User device, network device, and methods thereof

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, apparatus, and computer storage medium. A terminal device receives first configuration information transmitted in a first cell from a network device. The first configuration information includes a set of TCI states, and the set of TCI states is associated with a second cell different from the first cell. The terminal device receives a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, and the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states. After a predetermined timing, the terminal device applies the one or more activated TCI states starting from the first slot. In this way, since the beam of the second cell can be indicated according to the TCI state indicated by the first cell before the serving cell is changed, the delay, overhead, and interruption time in inter-cell mobility can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication for inter-cell mobility.

Background Art

[0002] In a conventional cellular network, each network device is associated with a coverage area or cell. The network may maintain communication between the serving cell and the terminal device within the cell until a handover (HO) procedure is triggered. Current solutions for UE mobility include intra-cell mobility and inter-cell mobility. Intra-cell mobility involves the management of cell-specific communication resources and cell-specific settings, and the serving cell is not changed. Inter-cell mobility, also referred to as mobility management, involves the terminal device releasing the link with the source cell and establishing a new link with the target cell. In conventional inter-cell mobility, in order to realize the change of the serving cell, upper-layer signaling exchange is performed between the terminal device and the network device. Therefore, long delays occur, the overhead is large, and the interruption time is long. Therefore, how to reduce the delay, overhead, and interruption time in inter-cell mobility is a problem to be solved.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication for indicating a beam of a target cell in the case of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method implemented in a terminal device is provided. The method includes receiving, from a network device, first configuration information transmitted in a first cell, where the first configuration information includes a set of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, the set of TCI states being related to a second cell different from the first cell, and receiving a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, where the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states, and after a predetermined timing, applying the one or more activated TCI states from a first slot.

[0005] In a second aspect, a communication method implemented in a network device is provided. The method includes transmitting, in a first cell, first configuration information to a terminal device, where the first configuration information includes a set of TCI states, the set of TCI states being related to a second cell different from the first cell, and transmitting a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, where the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states, and after a predetermined timing, applying the one or more activated TCI states from a first slot.

[0006] In a third aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the terminal device to perform operations including the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the network device to perform operations including the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure or the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] Other features of the present disclosure should be readily understood through the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure should become more apparent by describing some embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011]

Figure 1

[0012]

Figure 2

[0013]

Figure 3

[0014]

Figure 4

[0015]

Figure 5

[0016] Throughout all the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to several embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are helpful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0018] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0019] In this specification, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having a wireless or wired communication function. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network), devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), Small Data Transmission (SDT), mobility, Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS), positioning, dynamic / flexible duplexing in commercial networks, reduced capability (RedCap), spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAP) and satellites that include Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Extended Reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are aircraft generally known as drones and do not require a human pilot, high speed trains (HST: high speedDevices on a train, imaging devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage / playback devices, or Internet devices that enable wireless / wired Internet access and browsing, etc. can be mentioned, but are not limited thereto. The "terminal device" can further have a multicast / broadcast function and support public safety, mission critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software delivery, group communication, and IoT applications. Also, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIM, may be incorporated. The term "terminal device" can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0020] The term "network device" refers to a device capable of scheduling or hosting a cell or coverage with which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), Next Generation NodeB (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), IAB node, femto node, pico node and other low-power nodes, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), network control repeater, etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0021] The terminal device or network device may have an artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning function. Generally, it includes a model that can learn from a large number of data collected for a specific function and be used to predict some information.

[0022] The terminal device or network device may function in a plurality of frequency ranges, such as, for example, FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands higher than 100 GHz, terahertz (THz), etc. Further, it can function in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. In a scenario where multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) is applied, the terminal device may have multiple connections with the network device. The terminal device or network device can function in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0023] The network device may have functions of network energy saving, self-organising networks (SON) / minimization of drive tests (MDT). The terminal may have a power-saving function.

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test devices such as, for example, signal generators, signal analysers, spectrum analysers, network analysers, test terminal devices, test network devices, channel emulators, etc.

[0025] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or sixth generation (6G) network.

[0026] In one embodiment, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node, and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATs may be transmitted from at least one of the first network device or the second network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be directly transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device or transmitted via the first network device. In one embodiment, information related to the settings of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related to the re - setting of the terminal device set by the second network device may be directly transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device or transmitted via the first network device.

[0027] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "including" and its variations are to be construed as an open - ended term meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is construed as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are construed as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is construed as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. There may be other explicit and implicit definitions included in the following content.

[0028] In some examples, a value, procedure, or device may be referred to as “optimal,” “lowest,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection is possible from among a plurality of functional alternatives being used, and it will be understood that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other selections.

[0029] As used herein, the term “circuit” may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be an analog hardware circuit and / or a digital hardware circuit, and a combination with software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any part of a hardware processor with software, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory, which cooperate to cause a device such as a terminal device or a network device to perform various functions. As yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, which requires software / firmware for operation, but the software may not be present when not required for operation. As used herein, the term circuit encompasses merely a hardware circuit or processor, or a part of a hardware circuit or processor, and an implementation of its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware.

[0030] In the context of the present application, the term “PSCell” refers to the SpCell of a secondary cell group (SCG), the term “PCell” refers to the SpCell of a master cell group (MCG), and the term “SpCell” refers to the primary cell of an SCG or MCG. The term “SCell” refers to a secondary cell of an SCG or MCG.

[0031] In the context of the present application, the terms "TCI state related to a cell", "TCI state configured for a cell", "TCI state for a cell", and "TCI state of a cell" can be used interchangeably and refer to the TCI state applied to the cell, that is, in other words, the TCI state applied to the UL / DL channels or signals within the cell.

[0032] In the context of the present application, the term "TCI state for transmission in a cell" indicates that the TCI state is derived from a set of TCI states related to the cell.

[0033] In the context of the present application, the term "L1" refers to the physical (PHY) layer. The term "L2" refers to the link layer, data link layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. L2 implements a communication protocol that uses the operations of the L1 PHY and the physical address of the node.

[0034] In the context of the present application, the terms "inter-cell change", "inter-cell mobility", "serving cell handover", and "serving cell change" refer to the terminal device switching from cell A to cell B, that is, the terminal device using or applying the relevant settings of cell B (such as RRC settings / parameters related to cell B), which means that cell B will provide services to the terminal device (that is, the terminal device will communicate with cell B for the exchange of control signaling and data information).

[0035] As described above, how to reduce the delay, overhead, and interruption time in inter-cell mobility is a problem to be solved. One possible solution can be implemented in such a way that the change of the serving cell occurs simultaneously with the change or switching of the beam. For example, the change of the serving cell and the change of the beam may be indicated simultaneously by L1 / L2 signaling, or may be indicated separately by L1 / L2 signaling, but within a very short fixed period. In intra-cell mobility without the change of the serving cell, the beam change can be realized in such a way that the cell indicates a set of TCI states to be applied to the channel or the reference signal for a long time in the future, and the terminal device autonomously switches the beam according to the order and application time related to the TCI states within the set of the indicated TCI states. However, since the information (Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread, etc.) regarding the QCL-TypeA RS set in the TCI state cannot be applied across cells, in L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, after the change of the serving cell, the indicated TCI states cannot be used in the target cell. In the case of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, there is no mechanism to indicate the beam of the target cell.

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for solving the above problems and other potential problems. In this solution, the terminal device receives first configuration information transmitted in a first cell from the network device. The first configuration information includes a set of TCI states, and the set of TCI states is related to a second cell different from the first cell. The terminal device receives a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, and at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states is included in the one or more TCI states. The terminal device applies the one or more activated TCI states from the first slot after a predetermined timing. In this way, since the beam of the second cell can be indicated according to the TCI state indicated by the first cell before the change of the serving cell, the delay, overhead, and interruption time in inter-cell mobility can be reduced.

[0037] The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment 100 in which an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the environment 100 may be part of a communication network and includes a first network device 110, a terminal device 120, and a second network device 130. The first network device 110 may be a gNB that schedules a first cell or a first bandwidth part (BWP), or a network (NW) or a TRP. The second network device 130 may be a gNB that schedules a second cell or a second BWP, or a network (NW) or a TRP.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, a communication link may be formed between the first cell 140 and the terminal device 120 located at the first position P1. When the terminal device 120 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the terminal device 120 may measure the quality of the beam from the second cell 150 and provide a measurement report to the first network device 110 for determining whether to execute the HO procedure of the serving cell. If the quality of the beam from the second cell 150 is better, the first network device 110 may decide to hand over the terminal device 120 from the first cell 140 to the second cell 150. The first network device 110 and the first cell 140 may be referred to as a source network device and a source cell, respectively. The second network device 130 and the second cell 150 may be referred to as a target network device and a target cell, respectively.

[0040] It should be understood that the above-described embodiments are shown for illustrative purposes and do not imply any limitation to the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the HO procedure of the serving cell may be triggered for reasons other than the position movement of the terminal device and may be determined by measuring other measurement parameters and based on other decision conditions.

[0041] The terminal device 120 may communicate with the source cell 140 or the target cell 150 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. The communication in the environment 100 may conform to any suitable standard, and the standards include, but are not limited to, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) for mobile communications. Further, the communication may be executed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Network, or the sixth generation (6G).

[0042] Communication in the direction from the terminal device 120 to the source cell 140 or the target cell 150 is referred to as uplink (UL) communication, and communication in the reverse direction from the source cell 140 or the target cell 150 to the terminal device 120 is referred to as downlink (DL) communication. The radio communication channel may include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random-access channel (PRACH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0043] In some scenarios, a set of TCI states related to the target cell 150 may be pre-set in the terminal device 120. When it is determined to execute the HO procedure from the source cell 140 to the target cell 150, the source cell 140 may indicate one or more TCI states to the terminal device 120, and the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states. The terminal device 120 may apply at least one indicated TCI state to the target cell.

[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for indicating TCI states applicable to a target cell in L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. This solution will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0045] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a communication process 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1. Process 200 may involve the source cell 140, the terminal device 120, and the target cell 150 shown in Figure 1.

[0046] In the case of the terminal device 120, the source cell 140 is associated with a first PCI, and the target cell 150 is associated with a second PCI different from the first PCI. In the context of the present application, the terms "PCI associated with a cell", "PCI corresponding to a cell", and "PCI of a cell" can be used interchangeably and refer to the unique PCI assigned to the cell. Also, the PCI of the target cell is different from the PCI of the source cell.

[0047] As shown in Figure 2, the source cell 140 transmits (210) to the terminal device 120 first configuration information including a set of TCI states. The set of TCI states is associated with a target cell 150 different from the source cell 140.

[0048] In some embodiments, the source cell 140 may transmit the first configuration information by radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Based on the RRC, a set of TCI states associated with the target cell 150 may be configured for the terminal device 120.

[0049] In some embodiments, for the terminal device 120 (e.g., supporting L1 / L2-based mobility), a list of up to M TCI states (TCI state pool) may be configured. The TCI state pool of the target cell (also referred to as the candidate cell) can be configured with another upper layer parameter different from the upper layer parameter PDSCH-Config. For example, an exemplary implementation may be embodied as follows. ■ For the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, in order to provide the reference signals, CSI-RS, of the quasi-collocation of the DM-RS of the PSDCH and the DM-RS of the PDCCH within the candidate cell, the UE can configure a list of up to [M] [TCI-state] settings within the upper layer parameter XXX, and can configure [tci-StateId_r17] including [SourceRs-Info_r17]. Further, if applicable, the UE can be configured to provide a reference for determining the UL TX spatial filter of the dynamic grant and configured grant-based PUSCH and PUCCH resources within the candidate cell and the SRS.

[0050] In the context of this application, when the term "for the case of L1 / L2-based mobility" appears at the beginning of a sentence, the term "activation command" present in that sentence refers to the activation command for L1 / L2-based mobility.

[0051] Optionally, the terminal device 120 may be further configured with the upper layer parameter PDSCH-Config. For example, an exemplary implementation may be embodied as follows. ■ For the case of the quasi-collocation of the DM-RS of the PSDCH and the DM-RS of the PDCCH within a CC or (candidate cell), in order to provide the reference signals, CSI-RS, the UE can configure a list of up to

[0128] [TCI-state] settings within the upper layer parameter PDSCH-Config, and can configure [tci-StateId_r17] including [SourceRs-Info_r17]. Further, if applicable, the UE can be configured to provide a reference for determining the UL TX spatial filter of the dynamic grant and configured grant-based PUSCH and PUCCH resources within the CC and the SRS. If there is no [TCI-state] setting in the BWP of the CC, the UE can apply the [TCI-state] setting from the reference BWP of the reference CC.

[0052] In some embodiments, the TCI state of the target cell 150 may provide QCL-RS of PDCCH / PDSCH / CSI-RS in the target cell, spatial RS of PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS in the target cell, path loss RS (PL-RS) of PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS in the target cell, and UL power control information.

[0053] The source cell 140 transmits (240) a first activation command to activate one or more TCI states to the terminal device 120. The one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states.

[0054] In some embodiments, the source cell 140 may transmit a first control command of a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) for mobility in the PDSCH to indicate one or more TCI states. Based on the MAC-CE for mobility, the terminal device 120 may be activated in at least one TCI state of the target cell, or at least one TCI state of the target cell may be indicated. In this way, the UE can have the beam (i.e., TCI state) of the target cell dynamically indicated.

[0055] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive a first activation command that activates one or more TCI states and activates the physical cell index (PCI) of the target cell 150. The physical cell index (PCI) of the target cell 150 indicates that at least one TCI state is for transmission in the target cell 150. For example, in addition to one or more TCI states, the first activation command (e.g., a MAC-CE for mobility) may activate or indicate at least one of a serving cell index, an additional PCI (i.e., the PCI of the target cell), or HO information. The terminal device 120 can determine the MAC-CE for mobility and the applicable range of the indicated TCI state according to this information. The serving cell index may be used to indicate to which serving cell the MAC-CE for mobility is applied. The HO information may include parameters related to the RA process or timing advance (TA).

[0056] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive a first activation command that activates one of the sets of TCI states for transmission in the target cell 150. The first activation command (e.g., a MAC-CE for mobility) may further include an additional PCI that is used to indicate to which cell the activated TCI state is applied. The cell may be a PCell, a PSCell, or a cell whose cell identifier (ID) corresponding to the additional PCI is equal to "0". For example, the terminal device 120 may be activated with (joint or DL) TCI states used for application to DL (and UL) channels or signals within the target cell 150, or the TCI state may be indicated. Exemplary implementations may be embodied as follows. ■In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, the UE receives an activation command for one of the TCI states provided for the target cell, as described in section 6.1.3.x of [10, TS38.321].

[0057] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive a first activation command that activates, respectively, two TCI states out of a set of TCI states for UL transmission and DL transmission in the target cell 150. The first activation command (e.g., a MAC-CE for mobility) may further include additional PCI used to indicate to which cell the activated TCI state is applied. For example, the terminal device 120 may be activated with a DL TCI state and a UL TCI state, or the DL TCI state and the UL TCI state may be indicated, and the DL TCI state and the UL TCI state are used to be applied to the DL and the channel or signal, respectively, within the target cell 150.

[0058] Exemplary implementations may be embodied as follows. ■ In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, the UE receives an activation command for two of the provided TCI states (one TCI state for DL channels / signals and a second TCI state for UL channels / signals) as described in section 6.1.3.x of [10, TS38.321].

[0059] In some embodiments, the first activation command may include DL information indicating that one of the two TCI states is for DL transmission (e.g., DL channel or signal) in the target cell 150, and UL information indicating that the other of the two TCI states is for UL transmission (e.g., UL channel or signal) in the target cell 150. Alternatively, the correspondence between the two activated TCI states and DL and UL transmissions can be implicitly determined, for example, by the TCI-StateId. For example, the first TCI state of the two indicated TCI states may be applied to DL transmission in the target cell 150, and the second TCI state of the two activated TCI states may be applied to UL transmission in the target cell 150. The first TCI state and the second TCI state are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state identifiers (i.e., TCI-StateId) of the two TCI states. In other words, the TCI state with the smallest TCI-StateId may be applied to DL transmission in the target cell 150, and the TCI state with the second smallest TCI-StateId may be applied to UL transmission in the target cell 150.

[0060] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive a first activation command that activates the first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and activates the second TCI state of the set of TCI states for transmission in the target cell 150. For example, the terminal device 120 may be activated by the (joint or UL) TCI state used for application to the DL (and UL) channels or signals in the source cell 140 and the (joint or DL) TCI state used for application to the DL (and UL) channels or signals in the target cell 150, or those TCI states may be indicated.

[0061] Exemplary implementations may be embodied as follows. ■In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, the UE receives activation commands for one of the TCI states provided for the serving cell and one of the TCI states provided for the target cell, as described in Section 6.1.3.x of [10, TS38.321].

[0062] In some embodiments, the first activation command may include the cell index of the source cell 140 indicating that the first TCI state is for transmission in the source cell 140, and the PCI of the target cell 150 indicating that the second TCI state is for transmission in the target cell 150. Alternatively, the correspondence between the two activated TCI states and the transmissions in the source and target cells can be implicitly determined, for example, by the TCI-StateId. For example, the first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and the second TCI state for transmission in the target cell 150 may be determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state identifiers (i.e., TCI-StateId) of the two TCI states. In other words, the TCI state with the smallest TCI-StateId may be applied to the transmission in the source cell 140, and the TCI state with the second smallest TCI-StateId may be applied to the transmission in the target cell 150. In some embodiments, the first activation command may include two pieces of indication information indicating which of the two TCI states is applied to the transmission in the source cell 140 and which of the two TCI states is applied to the transmission in the target cell 150.

[0063] In some embodiments, after step 210, source cell 140 may transmit a second activation command (e.g., MAC-CE) to terminal device 120 to activate a subset of the TCI states in the set of TCI states associated with target cell 150 (220). When receiving the second activation command indicating the subset of TCI states, terminal device 120 may transmit a PUCCH for transmitting HARQ (hybrid automatic repeat request) information corresponding to the second activation command to source cell 140 (230). Next, source cell 140 may transmit a first activation command (e.g., MAC-CE for mobility) to terminal device 120 to activate at least one TCI state in the subset of TCI states (240).

[0064] Upon receiving the first activation command, terminal device 120 may transmit a PUCCH for transmitting HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command to source cell 140 (250).

[0065] Assume that the delay until the first control command becomes effective is 3 milliseconds. At timing T0 3 ms after transmitting the PUCCH for transmitting HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command, terminal device 120 performs a serving cell change, i.e., executes a HO procedure (260). In some embodiments, terminal device 120 needs to execute a random access (RA) process to obtain a UL TA. In some embodiments, terminal device 120 does not need to execute the RA process and can obtain the UL timing using other methods.

[0066] After a predetermined timing, the terminal device 120 applies one or more activated TCI states from the first slot (270). In this way, the beam of the target cell 150 can be indicated according to the TCI state indicated by the source cell 140 before the serving cell is changed, and the indicated TCI state related to the target cell 150 can be applied to the target cell 150 after the serving cell change is completed.

[0067] It should be understood that the timing of the signaling process in FIG. 2 is shown only for convenience of explanation and is not intended to be limiting. For example, the timing of step 270 may occur before step 260 is completed or after step 260 is completed. In other words, the terminal device 120 may apply one or more activated TCI states from the first slot after the serving cell change is completed (i.e., after T1), or during the serving cell change process (i.e., from T0 to T1). Therefore, the terminal device 120 knows when to apply the activated TCI state to the target cell.

[0068] In some embodiments, the predetermined timing may include a first timing at which the RA procedure is successfully completed in the target cell 150. In some examples, the RA procedure may be executed to obtain a new UL TA for the target cell 150. Therefore, "the change of the serving cell is completed" can be represented by "the RA procedure is successfully completed". For example, the first timing may include the timing at which the terminal device 120 transmits HARQ-ACK information of PUCCH transmission corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits a contention resolution identity (e.g., contention-based random access (CBRA)) or a random access response (RAR) message (e.g., non-contention or contention-free random access (CFRA)) of the terminal device to the target cell 150. Alternatively, the first timing may include the timing at which the terminal device 120 receives from the target cell 150 a PDCCH that transmits an RAR message.

[0069] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 does not need to execute the RA process, and the UL timing can be obtained based on some predetermined criteria or implementation at the terminal device 120. The predetermined timing may include a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmissions addressed to a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI). The C-RNTI may be a new C-RNTI different from the existing / current C-RNTI. For example, the second timing may include the timing at which the terminal device 120 receives PDCCH / PDSCH transmissions addressed to the C-RNTI from the target cell 150. Alternatively, the second timing may include the timing at which the terminal device 120 transmits a PUSCH transmission scheduled by a PDCCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI to the target cell 150, or the timing at which the terminal device 120 transmits HARQ information corresponding to a PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI to the target cell 150.

[0070] In some embodiments, a third timing at which the terminal device transmits a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for transmitting a Channel State Information (CSI) report at the target cell 150 may be included at a predetermined timing. "The change of the serving cell is completed" may reflect that the terminal device has completed at least one CSI report at the target cell. Specifically, the CSI report may be triggered by a PDCCH / PDSCH transmitted from the target cell. In the context of the present application, the term "CSI report at the target cell" refers to a CSI report that transmits L1-RSRP / L1-SINR or does not transmit L1-RSRP / L1-SINR, a CSI resource related to the CSI report set for the target cell (e.g., CSI-RS / SSB resource) (i.e., a CSI resource related to PCI), and a CSI report triggered by a PDCCH / PDSCH whose CRC is scrambled by a new RNTI corresponding to the target cell (e.g., a C-RNTI of the target cell different from the C-RNTI of the source cell).

[0071] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 120 reports a first capability that it does not need to execute an RA procedure, a second timing or a third timing may be included at a predetermined timing, and when the first capability is not reported, a first timing may be included at a predetermined timing.

[0072] In some embodiments, when a first setting (e.g., "disableRandomAccess") indicating that the terminal device 120 does not need to execute the RA procedure is set in the terminal device 120, or when a second setting (e.g., "enableRandomAccess") indicating that the terminal device 120 does not need to execute the RA procedure is not set in the terminal device 120, the second timing or the third timing may be included at a predetermined timing. When the first setting is not set in the terminal device 120, or when the second setting is set in the terminal device 120, the first timing may be included at a predetermined timing.

[0073] In some embodiments, the fourth timing during the RA procedure in the target cell 150 may be included at a predetermined timing. Before the change of the serving cell is completed, the terminal device 120 needs to receive a DL channel or signal transmitted from the target cell 150 and / or transmit a UL channel or signal to the target cell 150. For example, during the change of the serving cell (such as in the RA process), it may be necessary to transmit PDCCH and PDSCH. In some embodiments, based on the SSB applied to PRACH transmission, the beams for PDCCH and PDSCH transmission may be determined. To improve the reliability of these DL / UL transmissions, the terminal device 120 may apply an activated TCI state before the change of the serving cell is completed. For example, the terminal device 120 may transmit a RA preamble (Msg1) to the target cell 150 via PRACH, or the terminal device 120 may receive a RAR message (Msg2) from the target cell 150 via PDCCH / PDSCH, or the terminal device 120 may transmit a PUSCH scheduled by a RAR UL grant to the target cell 150.

[0074] In some embodiments, at a predetermined timing, the fifth timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device 120 transmits HARQ information (e.g., HARQ-ACK / NACK) in PUCCH transmission corresponding to the first activation control command may be included. The predetermined period may be set by the source cell 140 and depends on the capabilities reported by the terminal device 120. For example, the predetermined period may refer to the time required for the terminal device 120 to process the first activation command, e.g., 3 milliseconds for processing the MAC-CE for mobility. The activated TCI state may be applied after T0.

[0075] In an embodiment where the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command to activate one of the TCI states in the set of TCI states for transmission in the target cell 150, the activated TCI state may be applied from the first slot after one of the timings from the first timing to the fifth timing.

[0076] Exemplary embodiments may be embodied as follows. ■ For L1 / L2-based mobility, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set should be applied from the first slot after the service cell change.

[0077] For example, ■ For L1 / L2-based mobility, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set should be applied from the first slot after the last symbol of the PDCCH or PDSCH transmission to the C-RNTI.

[0078] Optionally, exemplary embodiments may be embodied as follows. ■ For L1 / L2-based mobility, when the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set is It should be applied starting from the first slot that is at least m symbols after TIFF2025517234000002.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of PUCCH.

[0079] Here, "m symbols" may be set by the source network device or the source cell through RRC / MAC-CE and depends on the capabilities reported by the terminal device. For example, "m symbols" may refer to the time required for a serving cell change (e.g., RA process).

[0080] Exemplary implementations may be embodied as follows. ■In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, when the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set should be applied starting from the first slot that is after TIFF2025517234000003.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of PUCCH.

[0081] In an embodiment where the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command that activates two TCI states respectively from a set of TCI states for UL transmission and DL transmission in the target cell 150, the two activated TCI states may be applied simultaneously starting from the first slot after one of the timings from the first timing to the fifth timing.

[0082] Exemplary implementations may be embodied as follows. ■In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set for DL / UL dedicated should be applied starting from the first slot after the serving cell change.

[0083] Alternatively, in an embodiment where a first activation command for activating two TCI states out of a set of TCI states for UL transmission and DL transmission in the target cell 150 is transmitted, the two activated TCI states may be applied from different timings among the first timing to the fifth timing. Since the terminal device 120 may not be able to obtain the UL timing applied to the UL transmission to the target cell 150 before the serving cell change is completed, the activated TCI state for UL transmission cannot be applied before the serving cell change is completed. Therefore, the activated TCI state for DL transmission may be applied before the serving cell change is completed, and the activated TCI state for UL transmission may be applied when the serving cell change is completed. For example, the activated TCI state for DL transmission may be applied from the first slot after a first type of predetermined timing selected from the fourth timing and the fifth timing, and the activated TCI state for UL transmission may be applied from the first slot after a second type of predetermined timing selected from the first timing to the third timing.

[0084] Exemplary implementations may be embodied as follows. ■ In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, when the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set for DL dedicated should be Applied from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000004.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of the PUCCH. The activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set for UL dedicated should be Applied from the first slot that is at least m symbols after TIFF2025517234000005.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of the PUCCH.

[0085] In an embodiment where the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command to activate a first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and activate a second TCI state among a set of TCI states for transmission in the target cell 150, the two activated TCI states may be applied from different timings among the first timing to the fifth timing. Therefore, the terminal device 120 knows when to apply the TCI state activated for the source cell (hereinafter abbreviated as "sTCI state") and when to apply the other TCI state activated for the target cell (hereinafter abbreviated as "tTCI state"). The activated sTCI state may be applied from the first slot after a predetermined timing of the first type to a predetermined timing of the second type, and the activated tTCI state may be applied from the first slot after the predetermined timing of the second type. The predetermined timing of the first type may include the fifth timing, and the predetermined timing of the second type may include one selected from the first timing to the fourth timing. For example, the activated sTCI state may be applied to the source cell 140 from T0 to the timing when the serving cell change is completed (i.e., T1), and the activated tTCI state may be applied to the target cell 150 from T1. In other words, the terminal device 120 may stop applying the activated sTCI state from T1. In the context of this application, the term "stop" can be used interchangeably with the terms "end" or "pause".

[0086] An exemplary implementation in which the activated sTCI state is applied from the fifth timing and the activated tTCI state is applied from the first timing may be embodied as follows. ■In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, when the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] of the serving cell is It should be applied from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000006.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of PUCCH. The activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set in the target cell is, It should be applied from the first slot which is at least m symbols after TIFF2025517234000007.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of PUCCH.

[0087] Another exemplary implementation where the activated sTCI state is applied from the fifth timing to the first timing and the activated tTCI state is applied from the first timing may be embodied as follows. ■ In the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, when the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command, the activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set in the serving cell is, It should be applied from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000008.tif642. Here, μ is The SCS setting of PUCCH up to the first slot which is at least m symbols after TIFF2025517234000009.tif642, and μ is the SCS setting of PUCCH. The activated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] set in the target cell is, It should be applied from the first slot which is at least m symbols after TIFF2025517234000010.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of PUCCH.

[0088] In some scenarios, before receiving a first activation command (e.g., a MAC-CE for mobility) that activates at least one second TCI state for transmission in the target cell 150, the terminal device 120 may receive a third activation command (e.g., a MAC-CE) that activates at least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140, or a first control command (e.g., a DCI) that indicates at least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140. At least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 is obtained from the TCI state pool of the source cell, and at least one second TCI state for transmission in the target cell 150 is obtained from the TCI state pool of the target cell. The TCI state pool of the source cell is different from the TCI state pool of the target cell. After the terminal device 120 receives the first activation command, the third activation command or the first control command becomes invalid, so that a conflict between the first activation command and the third activation command, or a collision between the first activation command and the first control command is avoided.

[0089] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 deactivates the third activation command in response to receiving the first activation command. The third activation command is received to activate at least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and is received without delay relative to the first activation command. The terminal device 120 may deactivate the third activation command at one of the first timing to the fifth timing.

[0090] For example, an exemplary implementation in which the third activation command is deactivated when the first activation command is received may be embodied as follows. ■ When the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command, the indicated mapping between the TCI state and the code point of the DCI field "Transmission Configuration Indication" is to be applied from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000011.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of the PUCCH. If tci-PresentInDCI is set to "enabled" or tci-PresentDCI-1-2 is set for the CORESET that schedules the PDSCH, and the time offset between the reception of the DL DCI and the corresponding PDSCH is greater than or equal to timeDurationForQCL when applied, after the UE receives the initial upper layer setting of the TCI state and before receiving the activation command, the UE may assume that the DM-RS ports of the PDSCH of the serving cell are quasi-collocated with the SS / PBCH block determined in the initial access procedure, with respect to the qcl-Type set to "typeA" and also, if applicable, with respect to the qcl-Type set to "typeD". When the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to the PDSCH that transmits the activation command for L1 / L2 mobility, from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000012.tif642, the activation command (indicating only the TCI state) or the TCI state activated by the activation command should be deactivated, or the indicated mapping between the TCI state and the code point of the DCI field "Transmission Configuration Indication" should have its application stopped. Here, μ is the SCS setting of the PUCCH.

[0091] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a first activation command, the terminal device 120 stops applying at least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140. Here, the at least one first TCI state is indicated by a first control command received without delay from the first activation command. The terminal device 120 may stop applying the at least one first TCI state indicated by the first control command from one of the timings from the first timing to the fifth timing.

[0092] For example, an exemplary implementation in which the application of the TCI state indicated by the first control command is stopped or the TCI field in the first control command is omitted when the first activation command is received may be embodied as follows. ■ If the UE corresponds to DCI that transmits a Tci-State indication without a DL allocation, or transmits the last symbol of the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information corresponding to PDSCH scheduling by DCI that transmits a Tci-State indication, and the indicated TCI state is different from the previously indicated one, the indicated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] should be applied from the first slot that is at least BeamAppTimer_r17 symbols after the last symbol of the PUCCH. Both the first slot and the BeamAppTimer_r17 symbols are determined in the carrier with the minimum SCS among the carriers to which the beam indication is applied. The UE can simultaneously assume one indicated [TCI state] with [tci-StateId_r17] for DL and UL, DL only, or UL only. When the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to a PDSCH that transmits an activation command for L1 / L2 mobility, the UE stops applying the indicated [TCI-State] with [tci-StateId_r17] from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000013.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of the PUCCH.

[0093] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a first activation command, the terminal device 120 omits the TCI field in the first control command until a first timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the target cell 150, or until a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI. In other words, from the timing of receiving the first activation to the timing when the serving cell change is completed, the TCI field in the first control command is omitted.

[0094] For example, an exemplary implementation in which the application of the TCI state indicated by the first control command is stopped or the TCI field in the first control command is omitted when the first activation command is received may be embodied as follows. ■ A UE with an activated [TCI-state] for which [tci-StateId_r17] is set receives DCI format 1_1 / 1_2. DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 provides the indicated TCI-state with [tci-StateId_r17] for one CC or all CCs within the same CC list set by [simultaneousTCI-UpdateList1 or simultaneousTCI-UpdateList2]. DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 may or may not have a DL assignment when applied. If DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 has no DL assignment, the UE can assume as follows. ◆ CS-RNTI is used to scramble the CRC of the DCI. ◆ The values of the following DCI fields are set as follows. ● RV = all '1' ● MCS = all '0' ● NDI = 0 ● All are set to '0' in the case of FDRA type 0, or all are set to '1' in the case of FDRA type 1, or all are set to '0' in the case of dynamicSwitch. When the UE transmits a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in slot n corresponding to a PDSCH that transmits an activation command for L1 / L2 mobility, the UE Omit the TCI field of the DCI from the first slot after TIFF2025517234000014.tif642. Here, μ is the SCS setting of the PUCCH until the RA procedure is successfully completed.

[0095] In some embodiments, if the terminal device 120 is not provided with or not configured with a list of the maximum M TCI states of the target cell (i.e., the TCI state pool of the target cell) by RRC signaling, the terminal device 120 does not expect to receive a MAC-CE indicating the TCI state of the target cell or a MAC-CE for mobility.

[0096] In some embodiments, the target cell 150 may receive first configuration information configured in the source cell 140. The first configuration information includes a set of TCI states related to the target cell 150 different from the source cell 140. The target cell 150 may receive first activation information for activating at least one TCI state among the set of TCI states.

[0097] From the first slot after a predetermined timing, the target cell 150 applies at least one TCI state (280).

[0098] In this way, since the beam of the target cell 150 can be indicated according to the TCI state indicated by the source cell 140 before the serving cell is changed, the delay, overhead, and interruption time in inter-cell mobility can be reduced.

[0099] Corresponding to the above content, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method implemented by a terminal device and a first network device. These methods will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4.

[0100] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary communication method 300 implemented by a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Method 300 may include additional blocks not shown and / or may omit some of the blocks shown, and it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0101] In block 310, the terminal device 120 receives first configuration information transmitted from the first network device 110 in the source cell 140. The first configuration information includes a set of TCI states, and the set of TCI states is associated with a target cell 150 different from the source cell 140.

[0102] In block 320, the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, and the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states.

[0103] In block 320, after a predetermined timing, the terminal device 120 applies one or more activated TCI states from the first slot.

[0104] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command for activating one of the set of TCI states for transmission in the target cell 150.

[0105] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command for activating two of the set of TCI states for uplink transmission and downlink transmission in the target cell 150, respectively.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first activation command includes downlink information indicating that one of the two TCI states is for downlink transmission in the target cell 150, and uplink information indicating that the other of the two TCI states is for uplink transmission in the target cell 150.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first TCI state of the two TCI states is for downlink transmission in the target cell 150, and the second TCI state of the two TCI states is for uplink transmission in the target cell 150. The first TCI state and the second TCI state are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state IDs of the two TCI states.

[0108] In some embodiments, after a predetermined timing, the terminal device 120 applies two activated TCI states simultaneously from the first slot, or after a predetermined timing of the first type, applies one of the two activated TCI states for downlink transmission from the first slot, and after a predetermined timing of the second type, applies the other of the two activated TCI states for uplink transmission from the first slot. The predetermined timing of the first type includes one of the timing during the RA procedure and the timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits the HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command. The predetermined timing of the second type includes one of the timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the target cell 150, the timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, and the timing when the terminal device transmits the PUCCH for transmitting the CSI report of the target cell 150.

[0109] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command that activates the first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and activates the second TCI state among the set of TCI states for transmission in the target cell 150.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first activation command includes the cell index of the source cell 140 indicating that the first TCI state is for transmission in the source cell 140, and the PCI of the target cell 150 indicating that the second TCI state is for transmission in the target cell 150.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and the second TCI state for transmission in the target cell 150 are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state IDs of the two TCI states.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 applies the first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 from the first slot after the predetermined timing of the first type to the predetermined timing of the second type, and applies the second TCI state for transmission in the target cell 150 from the first slot after the predetermined timing of the second type. The predetermined timing of the first type includes the timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits the HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command. The predetermined timing of the second type includes one of the timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the target cell 150, the timing related to the terminal device receiving the PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, the timing when the terminal device transmits the PUCCH for transmitting the CSI report of the target cell 150, and the timing during the RA procedure.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 receives a first activation command that activates one or more TCI states and activates the PCI of the target cell 150. The PCI of the target cell 150 indicates that at least one TCI state is for transmission in the target cell 150.

[0114] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 receives a second activation command that activates a subset of the TCI states among the set of TCI states. The terminal device 120 receives a first activation command that activates at least one TCI state among the subset of the TCI states.

[0115] In some embodiments, in response to receiving the first activation command, the terminal device 120 deactivates a third activation command. Here, the third activation command activates at least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140 and is received without delay relative to the first activation command.

[0116] In some embodiments, in response to receiving the first activation command, the terminal device 120 stops applying at least one first TCI state for transmission in the source cell 140. Here, the at least one first TCI state is indicated by a first control command received without delay relative to the first activation command.

[0117] In some embodiments, in response to receiving the first activation command, the terminal device 120 omits the TCI field in the first control command until a first timing at which the RA procedure is successfully completed in the target cell 150, or until a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI.

[0118] In some embodiments, the predetermined timing includes at least one of a first timing at which the RA procedure is successfully completed in the target cell 150, a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, a third timing at which the terminal device transmits a PUCCH for transmitting a CSI report of the target cell 150, a fourth timing during the RA procedure, or a fifth timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command.

[0119] In some embodiments, when the terminal device reports the first capability that it does not need to execute the RA procedure, the predetermined timing includes the second timing or the third timing. When the first capability is not reported, the first timing is included in the predetermined timing.

[0120] In some embodiments, when the first setting that the terminal device does not need to execute the RA procedure is set in the terminal device, or when the second setting that the terminal device needs to execute the RA procedure is not set in the terminal device, the predetermined timing includes the second timing or the third timing. When the first setting is not set in the terminal device, or when the second setting is set in the terminal device, the first timing is included in the predetermined timing.

[0121] In some embodiments, the second timing includes one of the timing when the terminal device receives the PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, the timing when the terminal device transmits the PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, and the timing when the terminal device transmits the HARQ information corresponding to the PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI.

[0122] By method 300, the beam of the target cell 150 can be indicated according to the TCI state indicated by the source cell 140 before the serving cell is changed. The terminal device 120 may apply the TCI state to the target cell 150 before or after the serving cell change is completed. Other details are the same as those described in connection with FIG. 2 and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0123] Figure 4 shows an exemplary communication method 400 implemented by a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 400 may be executed in a source cell 140 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of discussion, method 400 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. Method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and / or may omit some of the blocks shown, and it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 4, in block 410, the first network device 110 transmits first configuration information to the terminal device 120 in the source cell 140. The first configuration information includes a set of TCI states. The set of TCI states is associated with a target cell 150 different from the source cell 140.

[0125] In block 420, the first network device 110 transmits a first activation command to activate one or more TCI states, and the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 transmits a second activation command to activate a subset of the TCI states in the set of TCI states. The source cell 140 transmits a first activation command to activate at least one TCI state in the subset of the TCI states.

[0127] In block 430, one or more TCI states are applied to the source cell 140 and / or the target cell 150 starting from the first slot after a predetermined timing.

[0128] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 500 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 500 can be considered as a further exemplary implementation of the first network device 110, the terminal device 120, or the second network device 130 shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the apparatus 500 can be implemented in or at least as part of the first network device 110, the terminal device 120, or the second network device 130.

[0129] As shown in the figure, the apparatus 500 includes a processor 510, a memory 520 coupled to the processor 510, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 540 coupled to the processor 510, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 540. The memory 510 stores at least a part of the program 530. The TX / RX 540 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 540 has at least one antenna for facilitating communication, but in practice, the access node described in the present application may have a plurality of antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as, for example, the X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, the S1 / NG interface for communication between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and gNB / eNB, the Un interface for communication between gNB / eNB and the relay node (RN), and the Uu interface for communication between gNB / eNB and the terminal device.

[0130] Program 530 is considered to include program instructions, and when the program is executed by the associated processor 510, it enables the apparatus 500 to operate according to the embodiments of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 herein. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware that is executable by the processor 510 of the apparatus 500. The processor 510 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, the combination of the processor 510 and the memory 520 may constitute processing means 550 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0131] The memory 520 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may be implemented by any suitable data storage technology (examples include, but are not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 520 is shown in the apparatus 500, the apparatus 500 may be provided with a plurality of physically different memory modules. The processor 510 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may include, for example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor configuration, but is not limited thereto. The apparatus 500 may have a plurality of processors, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0132] In some embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit configured to execute method 300.

[0133] In some embodiments, the network device includes a circuit configured to execute method 400.

[0134] The components included in the devices and / or apparatuses of the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware, e.g., machine-readable instructions stored in a storage medium. In addition to, or instead of, the machine-readable instructions, part or all of the units of the device and / or apparatus may be implemented at least partially by one or more hardware logic components. Exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include, but are not limited to, FPGA (Field-programmable Gate Arrays), ASIC (Application-specific Integrated Circuits), ASSP (Application-specific Standard Products), system-on-chip systems (SOCs), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Devices), etc.

[0135] Generally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented by hardware, and other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. The various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, but the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented by, for example, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or combinations thereof, but are not limited thereto, as will be understood.

[0136] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a computer-readable non-transitory memory medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules. The instructions are executed on a device on a target physical processor or virtual processor, and execute a process or method as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Usually, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules as needed. The machine-readable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located on both local and remote storage media.

[0137] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure may be described by any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or a controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing devices. When the program code is executed by the processor or the controller, the functions / operations defined in the flowchart and / or block diagram are implemented. All of the program code may be executed on a machine, partially executed on a machine, executed as an independent software package, partially executed on a machine and partially executed on a remote machine, or all executed on a remote machine or server.

[0138] The above program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that includes or stores a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0139] Note that, although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations are required to be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or that all of the operations shown are required to be performed, in order to obtain the desired result. In some circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, these are not limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather explanations of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in one embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of one embodiment may be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0140] The embodiments may also be implemented in the following aspects.

[0141] In a first aspect, a communication method implemented in a terminal device is provided. The communication method includes receiving, from a network device, first configuration information transmitted in a first cell, where the first configuration information includes a set of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, the set of TCI states being related to a second cell different from the first cell, receiving a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, where the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states, and applying, after a predetermined timing, the one or more activated TCI states starting from a first slot.

[0142] In some examples, receiving the first activation command includes receiving a first activation command for activating one TCI state out of a set of TCI states for transmission in the second cell.

[0143] In some examples, receiving the first activation command includes receiving a first activation command for activating two TCI states out of a set of TCI states for uplink and downlink transmissions in the second cell.

[0144] In some examples, the first activation command includes downlink information indicating that one of the two TCI states is for downlink transmission in the second cell, and uplink information indicating that the other of the two TCI states is for uplink transmission in the second cell.

[0145] In some examples, the first of the two TCI states is for downlink transmission in the second cell, the second of the two TCI states is for uplink transmission in the second cell, and the first TCI state and the second TCI state are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state IDs of the two TCI states.

[0146] In some examples, applying one or more activated TCI states includes, after a predetermined timing, from the first slot, applying two activated TCI states simultaneously, and after a predetermined timing of a first type, from the first slot, applying one of two activated TCI states for downlink transmission, and after a predetermined timing of a second type, from the first slot, applying the other of two activated TCI states for uplink transmission. The predetermined timing of the first type includes one of the timing during the RA procedure and the timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command. The predetermined timing of the second type includes one of the timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, the timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, and the timing when the terminal device transmits a PUCCH transmitting the CSI report of the second cell.

[0147] In some examples, receiving a first activation command includes receiving a first activation command that activates a first TCI state for transmission in a first cell and activates a second TCI state among a set of TCI states for transmission in a second cell. The first activation command includes a cell index of the first cell indicating that the first TCI state is for transmission in the first cell and a PCI of the second cell indicating that the second TCI state is for transmission in the second cell.

[0148] In some examples, receiving a first activation command includes receiving a first activation command that activates a first TCI state for transmission in a first cell and activates a second TCI state among a set of TCI states for transmission in a second cell. Here, the first TCI state and the second TCI state are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state IDs of the two TCI states.

[0149] In some examples, applying one or more activated TCI states includes applying a first TCI state for transmission in a first cell from the first slot after a predetermined timing of a first type to a predetermined timing of a second type, and applying a second TCI state for transmission in a second cell from the first slot after the predetermined timing of the second type. The predetermined timing of the first type includes the timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command. The predetermined timing of the second type includes one of the timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, the timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to C-RNTI, the timing when the terminal device transmits a PUCCH for transmitting a CSI report of the second cell, and the timing during the RA procedure.

[0150] In some examples, receiving a first activation command includes receiving a first activation command that activates one or more TCI states and activates the PCI of a second cell. The PCI of the second cell indicates that at least one TCI state is for transmission in the second cell.

[0151] In some examples, the method further includes receiving a second activation command that activates a subset of the TCI states among a set of TCI states, where receiving the first activation command includes receiving a first activation command that activates at least one TCI state among the subset of TCI states.

[0152] In some examples, the method further includes deactivating a third activation command in response to receiving the first activation command. Here, the third activation command activates at least one first TCI state for transmission in the first cell and is received without delay compared to the first activation command.

[0153] In some examples, the method further includes stopping the application of at least one first TCI state for transmission in the first cell in response to receiving a first activation command, where the at least one first TCI state is indicated by a first control command received without delay relative to the first activation command.

[0154] In some examples, the method includes omitting the TCI field in the first control command in response to receiving the first activation command until a first timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, or until a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmissions addressed to the C-RNTI.

[0155] In some examples, the predetermined timing includes at least one of a first timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmissions addressed to the C-RNTI, a third timing when the terminal device transmits a PUCCH for transmitting a CSI report of the second cell, a fourth timing during the RA procedure, or a fifth timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command.

[0156] In some examples, when the terminal device reports a first capability indicating that it does not need to perform an RA procedure, or when a first setting indicating that the terminal device does not need to perform an RA procedure is set in the terminal device, or when a second setting indicating that the terminal device needs to perform an RA procedure is not set in the terminal device, the predetermined timing includes the second timing or the third timing. When the first capability is not reported, or when the first setting is not set in the terminal device, or when the second setting is set in the terminal device, the predetermined timing includes the first timing.

[0157] In some examples, the second timing includes one of the timing at which the terminal device receives a PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, the timing at which the terminal device transmits a PUSCH transmission scheduled by a PDCCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, and the timing at which the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI.

[0158] In a second aspect, a communication method performed by a terminal device is provided. The communication method includes transmitting, to the terminal device, first configuration information in a first cell, where the first configuration information includes a set of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, the set of TCI states being related to a second cell different from the first cell, and transmitting a first activation command that activates one or more TCI states, where the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states, and applying, after a predetermined timing, the one or more activated TCI states starting from a first slot.

[0159] In some examples, the method further includes transmitting a second activation command that activates a subset of the TCI states from the set of TCI states, and transmitting the first activation command includes transmitting a first activation command that activates at least one TCI state from the subset of the TCI states.

[0160] In a third aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform operations including the method according to any one of the first aspect embodiments.

[0161] In a fourth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform operations including the method according to any one of the second aspect embodiments.

[0162] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute a method according to any of the embodiments of the first or second aspect.

[0163] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of words specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined by the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. The specific features and acts described above are rather disclosed as illustrative forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method implemented by a terminal device, receiving, from a network device, first configuration information transmitted in a first cell, wherein the first configuration information includes a set of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, and the set of TCI states is related to a second cell different from the first cell; receiving a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, wherein the one or more TCI states include at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states; applying, after a predetermined timing, the one or more activated TCI states from a first slot; comprising a communication method.

2. Receiving the first activation command includes receiving the first activation command for activating one TCI state from the set of TCI states for transmission in the second cell, The method according to claim 1.

3. Receiving the first activation command includes receiving the first activation command for activating two TCI states from the set of TCI states for uplink transmission and downlink transmission in the second cell respectively, The method according to claim 1.

4. The first activation command includes downlink information indicating that one of the two TCI states is for downlink transmission in the second cell, and uplink information indicating that the other of the two TCI states is for uplink transmission in the second cell, comprising The method according to claim 3.

5. Among the two TCI states, the first TCI state is for downlink transmission in the second cell, and the second TCI state among the two TCI states is for uplink transmission in the second cell, and the first TCI state and the second TCI state are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state identifiers (IDs) of the two TCI states, The method according to claim 3.

6. Applying the one or more activated TCI states includes, after the predetermined timing, simultaneously applying the two activated TCI states from the first slot, or After a predetermined timing of the first type, apply one of the two activated TCI states for downlink transmission from the first slot, and after a predetermined timing of the second type, apply the other of the two activated TCI states for uplink transmission from the first slot. including one of The predetermined timing of the first type is the timing during a random access (RA) procedure, or the timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information corresponding to the first activation command. including one of The predetermined timing of the second type is the timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, the timing related to the terminal device receiving a physical downlink control channel / physical downlink shared channel (PDCCH / PDSCH) transmission addressed to a cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), or the timing when the terminal device transmits a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting channel state information (CSI) reports of the second cell. including one of The method according to claim 3.

7. Receiving the first activation command includes receiving the first activation command that activates a first TCI state for transmission in the first cell and activates a second TCI state among the set of TCI states for transmission in the second cell, The first activation command includes the cell index of the first cell indicating that the first TCI state is for transmission in the first cell, and the physical cell index (PCI) of the second cell indicating that the second TCI state is for transmission in the second cell. including The method according to claim 1.

8. Receiving the first activation command includes receiving the first activation command that activates a first TCI state for transmission in the first cell and activates a second TCI state among the set of TCI states for transmission in the second cell, The first TCI state and the second TCI state are determined based on the ascending order of the TCI state IDs of the two TCI states. The method according to claim 1.

9. Applying the one or more activated TCI states includes: Applying the first TCI state for transmission in the first cell from the first slot after a predetermined timing of the first type to a predetermined timing of the second type; Applying the second TCI state for transmission in the second cell from the first slot after the predetermined timing of the second type; including: The predetermined timing of the first type includes the timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command; The predetermined timing of the second type is the timing when the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, the timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to C-RNTI, the timing when the terminal device transmits a PUCCH for transmitting a CSI report of the second cell, or the timing during the RA procedure including one of them, The method according to claim 7 or 8.

10. Further including receiving a second activation command for activating a subset of the TCI states among the set of TCI states, Receiving the first activation command includes receiving the first activation command for activating at least one of the TCI states among the subset of the TCI states, The method according to claim 1.

11. Further including deactivating a third activation command in response to receiving the first activation command, The third activation command activates at least one first TCI state for transmission in the first cell and is received without delay compared to the first activation command, The method according to claim 1.

12. Further including stopping applying at least one first TCI state for transmission in the first cell in response to receiving the first activation command, The at least one first TCI state is indicated by a first control command received without delay compared to the first activation command, The method according to claim 1.

13. In response to receiving the first activation command, further including omitting the TCI field in the first control command until a first timing at which the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, or until a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI. The method according to claim 1.

14. The predetermined timing is a first timing at which the RA procedure is successfully completed in the second cell, a second timing related to the terminal device receiving PDCCH / PDSCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI, a third timing at which the terminal device transmits a PUCCH for transmitting a CSI report of the second cell, a fourth timing during the RA procedure, or a fifth timing after a predetermined period after the terminal device transmits HARQ information corresponding to the first activation command including at least one of them. The method according to claim 1.

15. When the terminal device reports a first capability indicating that it does not need to execute the RA procedure, or When a first setting indicating that the terminal device does not need to execute the RA procedure is set in the terminal device, or When a second setting indicating that the terminal device needs to execute the RA procedure is not set in the terminal device, the predetermined timing includes the second timing or the third timing, When the first capability is not reported, or When the first setting is not set in the terminal device, or When the second setting is set in the terminal device, the predetermined timing includes the first timing. The method according to claim 14.

16. A communication method implemented by a network device, transmitting first setting information to a terminal device in a first cell, the first setting information including a set of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, and the set of TCI states being related to a second cell different from the first cell; transmitting a first activation command for activating one or more TCI states, the one or more TCI states including at least one TCI state from the set of TCI states; applying the activated one or more TCI states from the first slot after a predetermined timing. including communication method.

17. further comprising transmitting a second activation command for activating a subset of the TCI states from among the set of the TCI states, wherein transmitting the first activation command comprises transmitting the first activation command for activating the at least one TCI state from among the subset of the TCI states, The method according to claim 16.

18. a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, including when the instructions are executed by the processor, performing operations including the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, terminal device.

19. a processor, a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, including when the instructions are executed by the processor, performing operations including the method according to any one of claims 16 to 17, network device.

20. a computer-readable medium storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 or any one of claims 16 to 17, computer-readable medium.

Images