure) being not configured for the candidate cell.

[0087] In one example, the communication device resumes the cell switching procedure for a suitable candidate cell after stopping the execution of the cell switching procedure for the candidate cell. In one example, the communication device resumes the cell switching procedure for a suitable candidate cell after stopping the execution of the cell switching procedure for the candidate cell after a fourth time period. In one example, the suitable candidate cell satisfies one of the at least one condition.

[0088] In one example, the communication device without a valid TA transmits (e.g., decides to transmit) a cell switch request to the candidate cell. In one example, the communication device increments a third counter (e.g., for the candidate cell) by one in response to the communication device without a valid TA transmitting (e.g., deciding to transmit) a cell switch request to the candidate cell. In one example, the communication device without a valid TA continues to perform TA acquisition or resource acquisition (e.g., by transmitting an UL channel as described above) in response to at least one of the candidate cells still satisfying one of the at least one conditions and the third counter being not greater than the fifth threshold. In one example, the communication device stops performing a cell switch procedure for the candidate cell in response to at least one of the candidate cells not satisfying one of the at least one conditions and the third counter being greater than the fifth threshold.

[0089] In one example, the communications device obtains a plurality of indicators associated with a plurality of candidate cells. In one example, the plurality of indicators include at least one indicator. In one example, the communications device selects a candidate cell from the plurality of candidate cells in a prioritized order according to at least one of the following factors: a candidate ID or a physical cell ID; a first determination as to whether the ID candidate cell includes at least one valid TA; a second determination as to whether the candidate cell is a secondary cell (Scell) for the communications device; and a third determination as to whether the candidate cell is configured with at least one PRACH resource.

[0090] In one example, the communication device does not perform a UL synchronization procedure according to a higher layer configuration, for example, when the communication device is capable of UE-based TA measurement. In one example, the communication device transmits a message or information for a cell switch request (e.g., an UL resource request message) to the network, for example, when the TA value of the candidate cell is the same as the TA value of the serving cell or when the TA value of the candidate cell is zero. In one example, the communication device transmits a message or information for a cell switch request (e.g., an UL resource request message) to the network, for example, when the communication device calculates (or computes) at least one TA value for at least one UL transmission. In one example, the communication device does not transmit a message or information for a cell switch request (e.g., an UL resource request message) to the network, for example, when the communication device is configured with UL resources (e.g., CG-PUSCH) for the cell switch request.

[0091] In one example, the at least one first / second PRACH transmitted to the candidate cell is at least one contention-free PRACH resource configured by the network. In one example, the communication device is configured with a set of PRACH resources for each candidate cell. In one example, the communication device increments a third counter by one after a fourth time period in response to the communication device not obtaining a TA value for the candidate cell. In one example, the communication device retransmits the at least one first / second PRACH after the fourth time period in response to the communication device not obtaining a TA value for the candidate cell. In one example, the communication device determines a transmit power for the at least one first / second PRACH according to the third counter.

[0092] In one example, the communication device starts (or restarts) a third timer (e.g., TimeAlignmentTimer) configured with a third value in response to the communication device receiving the DL channel. In one example, the communication device determines whether the execution condition is met in response to the third timer expiring. In one example, the communication device performs at least one of the following actions in response to the execution condition not being met and the third timer expiring: stopping the execution of the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell, and restarting the cell switch procedure for an appropriate candidate cell after stopping the execution of the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell. The execution condition may be a condition in process 30. Details of the execution condition may refer to examples related to process 30, and will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0093] In one example, the TA or resource for transmitting the cell switch request becomes invalid before the execution condition is satisfied. In one example, the communication device increments a third counter by one in response to the TA or resource for transmitting the cell switch request being invalid. In one example, the communication device continues to perform TA acquisition or resource acquisition in response to at least one of the candidate cells still satisfying one of the at least one condition and the TA or resource for transmitting the cell switch request being invalid. In one example, the communication device stops performing the cell switch procedure for the candidate cell in response to the candidate cell not satisfying one of the at least one condition.

[0094] In one example, the communications device transmits capability information to the network, where the capability information indicates at least one of the following information: whether the communications device supports UE-triggered / directed cell switching, whether the communications device supports acquisition before a triggering event / condition, whether the communications device supports TA acquisition or resource acquisition after a triggering event / condition, whether the communications device supports UE-based TA measurement, whether the communications device supports time-domain filtering / averaging of channel measurements, and whether the communications device supports spatial-domain filtering / averaging of channel measurements.

[0095] It should also be noted that examples of process 30 can be applied to process 50 and examples of process 50 can be applied to process 30.

[0096] 6 is a flowchart of a process 60 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 60 may be utilized to process UL transmissions in a network (e.g., the network 12 of FIG. 1 or the communication device 20 of FIG. 2). The process 60 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 600: Start. Step 602: Generate a first configuration, where the first configuration includes a set of candidate configurations, and each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations includes at least one of a candidate ID, a physical cell ID, an SSB frequency, an SCS of the SSB, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power. Step 604: Send the first configuration to the communication device. Step 606: End.

[0097] According to process 60, the network generates a first configuration. The first configuration includes a set of candidate configurations. Each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations includes at least one of a candidate ID, a physical cell ID, an SSB frequency, an SSB SCS, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power. The network transmits the first configuration to the communication device. That is, the information in the first configuration is used by the communication device to perform at least one UL transmission (e.g., to transmit a cell switch request). Thus, the communication device may perform a cell switch procedure even without a cell switch instruction from the network.

[0098] The implementation of process 60 is not limited to the above description, and examples in process 50 may be applied to process 60, but for the sake of brevity will not be detailed here.

[0099] 7 is a schematic diagram of a decision 70 regarding whether at least one RS satisfies a condition (e.g., a condition in process 30 or an execution condition in an embodiment of process 50) according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device is configured with a timer TM1 and a counter. The timer TM1 and the counter are configured with a fixed value T1 and a maximum number Cn_MAX of a variable Cn, respectively. The communication device sets the variable Cn to 0, and the maximum number Cn_MAX of the variable Cn is set to 4 by the network. In FIG. 7, the communication device and the timer TM1 correspond to a time domain T. Each arrow on the time domain T for the communication device represents a lower layer (e.g., physical layer) of the communication device sending an instruction to an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device at a time instance, or a communication device transmitting a UL channel to the network at a time instance.

[0100] At time instance t1, a first event instance occurs for an RS (e.g., a candidate RS). In response to the occurrence of the first event instance, the communication device transmits a first indicator IN1 corresponding to the RS, increments a counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=1), and starts a timer TM1. At time instance t2, a second event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the second event instance, the communication device transmits a second indicator IN2 corresponding to the RS, increments a counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=2), and restarts the timer TM1. At time instance t3, a third event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the third event instance, the communication device transmits a third indicator IN3 corresponding to the RS, increments a counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=3), and restarts the timer TM1. At time instance t4, a fourth event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the fourth event instance, the communication device transmits a fourth indicator IN4 corresponding to the RS and increments a counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=4).

[0101] 7, because the counter reaches the maximum number Cn_MAX at time instance t4 (the variable Cn is not less than the maximum number Cn_MAX), the communication device determines whether the RS satisfies the condition. Specifically, the communication device determines that the RS satisfies the condition in response to the timer TM1 not having expired at time instance t4. Therefore, in response to the RS satisfying the condition, the communication device transmits the UL channel UL_C to the network at time instance t5. In addition, in response to transmitting the UL channel UL_C to the network, the communication device resets the variable Cn to 0.

[0102] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a decision 80 regarding whether at least one RS satisfies a condition (e.g., a condition in process 30 or an execution condition in an embodiment of process 50) according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device is configured with a timer TM1 and a counter. The timer TM1 and the counter are configured with a fixed value T1 and a maximum number Cn_MAX of a variable Cn, respectively. The communication device sets the variable Cn to 0, and the maximum number Cn_MAX of the variable Cn is set to 4 by the network. In FIG. 8, the communication device and the timer TM1 correspond to a time domain T. Each arrow on the time domain T for the communication device represents a lower layer (e.g., physical layer) of the communication device sending an instruction to an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device at a time instance, or a communication device transmitting a UL channel to the network at a time instance.

[0103] At time instance t1, a first event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the first event instance, the communication device transmits a first indicator IN1 corresponding to the RS, increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=1), and starts timer TM1. At time instance t2, a second event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the second event instance, the communication device transmits a second indicator IN2 corresponding to the RS, increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=2), and restarts timer TM1. At time instance t3, a third event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the third event instance, the communication device transmits a third indicator IN3 corresponding to the RS, increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=3), and restarts timer TM1.

[0104] 8, at time instance t4, the counter has not reached the maximum number Cn_MAX (i.e., the variable Cn is less than the maximum number Cn_MAX), so the communication device determines that the RS does not satisfy the condition. Therefore, in response to the RS not satisfying the condition, the communication device does not transmit the UL channel to the network. In addition, in response to the timer TM1 expiring, the communication device resets the variable Cn to 0.

[0105] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a decision 90 regarding whether at least one RS satisfies a condition (e.g., a condition in process 30 or an execution condition in an embodiment of process 50) according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device is configured with a timer TM2 and a counter. The timer TM2 and the counter are configured with a fixed value T2 and a threshold number Cn_TH of a variable Cn, respectively. The communication device sets the variable Cn to 0, and the threshold number Cn_TH of the variable Cn is set to 4 by the network. In FIG. 9, the communication device and the timer TM2 correspond to a time domain T. Each arrow on the time domain T for the communication device represents a lower layer (e.g., physical layer) of the communication device sending an instruction to an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device at a time instance, or a communication device transmitting a UL channel to the network at a time instance.

[0106] At time instance t1, a first event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the first event instance, the communication device transmits a first indicator IN1 corresponding to the RS, increments a counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=1), and starts a timer TM2. At time instance t2, a second event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the second event instance, the communication device transmits a second indicator IN2 corresponding to the RS, and increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=2). At time instance t3, a third event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the third event instance, the communication device transmits a third indicator IN3 corresponding to the RS, and increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=3). At time instance t4, a fourth event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the fourth event instance, the communication device transmits a fourth indicator IN4 corresponding to the RS, and increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=4). At time instance t5, a fifth event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the fifth event instance, the communication device transmits a fifth indicator IN5 corresponding to the RS and increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=5). At time instance t6, timer TM2 expires.

[0107] 9, the communication device determines whether the RS satisfies the condition, for example, when timer TM2 expires. Specifically, the communication device determines that the RS satisfies the condition in response to the variable Cn (i.e., 5) being not less than the threshold number Cn_TH. Thus, in response to the RS satisfying the condition, the communication device transmits a UL channel UL_C (e.g., the first UL channel of process 30, at least one PUSCH in the example of process 50, or a UL channel in the example of process 50) to the network at a time instance (e.g., time instance t7 after time instance t6). Also, in response to timer TM2 expiring or the communication device transmitting the UL channel UL_C, the communication device resets the variable Cn to 0.

[0108] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a decision 100 regarding whether at least one RS satisfies a condition (e.g., a condition in process 30 or an execution condition in an embodiment of process 50) according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device is configured with a timer TM2 and a counter. The timer TM2 and the counter are configured with a fixed value T2 and a threshold number Cn_TH of a variable Cn, respectively. The communication device sets the variable Cn to 0, and the threshold number Cn_TH of the variable Cn is set to 4 by the network. In FIG. 10, the communication device and the timer TM2 correspond to a time domain T. Each arrow on the time domain T for the communication device represents a lower layer (e.g., physical layer) of the communication device sending an instruction to an upper layer (e.g., MAC layer) of the communication device at a time instance, or a communication device transmitting a UL channel to the network at a time instance.

[0109] At time instance t1, a first event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the first event instance, the communication device transmits a first indicator IN1 corresponding to the RS, increments a counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=1), and starts a timer TM2. At time instance t2, a second event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the second event instance, the communication device transmits a second indicator IN2 corresponding to the RS and increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=2). At time instance t3, a third event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the third event instance, the communication device transmits a third indicator IN3 corresponding to the RS and increments the counter by 1 (i.e., Cn=3). At time instance t4, the timer TM2 expires.

[0110] In FIG. 10, when timer TM2 expires, the communication device determines whether RS ​​satisfies the condition. Specifically, the communication device determines that RS does not satisfy the condition in response to the value Cn (i.e., 3) being smaller than the threshold number Cn_TH. Therefore, in response to RS not satisfying the condition, the communication device does not transmit the UL channel to the network. In addition, in response to timer TM2 expiring, the communication device resets the value Cn to 0.

[0111] 11 is a schematic diagram of a determination 110 of whether at least one RS satisfies a condition (e.g., a condition in process 30 or an execution condition in an embodiment of process 50) according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device is configured with a timer TM1 and a timer TM2. The timers TM1 and TM2 are configured with fixed values ​​T1 and T2, respectively. In FIG. 11, the communication device, the timers TM1 and TM2 correspond to a time domain T. Each arrow on the time domain T for the communication device represents a lower layer (e.g., a physical layer) of the communication device sending an instruction to an upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the communication device at a time instance, or the communication device transmitting a UL channel to a network at a time instance.

[0112] At time instance t1, a first event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the first event instance, the communication device transmits a first indicator IN1 corresponding to the RS and starts timers TM1 and TM2. At time instance t2, a second event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the second event instance, the communication device transmits a second indicator IN2 corresponding to the RS and restarts timer TM1. At time instance t3, a third event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the third event instance, the communication device transmits a third indicator IN3 corresponding to the RS and restarts timer TM1. At time instance t4, a fourth event instance for the RS occurs. In response to the occurrence of the fourth event instance, the communication device transmits a fourth indicator IN4 corresponding to the RS and restarts timer TM1. At time instance t5, timer TM2 expires.

[0113] 11 , the communication device determines whether the RS satisfies the condition when, for example, timer TM2 expires. Specifically, the communication device determines that the RS satisfies the condition in response to timer TM1 not expiring at time instance t5. Thus, in response to the RS satisfying the condition, the communication device transmits a UL channel UL_C (e.g., the first UL channel of process 30, at least one PUSCH in the example of process 50, or a UL channel in the example of process 50) to the network at a time instance after time instance t5 (e.g., time instance t6). Also, in response to timer TM2 expiring or the communication device transmitting the UL channel UL_C, the communication device resets variable Cn to 0.

[0114] 12 is a schematic diagram of a determination 120 of whether at least one RS satisfies a condition (e.g., a condition in process 30 or an execution condition in an embodiment of process 50) according to an example of the present disclosure. The communication device is configured with a timer TM1 and a timer TM2. The timers TM1 and TM2 are configured with fixed values ​​T1 and T2, respectively. In FIG. 12, the communication device, the timers TM1 and TM2 correspond to a time domain T. Each arrow on the time domain T for the communication device represents a lower layer (e.g., a physical layer) of the communication device sending an instruction to an upper layer (e.g., a MAC layer) of the communication device at a time instance, or the communication device transmitting a UL channel to a network at a time instance.

[0115] At time instance t1, a first event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the first event instance, the communication device transmits a first indicator IN1 corresponding to the RS and starts timers TM1 and TM2. At time instance t2, a second event instance occurs for the RS. In response to the occurrence of the second event instance, the communication device transmits a second indicator IN2 corresponding to the RS and restarts timer TM1. At time instance t3, timer TM1 expires. At time instance t4, timer TM2 expires.

[0116] In FIG. 12, the communication device determines whether the RS satisfies the condition when the timer TM2 expires. Specifically, the communication device determines that the RS does not satisfy the condition in response to the expiration of the timer TM1 at the time instance t3 before the expiration of the timer TM2. Therefore, in response to the RS not satisfying the condition, the communication device does not transmit the UL channel to the network. In addition, in response to the expiration of the timer TM2, the communication device resets the variable Cn to 0.

[0117] 13 is a flowchart of a process 130 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 130 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to process an UL transmission in accordance with a DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command). The process 130 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1300: Start. Step 1302: Receive a DCI to initiate an RA procedure. Step 1304: Determine a candidate cell for initiating an RA procedure according to the cell indicator in the DCI. Step 1306: Is at least one first RAP index indicated by the RAP indicator in the DCI all zeros? If yes, execute step 1308. If no, execute step 1312. Step 1308: Select at least one second RAP index from the RAP set corresponding to at least one resource indicator of the candidate cell that satisfies the condition. Step 1310: Perform an RA procedure according to the selected at least one second RAP index, and then perform step 1318. Step 1312: Select at least one SS / PBCH index corresponding to at least one resource indicator of a candidate cell that satisfies the condition. Step 1314: Select at least one PRACH according to at least one of the at least one SS / PBCH index, the cell indicator, the RAP indicator, and the PRACH mask index in the DCI. Step 1316: Transmit the selected at least one PRACH to the candidate cell. Step 1318: End.

[0118] 14 is a flowchart of a process 140 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 140 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to process an UL transmission in accordance with a DCI (e.g., a PDCCH command). The process 140 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1400: Start. Step 1402: Receive a DCI to initiate an RA procedure. Step 1404: Determine a candidate cell for initiating an RA procedure according to the cell indicator in the DCI. Step 1406: Is at least one first RAP index indicated by the RAP indicator in the DCI all zeros? If yes, execute step 1408. If no, execute step 1412. Step 1408: Select at least one second RAP index from the RAP set corresponding to at least one resource indicator of the candidate cell that satisfies the condition. Step 1410: Perform an RA procedure according to the selected at least one second RAP index, and then perform step 1420. Step 1412: Does the RAP indicator indicate multiple RAP indices? If yes, execute step 1414. If no, execute step 1418. Step 1414: Select at least one third RAP index from the at least one first RAP corresponding to at least one resource indicator of the candidate cell that satisfies the condition. Step 1416: Perform an RA procedure according to at least one of the selected at least one third RAP index and the PRACH mask index in the DCI, and perform step 1420. Step 1418: Perform an RA procedure according to at least one of a cell indicator, a RAP indicator, an SS / PBCH index, and a PRACH mask index. Step 1420: End.

[0119] 15 is a flowchart of a process 150 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 150 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to handle UL transmissions (e.g., a cell switching procedure for the communication device). The process 150 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1500: Start. Step 1502: Determine to send cell switching information to the candidate cell. Step 1504: Are any TAs valid for the candidate cell? If yes, execute step 1506. If no, execute step 1508. Step 1506: Send at least one PUSCH to the candidate cell, and perform step 1510. Step 1508: Transmit at least one PRACH to the candidate cell. Step 1510: End.

[0120] 16 is a flowchart of a process 160 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 160 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., in the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to handle UL transmissions (e.g., a cell switching procedure for the communication device). The process 160 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1600: Start. Step 1602: Determine to send cell switching information to the candidate cell. Step 1604: Are any TAs valid for the candidate cell? If yes, execute step 1606. If no, execute step 1608. Step 1606: Send at least one PUSCH to the candidate cell, and perform step 1614. Step 1608: Is the communication device within the time period? If yes, execute step 1610. If no, execute step 1612. Step 1610: Transmit at least one PRACH to the candidate cell after a time period, and perform step 1614. Step 1612: Transmit at least one PRACH to the candidate cell. Step 1614: End.

[0121] 17 is a flowchart of a process 170 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 170 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., in the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to handle UL transmissions (e.g., a cell switching procedure for the communication device). The process 170 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1700: Start. Step 1702: Determine to send cell switching information to the candidate cell. Step 1704: Are any TAs valid for the candidate cell? If yes, execute step 1706. If no, execute step 1708. Step 1706: Send at least one PUSCH to the candidate cell, and perform step 1712. Step 1708: Stop performing the cell switching procedure for the candidate cell. Step 1710: Restart the cell switching procedure to a suitable candidate cell. Step 1712: End.

[0122] 18 is a flowchart of a process 180 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 180 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., in the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to handle UL transmissions (e.g., a cell switching procedure for the communication device). The process 180 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1800: Start. Step 1802: Determine to send cell switching information to the candidate cell. Step 1804: Are any TAs valid for the candidate cell? If yes, execute step 1806. If no, execute step 1808. Step 1806: Send at least one PUSCH to the candidate cell, and perform step 1816. Step 1808: Is the communication device in the time period? If yes, execute step 1810. If no, execute step 1812. Step 1810: Stop performing the cell switching procedure for the candidate cell after a time period, and perform step 1814. Step 1812: Stop performing the cell switching procedure for the candidate cell. Step 1814: Restart the cell switching procedure to a suitable candidate cell. Step 1816: End.

[0123] 19 is a flowchart of a process 190 according to an example of the present disclosure. The process 190 may be utilized in a communication device (e.g., in the communication device 14 of FIG. 1) to handle UL transmissions (e.g., a cell switching procedure for the communication device). The process 190 may be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps: Step 1900: Start. Step 1902: Determine to send cell switching information to the candidate cell. Step 1904: Are any TAs valid for the candidate cell? If yes, execute step 1906. If no, execute step 1908. Step 1906: Send at least one PUSCH to the candidate cell; and perform step 1916. Step 1908: Are there PRACH resources for the cell switching procedure configured for the candidate cell? If yes, execute step 1910. If no, execute step 1912. Step 1910: Send at least one PRACH to the candidate cell, and perform step 1916. Step 1912: Stop performing the cell switching procedure for the candidate cell. Step 1914: Restart the cell switching procedure to a suitable candidate cell. Step 1916: End.

[0124] In the processes 150 to 160, at least one PUSCH includes a cell switch request, and / or at least one PRACH includes a cell switch request.

[0125] In processes 170-190, at least one PUSCH includes a cell switch request, and the suitable candidate cell satisfies a condition (eg, one of the at least one condition in the example of process 50).

[0126] The terms "first," "second," ..., "ninth," and "tenth" above are used to distinguish related statements and do not limit the order of related statements. The operation of "determining" above may be replaced with the operations of "calculating," "calculating," "obtaining," "generating," "outputting," "using," "selecting / selecting," "deciding," or "configured." The word "according" above may be replaced with "in response to." The term "via" above may be replaced with "on," "in," or "at." The terms "when," "if," or "since" above may be replaced with "in response to." The term "candidate cell" above may be replaced with the terms "candidate RS" or "candidate beam." The term "cell switch request" above may be replaced with "cell switch command." The term "cell switch" above may be replaced with "beam switch." The term "time window" above may be replaced with "time period" or "duration."

[0127] Those skilled in the art should be able to easily combine, modify, and / or change the above-described descriptions and examples. The above-described descriptions, steps, and / or processes including the suggested steps can be realized by means that can be hardware, software, firmware (known as a combination of a hardware device and computer instructions and data residing as read-only software on a hardware device), an electronic system, or a combination thereof. One example of a means can be a communication device.

[0128] Examples of hardware may include analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and / or mixed circuitry. For example, the hardware may include an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, combined hardware components, or a combination thereof. In another example, the hardware may include a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), or a combination thereof.

[0129] Examples of software may include a set of code, a set of instructions, and / or a set of functions retained (e.g., stored) in a storage unit, e.g., a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include a SIM, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a CD-ROM / DVD-ROM / BD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, an optical data storage device, a non-volatile storage unit, or a combination thereof. The computer-readable medium (e.g., a storage unit) may be internally (e.g., integrated) or externally (e.g., separate) coupled to at least one processor. At least one processor, which may include one or more modules, may execute (e.g., be configured to execute) the software in the computer-readable medium. The set of code, the set of instructions, and / or the set of functions may cause at least one processor, module, hardware, and / or electronic system to perform associated steps.

[0130] Examples of electronic systems may include a system on a chip (SoC), a system in a package (SiP), a computer on a module (CoM), a computer program product, an appliance, a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an e-book or portable computer system, and a communication device 20.

[0131] In summary, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a communication device for processing UL transmission. The communication device transmits a measurement report over an UL channel when a specific condition occurs, instead of periodically reporting the measurement report. This can save UL resources for periodically reporting the measurement report. Furthermore, the communication device (e.g., with a valid TA) performs UL transmission even without a cell / beam switching instruction from the network to perform a cell / beam switching procedure.

[0132] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that numerous modifications and variations of the apparatus and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for a communication device for processing uplink (UL) transmissions, comprising: receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate identification (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) for SSB, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power; performing at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations according to at least one indicator; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one indicator is associated with at least one of the candidate configurations in the set of candidate configurations and a first reference signal (RS).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one UL transmission includes cell switching information.

4. determining at least one UL resource for said at least one UL transmission according to at least one of higher layer signaling and a medium access control control element (MAC-CE); The method of claim 1 further comprising:

5. The at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission satisfies the following conditions: the at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission is configured with periodicity; and the at least one UL resource for the at least one UL transmission is indicated by a time period and is valid within the time period; The method according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:

6. The at least one indicator comprises a downlink (DL) control information (DCI) transmitted by the network, the DCI comprising: a random access preamble (RAP) indicator; SS / PBCH index; and a physical random access channel (PRACH) mask index; and A cell indicator; a PRACH retransmission indicator; and The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

7. The step of performing at least one UL transmission comprises: transmitting a PRACH in accordance with the DCI; The method of claim 6, comprising:

8. The at least one indicator may be configured to detect the following events: the expiration of a first timer; the first value of the first counter is not greater than a first threshold; The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of

9. starting the first timer in response to a first condition being satisfied. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first condition is satisfied in response to a second value of a second counter not being less than a second threshold.

11. incrementing the first value of the first counter in response to at least one event instance not occurring. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first timer is associated with a second RS.

13. The at least one UL transmission satisfies the following conditions: the at least one UL transmission includes at least one PRACH in response to a timing advance (TA) for the candidate cell not being valid; and the at least one UL transmission includes at least one PUSCH in response to at least one TA for the candidate cell being valid; and The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one TA of the candidate cell is valid in response to a second timer associated with the candidate cell not expiring.

15. calculating at least one TA value for said at least one UL transmission; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

16. Steps below: determining at least one TA value for the at least one UL transmission according to a MAC-CE sent by the network; starting a third timer in response to receiving the at least one TA value; The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

17. transmitting capability information to the network; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

18. The capability information includes the following information: Whether the communication device supports user equipment (UE) triggered cell switching; and whether the communication device supports acquisition before a trigger event; whether the communication device supports TA acquisition after the trigger event; and Whether the communication device supports UE-based TA measurements; whether the communication device supports time domain filtering of channel measurements; whether the communication device supports spatial domain filtering of the channel measurements; and 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method exhibits at least one of:

19. Steps below: obtaining a plurality of indicators associated with a plurality of candidate cells, the plurality of indicators including at least one indicator; The following factors: the candidate ID or the physical cell ID; a first determination as to whether the candidate cell includes at least one valid TA; a second determination as to whether the candidate cell is a secondary cell (Scell) for the communication device; a third determination as to whether the candidate cell is configured with at least one PRACH resource; and selecting the candidate cell from the plurality of candidate cells in a prioritized order according to at least one of: The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

20. 1. A communications device for processing uplink (UL) transmissions, comprising: at least one storage device; at least one processing circuit coupled to the at least one memory device; wherein the at least one storage device is configured to store instructions, and the at least one processing circuit is configured to process the instructions: receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate identification (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) for SSB, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power; performing at least one UL transmission using a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations according to at least one indicator; 12. A communication device configured to execute instructions to:

21. 1. A method for a network for processing uplink (UL) transmissions, comprising: generating configurations, the configurations including a set of candidate configurations, each candidate configuration in the set of candidate configurations including at least one of a candidate identification (ID), a physical cell ID, a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB, an SSB periodicity, and an SSB transmit power; transmitting the configuration to a communication device; A method comprising:

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