Reduced cell activation delay

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a terminal device, a network device, a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium for reducing cell activation delay. During a secondary cell activation procedure, the terminal device determines at least one measurement result for the secondary cell at the terminal device and performs Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result. This eliminates the need to perform Layer 1 measurements on all beams, thereby shortening the duration of the activation procedure. This reduces activation delay, reduces power consumption, and improves communication efficiency.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to terminal equipment, network equipment, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for solutions that reduce cell activation delays. [Background technology]

[0002] In communication systems such as New Radio (NR) and Long Term Evolution (LTE), when carrier aggregation (CA) is configured, a secondary cell (SCell) may be activated or deactivated to streamline battery consumption in user equipment (UE). The transition between the activated and deactivated states may be based on a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) command from the network equipment. For example, an activation command from the network equipment may indicate that an SCell should be activated.

[0003] An activation time, or activation delay, is required for a UE to transition from a deactivated state to an activated state. Depending on the conditions, the activation delay may be very long. Further research and development is needed to find ways to shorten the activation delay. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reducing cell activation delay.

[0005] In one aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: determine, at the terminal device, at least one measurement result of a secondary cell during a secondary cell activation procedure; and perform Layer 1 measurements of the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network equipment is provided, the network equipment comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network equipment to at least: send an activation command to a terminal equipment of a primary cell, indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform fast Layer 1 measurements during a secondary cell activation procedure; and receive, during the secondary cell activation procedure, a measurement report from the terminal equipment, indicating whether the Layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal equipment are fast Layer 1 measurements.

[0007] In a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a terminal equipment during a secondary cell activation procedure, the method including determining at least one measurement result of the secondary cell at the terminal equipment, and performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method performed by a network equipment, the method comprising: sending an activation command to a network equipment in a primary cell indicating that the network equipment is authorized to perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements during a secondary cell activation procedure, and receiving a measurement report from the terminal equipment during the secondary cell activation procedure indicating whether the Layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal equipment are high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: means, in a terminal equipment during a secondary cell activation procedure, for determining at least one measurement result of the secondary cell in the terminal equipment; and means for performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement result.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: means for transmitting a network activation command to a terminal device in a primary cell, means for transmitting an activation command during a secondary cell activation procedure indicating that the terminal device is authorized to perform fast Layer 1 measurements, and means for receiving a measurement report from the terminal device indicating whether a Layer 1 measurement performed at the terminal device is a fast Layer 1 measurement.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of the third or fourth aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of the third or fourth aspect.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a determining circuit configured to determine, in the terminal device during a secondary cell activation procedure, at least one measurement result of a secondary cell in the terminal device; and an executing circuit configured to perform Layer 1 measurements of the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising: a transmitting circuit configured to transmit a network device command to a terminal device in a primary cell, a transmitting circuit configured to transmit an activation command during a secondary cell activation procedure indicating that the terminal device is authorized to perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements, and a receiving circuit configured to receive from the terminal device a measurement report indicating whether the Layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal device are high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of the third or fourth aspect.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes means for determining, in a terminal device, at least one measurement result of a secondary cell during a secondary cell activation procedure, and performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes means for performing the following: sending an activation command to a terminal equipment of a primary cell indicating that the terminal equipment is allowed to perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements during an activation procedure of a secondary cell; and receiving a measurement report from the terminal equipment indicating whether the Layer 1 measurements performed in the terminal equipment are high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0018] It should be understood that the Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent through the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of SCell activation when activating an FR2 unknown SCell. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment in which some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example process flow in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A illustrates an example process by which a terminal device has Layer 3 measurements for an FR2 unknown SCell in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B illustrates an example process for a terminal device that does not have Layer 3 measurements for an FR2 unknown SCell in some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented in a terminal device in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented in a network device in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for practicing some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 8 shows a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes to help those skilled in the art understand and practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various forms other than those described below.

[0021] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0022] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments need include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

[0023] Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0024] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, it will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and / or "including" specify the presence of particular features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude their presence. As used herein, similar expressions such as "at least one of, " and "at least one of " mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements, when a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or."

[0025] As used in this application, the term "circuit" means (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only implementations); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software (if applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; (ii) software (including digital signal processors), software, and hardware processor portions with memory that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; (c) A hardware circuit or processor, such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not required for operation; It may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0026] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term circuit also covers simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or part of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuit also covers, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network equipment, or other computing or network equipment, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0027] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), or Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in the communication network may be based on first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will, of course, be future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0028] As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal equipment accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Network equipment can be a base station (BS) or access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), new radio (NR) NB (also referred to as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio head (RRH), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, relay, or low-power node such as femto or pico, depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0029] The term "terminal equipment" refers to any terminal equipment capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal equipment may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). Terminal equipment includes, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal equipment, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal equipment such as digital cameras, gaming terminal equipment, music storage and playback equipment, in-vehicle wireless terminal equipment, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, wearables such as watches, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms “terminal equipment,” “communications equipment,” “terminal equipment,” “user equipment,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0030] As mentioned above, the SCell is set to be in a deactivated state when CA is configured to streamline the UE's battery consumption. The transition from the deactivated state to the activated state requires T activation_time The activation delay is a time consisting of several parts, including: (i) the time required for the activation of the UE to receive the UE's signal; (ii) the time required for the activation of the UE to receive the UE's signal; and (iii) the time required for the activation of the UE to receive the UE's signal. In some conditions, such as an unknown target SCell, the activation delay may be very long due to cell detection, beam measurements, such as Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurements, Channel State Information (CSI) measurements, etc. The term "Layer 1 (L1)" in this disclosure may refer to the physical layer and may be abbreviated as PHY.

[0031] A delay requirement T indicates the delay with which the UE can activate a deactivated SCell. activation_time The delay requirement is based on the state of the S-cell at the time of receiving the activation command and during the activation time: S cell is known or unknown, S whether the cell belongs to frequency range 1 (FR1) or FR2, Whether there is already a serving cell in the same FR2 band, Whether periodic or persistent channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) are used for CSI reporting etc. Includes: The reason is that the UE will perform different activation steps under these different conditions.

[0032] In the context of this disclosure, an SCell is "known" means that the UE has sent an L3 measurement report within a period of time before receiving the activation command and the reported synchronization signal block (SSB) index remains detectable during the SCell activation period.

number

[0033] In the context of the present disclosure, terms such as SCell activation delay, SCell activation delay requirement, activation delay, activation delay requirement, delay, delay requirement, etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0034] T activation_time may be based on whether a serving cell already exists on the same FR2 band. For example, if a serving cell exists on the FR2 band, the UE can reuse the beam information acquired from the serving cell for the SCell to be activated (i.e., the target SCell), so that it takes a very short time T to activate the SCell. FirstSSB +5ms is required. However, if the target SCell is the first SCell in that band, the UE needs to wait for a network command (e.g., activation of Transmission Configuration Information (TCI)) to direct the downlink (DL) beam.

[0035] T activation_time may be based on whether the SCell is known or unknown. For example, in FR2, if the SCell is known, the network determines the TCI based on the L3 measurement report received before sending the activation command, so only the MAC uncertainty time is taken into account in the SCell activation delay.

[0036] However, as shown in Figure 1, when the S cell is unknown in FR2, the UE is expected to first detect the cell, which involves DL synchronization, automatic gain control (AGC), and time / frequency fine-tuning, which takes a long time. FirstSSB_MAX +15*T SMTC_MAX +8*T rs Next, L1-RSRP measurement and reporting, i.e., T L1-RSRP,measure and T L1-RSRP,report is required to obtain beam information and report it to the network. The activation delay of the FR2 unknown S cell is determined by combining Figure 1 as follows:

number

[0037] Similarly, L1-RSRP measurements are also required in FR1 when the SCell is unknown and non-contiguous with the active cell in the same band.

number

[0038] The meanings of the above parameters are explained below.

[0039] In FR1, for intraband S cell activation, T SMTC_MAX represents the longer SSB-based RRM measurement timing configuration (SMTC) period between the active serving cell and the SCell to be activated when the cell-specific reference signals from the active serving cell and the SCell to be activated or released are available in the same slot, and in FR2, T SMTC_MAX represents the longer SMTC period between the active serving cell and the activated SCell. SMTC_MAX is limited to a minimum value of 10ms. T rsは If the UE provides the SMTC setting for the SCell in the SCell addition message, this represents the SMTC period of the activated SCell; otherwise, T rs represents the SMTC configured in measObjectNR with the same SSB frequency and subcarrier spacing. If the UE is not provided with an SMTC configuration or measurement object for this frequency, T rs The requirements including T are based on the assumption that the SSB transmission period is 5 ms. rs = 5ms. T FirstSSB_MAX is a slot

number

[0040] In such cases, the L1-RSRP measurement delay is defined as in Table 1 (see TS 38.133, Section 9.5.4.1, Table 9.5.4.1-2), and for SSB-based L1-RSRP measurements in FR2, N=8 UE receive (RX) beams are assumed, considering the worst case scenario where the UE has no information about S cells and therefore needs to sweep all DL beams and adjust the receive (RX) beam settings to ensure they are active. [Table 1]

[0041] In Release 18, it is accepted that one of the objectives in RAN#95e is to reduce SCell activation delay in FR2, but the solution is not limited to FR2.

[0042] It has been confirmed that the activation delay is too long when activating FR2 unknown S cells, and further shortening of the activation delay is expected.

[0043] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reducing cell activation delay, termed "fast cell activation." In particular, a terminal device can determine at least one measurement result of an SCell at the terminal device, and the terminal device can further perform Layer 1 measurements based on the at least one measurement result. In this manner, the duration of the activation procedure can be shorter. Therefore, activation delay can be reduced, power consumption can be reduced, and communication efficiency can be improved. The principles and some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] 2 illustrates an example of a network environment 200 in which some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The environment 200, which may be part of a communications network, includes a terminal device 210 and a network device 220.

[0045] Communications environment 200 may include any suitable number of devices and cells. In communications environment 200, network device 220 may provide service to terminal device 210, and network device 220 and terminal device 210 may communicate data and control information with each other. In some embodiments, network device 220 and terminal device 210 may communicate over a direct link / channel. The link from network device 220 to terminal device 210 is referred to as a downlink (DL), while the link from terminal device 210 to network device 220 is referred to as an uplink (UL). Terminal device 210 may be configured with multiple cells. In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 may be connected to a primary cell (PCell) and / or a secondary cell under the control of network device 220.

[0046] In system 100, the link from network device 220 to terminal device 210 is called the downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 210 to network device 220 is called the uplink (UL). In the downlink, network device 220 is the transmit (TX) device (or transmitter) and terminal device 210 is the receive (RX) device (or receiver). In the uplink, terminal device 210 is the transmit TX device (or transmitter) and network device 220 is the receive RX device (or receiver). It should be understood that network device 220 can provide one or more serving cells. In some embodiments, network device 220 can provide multiple cells.

[0047] Communications in network environment 200 may be conducted according to any suitable communications protocol(s), including, but not limited to, cellular communications protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G), wireless local network communications protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or other protocols now known or developed in the future. Further, communications may utilize any suitable wireless communications technology, including, but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or other technologies now known or developed in the future.

[0048] It should be understood that the number of devices (i.e., terminal device 210 and network device 220) shown in Figure 2, as well as their connection relationships and types, are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitations. For example, environment 200 may include any suitable number of devices adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, although Figure 2 depicts terminal device 210 as a mobile phone, terminal device 210 may be any type of user equipment.

[0049] In the present disclosure, the network equipment 220 may provide a plurality of cells including a PCell and a secondary cell. In some embodiments, the secondary cell may be a primary secondary cell (PS cell) or an SCell. For ease of explanation, the following embodiments are described with reference to an SCell, but it should be understood that the embodiments may also apply to a PCell and will not be repeated.

[0050] 3 shows an example of a process flow 300 in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, the process flow 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The process flow 300 includes a terminal device 210 and a network device 220. Although the process flow 300 is described in the network environment 200 of FIG. 2, it should be understood that the process flow may be applied to other communication scenarios as well.

[0051] In some embodiments, the network device 220 may provide multiple cells, including a primary cell and a secondary cell. Assume that the terminal device 210 is in the primary cell provided by the network device 220, and the secondary cell is activated through an activation procedure. The activation procedure includes a Layer 1 measurement phase, which may be legacy Layer 1 measurement or fast Layer 1 measurement. Fast Layer 1 measurement takes less time than legacy Layer 1 measurement. In some embodiments, fast Layer 1 measurement may also be referred to as shortened Layer 1 measurement, and the present disclosure is not limited to this aspect. In some embodiments, the Layer 1 measurement may be a measurement of L1-RSRP and / or Layer 1-Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (L1-SINR), or a measurement result of beam information within a cell.

[0052] In some exemplary embodiments, alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3 , terminal device 210 may transmit capability information 302 to network device 220. In some exemplary embodiments, capability information 302 may indicate whether terminal device 210 supports fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements. In some exemplary embodiments, capability information 302 may indicate a minimum required number of beams for shortened Layer 1 measurements, e.g., a minimum required number of UE RX beams to be applied. The minimum required number may be used to determine a measurement delay for shortened Layer 1 measurements. In some exemplary embodiments, capability information 302 may indicate a predetermined refinement factor. For example, the predetermined refinement factor may be N refinewhere the refinement factor may also be referred to as a compensation factor used to mitigate beam differences between Layer 3 and Layer 1 measurements, which will be described in more detail below.

[0053] On the other side of the communication, the network device 220 can receive the capability information 302. In this way, the network device 220 can recognize the capability information 302 of the terminal device 210 and can perform further configuration or display based on the capability information 302.

[0054] In process flow 300, network device 220 sends an activation command 312 to terminal device 210. The activation command 312 may instruct the activation of a secondary cell. For example, the activation command 312 may include an identifier (ID) of the secondary cell. In some embodiments, the activation command 312 may be an activation message or may be included in the activation message.

[0055] In some exemplary embodiments, activation command 312 may indicate that terminal device 210 is authorized to perform fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements during a secondary cell activation procedure. In some examples, activation command 312 may be based on capability information 302. For example, if capability information 302 indicates that terminal device 210 supports fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements, activation command 312 may indicate that terminal device 210 supports fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements, and activation command 312 indicates that terminal device 210 is authorized to perform fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements. In some examples, activation command 312 may be based on a determination of network device 220. This disclosure is not limited to this aspect.

[0056] In some exemplary embodiments, the activation command 312 may indicate a scaling factor, which may be denoted as K. For example, the activation command 312 may include the scaling factor K. For example, the activation command 312 may include a value (e.g., N1) for determining the scaling factor, which may be 1 / K. The scaling factor may be used by the terminal device 210 to determine multiple UE receive beams to be used for shortened Layer 1 measurements, as described below. In some other embodiments, the activation command 312 may include the number of multiple receive beams, denoted as M, which may be considered an alternative embodiment of the scaling factor K in this embodiment. The scaling factor and / or value may also be indicated using other messages from the network device 220 to the terminal device 210.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, the activation command 312 may indicate spatial information associated with the reference signal, which may be used by the terminal device 210 to determine multiple receive beams, as described below.

[0058] In some demonstrative embodiments, the scaling factor or spatial information in the activation command 312 may be based on the capability information 302. For example, if the capability information 302 indicates a minimum number of beams required for abbreviated Layer 1 measurements, the network device 220 may determine the scaling factor and / or spatial information based on the minimum number of beams required for abbreviated Layer 1 measurements. In this manner, the requirements of the terminal device 210 may be met.

[0059] At the other end of the communication, the terminal device 210 receives 314 the activation command 312. The terminal device 210 can then perform a secondary cell activation procedure.

[0060] 3, terminal device 210 may determine whether at least one layer 3 measurement result for the secondary cell is available at terminal device 210 (315). In some exemplary embodiments, the layer 3 measurement result(s) may be determined based on intra-frequency measurements performed on the deactivated secondary cell and / or during secondary cell activation. In some exemplary embodiments, the layer 3 measurement result(s) may be determined based on inter-frequency measurements made before the cell was configured as a secondary cell.

[0061] In some exemplary embodiments, available Layer 3 measurements may be Layer 3 measurements that meet certain measurement and / or accuracy requirements under measurement conditions, and in some examples may be referred to as valid Layer 3 measurements.

[0062] Continuing with reference to FIG. 3, terminal device 210 determines 320 at least one measurement result for the secondary cell. In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one measurement result is at least one Layer 3 measurement result if at least one Layer 3 measurement result is available. In some other exemplary embodiments, the at least one measurement result is a measurement result obtained in a cell detection phase if at least one Layer 3 measurement result is unavailable.

[0063] Continuing with reference to FIG. 3, the terminal device 210 performs 330 Layer 1 measurements for the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0064] Specifically, in some exemplary embodiments, if at least one Layer 3 measurement result for a secondary cell is available to the terminal device 210, the terminal device 210 can perform Layer 1 measurements based on the at least one Layer 3 measurement result without going through the cell detection phase of the activation procedure.

[0065] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 can determine the activation step in the secondary cell activation procedure based on whether at least one Layer 3 measurement result for the secondary cell is available. Specifically, if at least one Layer 3 measurement result for the secondary cell is available, the cell detection phase is skipped and terminal device 210 can perform Layer 1 measurements without performing cell detection.

[0066] In some embodiments, measurements may be based on the SSB. Note that an SSB consists of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS) block and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block. The terminal device 210 performs cell detection in two parts. First, the terminal device 210 reads the PSS block to obtain symbol boundary synchronization and checks the primary cell ID (PCID) included in the PSS. Next, the terminal device 210 reads the PBCH block to obtain master information block (MIB) information. If the terminal device 210 successfully decodes the PBCH using the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits, the terminal device 210 declares a "cell detected" status for L3 measurements that measure the RX signal strength of the SSB block. In this disclosure, skipping cell detection may mean that the terminal device 210 only obtains the symbol boundary for further L1 measurements by reading the PSS, up to the UE implementation. This means that the network equipment 220 does not oblige the terminal equipment 210 to read PBCH blocks for the SCell activation procedure, since the terminal equipment 210 is not required to report cell detection status or L3 measurements, so the cell detection phase may be skipped without impacting communication.

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, if at least one Layer 3 measurement result of the secondary cell is available, the terminal equipment 210 may perform Layer 1 measurements without a cell detection phase. In some examples, the Layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal equipment 210 may be legacy Layer 1 measurements. For example, the Layer 1 measurements may refer to those described with reference to Table 1 above. In other examples, the Layer 1 measurements performed by the terminal equipment 210 may be shortened Layer 1 measurements (fast Layer 1 measurements). In some examples, the time length of the shortened Layer 1 measurements is shorter than the time length of the legacy Layer 1 measurements. In some examples, the Layer 1 measurements may also be skipped. The results of the Layer 1 measurements are determined by applying a correction factor, for example, a predetermined refinement factor, to the Layer 3 measurement results of the secondary cell.

[0068] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 may perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements based on one of the following conditions: the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is not lower than a threshold; capability information has been sent to the network equipment, the capability information indicates whether the terminal device supports abbreviated Layer 1 measurements; an activation command from the network equipment indicates that the terminal device is authorized to perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements, or instructs to perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements based on a scaling factor or a predetermined refinement factor. In some embodiments, during a secondary cell activation procedure, terminal device 210 may perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements if one of the conditions is met.

[0069] In some examples, if the terminal device 210 has the capability to perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements, for example, if the capability information 302 indicates that the terminal device 210 supports abbreviated Layer 1 measurements, the terminal device 210 can perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements. In this embodiment, if the activation command 312 indicates that the terminal device 210 is authorized to perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements, the terminal device 210 can perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements. In some examples of this embodiment, if the channel condition is good, for example, if the SNR is not lower than a threshold (e.g., 2 dB), the terminal device 210 can perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements.

[0070] In some examples of other embodiments, shortened Layer 1 measurements can be performed during the secondary cell activation procedure if the terminal equipment 210 does not plan to perform legacy Layer 1 measurements or if the terminal equipment 210 can compensate for potential performance degradation.

[0071] In some embodiments, abbreviated Layer 1 measurements (fast Layer 1 measurements) may be performed for at least one beam of the secondary cell. In some examples, the at least one beam may be based on a UE RX beam, e.g., there are N=8 UE RX beams. In some examples, the at least one beam may be derived from at least one Layer 3 measurement. In some examples, the number of at least one beam may be denoted as M.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments, the number of beams may be based on the number of detectable SSBs based on at least one Layer 3 measurement. For example, the detectable SSBs are SSBs that are detectable in the most recent intra-frequency measurement in the deactivated secondary cell. The term "detectable" may refer to Section 9.2.2 of TS 38.133, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0073] In some examples, the multiple beams may be based on the number of SSBs associated with the number of measurable CSI-RS resources based on at least one Layer 3 measurement result. For example, the measurable CSI-RS resources may be measurable CSI-RS resources when CSI-RS-based measurements are configured on a deactivated secondary cell. It should be understood that the term "measurable" may refer to Section 9.10.2 of TS 38.133, and therefore will not be repeated herein.

[0074] In some examples, the number of beams may be based on a first predetermined number of best SSBs based on at least one Layer 3 measurement. For example, the first predetermined number may be denoted as X1, the terminal device 210 may determine X1 best measurement results from the at least one Layer 3 measurement result, and the terminal device 210 may further determine the first predetermined number of best SSBs corresponding to the X1 best measurement results. In other words, abbreviated Layer 1 measurements may be performed on the X1 best measured SSBs.

[0075] In some embodiments, the number of beams may be based on a second predetermined number of best CSI-RS resources based on at least one Layer 3 measurement. For example, the first predetermined number may be denoted as Y1, the terminal device 210 may determine a best measurement result for Y1 from at least one Layer 3 measurement, and the terminal device 210 may further determine a second predetermined number of best CSI-RS resources corresponding to the best measurement result for Y1. In other words, abbreviated Layer 1 measurements may be performed based on the Y1 best measured CSI-RS resources.

[0076] In some examples, the number of beams may be based on the number of SSBs for which at least one Layer 3 measurement result is greater than a first threshold. For example, the terminal device 210 may determine, from at least one Layer 3 measurement result, one or more measurements that are greater than a first threshold, and the terminal device 210 may further determine an SSB corresponding to the one or more measurements. The determined number of SSBs may be denoted as X2. In other words, abbreviated Layer 1 measurements may be performed based on the X2 measured SSBs that are greater than the first threshold.

[0077] In some embodiments, the number of beams may be based on the number of CSI-RS resources for which at least one Layer 3 measurement is greater than a second threshold. For example, terminal device 210 may determine, from at least one Layer 3 measurement, one or more measurements that are greater than a second threshold, and terminal device 210 may further determine CSI-RS resources corresponding to the one or more measurements. It is assumed that the determined number of CSI-RS resources is denoted as Y2. In other words, shortened Layer 1 measurements may be performed based on the Y2 measured CSI-RS resources that are greater than the first threshold.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first predetermined number (X1) and the second predetermined number (Y1) may be the same number, and the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be the same threshold value, and the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0079] In this way, shortened Layer 1 measurements may be performed for fewer beams, reducing activation delays. In some embodiments, one SSB or CSI-RS over which Layer 1 measurements are performed may also be referred to as a measurement sample (or sample). As noted above, the number of samples in a shortened Layer 1 measurement may be denoted as M, which is an integer.

[0080] In some demonstrative embodiments, terminal device 210 may determine multiple beams. For example, the number of multiple beams (M) is greater than the minimum required number of beams described with reference to capability information 302 above. For example, the number of multiple beams (M) is determined based on a scaling factor (K) included in the activation command. For example, terminal device 210 may determine that M=N / K, where K is an integer greater than 1, e.g., K=4. For example, terminal device 210 may determine multiple beams based on spatial information associated with source reference signals, such as SSB or CSI-RS.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 can determine a Layer 1 measurement result from at least one Layer 3 measurement result. For example, the terminal device 210 can apply a predetermined refinement factor (N refine ) to obtain Layer 1 measurement results without additional Layer 1 measurements. In this way, the terminal device 210 can refine the Layer 1 measurement beam based on the Layer 3 measurement beam. In some embodiments, a predetermined refinement factor (N refine ) may be determined by the terminal device 210 based on the implementation of the UE. The predetermined refinement factor may take into account the antenna gain margin between the coarse beam and the refined beam at the UE.

[0082] In some exemplary embodiments, the abbreviated Layer 1 measurements may be performed for a specific beam, i.e., the number of at least one beam for which the abbreviated Layer 1 measurements are performed may be 1. For example, the specific beam may correspond to an SSB having the best result in at least one Layer 3 measurement. For example, the beam may correspond to a CSI-RS having the best result in at least one Layer 3 measurement.

[0083] For example, if a secondary cell is configured for active CSI-RS-based L3 measurements, the CSI-RS-based L3 measurements are assumed to use the same search engine as the Layer 1 measurements, so that shortened Layer 1 measurements may be performed on a beam corresponding to the best CSI-RS-based measurement result. The terminal device 210 may determine a best result in at least one Layer 3 measurement result and may determine a best CSI-RS associated with the best result, for example, the best result is obtained by measuring the best CSI-RS. The terminal device 210 may further determine a beam corresponding to the best CSI-RS, and thus, the terminal device 210 may perform shortened Layer 1 measurements on the beam corresponding to the best CSI-RS.

[0084] It should be understood that there may be scenarios in which the terminal device 210 does not require refined Layer 1 measurements and instead uses Layer 3 measurements based on broadband beams. In this case, there is no need to perform Layer 1 measurements based on narrow beams to activate unknown SCells. This may simplify the activation procedure and reduce delays. Compared to a conventional activation procedure in which Layer 1 measurements are performed based on all reference signals configured for Layer 1 measurements (potential beams), Layer 1 measurements are shortened, and in some embodiments of the present disclosure, shortened Layer 1 measurements are limited to a portion of the reference signals. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, shortened Layer 1 measurements are limited to a portion of the reference signals, for example, the best CSI-RS (beam), to accelerate beam reporting.

[0085] As mentioned above, if at least one Layer 3 measurement is available, the cell detection stage may be skipped. In some other exemplary embodiments, if at least one Layer 3 measurement is not available to the terminal device 210, the terminal device 210 may perform cell detection.

[0086] Specifically, in some other exemplary embodiments, if at least one Layer 3 measurement result is unavailable, the terminal device 210 may perform Layer 1 measurements based on at least one measurement result determined in the cell detection phase. In some implementations, the terminal device 210 may perform abbreviated Layer 1 measurements and cell detection in parallel.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 may perform shortened Layer 1 measurements based on any of the following conditions: the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is not below a threshold; capability information has been sent to the network equipment; the capability information indicates whether the network equipment supports fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements; and an activation command from the network equipment indicates that the terminal device is authorized to perform fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements or instructs to perform shortened Layer 1 measurements based on a predetermined refinement factor. In some embodiments, if any of the conditions are met, terminal device 210 may perform fast cell activation and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements during the secondary cell activation procedure.

[0088] In some embodiments, abbreviated Layer 1 measurements (fast Layer 1 measurements) may be performed for at least one beam of the secondary cell. In some examples, the at least one beam may be based on a UE RX beam, e.g., there are N=8 UE RX beams. In some examples, the at least one beam may be derived from at least one Layer 3 measurement. In some examples, the number of at least one beam may be denoted as M.

[0089] In some embodiments, the terminal device 210 can determine at least one beam based on one or more of the following: the number of detectable SSBs based on at least one measurement result; the number of SSBs associated with the number of measurable CSI-RS resources based on at least one measurement result; a first predetermined number of best measured SSBs based on at least one measurement result; a second predetermined number of best measured CSI-RS resources based on at least one measurement result; the number of SSBs for which at least one measurement result is greater than a first threshold; the number of CSI-RS resources for which at least one measurement result is greater than a second threshold; or the number of beams selected from full beams for at least one measurement result.

[0090] For example, Layer 1 measurements may determine multiple beams based on the number of SSBs detectable in measurements during the cell detection phase, i.e., the multiple beams may be determined based on SSBs detectable in intra-frequency measurements during cell detection. In some embodiments, the multiple beams may be based on a predetermined number of SSB / CSI-RS resources with the best measurements during the cell detection phase. In some embodiments, the multiple beams may be based on multiple SSB / CSI-RS resources whose associated measurements during the cell detection phase are higher than a threshold.

[0091] In some embodiments, the layer 1 measurements may be at least one measurement obtained during a cell detection phase and / or a predetermined refinement factor (N refine For example, the layer 1 measurement result may be determined by multiplying at least one measurement result obtained in the cell detection stage by a predetermined refinement factor.

[0092] Note that the measurement targets for Layer 1 measurement and cell detection cannot be set in two separate periods. Specifically, the receive beam selection during different measurements by the terminal equipment 210 is transparent to the network equipment 220. In other words, the RX beam selection operation of the UE remains up to the implementation of the UE.

[0093] For example, the measurement in cell detection is 8*Trs, where: Trs is the SMTC period of the activated SCell if the terminal device 210 has been provided with SMTC settings for the SCell in the SCell addition message; otherwise, Trs is the SMTC set in the measObjectNR with the same SSB frequency and subcarrier spacing (SCS).

[0094] For example, the layer 1 measurements are N*T SSB where: T SSB =ssb-periodicityServingCell is the period of SSB-Index, and N=8 is always used for RX beam sweeping.

[0095] However, since the network equipment 220 does not require reporting of measurements in the cell detection phase, the terminal equipment 210 does not need a separate measurement sweep for Layer 1 measurements after cell detection during the SMTC window allocated to the SCell. Instead, measurements in the cell detection phase can be used to refine the Layer 1 measurement beam. The same N=8 beam sweep is not required, but instead a predetermined refinement factor (N refine ) can be used. In some examples, a predetermined refinement factor (N refine ) is related to the capabilities of the terminal device 210, e.g., N refine <8, and the terminal device 210 uses a predetermined refinement factor (N refine ) may be performed as part of cell detection using a predetermined refinement factor N( refine ) can also be referred to as an L3-based refine Rx setting coefficient, and the present disclosure is not limited to this one aspect.

[0096] In some other embodiments, the shortened Layer 1 measurements may be performed on a specific beam. For example, the specific beam may correspond to an SSB having the best result in at least one measurement result determined in the cell detection phase. For example, the specific beam may correspond to a CSI-RS having the best result in at least one measurement result in the cell detection phase.

[0097] In this way, the terminal device 210 can skip the cell detection phase and / or shorten the Layer 1 measurements to perform the SCell activation procedure, which can result in a shorter duration of the activation procedure and reduced delay.

[0098] Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, alternatively or additionally, terminal device 210 may transmit measurement report 342 to network device 220. In an exemplary embodiment, measurement report 342 may indicate Layer 1 measurement results. In an exemplary embodiment, measurement report 342 may further indicate one or more of whether the Layer 1 measurement results are based on full beams, the number of beams on which the Layer 1 measurement results are based, whether configured SSB or configured CSI-RS resources are measured, or whether the Layer 1 measurement is an abbreviated (or fast) Layer 1 measurement or a legacy Layer 1 measurement. In some embodiments, measurement report 342 may indicate whether the cell activation procedure for the secondary cell is fast cell activation or legacy cell activation.

[0099] In some embodiments, terminal device 210 can report whether Layer 1 measurements were performed on all beams or on a specific few beams. In some examples, terminal device 210 can indicate whether a Layer 1 report is based on abbreviated Layer 1 measurements or legacy Layer 1 measurements. In some embodiments, for SSB or CSI-RS resources configured for Layer 1 measurements, terminal device 210 can indicate whether the configured SSB or CSI-RS resource is measured. For example, a special value in the measurement report can be used to indicate whether a specific SSB or CSI-RS resource is measured.

[0100] In some other embodiments, the measurement report may also instruct the terminal device 210 to perform further layer 1 measurements based on a predetermined refinement factor. As such, the terminal device 210 may indicate whether or not to perform (or need to perform) further layer 1 measurements (e.g., further shortened layer 1 measurements) for possible beam refinement.

[0101] Based on the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3, during the activation procedure the cell detection phase may be skipped and / or shortened Layer 1 measurements may be performed, resulting in a shorter duration of the activation procedure and reduced delay.

[0102] In this disclosure, Layer 1 measurements are also referred to as L1 measurements, L1-RSRP measurements, etc., although the disclosure is not limited to this one aspect. In some exemplary embodiments, the activated secondary cell may be an unknown SCell in FR2.

[0103] In this disclosure, fast cell activation refers to a procedure of activating a cell (such as an SCell) by at least one of: without a cell detection phase, with a fast / shortened Layer 1 measurement phase, without a Layer 1 measurement phase, by performing fast / shortened Layer 1 measurements in the cell detection phase, etc.

[0104] 4A illustrates an example process 410 in which a terminal device has Layer 3 measurements for an FR2 unknown SCell in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Process 410 relates to the terminal device 210 (e.g., UE) and the network device 220 that provides the PCell and SCell.

[0105] As shown in Figure 4A, the terminal equipment 210 is in a connected mode (UE connected mode) and carrier aggregation including a PCell and an SCell is configured. The SCell is configured but in a deactivated state. The network equipment 220 can send a measurement configuration to the terminal equipment 210, so that the terminal equipment 210 can perform L3 measurements 414. Specifically, the UE in the connected mode can perform intra-frequency measurements on the deactivated SCell. For example, the L3 measurements may be based on multiple SSBs from the network equipment 220.

[0106] The network equipment 220 sends an SCell activation command to the terminal equipment 210. In response, the terminal equipment 210 can perform an SCell activation procedure 416. As shown in 416, after 414, the network equipment 220 knows that the SCell is an FR2 unknown cell because no L3 measurement report has been sent to the network equipment 220. However, the terminal equipment 210 has valid L3 measurements at the time of SCell activation.

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, network device 220 may indicate permission for shortening L1-RSRP measurements upon SCell activation (fast SCell activation). In some exemplary embodiments, SCell activation may optionally indicate an allowed number of samples (denoted as N1) for L1-RSRP measurements.

[0108] During the SCell activation procedure 416, the terminal device 210 knows that there are valid intra-frequency measurements at the time of SCell activation, so it can skip cell detection and directly perform L1-RSRP measurements. The L1-RSRP measurements can be shortened based on the available intra-frequency measurements, but the number of samples must not be less than N1, if present, as instructed by the network device 220.

[0109] The terminal device 210 may send an L1-RSRP report indicating whether the report is based on abbreviated or legacy L1-RSRP measurements. The network device 220 may then configure or activate the CSI-RS for channel measurements, TCI activation, and SP-CSI-RS activation, as shown in FIG. 4A. The terminal device 210 may then send a CSI report to the network device 220, indicating the end of SCell activation.

[0110] In this way, if the UE has valid intra-frequency measurements on a deactivated SCell, the UE is allowed to skip cell detection upon SCell activation and directly perform L1-RSRP measurements based on the available intra-frequency measurements.

[0111] 4B illustrates an example process 420 for a terminal device that does not have Layer 3 measurements for an FR2 unknown SCell, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 420 relates to the terminal device 210 (e.g., UE) and the network device 220 that provides the PCell and SCell.

[0112] 4B, the terminal device 210 is in a connected mode (UE connected mode). The network device 220 can send a measurement configuration to the terminal device 210, but the terminal device 210 has not performed L3 measurement or obtained valid L3 measurement results.

[0113] The network device 220 sends an SCell activation command to the terminal device 210. In response, the terminal device 210 can then perform an SCell activation procedure 426. In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 220 can indicate permission for shortening the L1-RSRP measurement in the SCell activation (fast SCell activation). In some exemplary embodiments, the SCell activation may optionally indicate an allowed number of samples (denoted N1) for the L1-RSRP measurement.

[0114] As shown in 426, the SCell is found to be an FR2 unknown cell to the network equipment 220. During the SCell activation procedure 426, since there are no valid L3 measurements, the terminal equipment 210 must first detect the SCell, while L1-RSRP measurements 429 can be performed in or in parallel with cell detection 428.

[0115] The terminal device 210 sends an L1-RSRP report, which may indicate whether the report is based on abbreviated or legacy L1-RSRP measurements. The network device 220 may then configure or activate the CSI-RS for channel measurements, TCI activation, and SP-CSI-RS activation, as shown in FIG. 4B. The terminal device 210 then sends a CSI report to the network device 220, which indicates the end of SCell activation.

[0116] Alternatively, the terminal device 210 may indicate the capability to support parallel L1-RSRP measurements (i.e., shortened L1 measurements) during the cell detection phase. Ultimately, eliminating the L1-RSRP measurement delay can shorten the SCell activation delay.

[0117] Thus, if the terminal device does not have valid Layer 3 measurements at the time of SCell activation, it is allowed to perform L1-RSRP measurements based on measurements from the cell detection phase.

[0118] In many scenarios, a terminal device (e.g., a UE) may have recently measured a deactivated SCell, since TS 38.133, clause 9.2.5 requires the UE to perform specific intra-frequency measurements. At the time of activation, the UE likely has valid intra-frequency measurements based on the SSB and / or CSI-RS resources of the SCell to be activated, but the UE may not be allowed to transmit on the SCell that is not activated, and therefore cannot send a report. Therefore, SCell activation in FR2 unknown SCells is discussed separately.

[0119] In some cases, when an SCell is first configured and activated, two cases are possible: (1) If the UE is configured to perform inter-frequency measurements on the SCell, the UE has L3 measurements on the target SCell and therefore detects the SCell. (2) If the UE has not measured the target SCell, it must start with cell discovery and perform L1-RSRP from scratch, as currently specified in FR2 unknown state. A very long activation delay occurs only in this very special case (2).

[0120] Also, if an SCell is activated and then deactivated, the UE would have to perform intra-frequency measurements on the deactivated SCell when the SCell is activated again. Because measurements are based on meascycleSCell, SCell detection and measurements are maintained and cell detection on activation is no longer required.

number

[0121] It has been observed that cell discovery and L1-RSRP measurements are not necessarily required when activating an FR2 unknown S-cell. Therefore, the activation step can be further refined taking into account measurements available at the UE in order to optimize the activation delay.

[0122] The above various embodiments of the present disclosure may partially affect current specifications. For example, the current specifications TS 38.133 for RAN4 and TS 38.3311 for RAN2 may be updated (underlined) as follows in consideration of the above various embodiments of the present disclosure: Side conditions when the P-cell / PS-cell and target S-cell are configured as FR1-FR2 CA, or when the P-cell / PS-cell and target S-cell are on an FR2 band pair with independent beam management, the target S-cell is unknown to the UE, and persistent CSI-RS is used for CSI reporting

number

number

[0123] 5 shows a flowchart 500 of a method implemented in a terminal device in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 210 with reference to FIG.

[0124] In block 510, the terminal device 210 determines at least one measurement result of the secondary cell at the terminal device during a secondary cell activation procedure. In block 520, the terminal device 210 performs Layer 1 measurements of the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 determines whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available for the secondary cell during a secondary cell activation procedure. Terminal device 210 determines that the at least one measurement is at least one Layer 3 measurement if the at least one Layer 3 measurement is available. Terminal device 210 performs Layer 1 measurements for the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement without going through a cell detection phase of the activation procedure.

[0126] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 determines whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available for the secondary cell during the secondary cell activation procedure. If at least one Layer 3 measurement is not available, terminal device 210 determines that at least one measurement is available during a cell detection phase of the activation procedure. Terminal device 210 performs Layer 1 measurements for the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement during the cell detection phase of the activation procedure.

[0127] In an exemplary embodiment, terminal device 210 performs fast layer 1 measurements on at least one beam for a secondary cell.

[0128] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 determines at least one beam based on one or more of the following: the number of detectable SSBs based on at least one measurement result; the number of SSBs associated with the number of measurable CSI-RS resources based on at least one measurement result; a first predetermined number of best measured SSBs based on at least one measurement result; a second predetermined number of best measured CSI-RS resources based on at least one measurement result; the number of SSBs for which at least one measurement result is greater than a first threshold; the number of CSI-RS resources for which at least one measurement result is greater than a second threshold; or the number of beams selected from the full beams for at least one measurement result.

[0129] In an exemplary embodiment, terminal device 210 receives at least one of spatial information or scaling factors associated with reference signals from network equipment to determine at least one beam.

[0130] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the spatial information or the scaling factor is received in an activation command for the activation procedure.

[0131] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 performs fast Layer 1 measurements on the beam corresponding to the SSB with at least one best measurement result.

[0132] In some exemplary embodiments, terminal device 210 performs fast Layer 1 measurements based on at least one measurement result and a predetermined refinement factor.

[0133] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal equipment 210 performs high-speed Layer 1 measurements based on at least one of the following conditions: the signal-to-noise ratio is not lower than a threshold; capability information has been sent to the network equipment, the capability information indicates whether the terminal equipment supports high-speed Layer 1 measurements; an activation command from the network equipment indicates that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements; or the terminal equipment indicates that it will perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements based on a predetermined refinement factor.

[0134] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 210 transmits capability information to the network device, where the capability information indicates at least one of whether the terminal device supports high-speed Layer 1 measurements, a predetermined refinement factor, or a minimum number of beams required for high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0135] In some examples of exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 210 sends a measurement report to the network device, where the measurement report indicates at least one of the following: Layer 1 measurement results in the secondary cell, whether the Layer 1 measurement results are based on a full beam, the number of beams on which the Layer 1 measurement results are based, whether a configured SSB or a configured CSI-RS resource is measured, or whether the Layer 1 measurement is a fast Layer 1 measurement.

[0136] 6 shows a flowchart 600 of a method implemented in a network device in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the network device 220 with reference to FIG.

[0137] In block 610, the network device 220 sends an activation command to the terminal equipment of the primary cell during the secondary cell activation procedure, indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform fast activation and / or fast Layer 1 measurements. In block 620, the network device 220 receives a measurement report from the terminal equipment indicating whether the Layer 1 measurements performed at the terminal equipment are fast Layer 1 measurements.

[0138] In an exemplary embodiment, the measurement report further indicates at least one of the following: Layer 1 measurement results for the secondary cell, whether the Layer 1 measurement results are based on full beams, the number of beams on which the Layer 1 measurement results are based, or whether configured SSB resources or configured CSI-RS resources were measured.

[0139] In some examples in the exemplary embodiment, the network device 220 receives capability information from the terminal device, the capability information indicating at least one of whether the terminal device supports high-speed Layer 1 measurements, a predetermined refinement factor, or a minimum number of beams required for high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0140] In an exemplary embodiment, the activation command further includes at least one of spatial information related to a reference signal for the terminal device to determine at least one beam for high-speed Layer 1 measurements, or a scaling factor for the terminal device to determine at least one beam for high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0141] In some demonstrative embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., terminal device 210) may comprise means for performing each step of method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0142] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus comprises means for determining, in a terminal device during a secondary cell activation procedure, at least one measurement result of a secondary cell in the terminal device, and means for performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result.

[0143] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available for the secondary cell. The means for determining the at least one measurement for the secondary cell comprises means for determining that the at least one measurement is the at least one Layer 3 measurement if the at least one Layer 3 measurement is available. The means for performing Layer 1 measurements for the secondary cell comprises means for performing Layer 1 measurements based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement without going through a cell discovery phase of the activation procedure.

[0144] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available for the secondary cell. The means for determining at least one measurement for the secondary cell comprises means for determining that at least one measurement is available within a cell detection phase of the activation procedure if the at least one Layer 3 measurement is not available. The means for performing Layer 1 measurements for the secondary cell comprises means for performing Layer 1 measurements based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement during the cell detection phase of the activation procedure.

[0145] In an exemplary embodiment, the means for performing layer 1 measurements comprises means for performing fast layer 1 measurements on at least one beam for the secondary cell.

[0146] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining at least one beam based on at least one of: a number of detectable SSBs based on at least one measurement result; a number of SSBs related to a number of measurable CSI-RS resources based on at least one measurement result; a first predetermined number of best measured SSBs based on at least one measurement result; a second predetermined number of best measured CSI-RS resources based on at least one measurement result; a number of SSBs for which at least one measurement result is greater than a first threshold; a number of CSI-RS resources for which at least one measurement result is greater than a second threshold; or a number of beams selected from full beams for at least one measurement result.

[0147] In some demonstrative embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving, from the network equipment, at least one of spatial information or scaling factors associated with the reference signal for determining the at least one beam.

[0148] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the spatial information or the scaling factor is received in an activation command for the activation procedure.

[0149] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing Layer 1 measurements comprises means for performing fast Layer 1 measurements on a beam corresponding to an SSB having the best result in at least one measurement.

[0150] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing layer 1 measurements comprises means for performing layer 1 measurements based on the at least one measurement and a predetermined refinement factor.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for performing high-speed Layer 1 measurements comprises means for performing high-speed Layer 1 measurements based on at least one of the following conditions: a signal-to-noise ratio is not lower than a threshold; capability information has been sent to the network equipment; the capability information indicates whether the terminal equipment supports high-speed Layer 1 measurements; an activation command from the network equipment indicates that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements; or the terminal equipment indicates that it will perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements based on a predetermined refinement factor.

[0152] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting capability information to the network equipment, the capability information indicating at least one of whether the terminal equipment supports high-speed Layer 1 measurements, a predetermined refinement factor, or a minimum number of beams required for high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0153] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting a measurement report to the network device, the measurement report indicating at least one of the Layer 1 measurement results of the secondary cell, whether the Layer 1 measurement results are based on a full beam, the number of beams on which the Layer 1 measurement results are based, whether a configured SSB or a configured CSI-RS resource is measured, or whether the Layer 1 measurement is a fast Layer 1 measurement.

[0154] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 600 (e.g., network device 220) may comprise means for performing each step of method 600. The means may be embodied in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0155] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus comprises means, in the network equipment, for sending an activation command to a terminal equipment in a primary cell indicating that the terminal equipment is allowed to perform high-speed Layer 1 measurements during an activation procedure of a secondary cell, and means for receiving a measurement report from the terminal equipment indicating whether the Layer 1 measurements performed in the terminal equipment are high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0156] In an exemplary embodiment, the measurement report further indicates at least one of the following: Layer 1 measurement results for the secondary cell, whether the Layer 1 measurement results are based on a full beam, the number of beams on which the Layer 1 measurement results are based, or whether configured synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) or configured channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources are measured.

[0157] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving capability information from a terminal device, the capability information indicating either whether the terminal device supports high-speed Layer 1 measurements, a predetermined refinement factor, or a minimum number of beams required for high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0158] In an exemplary embodiment, the activation command further includes at least one of spatial information related to a reference signal of the terminal device for determining at least one beam for high-speed Layer 1 measurements, or a scaling factor of the terminal device for determining at least one beam for high-speed Layer 1 measurements.

[0159] 7 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 700 suitable for implementing some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 700 may be provided to implement a communication device such as the terminal equipment 210 or the network equipment 220 shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the apparatus 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processors 710.

[0160] The communication module 740 is for two-way communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0161] The processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0162] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist through power-down periods.

[0163] The computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 710. The program 730 may be stored in the ROM 724. The processor 710 can load the program 730 into the RAM 722 to perform any suitable operations and processes.

[0164] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 730 such that the device 700 can execute any process of the present disclosure, as described with reference to Figures 3 to 6. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0165] In some demonstrative embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 700 (such as in memory 720) or other storage accessible by the device 700. The computing device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 722 and execute it. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage device, such as a ROM, an EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, a CD, a DVD, etc.

[0166] 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 800 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium 800 has stored thereon a program 730. While the computer-readable medium 800 is depicted in FIG. 8 in the form of a CD or DVD, it should be noted that the computer-readable medium 800 may be in other forms suitable for carrying or storing the program 730.

[0167] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. One aspect may be implemented in hardware, while another aspect may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other graphical representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof, in non-limiting examples.

[0168] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor to perform a method such as those described above with reference to any of FIGS. 5-6. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0169] Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when executed by the processor or controller, cause the specific functions / operations in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code can run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0170] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, computing device, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0171] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. The term "non-transitory" as used herein refers to the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), as opposed to a limitation regarding the permanence of the data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0172] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or to perform all of the operations shown, to achieve desirable results. Multitasking and parallel processing may be preferred in certain situations. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above description, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0173] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device is configured to: determining at the terminal equipment at least one measurement result for the secondary cell during a secondary cell activation procedure; performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement result; and at least one memory storing instructions for executing the A terminal device comprising:

2. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to determining whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available in the secondary cell; determining, based on a determination that the at least one Layer 3 measurement is available, that the at least one measurement is the at least one Layer 3 measurement; performing the Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result without going through a cell detection phase of the activation procedure; and 2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device stores instructions for executing the following:

3. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to determining whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available in the secondary cell; determining the at least one Layer 3 measurement result during a cell detection phase of the activation procedure based on a determination that the at least one Layer 3 measurement result is unavailable; and performing the Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based, at least in part, on the at least one measurement result during the cell detection phase of the activation procedure; and 2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device stores instructions for executing the following:

4. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: performing fast Layer 1 measurements on at least one beam for the secondary cell; 4. A terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising instructions for executing the layer 1 measurements.

5. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, a number of detectable synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) based on the at least one measurement; a number of SSBs associated with a number of measurable channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources based on the at least one measurement result; a first predetermined number of best SSBs based on the at least one measurement; a second predetermined number of best measured CSI-RS resources based on the at least one measurement result; the number of SSBs for which the at least one measurement is greater than a first threshold; the number of CSI-RS resources for which the at least one measurement result is greater than a second threshold; or a number of beams selected from the full beam for the at least one measurement; 5. The terminal device of claim 4, further comprising: an instruction for causing the terminal device to determine the at least one beam based on at least one of:

6. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to receiving, from a network device, at least one of spatial information or scaling factors associated with a reference signal for determining the at least one beam; 6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the terminal device stores instructions for executing the following:

7. The terminal device of claim 6 , wherein the at least one of the spatial information or the scaling factor is received in an activation command for the activation procedure.

8. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to performing the high-speed Layer 1 measurement on a beam corresponding to an SSB that provides the best result in the at least one measurement result; 5. The terminal equipment of claim 4, further comprising instructions for at least performing the high speed Layer 1 measurements by:

9. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to performing a high-speed Layer 1 measurement based on the at least one measurement result and a predetermined refinement factor; 4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device stores instructions for performing the layer 1 measurements by:

10. The at least one memory, when executed by the at least one processor, The signal-to-noise ratio is not below a threshold; capability information is sent to a network device, the capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; an activation command from the network equipment indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform the high-speed Layer 1 measurements; an indication that the terminal device will perform the high-speed Layer 1 measurements based on predetermined refinement factors; 10. A terminal device according to claim 4, further comprising instructions for causing said terminal device to perform at least said high speed Layer 1 measurements based on at least one of the following conditions:

11. The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to transmit at least capability information to a network device, the capability information comprising at least: whether the terminal equipment supports the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; the predetermined refinement factor, or the minimum number of beams required for the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the terminal device exhibits at least one of the following:

12. The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal equipment to transmit at least a measurement report to a network equipment, the measurement report comprising: Layer 1 measurement results in the secondary cell; whether the layer 1 measurements are based on a full beam; the number of beams on which the layer 1 measurement results are based; whether to measure the configured SSB or the configured CSI-RS resources; whether the Layer 1 measurement is a high-speed Layer 1 measurement; 12. A terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device exhibits at least one of the following:

13. A network device, at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the network device is configured to: sending an activation command to a terminal equipment in a primary cell indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform fast Layer 1 measurements during a secondary cell activation procedure; receiving a measurement report from the terminal equipment indicating whether a Layer 1 measurement performed at the terminal equipment is the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; at least one memory storing instructions for executing the A network device comprising:

14. The measurement report further includes: Layer 1 measurement results in the secondary cell; whether the layer 1 measurements are based on a full beam; the number of beams on which the layer 1 measurements are based, or whether configured synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) or configured channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources are measured; 14. The network device of claim 13, wherein the network device exhibits at least one of:

15. The at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to receive at least capability information from the terminal device, the capability information comprising: whether the terminal equipment supports the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; a given refinement factor, or the minimum number of beams required for the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; 15. The network device according to claim 13, wherein the network device exhibits at least one of the following:

16. The activation command: spatial information relating to a reference signal for the terminal device to determine at least one beam for the high-speed Layer 1 measurements; a scaling factor of the terminal device for determining the at least one beam for the high-speed Layer 1 measurements; 16. The network device according to claim 13, further comprising at least one of:

17. determining, in a terminal device during a secondary cell activation procedure, at least one measurement result of the secondary cell in the terminal device; performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement result; and A method comprising:

18. determining whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available in the secondary cell; determining the at least one measurement result for the secondary cell includes determining the at least one measurement result to be the at least one Layer 3 measurement result based on determining that the at least one Layer 3 measurement result is available; performing the Layer 1 measurements includes performing the Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement result without going through a cell detection phase of the activation procedure.

18. The method of claim 17.

19. determining whether at least one Layer 3 measurement is available in the secondary cell; determining the at least one measurement result for the secondary cell during a cell detection phase of the activation procedure based on a determination that the at least one Layer 3 measurement result is unavailable; performing the Layer 1 measurements includes performing the Layer 1 measurements in the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement result during the cell detection phase of the activation procedure.

18. The method of claim 17.

20. performing the layer 1 measurements, performing fast Layer 1 measurements in at least one beam for the secondary cell; 20. The method of any of claims 17 to 19, comprising:

21. a number of detectable synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) based on the at least one measurement; a number of SSBs associated with a number of measurable channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources based on the at least one measurement result; a first predetermined number of best SSBs based on the at least one measurement; a second predetermined number of best measured CSI-RS resources based on the at least one measurement result; the number of SSBs for which the at least one measurement is greater than a first threshold; the number of CSI-RS resources for which the at least one measurement result is greater than a second threshold; or a number of beams selected from the full beam for the at least one measurement; 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising determining the at least one beam based on at least one of:

22. receiving, from a network device, at least one of spatial information or scaling factors associated with a reference signal for determining the at least one beam; 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one of the spatial information or the scaling factor is received in an activation command for the activation procedure.

24. performing the high speed Layer 1 measurements, performing the high-speed Layer 1 measurement on a beam corresponding to an SSB that provides the best result in the at least one measurement; 21. The method of claim 20, comprising:

25. performing the high speed Layer 1 measurements, performing a high-speed Layer 1 measurement based on the at least one measurement result and a predetermined refinement factor; 20. The method of any of claims 17 to 19, comprising:

26. performing the high speed Layer 1 measurements, The signal-to-noise ratio is not below a threshold; capability information is sent to a network device, the capability information indicating whether the terminal device supports the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; an activation command from the network equipment indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform the high-speed Layer 1 measurements; an indication that the terminal device will perform the high-speed Layer 1 measurements based on predetermined refinement factors; 26. The method of claim 20, comprising performing the fast Layer 1 measurements based on at least one of the following conditions:

27. and transmitting capability information to the network device, the capability information being: whether the terminal equipment supports the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; the predetermined refinement factor, or the minimum number of beams required for the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the method exhibits at least one of:

28. and transmitting a measurement report to the network device, the measurement report comprising: Layer 1 measurement results in the secondary cell; whether the layer 1 measurement results are based on a full beam; the number of beams on which the layer 1 measurement results are based; whether to measure the configured SSB or the configured CSI-RS resources; whether the Layer 1 measurement is a high-speed Layer 1 measurement; 28. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method exhibits at least one of the following:

29. sending, in the network equipment, to a terminal equipment in a primary cell, an activation command indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform fast Layer 1 measurements during a secondary cell activation procedure; receiving a measurement report from the terminal equipment indicating whether a Layer 1 measurement performed at the terminal equipment is the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; A method comprising:

30. The measurement report further includes: Layer 1 measurement results in the secondary cell; whether the layer 1 measurements are based on a full beam; the number of beams on which the layer 1 measurements are based, or whether configured synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) or configured channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources are measured; 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method exhibits at least one of:

31. and further comprising receiving capability information from the terminal device, the capability information being: whether the terminal equipment supports the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; a given refinement factor, or the minimum number of beams required for the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein the method exhibits at least one of the following:

32. The activation command: spatial information relating to a reference signal for the terminal device to determine at least one beam for the high-speed Layer 1 measurements; or a scaling factor of the terminal device for determining the at least one beam for the high-speed Layer 1 measurements; 32. The method of any of claims 29 to 31, further comprising at least one of:

33. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 17 to 28.

34. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 29 to 32.

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 17 to 28 or any of claims 29 to 32.

36. A computer program having stored thereon instructions for carrying out at least the method according to any one of claims 17 to 28 or the method according to any one of claims 29 to 32.

37. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 17 to 28 or any of claims 29 to 32.

38. determining, in the terminal equipment, during a secondary cell activation procedure, at least one measurement result of the secondary cell; performing Layer 1 measurements on the secondary cell based at least in part on the at least one measurement result; and An apparatus comprising: means for performing

39. sending an activation command to a terminal equipment in a primary cell indicating that the terminal equipment is authorized to perform fast Layer 1 measurements during a secondary cell activation procedure; receiving a measurement report from the terminal equipment indicating whether a Layer 1 measurement performed at the terminal equipment is the high-speed Layer 1 measurement; An apparatus comprising: means for performing

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