Layer 1 and Layer 2 Mobility Configuration Based on Measurement Reports in a Connected State

Abstract

A method (1300) by a user equipment (UE) (402, 502, 602, 800) in a connected state is provided for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility. The method includes transmitting (1302) a measurement report including one or more measurements associated with one or more cells. The UE receives (1304) a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The UE transmits (1306) an RRC reconfiguration complete message.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to systems and methods for configuring (configuring) layer 1 (L1) / layer 2 (L2) mobility based on measurement reports while in a connected state.

Background Art

[0002] According to 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.473 (§8.3.4), the central unit of the gNodeB (gNB-CU) can initiate a user equipment (UE) context modification procedure to modify an established UE context, for example, to establish, modify, and release radio resources. FIG. 1 shows the successful operation of the UE context modification procedure.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 1, a UE context modification request message is initiated by the gNB-CU. When receiving a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST (UE context modification request) message, the distributed unit of the gNodeB (gNB-DU) executes the modification and, if successful, reports the update in a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE (UE context modification response) message.

[0004] In Release 18, 3GPP (registered trademark) agreed on a work item (WI) regarding further New Radio (NR) mobility enhancements, particularly in the technical area titled L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. See the WI description (WID) of RP-213565 (https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / TSG_RAN / TSG_RAN / TSGR_94e / -Docs / / RP-213565.zip, last accessed on June 15, 2022).

[0005] According to WID, when a UE moves from the coverage area of one cell to another cell, a serving cell change needs to be performed at a certain point in time. The current serving cell change is triggered by layer 3 (L3) measurements and is triggered by radio resource control (RRC) signaling for synchronization for changes in the primary cell (PCell) and the primary secondary cell (PSCell), as well as reconfiguration (reconfiguration) triggered by signaling, and if applicable, by addition of release for the secondary cell (SCell). All cases involve a complete L2 and L1 reset, Beam Switch Mobility leading to longer latency, larger overhead, and longer interruption time. The goal of L1 / L2 mobility enhancement is to enable the serving cell to be changed via L1 / L2 signaling in order to reduce latency, overhead, and interruption time.

[0006] The goal is to define the mechanisms and procedures for L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for mobility delay reduction. ○ Configuration and maintenance for multiple candidate cells to enable fast application of configurations for candidate cells [RAN2, RAN3] ○ Dynamic switch mechanism between candidate serving cells (including special cells (SpCell) and SCell) for potentially applicable scenarios based on L1 / L2 signaling [RAN2, RAN1] ○ L1 extension for inter-cell beam management including L1 measurements and reporting, and beam indication [RAN1, RAN2] * Note 1: Early RAN2 involvement is required, including the possibility of further clarifying the interaction between this bullet point and the previous bullet point. ○ Timing advance management [RAN1, RAN2] ○ CU-DU interface signaling to support L1 / L2 mobility as needed [RAN3] Note 2: Extensions specific to frequency range 2 (FR2) are not excluded if they exist. Note 3: The procedure for L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility is applicable to the following scenarios: · Standalone, carrier aggregation (CA), and new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) cases involving serving cell change within one configured grant (CG) · Intra-DU cases and intra-CU inter-DU cases (applicable to standalone and CA: no new RAN interface is expected) · Both intra-frequency and inter-frequency · Both frequency range 1 (FR1) and FR2 · The source cell and the target cell may or may not be synchronized

[0007] Currently, there are one or more issues of a certain kind. For example, as described above, among the goals of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility to reduce mobility, there is CU-DU interface signaling to support L1 / L2 mobility if necessary. The following scenarios are also mentioned: intra-DU cases and intra-CU Delay · Inter-DU cases (applicable to standalone and CA).

[0008] ​For a UE in RRC_CONNECTED, it is not clear which criteria are used by the network to determine when to configure a UE with L1 / L2 mobility candidates. Also, in a radio access network (RAN) split architecture, it is not clear how the CU and DU interact to configure a UE with other necessary configurations for supporting L1 / L2 mobility, such as the configuration of L1 / L2 mobility candidates and channel state information (CSI) measurements (e.g., CSI-MeasConfig). Another problem occurs when the UE has a limit on the maximum number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates (e.g., K1) that it can be configured with, and the DU (serving DU) to which the UE is connected has the possibility of configuring candidates exceeding K1. In this case, it is not clear how to determine which L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells to configure the UE with.

Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present and their embodiments in certain aspects can provide solutions to these problems or other problems. For example, the present method and system are for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state. According to some embodiments, the determination of configuring one or more L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidates is based on a measurement report reported by the UE and received at the CU via the DU.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the method by the UE includes transmitting a measurement report including one or more measured values associated with one or more cells in a connected state for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. The UE receives an RRC reconfiguration message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The UE transmits an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message.

[0011] According to some embodiments, a UE in a connected state for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility is adapted to transmit a measurement report including one or more measurement values associated with one or more cells. The UE is adapted to receive an RRC reconfiguration message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The UE is adapted to transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message.

[0012] According to some embodiments, a method by a CU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE in a connected state includes transmitting at least one request to a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE to the candidate DU. The at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The CU receives at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell from the candidate DU. The CU transmits an RRC Reconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration) to be sent to the UE to the candidate DU, and the RRC reconfiguration includes at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The CU receives an RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE from the candidate DU.

[0013] According to some embodiments, a CU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE in a connected state is adapted to transmit at least one request to a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE to the candidate DU. The at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The CU is adapted to receive at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell from the candidate DU. The CU is adapted to transmit an RRC reconfiguration to be sent to the UE to the candidate DU, and the RRC reconfiguration includes at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The CU is adapted to receive an RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE from the candidate DU.

[0014] According to some embodiments, a method by a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE in a connected state includes receiving, from a CU, at least one request for a candidate DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE. The at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The candidate DU transmits at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell to the CU. The candidate DU receives an RRC reconfiguration from the CU. The RRC reconfiguration includes at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The candidate DU receives an RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE and transmits the RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE to the CU.

[0015] According to some embodiments, a target DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE in a connected state is adapted to receive, from a CU, at least one request for a candidate DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE. The at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The candidate DU is adapted to transmit at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell to the CU. The candidate DU is adapted to receive an RRC reconfiguration from the CU. The RRC reconfiguration includes at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The candidate DU is configured to receive an RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE and transmit the RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE to the CU.

[0016] Certain embodiments can provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For example, some embodiments can provide the technical advantage of defining CU-DU interface signaling to support a more knowledge-based L1 / L2 mobility configuration because the measurement reports are based when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state. An obvious advantage is when the UE has limitations regarding the maximum number (e.g., K1) of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates and the DU to which the UE is connected has the possibility of configuring candidates exceeding K1, and as a result, the content of the measurement report indicates which candidate is the best. For example, the measurement report can indicate those having the strongest / highest reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) and / or signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Thus, the technical advantage can be that, according to some embodiments, the configuration of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates does not exceed the UE capabilities.

[0017] As another example, some embodiments may provide a technical advantage of enabling a UE connected to a CU and a DU in the RRC_CONNECTED state to receive an RRC reconfiguration prepared by both the CU and the DU in a RAN (e.g., NG-RAN) that includes a configuration necessary for performing L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. For example, according to some embodiments, the configuration of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates is generated by the DU that is the same DU to which the UE is connected, and the same DU reconfigures the UE to perform CSI measurements on, for example, one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates and report these measurements. Thus, the network (e.g., DU) can make a more knowledge-based mobility decision for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. Therefore, in a RAN split architecture, it can be a technical advantage to clarify how the CU and the DU interact to configure the UE with L1 / L2 mobility candidates and other necessary configurations, such as the configuration of CSI measurements (e.g., CSI-MeasConfig), to support L1 / L2 mobility.

[0018] Other advantages will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Certain embodiments may not have any of the recited advantages, or may have some or all of them.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] To more fully understand the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0020]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Here, some of the embodiments contemplated herein will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are provided as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0022] As used herein, a "node" can be a network node or a UE. Examples of network nodes are Node B, base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio nodes such as MSR BS, evolved Node B (eNB), g Node B (gNB), master eNB (MeNB), secondary eNB (SeNB), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network control device, radio network Control Device (RNC), base station controller (BSC), repeater, donor node control repeater, Base Transceiver station (BTS), central unit (e.g., within gNB), distributed unit (e.g., within gNB), baseband unit, centralized baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), transmission point, transmission node, remote radio unit (RRU), remote radio head (RRH) 、 nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS), core network nodes (e.g., mobile switching center (MSC), mobility management entity (MME), etc.), operation and maintenance (O&M), operation support system (OSS), self-organizing network (SON), positioning node (e.g., E-SMLC), etc.

[0023] Another example of a node is a user equipment (UE), which is a non - limiting term and refers to any type of wireless device that communicates with network nodes and / or another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UEs are target devices, device - to - device (D2D) UEs, vehicle - to - vehicle (V2V), machine - type UEs, MTC UEs, or machine - to - machine - capable UEs (M2M), personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, mobile terminals, smartphones, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop - mounted equipment (LME), universal serial bus (USB) dongles, etc.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the general term "radio network node" or simply "network node (NW node)" is used. It can be a base station, radio base station, base transceiver station, base station controller, network Control Device , Evolution type Node B (eNB), Node B, gNodeB (gNB), Relay node, access point, wireless access point, remote radio unit (RRU), remote radio head (RRH), (e.g., central unit in gNB), (e.g., distributed unit in gNB), baseband unit, centralized baseband, C - RAN, access point (AP), etc., and can be any type of network node that may include such components.

[0025] The term radio access technology (RAT) can refer to any RAT, for example, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRA), Evolution type Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E - UTRA), Narrow - Band Internet of Things (NB - IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth®, next - generation RAT, NR, 4G, 5G, etc. Any of the devices indicated by the terms node, network node, or radio network node can potentially support a single or multiple RATs.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary split architecture 100 having both an NG-RAN (NG-Radio Access Network) and a 5GC (5th Generation Core) according to some embodiments. As shown, the NG-RAN is split into a CU 202 and a DU 204 via an F1 interface. In this particular example, the RAN is a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) that may be referred to as a 5G RAN, but the method is applicable to any RAN such as a 6G RAN architecture.

[0027] As shown, a RAN (e.g., NG-RAN) consists of a set of RAN nodes (e.g., gNB) connected to a core network (e.g., 5GC) via a RAN / CN interface (e.g., NG interface). In the case of NG-RAN, it may comprise one or more next-generation eNBs (ng-eNBs) that can consist of an ng-eNB-CU and one or more ng-eNB-DUs. A gNB can be composed of a gNB-CU and one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU and the gNB-DU are connected via an F1 interface. The gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CUs by an appropriate implementation. The methods and systems presented herein are applicable to NG-RAN by way of example, but the method is also applicable to any RAN architecture such as 6G RAN.

[0028] NG, Xn, and F1 are logical interfaces. And in the case of NG-RAN, the NG and Xn-C interfaces for the gNB consisting of gNB-CU and gNB-DU are terminated at the gNB-CU. In the case of Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC), the S1-U and X2-C interfaces for the gNB consisting of gNB-CU and gNB-DU are terminated within the gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and the connected gNB-DU are visible as the gNB only to other gNBs and the 5GC. Figure 3 shows a possible deployment scenario 200 of the logical gNB / en-gNB according to a particular embodiment. The protocol terminations of the NG interface and the Xn interface are indicated by ellipses, and the terms "central entity" and "distributed entity" shown below refer to physical network nodes.

[0029] Figure 4 shows an exemplary architecture 300 for separating gNB-CU-CP 302 and gNB-CU-UP 304 in gNB 306 according to a particular embodiment. It is recognized that according to various embodiments, one or more of the following may apply. * The gNB may be composed of gNB-CU-CP 302, multiple gNB-CU-UP 304, and multiple gNB-DU 308. * gNB-CU-CP 302 may be connected to gNB-DU 308 through the F1-C interface. * gNB-CU-UP 304 may be connected to gNB-DU 308 through the F1-U interface. * gNB-CU-UP 304 may be connected to gNB-CU-CP 302 through the E1 interface. * One gNB-DU 308 may be connected to only one gNB-CU-CP 302. * One gNB-CU-UP 304 may be connected to only one gNB-CU-CP 302. * One gNB-DU 308 may be connected to multiple gNB-CU-UP 304 under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP 302. One gNB-CU-UP 304 can be connected to multiple gNB-DUs 308 under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP 302. Therefore, when this method refers to the CU, this method includes actions performed by any entity included in the CU (e.g., CU-CP, gNB-CU-CP).

[0030] The text of this specification refers to the term "L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility" used in the 3GPP (registered trademark) work item description. However, it is recognized that the text of this specification also uses the terms L1 / L2 mobility, L1 mobility, L1-based mobility, L1 / L2-centric inter-cell mobility, or L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility interchangeably. The basic principle is that the UE receives lower-layer signaling from the network indicating a change in its serving cell (e.g., a PCell change from a source to a target PCell) to the UE, and the lower-layer signaling is a message / signaling of the lower-layer protocol. The lower-layer protocol refers to the lower-layer protocol in the air interface protocol stack compared to the RRC protocol (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC)), and since the RRC in the air interface protocol stack is "lower", it is regarded as the lower-layer protocol. In this case, the lower-layer signaling / message may correspond to a MAC control element (MAC CE). Another example of the lower-layer protocol is layer 1 (or physical layer L1), in which case the lower-layer signaling / message may correspond to downlink control information (DCI). Signaling information in a protocol layer lower than RRC reduces the processing time, and as a result, reduces the interruption time during mobility. Furthermore, since the network can respond to faster changes in the channel state, it may also increase the robustness of mobility. Another related aspect in L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility is that in a multi-beam scenario, a cell can be associated with multiple SSBs, and different SSBs can be transmitted in different spatial directions (i.e., using different beams across the cell coverage area) within a half-frame. Similarly Reasonmay be applicable to channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources, which may also be transmitted in different spatial directions. Thus, in L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, reception of lower layer signaling indicates to the UE to change from one beam in the serving cell to another beam in an adjacent cell (which is a configured candidate cell), and thereby change the serving cell.

[0031] As used herein, the term "L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell" refers to a cell configured for the UE when configured using L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. That is, it is a cell in which, upon receiving lower layer signaling, the UE can move in an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility procedure. These cells may also be referred to as candidate cells, candidates, mobility candidates, non-serving cells, additional cells, etc.

[0032] The text herein refers to configurations generated by the DU, encapsulated in an RRC reconfiguration message, that the UE receives when configured using L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility while in the RRC_CONNECTED state after transmitting a measurement report. The configuration(s) Includes one or more of the following : · At least one CSI measurement configuration ·One CSI measurement configuration includes CSI reporting and / or measurement resource and / or trigger configuration / reconfiguration associated with one or more inter-L1 / L2 cell mobility candidates. It configures / reconfigures the UE to measure signals such as the synchronization signal block (SSB) and / or CSI-RS resources of the inter-L1 / L2 cell mobility candidates. In an exemplary scenario where the UE is already operating in the RRC_CONNECTED state and has received at least one CSI measurement configuration, the UE can already store the CSI measurement configuration. As a result, the received at least one CSI measurement configuration can include a reconfiguration encoded as a delta signal to the RRC, and the parameters, fields, information elements (IEs), and provided configurations are only those newly applied that are associated with the measurement of inter-L1 / L2 cell mobility candidates (e.g., synchronization signaling block (SSB) index for candidates), while those stored (e.g., those for which the M code needs to be defined) remain stored, and the UE continues to operate according to them. ·The measurement resources configured / reconfigured (e.g., added by the network and measured by the UE) include one or more of the following. i) An indication (e.g., indicated by an absolute or relative frequency offset such as an ARFCN) of at least one frequency of the signals of the inter-L1 / L2 cell mobility candidates (e.g., SSB and / or CSI-RS, TRS) so that the UE can search And / or, for them, and / or ii) cell identifier or identification information (e.g., physical cell identification information (PCI)), and / or iii) one or more signal indexes (e.g., SSB index and / or CSI-RS resource index), and / or iv) a cell index encoded in fewer bits than the cell identifier and mapped thereto. ·At least one CSI measurement configuration is used to reconfigure / configure CSI-RS belonging to a candidate cell (e.g., which can be a serving cell) included in CSI-MeasConfig. CSI reports that will be transmitted on an uplink control channel (such as a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)) in the serving cell. Among them, CSI-MeasConfig is included for CSI measurements on L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. CSI reports on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) triggered by DCI received in the serving cell. Among them, CSI-MeasConfig is included, but for measurements in L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. ·The first cell group configuration associated with the current PCell in which the UE is operating in the RRC_CONNECTED state ·The first cell group configuration includes the reconfiguration of the current PCell, which is a cell that has already been configured for the UE to operate in the RRC_CONNECTED state, and the configuration of one or more SCell associated with the first cell group. ·The first cell group configuration corresponds to the Master Cell Group (MCG) and is provided to the UE in the IE called CellGroupConfig defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331. ·The configuration of the current PCell within the first cell group configuration is provided to the UE in spCellConfig, which is a parameter of the IE called SpCellConfig. ·If at least one CSI measurement configuration for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility is not within CellGroupConfig, the UE can receive at least one CSI measurement configuration in a message not included in the first cell group configuration for operation with the current PCell / SpCell. ·At least one configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells ·At least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells shall include a configuration that the UE needs to operate accordingly when performing (implementing) L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility to the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell upon receiving lower layer signaling indicating L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility to the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell (the target cell and the current (new) PCell, or the SCell in the serving frequency). ·When the UE is composed of multiple candidates, the DU generates multiple configurations (e.g., for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell) and sends them to the CU. ·The configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes the parameters of the serving cell (or multiple serving cells) and one or more of a group of parameters within the IE named SpCellConfig (or SCellConfig in the case of a secondary cell): ○Cell index (e.g., encoded in fewer bits than the cell identifier of the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell). This can be "servCellIndex" or "candidateCellIndex" which are fields of the IE named ServCellIndex or CandidateCellIndex. After this is configured, the index can be referred to later, for example, i) in the lower layer signaling indicating to the UE that it is the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell that the UE needs to move to in the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility procedure, and / or ii) in the RRC message indicating some operation in that specific candidate cell. For a UE corresponding to the configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, the cell configuration is called a dedicated configuration as a parameter and may be adjusted for that specific UE according to UE capabilities / radio capabilities. The configuration can include additional parameters defined in the IE called ServingCellConfig, for example, the frequency configuration of the downlink and uplink (including bandwidth parts), L1 control channels (PDCCH, CORESET(s), and PUCCH), and L1 data channels (such as PDSCH and PUSCH), as well as other parameters defined in the IE called ServingCellConfig specified in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331. ○ The cell configuration, which may also be called cell-specific configuration and common cell configuration, corresponds to the configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell in the IE called ServingCellConfigCommon. This can be provided within the IE called ReconfigurationWithSync or separately from it. This configuration includes, for example, a random access configuration for the UE to access the target candidate as needed. ○ Radio Link Failure configuration. This includes timer T310, counter N310, counter N311, And / or, the value of timer N311, etc. ○ At least one UE identifier, for example, a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), for identifying the UE within the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. · When the UE is configured with multiple L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells, the DU generates multiple sets of serving cell parameters including one or more of a group of parameters in the IE called SpCellConfig and sends them to the CU. For example, the UE may receive a list of IEs called SpCellConfig, one for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate. · The configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells can be the SpCell configuration (e.g., PCell configuration) provided as part of the cell group configuration, which may further include one or more SCell configurations and additional cell group-specific configurations (such as cell group identifiers, physical layer configurations for the cell group, MAC layer configurations for the cell group, simultaneous TCI state configurations for the cell group, etc.). ○ In this case, the UE is configured using the cell group configuration for each candidate. Thus, one alternative is a UE for receiving one configuration for each cell group candidate, and the configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is the SpCell candidate configuration within that group. Then, the lower layer signaling indicates to the UE to change to the configured cell group candidate (e.g., apply the cell group configuration for that candidate (e.g., from MCG configuration A to MCG configuration B)). · When the UE is configured using multiple candidates, the DU generates multiple cell group configurations, each associated with each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate (e.g., a list of IEs such as CellGroupConfig), and transmits them to the CU. · The L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate may be at the same frequency as the current PCell or at a different frequency. · The L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate may be an SCell candidate.

[0033] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, the method and system are provided by the UE, the DU (e.g., gNB-DU308) of the RAN node in the RAN (e.g., NG-RAN), and the CU (e.g., gNB-CU302~304) of the RAN node to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state. According to some embodiments, the decision to configure one or more L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidates is based on measurement reports reported by the UE and received at the CU via the DU.

[0034] According to some embodiments, one example is an example where the UE is connected to a source DU (serving DU) and a CU. For example, when receiving (one or more) measurement reports via RRC, the source CU configures one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates for the UE. Then, the source CU requests the source DU to configure one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates, that is, the source DU is requested to also operate as a DU with L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0035] According to a particular embodiment, the source CU determines which cells to request from the DU, and the DU generates a configuration for the accepted cells to be provided to the CU and to the UE.

[0036] According to another particular embodiment, when the source DU receives a message from the CU that includes one or more measurement values or the entire measurement report, the source DU determines which cells to configure as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates, and the DU generates a configuration for the accepted cells to be provided to the CU and to the UE.

[0037] According to a particular embodiment, the UE may be configured using a maximum number (e.g., K1) of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates that is less than the number of cells for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility in the DU to which the UE is connected.

[0038] Some examples of how signaling can be implemented in RRC for the configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells according to various embodiments are provided below. These models are described as RRC models for L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

[0039] For example, an RRC model including exemplary signaling for RRCReconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration) for each additional cell may be as follows. RRCReconfiguration-IE ::= SEQUENCE ( radioBearerConfig RadioBearerConfig masterCellGroup OCTET STRING (CONTAINING CellGroupConfig) measConfig MeasConfig [...] } ... RRCReconfiguration-IE ::= SEQUENCE ( radioBearerConfig RadioBearerConfig masterCellGroup OCTET STRING (CONTAINING CellGroupConfig) measConfig MeasConfig [...] } According to this scenario, the UE receives multiple (in list form) RRC messages (i.e., RRCReconfiguration messages) within a single RRCReconfiguration message. Each RRCReconfiguration message is stored by the UE and is applied / used / activated when receiving lower layer signaling for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility to identify the configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. This model allows for complete flexibility regarding the target node modifying / releasing / retaining any parameter / field within the RRCReconfiguration message such as measurement configuration, bearers, etc., similar to the case of L3 reconfiguration.

[0040] As another example, an RRC model including exemplary signaling for CellGroupConfig (PCell frequency) per additional cell could be as follows. RRCReconfiguration-IE ::= SEQUENCE ( radioBearerConfig RadioBearerConfig masterCellGroup OCTET STRING (CONTAINING CellGroupConfig) measConfig MeasConfig addMCG-AddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1...K)) OF ADD-MCG-ADDmod [...] } According to this model, the UE receives, within the RRCReconfiguration message, a list of IEs called CellGroupConfig, each of which specifies the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. Each IE called CellGroupConfig is stored in the UE and is applied / used / activated when receiving lower layer signaling for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. This model allows the target node to modify / release / retain any parameter / field that is part of the IE called CellGroupConfig while the rest of the RRCReconfiguration message (i.e., where the IE called CellGroupConfig is received by the UE) remains unchanged. This means that, for example, the measurement configuration, bearers, and security remain the same and are not changed by the target node.

[0041] As another example, an RRC model including exemplary signaling for K SpCellConfig(s) per cell (PCell frequency) can be as follows. CellGroupConfig ::= SEQUENCE ( cellGroupId CellGroupId, rlc-BearerToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxLC-ID)) OF RLC - BearerConfig rlc - BearerToReleaseList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxLC - ID)) OF LogicalChannelIdentity mac - CellGroupConfig MAC - CellGroupConfig physicalCellGroupConfig PhysicalCellGroupConfig spCellConfig SpCellConfig spCellToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..K)) OF SpCellConfig sCellToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofScells) OF SCellConfig [...] } According to this model, the UE receives K SpCellConfigs per cell as the configuration of L1 / L2 - based inter - cell mobility candidate cells. This solution provides only minimal flexibility to the target node since only cell - specific parameters (e.g., bandwidth part, downlink, and uplink configurations) can be modified / released / retained.

[0042] As another example, an RRC model including exemplary signaling for K PCIs (plural) within the same PCell (e.g., SpCellConfig) can be as follows. TCI - State ::= SEQUENCE ( tci - StateId TCI - StateId, qcl - Type1 QCL - Info, [...] } QCL - Info ::= SEQUENCE ( [...] referenceSignal CHOICE { csi-rs NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceId, ssb SSB-Index, [...] } cellIndexReferenceSignal ServeCellIndex [...] }

[0043] According to this model, the UE receives K ServingCellConfigCommon (option d) for each cell as the configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. This solution provides only minimal flexibility to the target node since only cell-specific parameters (e.g., bandwidth part, downlink, and uplink configurations) can be modified / released / held.

[0044] As another example, an RRC model including exemplary signaling for K SpCellConfig / ServingCellConfigCommon for each cell may be as follows: CellGroupConfig ::= SEQUENCE { [_] / / Omitted for simplicity spCellConfig SpCellConfig addSpCellToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1...K) OF AddSpCellConfig [..] } AddSpCell Config ::= SEQUENCE { additionalSpCellIndex ServCellIndex additionalSpCellConfig SpCellConfig, additionalSpCellCommon ServingCellconfigCommon } According to this model, the UE receives K ServingCellConfigCommon per cell as the configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. This solution provides minimal flexibility to the target node since only cell-specific parameters (e.g., bandwidth part, downlink, and uplink configurations) can be modified / released / held.

[0045] As another example, an RRC model including exemplary signaling for one of the K ServingCellConfigCommon per cell can be as follows. CellGroupConfig ::= SEQUENCE { [_] / / Omitted for simplicity spCellConfig SpCellConfig addSpCellToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1...K) OF AddSpCellConfig [..] } AddSpCell Config ::= SEQUENCE { additionalSpCellIndex ServCellIndex additionalSpCellCommon ServingCellconfigCommon } According to this model, multiple PCIs are configured for the same TCI state configuration, and each PCI identifies the configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. This is a method that provides no flexibility at all because all parameters / fields used to configure the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells are fixed, and only changes in PCI, scrambling Id, and C-RNTI are permitted to the target node.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary signaling flow 400 for configuring L1 / L2 mobility for a UE 402 in the RRC_CONNECTED state according to some embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the signaling flow for UE 402, CU 404, and DU 406, including the following steps, which serve as references to various different embodiments.

[0047] 1. The UE 402 capable of performing L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility transmits or sends a measurement report including one or more measurements (measurement values) of one or more cells that can be L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells at a first frequency. · According to certain embodiments, the measurement report is transmitted after access stratum (AS) security is activated. · According to certain embodiments, the measurement report is an RRC measurement report message, and one or more measurement values are included in an IE called MeasResult defined, for example, in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331. The one or more measurement values of one or more cells at the first frequency may be measurement values of cells at the same frequency (or different frequencies) as the special cell (SpCell) / primary cell (PCell) of the master cell group, or measurement values of intra-frequency adjacent cells of the PCell, or measurement values of adjacent cells of the configured SCell of MCG and / or SCG. According to certain embodiments, the one or more measurement values may be one or more of the following. Cell measurement values or measurement results such as per-cell RSRP, and / or per-cell RSRQ, and / or per-cell SINR, etc., based on a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) and / or based on a synchronization signal (e.g., SSB). · Beam measurement values or measurement results such as per-cell RSRP, and / or per-cell RSRQ, and / or per-cell SINR, etc., based on a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) and / or based on a synchronization signal (e.g., SSB). The beam measurement values can be associated with a signal index / identifier such as an SSB index or a CSI-RS resource index / indicator, or a reference signal index / identifier. · According to some embodiments, the measurement report is a CSI report, which includes one or more measurement values or information derived from one or more measurement values of one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells, and is transmitted on an uplink channel of a PCell or one configured SCell(s) via a physical layer, also called L1, in a UL channel format such as PUSCH or PUCCH that includes one or more measurement values or information. The one or more measurement values of one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells at a first frequency can be measurement values of cells at the same frequency (or a different frequency) as the special cell (SpCell) of the master cell group / primary cell (PCell), or measurement values of intra-frequency adjacent cells of the PCell. According to one embodiment, the one or more measurement values include one or more of the following. · Cell measurement values or measurement results such as per-cell RSRP, and / or per-cell RSRQ, and / or per-cell SINR, etc., based on a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) and / or based on a synchronization signal (e.g., SSB). · Beam measurement values or measurement results such as per-cell RSRP, and / or per-cell RSRQ, and / or per-cell SINR, etc., based on a reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) and / or based on a synchronization signal (e.g., SSB). The beam measurement values can be associated with a signal index / identifier such as an SSB index or a CSI-RS resource index / indicator, or a reference signal index / identifier. · According to some embodiments, the measurement report (which is a CSI report or an RRC measurement report message) is a number of measurement values equal to the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells supported by the UE, and includes measurement values for one or more cells at a frequency. This means that the UE can continue to remember (or apply) only a limited number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells based on its own capabilities. Alternatively, the measurement report (whether it is a CSI report or an RRC measurement report message) is a number of measurement values equal to the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells supported by the UE, and includes measurement values for one or more cells across all configured frequencies. This means that the UE can continue to remember (or apply) only a limited number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells based on its own capabilities. · According to certain embodiments, the UE may determine to include in the measurement report only a number of measurement values equal to any one of the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells supported by the UE. · According to another certain embodiment, the UE may determine to include the number of measurement values in a separate structure (e.g., an IE in ASN.1, a SEQUENCE, a field) within the measurement report to indicate that the number is also the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells supported by the UE. The UE may also include the remaining measurement values in a further separate structure (e.g., an IE in ASN.1, a SEQUENCE, a field). · According to certain embodiments, the UE may determine to include one or more available measurement values in the measurement report, but may also determine to include the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells supported by the UE in a separate structure (e.g., a field or an IE in ASN.1). · According to some embodiments, before transmitting the measurement report, the UE receives a first message including a measurement configuration, which may include a reporting configuration associated with a trigger criterion, where the measurement report is triggered when the trigger criterion is met. ·According to certain embodiments, the measurement report corresponds to an RRC measurement report, the measurement configuration corresponds to the MeasConfig IE received in an RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration)), and the reporting configuration corresponds to the ReportConfig IE that can configure periodic measurement reports (the trigger Base criteria are timer expiration and / or configured periodicity), and / or event triggers for events such as A4 or A3 Measurement can configure event-triggered reports (where reportType is set to "eventTriggered"), and as a result, the trigger Base criteria are, as defined in 3GPP™ TS 38.331, event Entry conditions (e.g., measuring a better offset on an adjacent cell than the measurement value on the PCell for a period longer than the time configured to trigger All the parameter). ○In the case of A4, the trigger condition for transmitting a measurement report is that for one or more measurement values such as RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR, at least one adjacent cell (or possible L1 / L2 cell - to - cell mobility candidate) is better than a threshold (configured as part of the event configuration). In other words, when the UE detects that the measurement value of at least one cell 3 meets the A4 conditions defined in 3GPP™ TS 38.331, §5.5.4 In detail the UE transmits an RRC measurement report and includes one or more measurement values for at least one cell. The reason here is that the cell that can trigger the report is considered an adjacent cell rather than the PCell, and it is a cell configured with a frequency within the PCell frequency. The measurement target of the adjacent cell is the same frequency as the PCell in the intra - frequency case. Entry conditions ) ​For the case of A3, the trigger condition for transmitting a measurement report is that at least one neighboring cell (or a possible L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate) is offset better than the SpCell (which is the PCell in the case of single connectivity), and the offset (or threshold, hysteresis) is configured as part of the event configuration for one or more measurement values such as RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR. In other words, if the UE detects at least one cell whose measurement value meets the A3 condition (details are in the conditions for A3 defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331, §5.5.4) (i.e., a neighboring cell whose measurement value is better than that of the PCell), the UE transmits an RRC measurement report and includes one or more measurement values for at least one cell. The reason here is that the cell that can trigger the report is considered a neighboring cell because it is not the PCell, and it is a cell configured with a frequency within the PCell frequency. The measurement target of the neighboring cell is the same frequency as the PCell in the case of in-band. ·According to a particular embodiment, the measurement report corresponds to a CSI report, and the measurement configuration may correspond to the CSI-MeasConfig IE received in an RRC message (e.g., RRCReconfiguration) that includes a reporting configuration corresponding to the CSI-ReportConfig (CSI report configuration) that constitutes a periodic, aperiodic, semi-persistent, and / or event-triggered CSI report. In the case of an event trigger, the conditions may be similar to those defined for an RRC measurement report. ·According to certain embodiments, the measurement report corresponds to an RRC measurement report or a CSI report, and the measurement configuration may include a priority value for each cell based on the fact that the UE should measure one or more cells at a first frequency. Alternatively, the measurement configuration may include a priority value for each frequency based on the frequency at which the UE should measure one or more cells for the frequencies that need to be prioritized. The highest priority value means that the cell or frequency should be measured by the UE first, or alternatively, the lowest priority value may mean that the cell or frequency should be measured by the UE first. In this case, the measurement report may include one or more measurement values of one or more cells at the first frequency, which may be measurement values of cells at the same frequency (or a different frequency) as the special cell (SpCell) of the master cell group / primary cell (PCell), or measurement values of intra-frequency adjacent cells of the PCell, or measurement values of adjacent cells of the configured SCell of the MCG or / and SCG that are prioritized based on the priority configured by the measurement configuration.

[0048] 2. The DU (e.g., gNB-DU) that receives the measurement report includes the measurement report (e.g., RRC Measurement Report message) in the UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER (UL RRC message transfer) message to the CU (e.g., gNB-CU), and transmits the received measurement report (e.g., MeasurementReport message) to the CU. The CU receives the measurement report encapsulated in the UL RRC message transfer message from the DU. ·According to certain embodiments, upon receiving the measurement report, the CU determines to configure one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE. The CU can determine it based on at least one UE capability associated with L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for the UE that sent the measurement report. ·According to certain embodiments, upon receiving a measurement report, the CU determines one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells, and at least one candidate cell is one of the cells whose measurement values are included in the measurement report. ·According to some embodiments, upon receiving a measurement report, the CU determines one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells based on the measurement report. ·According to certain embodiments, the one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells determined by the CU are the cells in the measurement report with the strongest or highest measurement values (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR). For example, if the measurement report includes K cells, each having its associated measurement value (e.g., K RSRP values), and the UE can be configured with K1 < K L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates, the CU determines that the K1 cells are the cells with the K1 strongest / highest RSRP values. The CU may recognize that one of these cells is associated with the DU to which the UE is connected, and may also recognize that one of these cells can be configured as an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate. ·According to certain embodiments, the one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells determined by the CU are the cells in the measurement report associated with the DU of the current PCell (i.e., the DU currently serving the UE, which can be regarded as the source DU).

[0049] 3. The CU (e.g., gNB-CU) transmits a second message to the RAN's DU (e.g., gNodeB-DU), indicating a request to the DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE. The request may include at least one cell and / or cell group that are L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. The DU receives the second message including the request. *According to certain embodiments, upon receiving a measurement report, the CU determines the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells (if any) that can be configured for the UE based on the number of measurement values for one or more cells at the frequencies included in the measurement report and / or based on the UE's capabilities regarding the maximum number of candidates that can be configured. Alternatively, upon receiving a measurement report, the CU determines the number of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells (if any) that can be configured for the UE based on the number of measurement values for one or more cells across all frequencies included in the measurement report and / or based on the UE's capabilities regarding the maximum number of candidates that can be configured. *One procedure for configuring one candidate per L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate: According to some embodiments, the CU sends a second message to the DU of the RAN (e.g., gNodeB-DU), where the DU sends a response to the CU, and the second message is received by the DU and indicates a request to the DU to configure one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell for the UE. In response to the second message, the CU receives from the DU a third message that includes a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. *One procedure for configuring multiple candidates per L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate: According to some other embodiments, the CU sends multiple second messages (if any) to the DU of the RAN (e.g., gNodeB-DU). Each of the second messages indicates a request to the DU to configure one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell for the UE. The DU receives and responds. In response to each of the second messages, the CU receives from the DU a third message that includes a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. *A procedure for constructing multiple candidates for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate: According to some embodiments, the CU sends a second message to the DU of the RAN (e.g., gNodeB-DU), and the DU indicates a request for the UE to configure a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. The DU receives and responds. The CU receives from the DU a third message including one configuration for each of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells to be configured in response to the second message. *According to some embodiments, the second message is a message used to change the UE context within the DU, such as a UE context modification request from the CU to the DU (UE context modification request via the F1AP interface). Thus, when the CU sends it, the CU is requesting the DU to change the UE context by configuring L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility using one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. *According to certain embodiments, the request includes one or more proposed / recommended L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. Based on one or more measurement values or a subset of one or more measurement values, the CU can determine which cells to request the DU to configure (or request the DU to configure) for the UE to have L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. Upon receiving the second message, the DU can determine which of the requested cells should be configured for L1 / L2 inter-cell base mobility, whether they are a subset of them, all of them, or none of them. The DU can have the option to configure L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates not proposed by the CU in the request, in which case the DU indicates a configuration for the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. *According to certain embodiments, the request includes one or more measurement values, or a subset of one or more measurement values, or other content of the measurement report. Based on the one or more measurement values or the subset of one or more measurement values, the DU may determine the cells to be configured for the UE as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. In one option, the request does not include recommended cells and includes only one or more measurement values, so the DU selects which cells should be configured as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. In another option, the request includes both one or more measurement values and a recommended list of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells determined by the CU. *According to certain embodiments, when the CU determines one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells, the CU sends a second message, and at least one candidate cell is one of the cells included in the measurement report. *According to some embodiments, The CU is such that the UE L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility At least one indication indicating that it is possible Based on this, Request in including sending a second message. This may be an indication obtained by the CU. ○According to certain embodiments, at least one indication is obtained by the CU from a message, such as the first context setup request from the access and mobility function (AMF), when receiving the message. The message is sent via the NG-1 interface between the RAN and the CN. ○According to certain embodiments, at least one indication is obtained from the CU's memory or another memory in the network (e.g., from the UE context information). ○According to certain embodiments, at least one indication is obtained via an explicit or implicit indication coming directly from the user equipment. The explicit indication can be obtained via the UE capabilities exchanged (sent and received) with the UE at the establishment of the first RRC connection with this UE, or via an explicit indication included in an RRC message sent by the UE to the CU (via the DU), such as an RRC measurement report. The implicit indication can be obtained by the presence of specific fields, information elements, or structures present in RRC ASN.1, MAC CE, or SCI, which are only used in the case of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. The request in the message from the CU to the DU can include one or more of the following. *A set of candidate(s) for SpCell(s), and / or *A set of candidate(s) for SCell(s), and / or *A set of candidate cell groups, including SpCell L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates and at least one SCell associated with the SpCell L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. One reason for including SCell candidates is that L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility should cooperate with carrier aggregation. As a result, when performing L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility to a target cell that can be a SpCell candidate, the UE should be able to perform carrier aggregation with its SpCell after the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility is executed.

[0050] 4. When the DU receives the request (in the second message) and decides to accept the request for configuring L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for the UE, the DU generates one or more of the following (for later transmission to the CU). ○At least one CSI measurement configuration, ○A first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell (PCell), and ○At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. Then, the DU sends a third message to the CU. The DU sends one or more of the following in response to one or more requests. * Configuration for each candidate that is a SpCell (multiple possible), and / or * Configuration for each candidate that is a SCell (multiple possible), and / or * Configuration for each candidate cell group, including the configuration for the SpCell L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate and the configuration for at least one SCell associated with the SpCell L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate. If the DU does not accept the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility request, different actions may occur. * According to some embodiments, the DU indicates to the CU in a UE context modification response message, including an appropriate cause value (e.g., failure due to reason X), that the configuration of the L1 / L2 mobility has not been successful. * According to some embodiments, if the DU does not accept the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility request, the DU indicates in a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION FAILURE message, together with an appropriate cause value, that the configuration of the L1 / L2 mobility has not been successful. *According to some embodiments, if the DU does not accept a request to configure an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell requested by the CU, but can configure other L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, the DU indicates the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells that can be configured, along with the cause value, in a UE context modification response or a UE context modification failure message. In the latter case, upon receiving a UE context modification response or a UE context modification failure message having an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell not initially requested by the CU, the CU may send a new message to the DU to trigger a new UE context modification request procedure (i.e., to configure all or a subset of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells proposed by the DU). Further, one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates (possibly encoded in an F1AP IE, e.g., the IE named Candidate L1 / L2Cell List) are included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, and if the DU (e.g., gNB-DU) accepts a subset of these candidates, the DU (e.g., gNB-DU) responds including the accepted subset (e.g., a list of accepted cells, possibly encoded in an F1AP IE, e.g., the IE named L1 / L2Cell List), which is a subset of cells that the DU can accept (e.g., included in the IE named Candidate L1 / L2Cell List), and In some cases the additional cells that the DU has determined to add for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility are included in the UE CONTE MODIFICATION RESPONSE message and the CU (e.g., gNB-CU) takes this into account. In one option, the gNB-DU includes cells within the IE named L1 / L2Cell List in order of priority, with the first cell in the list being the most desirable and the last cell being the least desirable (e.g., based on measurement and / or load conditions). The overview of actions in the DU based on the CU request for one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates is as follows. * The DU accepts all the requested candidates and, in some cases, adds at least Another one Of candidate cell. The configuration of these cells is sent as a response to the CU. * The DU accepts a subset of the proposed candidate cells and may identify some by itself again. All accepted cells are signaled in the response message. Also, all cells where an obstacle (failure) occurred are signaled with an appropriate cause value. * The DU cannot accept any cell from the CU but may identify cells by itself. Then, as an alternative 2, the same procedure * The DU cannot accept any cell within the CU and does not identify cells by itself. In this case, the DU sends a UE context modification failure message if the L1 / L2 mobility originated from a UE context modification procedure. According to a particular embodiment, the third message is a UE context modification response (F1AP message). According to a particular embodiment, the third message is a UE context modification response (F1AP message) sent by the DU in response to the second message. The CU receives the third message.

[0051] 5. Upon receiving the third message (e.g., UE context modification response), the CU sends a fourth message to the DU that includes an RRC reconfiguration to be sent to the UE. Here, the RRC reconfiguration includes one or more of the following. ○ At least one CSI measurement configuration, ○ The first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell (PCell) to which the UE transitions from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state, ○At least one configuration of mobility candidate cells between L1 / L2 bases. Next, the DU receives a fourth message. *According to certain embodiments, the fourth message includes a DL RRC message transfer. *According to certain embodiments, the fourth message is another UE context modification request from the CU to the DU. *According to certain embodiments, before sending the fourth message, the CU generates an RRC reconfiguration. It includes at least one configuration of mobility candidate cells between L1 / L2 bases for candidates proposed by the CU and accepted by the DU, and / or candidates configured by the DU without being proposed by the CU. For example, the CU (e.g., gNB-CU) generates an RRCReconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration) message and encapsulates it in a DL RRC message transfer message. The RRC reconfiguration message includes configurations and related procedures necessary for the UE to perform L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, such as CSI measurement and reporting. The RRCReconfiguration message includes information generated by the DU for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility.

[0052] 6. The DU sends an RRC reconfiguration message (encapsulated in the fourth message) to the UE to configure one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. The DU sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE in response to receiving the fourth message from the CU. The UE receives the RRC reconfiguration message and applies a message including one or more of the following. ○At least one CSI measurement configuration. ○The first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell (PCell) to which the UE transitions from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. ○At least one configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. When the UE receives the RRC reconfiguration, it applies the message and configures L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates and CSI measurement configurations to support L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility.

[0053] 7. The UE sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the DU (e.g., gNB-DU). The DU receives the message.

[0054] 8. The DU (e.g., gNB-DU) encapsulates the RRC message into an UL RRC message transfer message and sends it to the CU (e.g., gNB-CU). The CU receives the message and considers the UE configured for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility.

[0055] From the UE's perspective, after step 7, the UE begins to perform CSI measurements on one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates and reports the measurement results to the DU. Upon receiving it, the DU That may decide to trigger L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility by sending lower layer signaling (e.g., MAC CE or DCI) indicating a change in the UE's serving cell (e.g., a change in the PCell). Upon receiving the lower layer signaling, the UE changes its serving cell and operates according to the configuration of the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate indicated by the lower layer signaling. The configuration of the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate was received in step 7. To the UE Lower layer signaling from the network (e.g., from the DU) may be a MAC CE or DCI that includes an indication indicating at least one configured L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell that the UE needs to change in L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. After receiving the lower layer signaling, the UE starts operating in the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell according to the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0056] ​

[0057] Further details regarding signaling between CU and DU (F1AP procedure) Several different aspects are further detailed in this section. * Use of one or more procedures to configure multiple L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. * Configuration of L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells to become PCell and / or SCell, or configuration of a cell group for a given L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell (e.g., IE such as CellGroupConfig (cell group configuration)). One procedure per L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate

[0058] According to one embodiment, one candidate is configured. For example, according to some embodiments, the CU sends a second message to the DU of the RAN (e.g., gNodeB-DU) such as a UE context modification request, and the DU indicates a request for the UE to configure one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, and from the DU, in response to the second message, receives a third message (such as a UE context modification response) including one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The message may include an indication of a candidate cell (e.g., candidate PCell) such as a cell identifier (e.g., NR CGI as defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331).

[0059] According to certain other embodiments, a plurality of candidates are configured. For example, according to some embodiments, the CU transmits a plurality of second messages to the RAN's DU (e.g., gNodeB-DU), and each of the second messages indicates a request to the DU to configure, for the UE, one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. From the DU, in response to each of the second messages, the CU receives a third message including a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. In other words, the CU requests the DU to configure a plurality of candidates, and for each candidate, the CU triggers a modification procedure by sending a UE context modification request including an indication of the requested L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell. To to trigger.

[0060] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary signaling 500 between a UE 502, a DU 504, and a CU 506 according to some embodiments, where each procedure configures each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows a CU 506 that receives, for example, a measurement report having measurements of cell A and cell B.

[0061] The CU determines to request the DU to configure cell A and cell B as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. * The CU sends a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST (UE context modification request) indicating a request for cell A to the DU, and in response, receives from the DU a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE (UE context modification response) including a configuration for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for cell A. * The CU sends another UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST indicating a request for cell B to the DU, and in response, receives from the DU a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE including a configuration for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for cell B.

[0062] When both responses are received, the CU generates an RRC reconfiguration for the UE, encapsulates it in a DL RRC message transfer to the DU, and sends it to the DU. Since the DU sends it to the UE, the UE configures both cell A and cell B as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0063] One advantage of this approach is that there are fewer updates required for CU / DU messages, and since the DU is currently used to process messages that request adding one cell for other legacy procedures, the DU implementation can be simpler. Further, another advantage is that even if the DU fails to configure one of the cells (e.g., cell A or cell B), L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility can be configured for the UE with the other cell (for which the DU was able to generate the configuration).

[0064] One procedure for multiple L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates According to some embodiments, the CU sends a second message, such as a UE context modification request, to a DU of the RAN (e.g., gNodeB-DU), indicating a request to the DU to configure multiple L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE, and receives from the DU, in response to the second message, a third message (such as a UE context modification response) including multiple configurations, where each configuration corresponds to an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell from among the multiple L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0065] FIG. 7 shows another exemplary signaling 600 between a UE 602, a DU 604, and a CU 606 in which a single procedure can be triggered to configure multiple L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows the CU receiving a measurement report including measurements of cell A and cell B.

[0066] The CU determines to request the DU to configure Cells A and B as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. * The CU sends a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST indicating requests for both Cells A and B to the DU, and as a response from the DU, receives a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE including configurations for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for Cell A and configurations for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for Cell B.

[0067] When a single response is received, the CU generates an RRC reconfiguration message for the UE, encapsulates it in a DL RRC message transfer to the DU, and sends it to the DU. The DU sends it to the UE, so the UE configures both Cell A and Cell B as L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0068] One advantage of this approach is that signaling is reduced because a single CU / DU message can configure multiple candidates. A further advantage is that the overall procedure for configuring L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for Cells A and B is faster. Method for configuring L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells as SpCell, SCell, and / or cell group

[0069] L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility can be configured for at least one SpCell that is an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate. In that case, the UE is connected to the source cell (source SpCell), and the reception of lower layer signaling after the UE has configured at least one L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate indicates the change of its source SpCell to a target SpCell that is one of the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates configured for the UE.

[0070] L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility can be configured for at least one SCell that is a candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. In that case, the UE configures and operates according to the SCell (e.g., of the master cell group which is the activated SCell), and the reception of lower layer signaling after the UE configures at least one candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility indicates a change of that SCell to a different SCell, possibly at the same frequency, where this different SCell is one of the candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility configured for the UE.

[0071] L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility can be configured at least for a cell group that includes one SpCell which is a candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility and one or more SCells when receiving a cell group configuration (IE called CellGroupConfig). In that case, the UE is connected to the source cell (source SpCell), can configure one or more SCells of the MCG, and the reception of lower layer signaling indicates a change of the source SpCell to a target SpCell which is one of the candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility configured for the UE after the UE configures at least one candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, and a change of at least one of the configured SCells (e.g., one new SCell is added and one of the configured SCells is removed or modified). Switch Connected to the source cell (source SpCell), the UE can configure one or more SCells of the MCG, and the reception of lower layer signaling indicates a change of the source SpCell to a target SpCell which is one of the candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility configured for the UE after the UE configures at least one candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, and a change of at least one of the configured SCells (e.g., one new SCell is added and one of the configured SCells is removed or modified).

[0072] According to some embodiments, the request (e.g., in a UE context modification request from the CU to the DU) includes at least one cell set (e.g., a set of cells included in a list) (e.g., within the list), which includes candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility (e.g., IE called Candidate L1 / L2Cell List which may include a list of cell identifiers for the requested cells). The set can be encoded as a list or any other data structure (e.g., defined in RRC signaling).

[0073] According to some embodiments, at least one set of cells corresponds to a set of SpCell candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. These are candidate cells at the same or different frequencies (SSB frequency and / or SSB subcarrier spacing) as the UE's current SpCell (e.g., PCell) configured for the UE. ○ According to certain embodiments, the DU receives these sets of SpCell(s), generates a configuration for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate SpCell, and transmits it to the CU (e.g., the IE named SpCellConfig within the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE). ○ According to certain embodiments, the DU receives these sets of SpCell, generates a cell group configuration (e.g., the IE named CellGroupConfig) for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate SpCell, which also includes one or more SCell configurations associated with the candidate SpCell for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate SpCell. · According to further certain embodiments, one or more SCell(s) for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate SpCell included by the DU in the cell group configuration for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate is one of the SCell(s) indicated by the CU in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message. · According to another certain embodiment, one or more SCell(s) for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate included by the DU in the cell group configuration for each L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate is not one of the SCell(s) indicated by the CU in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message.

[0074] According to some embodiments, at least one cell set corresponds to a set of secondary cell (SCell) candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility (e.g., for carrier aggregation). These are candidate cells at the same or different frequencies (SSB frequency and / or SSB sub-carrier spacing) as the UE's current SpCell (e.g., PCell). ○According to certain embodiments, the DU receives these sets of recommended SCells, generates a configuration for each of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate SCells, and transmits it to the CU (e.g., the SCellConfig IE within the UE context modification response).

[0075] According to some embodiments, the DU receives from the CU a first set of cells corresponding to a set of SpCell candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility and a second set of cells corresponding to a set of SCell candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. Upon receiving it, the DU generates at least one cell group configuration including an SpCell configuration for at least one of the SpCell candidates and an SCell configuration for at least one of the SCell candidates. *According to certain embodiments, the second set of cells corresponding to a set of SCell candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility is the same set of SCells indicating that the SCell of the current PCell's cell group configuration is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, e.g., in an IE such as SCell To Be Setup List. *According to certain embodiments, the second set of cells corresponding to the set of SCell candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility is indicated in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message as a different set of SCells compared to the SCells of the current PCell cell group configuration (e.g., included in the IE called SCell To Be Setup List), but the CU may choose to include the same SCell in both lists, one for the current PCell cell group configuration and one for the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate PCell. *According to certain embodiments, the two sets are sent by the CU and received by the DU as separate sets (e.g., in two cell lists). The DU determines how these SpCell candidates and SCell candidates are grouped or combined in the cell group configuration. For example, if the first set of cells has SPCell Id = 1 and SpCell Id = 2, and the second set has Scell Id = 4 and SCell Id = 5, the DU can generate, for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, SpCellConfig(1) for SpCell Id = 1, SCellConfig(4) for Scell Id = 4, SCellConfig(5) for SCell Id = 5, and the cell group CellGroupConfig(1)= SpCellConfig(1)+ SCellConfig(4), and SCellConfig(5), where CellGroupConfig(1) is provided to the CU in the UE CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE (UE context setup response).

[0076] According to some embodiments, the DU receives from the CU a set of cell groups, each including one SpCell candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility and at least one SCell candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. Upon receiving it, the DU generates at least one cell group configuration including an SpCell configuration for the SpCell candidate and an SCell configuration for the SCell candidate. In this option, it is the CU that requests a specific cell group as a candidate cell group including both the PCell and one or more SCells, while the DU determines whether to accept the cell group requested as a candidate for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility.

[0077] According to some embodiments, the IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, such as an IE name (e.g., IE named Candidate L1 / L2Cell List), which indicates one or more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells (e.g., IE named Candidate L1 / L2Cell List) requested (or proposed, or recommended) by the CU to the DU, and includes one or more of the following. ○ Cell identifier for each of the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. · According to one embodiment, the cell identifier for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate is given as one or more global cell identifiers (e.g., NR CGI), physical cell identifiers (and associated frequencies, PLMN identifiers, and associated NR cell identifiers). · According to one embodiment, the cell identifier for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate is provided as an extended version of the IE called the candidate SpCell list (defined in TS 38.473) and may have more values (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3...K) when an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate is requested. When it is used, the CU includes, in the first value in the list, the cell that the CU intends to be the current SpCell, i.e., the PCell to which the UE is connected, while the other cells included are intended to be L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cells. They can be regarded as SpCell candidates for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility. ○ For each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell, a cell index encoded with fewer bits than the cell identifier. · According to one embodiment, the cell index for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate is provided as an integer. The index should be used for communication between the UE and / or the CU and / or the DU to refer to that cell. This can be particularly important on the air interface for exchanging information with a reduced number of bits when referring to that candidate cell. This makes sense as there can be overall many more L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates than the L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidates that can be configured in the UE. ○ Frequency information for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell. · According to one embodiment, the frequency information includes an indication of the serving measurement target or the serving frequency (e.g., the serving cell MO defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331) and is associated with the measurement target of the serving frequency where there is an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate. · According to one embodiment, the frequency information may include the SSB frequency encoded as absolute frequency information (e.g., ARFCN as defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331). ·According to one embodiment, the frequency information includes CSI-RS frequencies that may be encoded as absolute frequency information (e.g., ARFCN as defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331). ·According to one embodiment, the frequency information includes Point A frequencies that may be encoded as absolute frequency information (e.g., ARFCN as defined in 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.331). ○Cell group index or identifier for each L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell and / or for an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell group.

[0078] Examples of signaling The following is an example of a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message from the CU to the DU (e.g., from the gNB-CU to the gNB-DU via F1AP) when requested to configure L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility for at least one SpCell that is an L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate.

[0079] *************************************** 8.3.4 UE context modification (initiated by gNB-CU) [...] If the Candidate L1 / L2Cell List IE (IE called Candidate L1 / L2Cell List) is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, the gNB-DU considers that these cells are recommended and to be considered for L1 / L2 mobility. If the L1 / L2Cell List IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, the gNB-DU understands that the cell is configured for L1 / L2 mobility. If the L1 / L2CellGroupConfig IE (L1 / L2 cell group configuration IE) is included in the CU to DU RRC Information IE (RRC information IE from CU to DU) within the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, the DU will understand that it provides the configuration of the cell for L1 / L2 mobility. If gNB-DU cannot accept any of the cells in the Candidate L1 / L2Cell List IE, gNB-DU shall respond with an appropriate cause value in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message. If the L1 / L2Cell List IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message, gNB-CU will understand that the cell is configured for L1 / L2 mobility. gNB-DU shall include the cells in the L1 / L2Cell List IE with priorities, where the first cell in the list is the most desirable one and the last cell is the least desirable one (e.g., based on measurement, load conditions). If the L1 / L2CellGroupConfig IE is included in the DU to CU RRC Information IE within the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message, the CU will understand that it provides the configuration of the cell for L1 / L2 mobility. If the Candidate L1 / L2 SCell To Be Setup List IE (candidate L1 / L2 SCell to be set up list IE) is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, gNB-DU will consider it as a list of candidate SCell recommended for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility and will take it into account. The recommended cells may correspond to the requested cell or the proposed cell. If the L1 / L2 SCell List IE (L1 / L2 SCell list IE) is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message, the gNB-CU understands that the Scell is configured for L1 / L2 mobility. If the L1 / L2 SCell Failed To Setup List IE (L1 / L2 SCell setup failure list IE) is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message, the gNB-CU considers that the corresponding SCell(s) for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility have failed to be set up with the appropriate cause value for each SCell that has failed to be set up. If the L1 / L2 Cell Failed To Setup List IE (L1 / L2 cell setup failure list IE) is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message, the gNB-CU considers that the corresponding cell(s) for L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility setup have failed to be set up with the appropriate cause value for each cell that has failed to be set up. 8.3.4.3 Failure behavior [...] If the gNB-DU cannot accept any of the cells in the Candidate L1 / L2 SCell To Be Setup List IE within the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, it responds with a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION FAILURE message with an appropriate cause value. 8.4.2 DL RRC message transfer If the L1 / L2CellGroupConfig IE is included in the RRC-Container IE (RRC container IE) within the DL RRC message transfer message, the DU will understand that it provides the configuration of cells for L1 / L2 mobility. 9.2.2.7 UE Context Modification Request This message is sent by the gNB-CU to provide the gNB-DU with UE context information changes. Direction: gNB-CU ⇒ gNB-DU

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[0080] Figure 8 shows an example of a communication system 700 according to some embodiments. In this example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunications network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706 that includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node 710), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) access node or non-3GPP™ access point. The network node 710 enables direct or indirect connections of user equipment (UE) by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE 712) to the core network 706, such as via one or more wireless Connection to enable direct or indirect connections of user equipment (UE) by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE 712) to the core network 706, such as via one or more wireless

[0081] Wireless connection Exemplary wireless communication via may use electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without using wires, cables, or other data conductors to Wireless transmit and / or receive signals. Moreover, in various embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. The communication system 700 may include any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, wireless network, and / or other similar types of systems and / or interface with them.

[0082] Device UE 712 wirelessly communicates with network node 710 and other communication Device ConfigurationA variety of communications including wireless devices that are configured, constructed, and / or operable Device It can be any of them. Similarly, the network node 710 is configured, enabled, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UE 712 and / or other network nodes or devices within the telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access such as wireless network access and / or to perform other functions such as management in the telecommunication network 702.

[0083] According to the illustrated embodiment, the core network 706 connects the network node 710 to one or more hosts such as host 716. Those connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly connected to the host. The core network 706 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., Core network node 708) composed of hardware and software components. The functions of those components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, network node, and / or host, and thus those descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Exemplary core network nodes include one or more functions of a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier deconcealment function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), a network exposure function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0084] Host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of access network 704 and / or telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. Host 716 can host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as the acquisition and editing of data regarding various ambient conditions detected by multiple UEs, analytical functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions executed by a server.

[0085] Overall, the communication system 700 of FIG. 8 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be, but is not limited to, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) for mobile communication, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., 6G), wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi), and / or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth®, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any other suitable Wireless communication standards Specific standard including such as, and may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures.

[0086] In some examples, the telecommunications network 702 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP (registered trademark) standardized features. Thus, the telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the telecommunications network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, And / or and may also provide massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to additional UEs.

[0087] In some examples, the UE 712 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 at a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the access network 704. Additionally, the UE may be configured to operate in single or multi-RAT, or in multi-standard mode. For example, the UE can operate in any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., E - UT it can be configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as RAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio ~ Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0088] In the illustration, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 712c and / or 712d) and a network node (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, the hub 714 may be any of a controller, a router, a content source and analytics, or other communication devices described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router that enables access to the core network 706 for the UE. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators within the UE. The commands or instructions may be received from the UE or the network node 710, or may be received by executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions within the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that operates as temporary storage for the UE's data, and in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of that data. As another example, the hub 714 may be a content source. For example, in the case of a UE that is a VR headset, a display, a loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 714 can retrieve data associated with VR assets, video, audio, or other media or sensory information via the network node, and then the hub 714 can provide it directly to the UE either after performing local processing and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, particularly when one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0089] The hub 714 can have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710b. The hub 714 can also enable another communication method and / or schedule between the hub 714 and the UE (e.g., UEs 712c and / or 712d) and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. According to other embodiments, the hub 714 isWired connection( Wired connection ) is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via. Further, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via the access network 704 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, the UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 710 while still being connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. According to some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose main function is to route communications to / from the UE from / to the network node 710b. According to other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub, i.e., a device that can operate to route communications between the UE and the network node 710b but can further operate as a communication origin and / or destination for a specific data channel.

[0090] FIG. 9 shows a UE 800 according to some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device that is capable of communicating wirelessly with a network node and / or another UE and is so configured, arranged, and / or operable. Examples of UEs include smartphones, MovementExamples include, but are not limited to, telephones, mobile phones, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming machines or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), in-vehicle or embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any User Equipment (UE) identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™), including, for example, NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0091] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP™ standards for sidelink communication, dedicated short range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to or operation by a human user, but that may or may not initially be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller), or may not be associated at all. Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to or operation by an end user, but that may be associated with or operated for a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0092] The UE800 includes a processing circuit 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power supply 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. A UE may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 9. The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another. Further, some UEs may include multiple instances of components such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0093] The processing circuit 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program within the memory 810. The processing circuit 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.), programmable logic in conjunction with appropriate firmware, one or more stored computer programs such as a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP) in conjunction with appropriate software, a general purpose processor, or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 802 may include multiple central processing Processing units (CPUs).

[0094] In this example, the input / output interface 806 can be configured to interface with an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, emitters, smart cards, other output devices, or any combination thereof. An input device can enable a user to capture information for the UE 800. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, directional pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, and smart cards. A presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. The sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetic sensors, optical sensors, proximity sensors, biometric sensors, etc., or any combination thereof. The output device can use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0095] According to some embodiments, the power supply 808 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies such as an external power supply (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a fuel cell may also be used. The power supply 808 may further include a power circuit for delivering power from the power supply 808 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 800 via an interface such as an input circuit or a power cable. The delivery of power may be, for example, for charging the power supply 808. The power circuit may perform some shaping, conversion, or other modification to the power from the power supply 808 to make it suitable for each component of the UE 800 that is a power recipient.

[0096] Memory 810 can be, or can be configured to include, memories such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), field programmable gate array read only memory (PROM), erasable field programmable gate array read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable field programmable gate array read only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cartridge, flash drive, etc. According to one embodiment, memory 810 stores one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data 8 including 16. Memory 810 can store any of a variety of operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by UE 800.

[0097] Memory 810 may be configured to include several physical drives, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, built-in hard disk drive, Blu-ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM), such as USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof, such as smart card memory in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including an anti-tampering module. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly known as a "SIM card". Memory 810 may enable the UE 800 to access instruction sets and application programs stored in a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload or upload data. Products such as those utilizing a communication system may be a device-readable storage medium, may include a memory 810 that may include a device-readable storage medium, or may be tangibly embodied therein.

[0098] Processing circuit 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using communication interface 812. Communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to antenna 822. Communication interface 812 is WirelessOne or more transceivers may be included for communicating, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of communication (e.g., another UE or network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency division, etc.). Further, the transmitter 818 and the receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or may be implemented separately.

[0099] According to the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth®, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for determining location, other similar communication functions, or any combination thereof. The communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards such as, for example, IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA®), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

[0100] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE can provide, via its communication interface 812, the data output captured by its sensor to a network node via a wireless connection. The data captured by the UE's sensor is WirelessCommunication may be through a connection to a network node via another UE. Outputs may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes when reporting sensed temperature), random (e.g., to equalize load from notifications from multiple sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., moisture detected and an alert sent), in response to a request (e.g., a request initiated by a user), or as a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0101] As another example, the UE comprises an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless Connection from a network node via wireless Input . The state of the actuator, motor or switch may change in response to the received Wireless input. For example, the UE may include a motor that adjusts control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to received input, or a robotic arm that performs a medical procedure according to received input.

[0102] When forming an Internet of Things (IoT) device, the UE can be a device for use in one or more application domains, which include, but are not limited to, urban wearable technologies, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are connected refrigerators or freezers, TVs, connected lighting fixtures, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door / window sensors, flood / moisture sensors, electric door locks, connected doorbells, air conditioning systems such as heat pumps, autonomous vehicles, surveillance systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smartwatches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearables for tactile or sensory enhancement, water sprinklers, Object or animal Device for tracking items,Or there are sensors for monitoring animals and plants, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device monitor such as a heart rate monitor or a remotely operated surgical robot, or those equipped with them, etc. The UE in the form of an IoT device includes other components as described in relation to the UE800 shown in FIG. 9 in addition to the circuits and / or software depending on the application the IoT device is intended for.

[0103] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, the UE can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or network node. The UE may be an M2M device in this case and may be referred to as an MTC device in the context of 3GPP (registered trademark). As an example, the UE may implement the 3GPP (registered trademark) NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, the UE can be a vehicle, Bus, truck, ship or aircraft Vehicles such as that can monitor and / or report on its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0104] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE may be a drone or integrated into a drone and provide the speed information of the drone (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user makes a change from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle of the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first and / or second UE can also include more than one of the above-described functionality. For example, the UE may be equipped with sensors and actuators and handle the communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0105] Figure 10 shows a network node 900 according to some embodiments. As used herein, a network node is a device that can communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or other network nodes or devices within a telecommunications network, and is so configured, arranged, and / or operable. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., wireless access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., wireless base stations, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), and NR Node B (gNB)).

[0106] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, put another way, their transmit power levels), and thus may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations, depending on the amount of coverage provided. A base station may also be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. A part of a distributed radio base station may sometimes be called a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0107] Other examples of network nodes are multiple transmit points (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) devices, such as MSR BSs, radio network Multi controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), such as network Control Device base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmit points, transmit nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), operations and maintenance (O&M) nodes, operations support systems (OSS) Control Device , Base Transceiver and so on. Nodeincluding a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0108] The network node 900 includes a processing circuit 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power supply 908. The network node 900 may be composed of a plurality of physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.) each of which may have its own respective components. In certain situations where the network node 900 includes a plurality of separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC Component ), one or more separate components may be shared among a plurality of network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control a plurality of NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique pair of a NodeB and an RNC may, in some cases, be considered a single individual network node. In some embodiments, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple None radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be redundant (e.g., separate memories 904 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 910 may be shared by a plurality of different RATs). The network node 900 may also include a number of sets of various illustrated components for various wireless technologies integrated into the network node 900, such as GSM, WCDMA (registered trademark), LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chip sets and other components within the network node 900.

[0109] The processing circuit 902 is a microprocessor 、 controller、 Microcontroller 、 Central Calculation processing device, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable Computing device , resource, or one or more combinations of hardware, software and / or encoded logic, which combinations may be operable to provide the network node 900 functionality, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components such as the memory 904.

[0110] According to some embodiments, the processing circuit 902 includes a system on chip (SOC). According to some embodiments, the processing circuit 902 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 912 and a baseband processing circuit 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 912 and the baseband processing circuit 914 may be on separate chips (or chip sets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 912 and the baseband processing circuit 914 may be on the same chip or chip set, board, or unit.

[0111] The memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, but not limited to, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and / or computer-executable memory device capable of storing information, data, and / or instructions used by the processing circuit 902. The memory 904 stores computer Pro program, software EIt can store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including an application that includes one or more of other instructions that can be executed by the logic, rules, code, tables, and / or processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 can be used to store any operations performed by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and the memory 904 are integrated.

[0112] The communication interface 906 is used for signaling and / or data, wired or wireless, between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. Of communication As shown, the communication interface 906 includes, for example, ports / terminals 916 for transmitting and receiving data to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes a radio front-end circuit 918 that can be connected to the antenna 910 or, according to some embodiments, is part of the antenna 310. The radio front-end circuit 918 includes a filter 920 and an amplifier 922. The radio front-end circuit 918 can be connected to the antenna 910 and the processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 910 and the processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuit 918 can receive digital data to be transmitted to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 918 can use a combination of the filter 920 and / or the amplifier 922 to convert the digital data into a wireless signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The wireless signal can then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 can collect wireless signals that are converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuit 918. The digital data can be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0113] According to certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit 918. Instead, the processing circuit 902 includes a radio front-end circuit and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuits 912 are part of the communication interface 906. According to still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, a radio front-end circuit 918, and an RF transceiver circuit 912 as part of a wireless unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with a baseband processing circuit 914 that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0114] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas or an antenna array configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuit 918 and can be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. According to an embodiment, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and can be connected to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0115] The antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuit 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or some acquisition operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, other network nodes, and / or any other network device. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuit 902 may be configured to perform any of the transmission operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, other network nodes, and / or any other network device.

[0116] The power supply 908 provides power to the various components of the network node 900 in a form suitable for each component (e.g., at the voltage level and current level required for each component). The power supply 908 may include, or be coupled to, a power management circuit for supplying power to the components of the network node 900 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of the power supply 908. As a further example, the power supply 908 may comprise a power source in the form of a battery or a battery pack that is connected to or integrated into the power circuit. In the event of a failure of the external power source, backup power may be supplied from the battery.

[0117] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 10 for providing a particular aspect of the functionality of a network node that includes any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality essential to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 can include a user interface device that enables the input of information to the network node 900 and the output of information from the network node 900. Thereby, a user may perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions of the network node 900.

[0118] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a host 1000 that can be an embodiment of the host 716 of FIG. 8 according to various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1000 can be hardware and / or software in various combinations, including a stand-alone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or processing resources within a server farm, or can include any of these. The host 1000 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0119] The host 1000 includes a processing circuit 1002 operably coupled via a bus 1004 to an input Power / output interface 1006, a network interface 1008, a power supply 1010, and a memory 1012. In other embodiments, other components may be included. The functions of those components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of the previous figures such as FIGS. 8 and 9, and thus the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 1000.

[0120] The memory 1012 can include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1014 and data 1016 that can include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1000 or data generated by the host 1000 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1000 may utilize only a subset or all of the illustrated components. The host application programs 1014 can be implemented in a container-based architecture and include transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, w E ireless display systems, head-up display systems). Video codec(It is possible to provide support for versatile video coding (e.g., VVC), high efficiency video coding (HEVC), advanced video coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, advanced audio coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711). Also, the host application program 1014 may provide user authentication and license checking, and may periodically report health, route and content availability to a central node such as a device within or at the edge of the core network. Thus, the host 1000 may select and / or indicate different hosts for the over-the-top service for the UE. The host application program 1014 may support various protocols such as the HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) protocol, RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol), RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol), MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP), etc.

[0121] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a virtualized environment 1100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized.

[0122] As used herein, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or a device that includes virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device or their components described herein, and is associated with implementations where at least a portion of their functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented within one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more hardware nodes such as a hardware computing device operating as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments where the virtual node does not require wireless connectivity (e.g., a core network node or a host), the node may be virtualized as a whole.

[0123] An application 1102 (alternatively, may be referred to as a software instance, virtual appliance, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) is executed in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or advantages of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0124] Hardware 1104 includes a processing circuit, a memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuit, and / or a network interface, an input / output interface, and other hardware devices described herein. The software is executed by the processing circuit to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also referred to as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM)), provide VMs 1108a and 1108b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as VM 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with several embodiments herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears to the virtual machines 1108 as networking hardware.

[0125] VM 1108 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage and may be executed by the corresponding virtualization layer 1106. Various embodiments of instances of virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented in one or more of VMs 1108, and the implementation may be made in various ways. Hardware virtualization is performed in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to integrate many network device types into industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage deployable within a data center, as well as customer premise equipment.

[0126] In the context of NFV, VM1108 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that executes programs as if they were running on physical non-virtualized machines. Each of VM1108, and the portion of hardware 1104 that is dedicated hardware for that VM and / or hardware that is shared with other VMs by that VM, forms a separate virtual network element. Also in the context of NFV, the virtual network function is responsible for handling the specific network functions running in one or more VMs1108 on top of hardware 1104 and corresponds to application 1102.

[0127] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a stand-alone network node having general or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (such as those within a data center or CPE) where multiple hardware nodes cooperate and are managed via management and orchestration 1110, which oversees, among other things, the lifecycle management of application 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, which may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide wireless capabilities to virtual nodes such as wireless access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided in conjunction with the use of control system 1112, which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0128] Figure 13 shows a partially wireless according to some embodiments ConnectionThe communication diagram of host 1202 communicating via UE 1206 and via network node 1204 is shown.

[0129] Exemplary embodiments according to various embodiments of a UE (such as UE 712a of FIG. 8 and / or UE 800 of FIG. 9), a network node (such as network node 710a of FIG. 8 and / or network node 900 of FIG. 10), and a host (such as host 716 of FIG. 8 and / or host 1000 of FIG. 11) as described in the previous paragraph will be described with respect to FIG. 13.

[0130] Similar to host 1000, embodiments of host 1202 include hardware such as a communication interface, a processing circuit, and a memory. Host 1202 also includes software that is stored on or accessible by host 1202 and executable by the processing circuit. This software may include a host application that is operable to provide services to remote users such as UE 1206 that connects via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1250 that extends between UE 1206 and host 1202. To remote users Enable service When providing, the host application can provide user data transmitted using OTT connection 1250.

[0131] Network node 1204 includes hardware for communicating with host 1202 and UE 1206 Make it possible Connection 1260 can directly or pass through a core network (such as core network 706 of FIG. 8) and / or one or more other intermediate networks such as one or more public, private, or host networks. For example, the intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0132] UE 1206 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE 1206 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software can include client applications, such as a web browser or a carrier-specific "app", that can be operative to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 1206 with the support of host 1202. In host 1202, the running host application can communicate with the running client application via OTT connection 1250 that terminates at UE 1 206 and host 1202. During service provision to the user, the client application of the UE can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data as a response to the request data. OTT connection 1250 can transfer both request data and user data. The client application of the UE can interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through OTT connection 1250.

[0133] OTT connection 1250 can extend via connection 1260 between host 1202 and network node 1204 and wireless Connection 1270 between network node 1204 and UE 1206 to provide a connection between host 1202 and UE 1206. To illustrate the communication via network node 1204 between host 1202 and UE 1206 without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the exact routing of messages through those devices, connection 1260 and wireless connection 1270 through which OTT connection 1250 can be provided are abstractly depicted.

[0134] As an example of transmitting data via OTT connection 1250, at step 1208, host 1202 User provides user data This can be executed by running the host application。In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with UE1206. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with UE1206 sharing data with host 1202 without explicit human interaction. In step 1210, host 1202 begins transmitting the user data to UE1206. Host 1202 may begin the transmission in response to a request transmitted by UE1206. The request may be caused by a human interaction with UE1206 or by the operation of a client application running on UE1206. The above transmission may pass through network node 1204 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1212, network node 1204 transmits the user data carried in the above transmission initiated by host 1202 to UE1206 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1214, UE1206 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be executed by a client application running on UE1206 that is associated with a host application executed by host 1202.

[0135] In some examples, UE1206 runs a client application that provides user data to host 1202. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to receiving data from host 1202. Accordingly, in step 1216, UE1206 may provide the user data, which may be done by running the client application. During the provision of the user data, the client application may receive input from the user to UE1206 Power / User input received via the output interface may further be considered. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, at step 1218, UE 1206 initiates transmission of the user data to host 1202 via network node 1204. At step 1220, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node 1204 receives the user data from UE 1206 and initiates transmission of the received user data to host 1202. At step 1222, host 1202 receives the user data carried in the above transmission initiated by UE 1206.

[0136] One or more of various embodiments use the OTT connection 1250 where 1270 forms the last section to improve the performance of the OTT service provided to UE 1206. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments improve one or more of, for example, data rate, latency, and / or power consumption, thereby providing advantages such as, for example, reduction of user latency, relaxation of file size constraints, improvement of content resolution, improvement of responsiveness, and / or extension of battery life. Connection

[0137] In an exemplary scenario, factory status information can be collected and analyzed by host 1202. As another example, host 1202 may process audio and video data obtained from a UE for use in generating a map. As another example, host 1202 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., traffic signal control). As another example, host 1202 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, host 1202 may perform storage or access control for media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR that can be broadcast, multicast, or unicast to a UE. As another example, host 1202 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads for balancing power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as editing of diagrams from data collected from remote devices), or any other function for collecting, obtaining, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0138] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve. There may further be network functionality as an option for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1250 between the host 1202 and the UE 1206 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 1202 and / or the UE 1206. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) through which the OTT connection 1250 passes may be deployed within or associated with other devices, and those sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying the quantitative values of the monitoring results exemplified above or supplying the values of other physical quantities, and the quantity to be monitored may be calculated or estimated by software from them. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1250 may include message format, retransmission settings, suitable routing, etc., and it is not necessary for the reconfiguration to directly change the operation of the network node 1204. Such procedures and functionality may be known and practiced in the art. In one embodiment, the measurement may include unique UE signaling that facilitates measurements such as throughput, propagation time, and latency by the host 1202. The measurement may be implemented in such a way that the software monitors the propagation time, errors, etc. while transmitting messages that are specifically empty or "dummy" messages using the OTT connection 1250.

[0139] The computing devices (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) described herein can include the illustrated combinations of hardware components, but other embodiments can include computing devices having various combinations of components. It should be understood that those computing devices can include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The decisions, calculations, acquisitions, or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which can, for example, convert the acquired information into other information, compare the acquired information or the converted information with the information stored in a network node, and / or perform one or more operations based on the acquired information or the converted information, and make a decision as a result of that processing, thereby processing the information. Moreover, the components are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, but in reality, the computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up the illustrated single component, and the functionality may be partitioned among separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, And / or, the functionality of those components may be partitioned between the processing circuit and the communication interface. In other examples, the computationally non-intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0140] Figure 14 shows method 1300 by UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 in a connected state for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility according to some embodiments. The method includes, at step 1302, transmitting a measurement report including one or more measurements associated with one or more cells. At step 1304, UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 receive an RRC reconfiguration message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. At step 1306, UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message.

[0141] According to certain embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration message includes one or more of at least one CSI measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with the UE's current PCell.

[0142] According to further certain embodiments, at least one CSI measurement configuration and / or a first cell group configuration associated with the current PCell and / or at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell are generated by a candidate DU (406, 504, 604), encapsulated in the RRC reconfiguration message by a CU (404, 506, 606), and received by the UE via the candidate DU.

[0143] According to certain embodiments, the UE receives a measurement configuration, and the measurement configuration includes a reporting configuration. The reporting configuration includes at least one trigger condition that triggers the UE to transmit a measurement report when satisfied.

[0144] According to certain embodiments, the UE performs one or more measurements associated with one or more cells according to the measurement configuration, and the one or more measurements include at least one of a CSI measurement, an L1 RSRP measurement, a differential RSRP measurement, an RSRQ measurement, and an SINR measurement.

[0145] According to certain embodiments, the UE determines that at least one condition is satisfied, and the measurement report is transmitted in response to determining that at least one condition is satisfied.

[0146] According to certain embodiments, one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more neighboring cells and / or one or more non-serving cells. Additionally or alternatively, an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report.

[0147] According to certain embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each one of the plurality of configurations is associated with a respective one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0148] According to certain embodiments, the UE receives lower layer signaling including an indication of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell and / or a configuration associated with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. The indication triggers activation of the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. Based on the indication, the UE starts operating according to the configuration in the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0149] According to certain embodiments, the lower layer signaling is received from a distributed unit DU and / or the lower layer signaling is received by at least one lower layer of the UE's protocol stack. The at least one lower layer comprises at least one of a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, a Phy layer, and L1.

[0150] According to certain embodiments, the lower layer signaling is received via a MAC-CE or DCI.

[0151] According to certain embodiments, at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes a candidate that is at least one of a SpCell, a PCell, an SCell, a PSCell group cell, an MSG cell, and / or an SCG cell.

[0152] FIG. 15 shows a method 1400 by CU404, 506, 606 for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility for UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 in a connected state according to some embodiments. The method starts at step 1402 when CU404, 506, 606 send at least one request to candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 for at least one candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE. The at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. In step 1404, CU404, 506, 606 receive at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell from candidate DUs 406, 504, 604. In step 1406, CU404, 506, 606 send an RRC reconfiguration to be sent to the UE to candidate DUs 406, 504, 604. The RRC reconfiguration includes at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. In step 1408, CU404, 506, 606 receive RRC reconfiguration completion from UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 from candidate DUs 406, 504, 604.

[0153] According to certain embodiments, the candidate DU is a source DU for the UE.

[0154] According to certain embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration includes one or more of at least one CSI measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with the UE's current PCell.

[0155] According to certain embodiments, the CU encapsulates at least one configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells in an RRC reconfiguration message for transmission to the UE via a candidate DU.

[0156] According to certain embodiments, the CU receives a measurement report of the UE from a source DU, and the measurement report comprises one or more measurement values associated with one or more cells.

[0157] According to certain embodiments, one or more measurement values include one or more values associated with at least one of CSI measurement values, L1 RSRP measurement values, differential RSRP measurement values, RSRQ measurement values, and SINR measurement values.

[0158] According to certain embodiments, the measurement report is received in a UL RRC message transfer, and one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more neighboring cells and / or one or more non-serving cells of the UE. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report.

[0159] According to certain embodiments, a request for a candidate DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE is based on a received measurement report including one or more measurement values of one or more cells.

[0160] According to certain embodiments, the CU transmits a previous message including a measurement configuration to the source DU before the CU receives the measurement report from the source DU. The measurement configuration includes a reporting configuration, and the reporting configuration comprises at least one triggering condition for triggering the transmission of a measurement report by the UE when at least one triggering condition is satisfied.

[0161] According to certain embodiments, at least one of the following applies: ·At least one request to configure the UE with L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility to a candidate DU is sent with at least one UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST, ·At least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is received with a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE, ·The RRC reconfiguration is sent with a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST or a DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER, ·The RRC reconfiguration completion is received with a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE or a UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER.

[0162] According to a particular embodiment, at least one message is sent and / or received via the F1AP interface between the CU and the candidate DU.

[0163] According to a particular embodiment, the CU obtains information indicating that the UE is capable of performing L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

[0164] According to a particular embodiment, the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0165] According to a particular embodiment, at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes a candidate that is at least one of a SpCell, a PCell, an SCell, a PSCell group cell, an MSG cell, and an SCG cell.

[0166] According to certain embodiments, sending at least one request to a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE includes sending a single message indicating a request to a candidate DU for configuring one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell for the UE. At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0167] According to certain embodiments, sending at least one request to a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE includes sending a plurality of messages to the candidate DU, where each one of the plurality of messages indicates a request to a candidate DU for configuring a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE. At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0168] According to certain embodiments, sending at least one request to a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a UE includes sending a single message to the candidate DU, where the single message indicates a request to a candidate DU for configuring a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE. At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0169] FIG. 16 shows a method 1500 by candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility for UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 in a connected state according to some embodiments. The method starts in step 1502 where candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 receive from CU 404, 506, 606 at least one request for a candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE. The at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. In step 1504, candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 send to CU 404, 506, 606 at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. In step 1506, candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 receive from CU 404, 506, 606 an RRC reconfiguration. The RRC reconfiguration includes at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. In step 1508, candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 receive from UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 an RRC reconfiguration complete. In step 1510, candidate DUs 406, 504, 604 send the RRC reconfiguration complete from UEs 402, 502, 602, 800 to CU 404, 506, 606.

[0170] According to certain embodiments, the RRC reconfiguration includes one or more of at least one CSI measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with the UE's current primary cell.

[0171] According to certain embodiments, the candidate DU is also the source DU with respect to the UE, and the candidate DU sends to the CU a measurement report including one or more measurements of one or more cells. The candidate DU also sends to the UE an RRC reconfiguration including at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0172] According to certain embodiments, before the CU transmits the measurement report, the candidate DU receives the measurement report from the UE and encapsulates the measurement report in a message for transmission to the CU.

[0173] According to certain embodiments, the candidate DU determines at least one L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell configured with the UE based on one or more measurement values and / or measurement reports of one or more cells.

[0174] According to certain embodiments, the one or more measurement values include one or more values associated with at least one of CSI measurement values, L1 RSRP measurement values, differential RSRP measurement values, RSRQ measurement values, and SINR measurement values.

[0175] According to certain embodiments, the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more adjacent cells and / or one or more non-serving cells of the UE.

[0176] According to certain embodiments, the measurement report is transmitted to the CU in a UL RRC message transfer, and / or at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report.

[0177] According to certain embodiments, at least one of the following is true. · At least one request to the candidate DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE is received included in at least one UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST, · The configuration of at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is transmitted included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE, · The RRC reconfiguration is received included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST or DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER, ·The completion of RRC reconfiguration is sent included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE or UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER.

[0178] According to a particular embodiment, at least one message is sent and / or received via the F1AP interface between the CU and the candidate DU.

[0179] According to a particular embodiment, the candidate DU obtains information indicating that the UE is capable of performing L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

[0180] According to a particular embodiment, the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0181] According to a particular embodiment, at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell comprises a candidate that is at least one of a SpCell, a PCell, a SCell, a PSCell group cell, an MCG cell, and / or an SCG cell.

[0182] According to a particular embodiment, at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes receiving a single message indicating a request to the candidate DU for configuring one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell for the UE. At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0183] According to certain embodiments, receiving at least one request from the CU for the candidate DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes receiving a plurality of second messages from the CU. Each of one of the plurality of second messages indicates a request to the candidate DU to configure each one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE. At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0184] According to certain embodiments, receiving at least one request from the CU for the candidate DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes receiving one second message from the CU, and the second message indicates a request to the candidate DU to configure a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE. At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0185] According to certain embodiments, the candidate DU transmits to the UE lower layer signaling including an indication of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell and / or a configuration associated with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell to trigger activation of the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, and the lower layer signaling is transmitted and / or received by at least one lower layer of the UE's protocol stack. The at least one lower layer includes at least one of the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, physical layer, and L1.

[0186] According to certain embodiments, the lower layer signaling is transmitted via MAC-CE or DCI.

[0187] According to one embodiment, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by a processing circuit executing a set of instructions stored in a memory, and according to one embodiment, it is a computer program in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium Product( Product ) and may be. In alternative embodiments, some or all of that functionality may be provided by a processing circuit in a hardwired manner, etc., without executing instructions stored in a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of those specific embodiments, the processing circuit can be configured to perform the described functionality, whether or not it executes instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to just the processing circuit or other components of a computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by the end user and Wireless the network in general.

[0188] Exemplary embodiments Exemplary embodiments of Group A

[0189] Exemplary embodiment A1. A method by a user device for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, which alone, or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above, has any of the steps, features, or functions of the user device described above.

[0190] Exemplary embodiment A2. The method of the above embodiment further includes one or more additional steps, features, or functions of the user device described above.

[0191] Exemplary embodiment A3. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, further comprising providing user data and transferring the user data to a host computer via transmission to the network node.

[0192] Exemplary Embodiments of Group B

[0193] Exemplary Embodiment B1. A method performed by a network node for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, the method including any one of the steps, features, or functions of the network node above, alone or in combination with one or more of the other steps, features, or functions above.

[0194] Exemplary Embodiment B2. The method of the foregoing embodiment, further comprising one or more of the additional network node steps, features, or functions described above.

[0195] Exemplary Embodiment B3. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, further comprising obtaining user data and transferring the user data to a host or user device.

[0196] Exemplary Embodiments of Group C

[0197] Exemplary Embodiment C1. A method by a user equipment (UE) in a connected state for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, the method including receiving a first message including a measurement configuration, the measurement configuration including a reporting configuration, the reporting configuration including at least one trigger condition for triggering transmission of a measurement report by the UE; transmitting the measurement report including one or more measurements (measurement values) associated with one or more cells; receiving an RRC reconfiguration message including at least one configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells; and transmitting an RRC reconfiguration complete message.

[0198] Exemplary Embodiment C2. The method of Exemplary Embodiment C1, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes one or more of at least one CSI measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with the UE's current primary cell (PCell).

[0199] Exemplary Embodiment C3. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 - C2, wherein at least one CSI measurement configuration and / or a first cell group configuration associated with a current PCell, and / or at least one configuration of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is generated by a distributed unit (DU), encapsulated in an RRC reconfiguration message by a central unit (CU), and received by a UE via the DU.

[0200] Exemplary Embodiment C4. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 - C3, further comprising performing one or more measurements associated with the one or more cells according to the measurement configuration.

[0201] Exemplary Embodiment C5. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 - C4, wherein the measurement configuration includes a channel state information (CSI) measurement configuration. Exemplary Embodiment C6. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 - C5, wherein the one or more measurements (measurement values) include at least one of an L1 RSRP measurement (measurement value), a differential RSRP measurement (measurement value), an RSRQ measurement (measurement value), and / or an SINR measurement (measurement value).

[0202] Exemplary Embodiment C7. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 - C6, wherein the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more neighboring cells and / or one or more non-serving cells.

[0203] Exemplary Embodiment C8. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 - C7, wherein an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report.

[0204] Exemplary Embodiment C9. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C8, further comprising determining that the at least one condition is satisfied, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to determining that the at least one condition is satisfied.

[0205] Exemplary Embodiment C10. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C9, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each one of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0206] Exemplary Embodiment C11. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C10, further comprising receiving lower layer signaling including an indication of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell and / or a configuration associated with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell based on the indication, and starting an operation within the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell according to the configuration.

[0207] Exemplary Embodiment C12. A method according to Exemplary Embodiment C11, wherein the lower layer signaling including the indication triggers activation of a configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0208] Exemplary Embodiment C13. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C11 to C12, wherein the lower layer signaling is received from the distributed unit (DU).

[0209] Exemplary Embodiment C14. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C11 to C13, wherein the lower layer signaling is received by at least one lower layer of the protocol stack of the UE, and the at least one lower layer includes at least one of PDCP, RLC, MAC, PHY, or layer 1.

[0210] Exemplary Embodiment C15. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C11 to C14, wherein the lower layer signaling is received via a MAC control element or downlink control information (DCI).

[0211] Exemplary Embodiment Example C16. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C15, wherein the at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes a candidate that is at least one of a special cell (SpCell), a primary cell (PCell), a secondary cell (SCell), a primary secondary cell group (SCG) cell (PSCell), a master cell group (MCG) cell, and / or an SCG cell.

[0212] Exemplary Embodiment C17. A method according to the method of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C16, further comprising providing user data and transferring the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0213] Exemplary Embodiment C18. A user equipment comprising a processing circuit configured to execute the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C17.

[0214] Exemplary Embodiment C19. A wireless device comprising a processing circuit configured to execute the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C17.

[0215] Exemplary Embodiment C20. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, execute the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C17.

[0216] Exemplary Embodiment C21. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed on a computer, comprises instructions for executing the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C17.

[0217] Exemplary Embodiment C22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions for executing the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments C1 to C17 when executed by a computer.

[0218] Exemplary Embodiments of Group D

[0219] Exemplary Embodiment D1. A method by a central unit for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) in a connected state, the method including receiving, from a distributed unit (DU), a first message including a measurement report of the UE, where the measurement report includes one or more measurements (measurement values) associated with one or more cells, transmitting to the DU at least a second message indicating a request to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE, receiving from the DU a third message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, transmitting to the DU a fourth message including an RRC reconfiguration to be transmitted to the UE, where the RRC reconfiguration includes the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, and receiving from the DU a fifth message including an RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE.

[0220] Exemplary Embodiment D2. The method of Exemplary Embodiment D1, where the RRC reconfiguration message includes one or more of at least one CSI measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with a current primary cell (PCell) of the UE.

[0221] Exemplary Embodiment D3. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D2, further including encapsulating the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell in the RRC reconfiguration message for transmission to the UE via the DU.

[0222] Exemplary Embodiment D4. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 - D3, wherein the one or more measurements (measurement values) include one or more Channel State Information (CSI) measurements (measurement values).

[0223] Exemplary Embodiment D5. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 - D4, wherein the one or more measurements (measurement values) include one or more values associated with at least one of L1 RSRP measurement (measurement value), differential RSRP measurement (measurement value), RSRQ measurement (measurement value), and / or SINR measurement (measurement value).

[0224] Exemplary Embodiment D6. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 - D5, wherein the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more neighboring cells and / or one or more non - serving cells of the UE.

[0225] Exemplary Embodiment D7. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 - D6, wherein at least one of the L1 / L2 - based inter - cell mobility candidate cells is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report.

[0226] Exemplary Embodiment D8a. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 - D7, wherein the first message includes UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER.

[0227] Exemplary Embodiment D8b. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 - D8a, wherein the at least one second message includes at least one UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST.

[0228] Exemplary Embodiment D9. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D8b, wherein the third message includes a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE (UE context modification response).

[0229] Exemplary Embodiment D10. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D9, wherein the fourth message includes a UE context modification request or a DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER (DL RRC message transfer).

[0230] Exemplary Embodiment D11. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D10, wherein the fifth message includes a UE context modification response or a UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER (UL RRC message transfer).

[0231] Exemplary Embodiment D12. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D11, wherein at least one of the first message, the at least one second message, the third message, the fourth message, and / or the fifth message is transmitted and / or received via an F1AP interface between the CU and the DU.

[0232] Exemplary Embodiment D13. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D12, wherein at least one second message indicating a request to the DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE is based on a received measurement report including one or more measurement values of one or more cells.

[0233] Exemplary Embodiment D14. The method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D13, wherein the first message includes the one or more measurement values and / or the measurement report of the one or more cells.

[0234] Exemplary Embodiment D15. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D14, further comprising, at the DU, transmitting a previous message including a measurement configuration to the UE before the CU receives the first message including the measurement report from the DU, wherein the measurement configuration includes a reporting configuration, the reporting configuration includes at least one trigger condition, and transmission of the measurement report by the UE is triggered when the at least one trigger condition is satisfied.

[0235] Exemplary Embodiment D16. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D15, further comprising obtaining information indicating that the UE has the ability to perform L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

[0236] Exemplary Embodiment D17. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D16, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0237] Exemplary Embodiment D18. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D17, wherein at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes a candidate that is at least one of a special cell (SpCell), a primary cell (PCell), a secondary cell (SCell), a primary-secondary cell group (SCG) cell (PSCell), a master cell group (MCG) cell, and / or an SCG cell.

[0238] Exemplary Embodiment D19. A method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D18, wherein transmitting the at least one second message to the DU includes transmitting one second message indicating a request to the DU to configure one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell for the UE, and the third message includes a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0239] Exemplary embodiment D20. Sending the at least one second message to the DU includes sending a plurality of second messages to the DU, one of the plurality of second messages indicating a request to the DU for configuring each of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE, and the third message including a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments D1 to D18.

[0240] Exemplary embodiment D21. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments D1 to D18, wherein sending the at least one second message to the DU includes sending one second message to the DU, the second message indicating a request to the DU for configuring a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE, the third message including a plurality of configurations, each of the plurality of configurations being associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0241] Exemplary embodiment D22. The system according to any one of exemplary embodiments D1 to D21, wherein the network node includes a gNodeB (gNB).

[0242] Exemplary embodiment D23. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments D1 to D22, further comprising obtaining user data and transferring the user data to a host or a user device.

[0243] Exemplary embodiment D24. A network node comprising a processing circuit configured to execute the method according to any one of exemplary embodiments D1 to D23.

[0244] Exemplary embodiment D25. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on a computer, execute the method according to any one of exemplary embodiments D1 to D23.

[0245] Exemplary Embodiment D26. A computer program product including a computer program, which when executed on a computer, includes instructions for executing the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D23.

[0246] Exemplary Embodiment D27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions for executing the method according to any one of Exemplary Embodiments D1 to D23 when executed by a computer.

[0247] Exemplary Embodiments of Group E

[0248] Exemplary Embodiment E1. A method by a distributed unit for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) in a connected state, the method comprising: transmitting a first message including a measurement report to a central unit (CU), the measurement report including one or more measurement values of one or more cells; receiving from the CU at least one second message indicating a request to the DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE; transmitting to the CU a third message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; receiving from the CU a fourth message including an RRC reconfiguration, the RRC reconfiguration including the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; transmitting to the UE the RRC reconfiguration including the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; receiving RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE; and transmitting to the CU a fifth message including the RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE.

[0249] Exemplary embodiment E2. A method according to the method of exemplary embodiment E1, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes one or more of at least one CSI measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell (PCell) of the UE.

[0250] Exemplary embodiment E3. Before transmitting the first message, the method further comprises receiving the measurement report from the UE and encapsulating the measurement report in the first message for transmission to the CU, according to the method of any one of exemplary embodiments E1 - E2.

[0251] Exemplary embodiment E4. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 - E3, wherein the one or more measurement values include one or more channel state information (CSI) measurement values.

[0252] Exemplary embodiment E5. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 - E4, wherein the one or more measurement values include one or more values associated with at least one of L1 RSRP measurement, differential RSRP measurement, RSRQ measurement, and / or SINR measurement.

[0253] Exemplary embodiment E6. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 - E5, wherein the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more adjacent cells and / or one or more non-serving cells of the UE.

[0254] Exemplary embodiment E7. At least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report, according to the method of any one of exemplary embodiments E1 - E6.

[0255] Exemplary embodiment E8a. The first message includes a UL RRC message transfer, according to the method of any one of exemplary embodiments E1 - E7.

[0256] Exemplary embodiment E8b. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E8a, wherein the at least one second message includes at least one UE context modification request.

[0257] Exemplary embodiment E9. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E8b, wherein the third message includes a UE context modification response.

[0258] Exemplary embodiment E10. The method according to any one of embodiments E1 to E9, wherein the fourth message includes a UE context modification request or a DL RRC message transfer.

[0259] Exemplary embodiment E11. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E10, wherein the fifth message includes a UE context modification response or a UL RRC message transfer.

[0260] Exemplary embodiment E12. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E11, wherein at least one of the first message, the at least one second message, the third message, the fourth message, and / or the fifth message is transmitted and / or received via an F1AP interface between the CU and the DU.

[0261] Exemplary embodiment E13. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E12, based on a received measurement report, wherein at least one second message indicating a request to the DU to configure L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes one or more measurement values of one or more cells.

[0262] Exemplary embodiment E14a. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E13, wherein the first message includes one or more measurement values and / or measurement reports of one or more cells.

[0263] Exemplary embodiment E14b. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E14a, further comprising determining at least one L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell for configuring the UE based on one or more measurement values and / or measurement reports of one or more cells.

[0264] Exemplary embodiment E15a. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E14b, wherein before the measurement report is received, the method further comprises transmitting, to the UE, a previous message including a measurement configuration, the measurement configuration including a reporting configuration, the reporting configuration including at least one trigger condition, and transmission of the measurement report by the UE being triggered when the at least one trigger condition is satisfied.

[0265] Exemplary embodiment E15b. A method according to the method of exemplary embodiment E15a, further comprising receiving the measurement configuration from the CU.

[0266] Exemplary embodiment E16. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E15b, further comprising obtaining information indicating that the UE is capable of performing L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

[0267] Exemplary embodiment E17. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E16, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0268] Exemplary embodiment E18. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E17, wherein the at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes a candidate that is at least one of a special cell (SpCell), a primary cell (PCell), a secondary cell (SCell), a primary secondary cell group (SCG) cell (PSCell), a master cell group (MCG) cell, and / or an SCG cell.

[0269] Exemplary embodiment E19. Receiving the at least one second message from the CU includes receiving a second message indicating a request to the DU to configure the UE with one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, and the third message includes a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E18.

[0270] Exemplary embodiment E20. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E18, wherein receiving the at least one second message from the CU includes receiving a plurality of second messages from the CU, one of the plurality of second messages indicates a request to the DU to configure the UE with each one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, and the third message includes a configuration of one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

[0271] Exemplary embodiment E21. Receiving the at least one second message from the CU includes receiving one second message from the CU, the second message indicates a request to the DU to configure the UE with a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, the third message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. The method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E18.

[0272] Exemplary embodiment E22. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E21, further comprising transmitting to a UE lower layer signaling including an indication of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell and / or a configuration associated with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, to trigger activation of the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell.

[0273] Exemplary embodiment E23. A method according to exemplary embodiment E22, wherein the lower layer signaling is transmitted to and / or received by at least one lower layer of the UE protocol stack, and the at least one lower layer includes at least one of PDCP, RLC, MAC, PHY, or layer 1.

[0274] Exemplary embodiment E24. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E22 to E23, wherein the lower layer signaling is transmitted via a MAC control element or downlink control information (DCI).

[0275] Exemplary embodiment E25. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E24, wherein the network node includes a gNodeB (gNB).

[0276] Exemplary embodiment E26. A method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E25, further comprising obtaining user data and transferring the user data to a host or user device.

[0277] Exemplary embodiment E27. A network node including a processing circuit configured to execute a method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E26.

[0278] Exemplary embodiment E28. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on a computer, execute a method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E26.

[0279] Exemplary embodiment E29. A computer program product including a computer program which, when executed on a computer, includes instructions for executing the method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E26.

[0280] Exemplary embodiment E30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computer, execute the method according to any one of exemplary embodiments E1 to E26.

[0281] Exemplary embodiments of group F

[0282] Exemplary embodiment F1. A user equipment in a connected state for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, comprising a processing circuit configured to execute any one of the steps in any one of the exemplary embodiments in groups A and C, and a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0283] Exemplary embodiment F2. A network node for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) in a connected state, comprising a processing circuit configured to execute any one of the steps in any one of the exemplary embodiments in groups B, D, and E, and a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0284] Exemplary embodiment E3. A user equipment (UE) in a connected state for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to transmit and receive radio signals; a radio front-end circuit connected to the antenna and the processing circuit and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuit; a processing circuit configured to execute any of the steps of any of the exemplary embodiments in either Group A or C; an input interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to enable input of information to the UE to be processed by the processing circuit; an output interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to output information from the UE processed by the processing circuit; and a battery connected to the processing circuit and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0285] Exemplary embodiment E4. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: a processing circuit configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the communication interface and the processing circuit of the UE are configured to execute any of the steps of any of the exemplary embodiments in either Group A or C to receive user data from the host.

[0286] Exemplary embodiment E5. The host of the exemplary embodiment further comprising a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0287] Exemplary embodiment E6. A host of the above two exemplary embodiments, wherein the processing circuit of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing user data, and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executed on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application, the host.

[0288] Exemplary embodiment E7. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system further including a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method including providing user data for the UE and initiating a transmission to carry the user data to the UE via a cellular network including the network node, and the UE executes any operation of any embodiment in Group A to receive the user data from the host.

[0289] Exemplary embodiment E8. A method of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, further including, at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executed on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0290] Exemplary embodiment E9. A method of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, further including, at the host, transmitting input data to a client application executed on the UE, the input data being provided by executing a host application, and the user data being provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0291] Exemplary Embodiment E10. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, comprising a processing circuit configured to provide user data, and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the communication interface and the processing circuit of the UE are configured to execute any of the steps of any of the exemplary embodiments in Groups A and C to transmit the user data to the host.

[0292] Exemplary Embodiment E11. The host of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, wherein the cellular network further comprises a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0293] Exemplary Embodiment E12. The host of the foregoing two exemplary embodiments, wherein the processing circuit of the host is configured to execute a host application to thereby provide user data, the host application is configured to interact with a client application executed on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0294] Exemplary Embodiment E13. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising receiving, at the host, user data transmitted by the UE via the network node to the host, wherein the UE is configured to execute any of the steps of any of the exemplary embodiments in Groups A and C to transmit the user data to the host.

[0295] Exemplary embodiment E14. A method of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, wherein on the host, the method further comprises running a host application associated with a client application running on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0296] Exemplary embodiment E15. A method of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, wherein on the host, the method further comprises transmitting input data to the client application running on the UE, the input data being provided by running the host application, and the user data being provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0297] Exemplary embodiment E16. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising a processing circuit configured to provide user data, and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the network node comprises a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the network node is configured to perform any operation of any exemplary embodiment in any of groups B, D, and E to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0298] Exemplary embodiment E17. A host of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, wherein the processing circuit of the host is configured to run a host application that provides the user data, and the UE comprises a processing circuit configured to run a client application associated with the host application to receive a transmission signal of the user data from the host.

[0299] Exemplary embodiment E18. A method implemented on a host configured to operate in a communication system further including a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission to carry the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node executes any operation of any exemplary embodiment in any of groups B, D, and E to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0300] Exemplary embodiment E19. The method of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0301] Exemplary embodiment E20. The method of any of the two foregoing exemplary embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executed on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0302] Exemplary embodiment E21. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising a host having a processing circuit configured to provide user data to a user equipment (UE), wherein the user data is associated with the over-the-top service, and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the network node being configured to execute any operation of any exemplary embodiment in any of groups B, D, and E to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0303] Exemplary embodiment E22. A communication system of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, further comprising the network node and / or the user equipment.

[0304] Exemplary embodiment E23. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host having a processing circuit configured to start receiving user data and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node within a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the network node being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the exemplary embodiments in Groups B, D, and E to receive user data from a user equipment (UE) to the host.

[0305] Exemplary embodiment E24. The host of the foregoing two exemplary embodiments, wherein the processing circuit of the host is configured to execute a host application to thereby provide the user data, the host application is configured to interact with a client application executed on the UE, and the client application is associated with the host application.

[0306] Exemplary embodiment E25. The host according to any of the foregoing two exemplary embodiments, wherein starting to receive the user data includes requesting the user data.

[0307] Exemplary embodiment E26. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system further including a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising, at the host, starting to receive user data from the UE, the user data being derived from a transmission signal received by the network node from the UE, the network node performing any of the steps of any of the exemplary embodiments in any of groups B, D, and E above to receive the user data from the UE to the host.

[0308] Exemplary embodiment E27. The method of the foregoing exemplary embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

Claims

1. A method (1300) for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility by a user equipment (UE) (402, 502, 602, 800) in a connected state, the method comprising: transmitting a measurement report including one or more measurements associated with one or more cells (1302); receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including at least one configuration of an L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell (1304); transmitting an RRC reconfiguration complete message (1306); A method having.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message comprises: at least one channel state information (CSI) measurement configuration; a first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell (PCell) of the UE; A method comprising at least one of.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one CSI measurement configuration and / or the first cell group configuration associated with the at least one configuration of the current PCell and / or the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is generated by a candidate distributed unit (DU) (406, 504, 604) and encapsulated in the RRC reconfiguration message by a central unit (CU) (404, 506, 606) and received by the UE via the candidate DU.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: receiving a measurement configuration, the measurement configuration including a reporting configuration, the reporting configuration including at least one trigger condition that, when satisfied, triggers transmission of the measurement report by the UE.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising: performing the one or more measurements associated with the one or more cells according to the measurement configuration; The one or more measurements are: channel state information measurements; layer 1 reference signal received power measurements; differential reference signal received power measurements; reference signal received quality measurements; signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio measurements; A method comprising at least one of.

6. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 5, comprising: determining that the at least one condition is satisfied. A method in which the measurement report is transmitted in response to determining that the at least one condition is satisfied. **Claim 7** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more adjacent cells and / or one or more non-serving cells; wherein the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report; A method that is at least one of the above. **Claim 8** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. **Claim 9** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, receiving lower layer signaling including an indication of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell and / or a configuration associated with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, wherein the indication triggers activation of the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; starting an operation in the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell according to the configuration based on the indication; A method having the above. **Claim 10** The method according to claim 9, wherein the lower layer signaling is received from a distributed unit (DU); wherein the lower layer signaling is received by at least one lower layer of the UE's protocol stack; having at least one of the above, and the at least one lower layer includes a packet data convergence protocol layer, a radio link control layer, a media access control layer, a physical layer, and layer 1 (L1) A method including at least one of the above. **Claim 11** The method according to any one of claims 9 and 10, wherein the lower layer signaling is received via media access control - control element or downlink control information. **Claim 12** The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is a special cell; a primary cell, a secondary cell, a primary-secondary cell group cell, a master cell group cell, and / or a secondary cell group cell, A method including a candidate that is at least one of these.

13. A method (1400) by a central unit (CU) (404, 506, 606) for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) (402, 502, 602, 800) in a connected state, the method comprising: sending (1402) at least one request to a candidate DU (406, 504, 604) for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE, wherein the at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; receiving (1404) at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell from the candidate DU; sending (1406) an RRC reconfiguration to be sent to the UE to the candidate DU, wherein the RRC reconfiguration includes the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; receiving (1408) RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE from the candidate DU; A method having these.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the candidate DU is a source DU for the UE.

15. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 14, wherein the RRC reconfiguration includes one or more of at least one channel state information (CSI) measurement configuration and a first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell (PCell) of the UE. A method including one or more of these.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, encapsulating the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell in an RRC reconfiguration message for transmission to the UE via the candidate DU. A method having this.

17. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, comprising receiving, from a source distribution unit (DU), the measurement report of the UE, wherein the measurement report includes one or more measurement values associated with one or more cells.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the one or more measurement values are channel state information measurements, layer 1 reference signal received power measurements, differential reference signal received power measurements, reference signal received quality measurements, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio measurements, and include one or more values associated with at least one of them.

19. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 18, wherein the measurement report is received included in a UL RRC message transfer, the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more adjacent cells and / or one or more non-serving cells of the UE, at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is one or more cells associated with the measurement report, and is at least one of them.

20. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the request to the candidate DU for configuring the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE is based on the received measurement report comprising the one or more measurement values of the one or more cells.

21. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein before the CU receives the measurement report from the source DU, transmitting a previous message including a measurement configuration to the source DU, the measurement configuration includes a reporting configuration, and the reporting configuration includes the at least one trigger condition for triggering the transmission of the measurement report by the UE when at least one trigger condition is satisfied.

22. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE is transmitted included in at least one UE context modification request, and the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is received included in a UE context modification response. The RRC reconfiguration is transmitted included in a UE context modification request or a DL RRC message transfer; The RRC reconfiguration completion is received included in a UE context modification response or a UL RRC message transfer; A method having at least one of the above. **Claim 23** The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein at least one message is transmitted and / or received via an F1 application protocol (F1AP) interface between the CU and the candidate DU. **Claim 24** The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, comprising: the UE obtaining information indicating that L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility is enabled. **Claim 25** The method according to any one of claims 13 to 24, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells. **Claim 26** The method according to any one of claims 13 to 25, wherein the at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is a special cell; a primary cell; a secondary cell; a primary-secondary cell group cell; a master cell group cell; a secondary cell group cell; A method including a candidate that is at least one of the above. **Claim 27** The method according to any one of claims 13 to 26, wherein transmitting the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes: the candidate DU transmitting a single message indicating a request for configuring one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell for the UE, wherein the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. **Claim 28** The method according to any one of claims 13 to 26, wherein transmitting the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE sending a plurality of messages to the candidate DU, each one of the plurality of messages indicating a request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

29. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 26, wherein sending the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility comprises: sending a single message to the candidate DU, the single message indicating a request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes a plurality of configurations, each of the plurality of configurations being associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

30. A method (1500) by a candidate distributed unit (DU) (406, 504, 604) for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) (402, 502, 602, 800) in a connected state, the method comprising: receiving (1502) from a central unit (CU) (404, 506, 606) at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility, wherein the at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell; sending (1504) the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells to the CU; receiving (1506) from the CU a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration, wherein the RRC reconfiguration includes the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells; receiving RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE; sending the RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE to the CU; A method having the above steps.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the RRC reconfiguration comprises at least one CSI measurement configuration, and a first cell group configuration associated with the current primary cell of the UE, a method comprising one or more of the above.

32. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 31, wherein the candidate DU is also a source DU with respect to the UE, and the method comprises sending a measurement report including one or more measurements of one or more cells to the CU, and sending the RRC reconfiguration including the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells to the UE. A method having the above.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein before sending the measurement report to the CU, the method comprises receiving the measurement report from the UE, and encapsulating the measurement report in a message for transmission to the CU. A method having the above.

34. The method according to any one of claims 32 to 33, further comprising determining at least one L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell configured for the UE based on the one or more measurements of the one or more cells and / or the measurement report.

35. The method according to any one of claims 32 to 34, wherein the one or more measurements include channel state information measurement, layer 1 reference signal received power measurement, differential reference signal received power measurement, reference signal received quality measurement, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio measurement, one or more values associated with at least one of the above.

36. The method according to any one of claims 32 to 35, wherein the one or more cells associated with the measurement report include one or more adjacent cells and / or one or more non-serving cells of the UE.

37. The method according to any one of claims 32 to 36, wherein the measurement report is included in a UL RRC message transfer and sent to the CU, and at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells is one of the one or more cells associated with the measurement report. A method including at least one of the above.

38. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 37, wherein At least one request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility is received included in at least one UE context modification request, At least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is transmitted included in the UE context modification response, The RRC reconfiguration is received included in the UE context modification request or DL RRC message transfer, The RRC reconfiguration completion is transmitted included in the UE context modification response or UL RRC message transfer, A method including at least one of the above.

39. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein at least one message is transmitted and / or received via an F1 application protocol (F1AP) interface between the CU and the candidate DU.

40. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 39, further comprising obtaining information indicating that the UE is capable of performing L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility.

41. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 40, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes a plurality of configurations, and each one of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

42. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 41, wherein the at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell is a special cell, a primary cell, a secondary cell, a primary-secondary cell group cell, a master cell group cell, and / or a secondary cell group cell, including at least one of the above candidates.

43. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 42, wherein receiving the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility includes receiving a single message indicating a request to the candidate DU for configuring the UE with one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, A method, wherein at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

44. A method according to any one of claims 30 to 42, wherein receiving the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes receiving a plurality of second messages from the CU, wherein each one of the plurality of second messages indicates a request to the candidate DU for configuring a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE, and wherein at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

45. A method according to any one of claims 30 to 42, wherein receiving the at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE includes receiving one second message from the CU, wherein the second message indicates a request to the candidate DU for configuring a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells for the UE, and wherein the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells includes a plurality of configurations, and each of the plurality of configurations is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells.

46. A method according to any one of claims 30 to 45, comprising transmitting to the UE lower layer signaling including an indication of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells and / or the configuration associated with the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells to trigger activation of the configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, wherein the lower layer signaling is transmitted and / or received in at least one lower layer of the protocol stack of the UE, wherein the at least one lower layer is a packet data convergence protocol layer, a radio link control layer, a media access control layer, a physical layer, layer 1 (L1), A method comprising at least one of the following.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein the lower layer signaling is transmitted via a medium access control - control element or downlink control information.

48. A method by a user equipment (UE) in a connected state for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility, wherein the UE transmits a measurement report including one or more measurements associated with one or more cells, receives a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including a configuration of at least one of L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, transmits an RRC reconfiguration complete message, and is adapted accordingly.

49. The UE according to claim 48, wherein the UE is adapted to execute the method according to any one of claims 2 to 12.

50. A central unit (CU) for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) in a connected state, wherein the CU transmits at least one request to the candidate DU for configuring L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility for the UE to the candidate DU, where the at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell, receives a configuration of at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells from the candidate DU, transmits an RRC reconfiguration to be transmitted to the UE to the candidate DU, where the RRC reconfiguration includes the configuration of at least one of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cells, receives RRC reconfiguration complete from the UE from the candidate DU, and is adapted accordingly.

51. The CU according to claim 50, wherein the CU is adapted to execute the method according to any one of claims 14 to 29.

52. A candidate distributed unit (DU) for configuring layer 1 / layer 2 (L1 / L2)-based inter-cell mobility for a user equipment (UE) in a connected state, wherein the candidate DU Receive from a Central Unit (CU) at least one request to configure the UE with L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility to a candidate DU, where the at least one request indicates at least one L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. Transmit at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell to the CU. Receive from the CU a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration, where the RRC reconfiguration includes the at least one configuration of the L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility candidate cell. Receive RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE. Transmit the RRC reconfiguration completion from the UE to the CU. Candidate DU adapted as such.

53. The candidate DU according to claim 52, wherein the candidate DU is adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 31 to 47.

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