Power headroom for secondary cells

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a device, a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium for virtual power headroom (PH) calculation for a secondary cell (SCell). The method includes: acquiring, by a terminal device, information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, where the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculating, by the terminal device, a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, devices, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for virtual power headroom (PH) calculation for a secondary cell (SCell). [Background technology]

[0002] It has been specified that a user equipment (UE) can trigger and perform a power headroom report (PHR). Essentially, the PHR can indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for uplink (UL) transmissions on one or more cells associated with the UE. The UE can determine whether the PH value for an activated serving cell is based on true transmissions occurring on that serving cell or on a reference form, also referred to as a "virtual PH." Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for virtual PH calculation for SCells.

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to obtain information indicative of one or more parameters configured for at least a first serving cell, connect to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell, and calculate a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus, serving a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, to at least receive, by the apparatus, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, the method including: obtaining, by a terminal device, information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, where the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculating, by the terminal device, a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, the method including, in a network device serving a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, receiving, by the network device, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, where the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided for providing a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of 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 be readily apparent from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2]FIG. 10 is an example signaling diagram of a virtual PH calculation for a SCell according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart of a method implemented in a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of a method implemented in a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for practicing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0015] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only, to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various forms other than those described below.

[0016] 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.

[0017] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example 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 one embodiment, it is submitted 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.

[0018] Although terms such as "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only 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 example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0019] As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" means "at least one of the following: )" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" )" and similar expressions, when a list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or," mean at least any one of those elements, or at least any two or more of those elements, or at least all of those elements.

[0020] As used herein, unless expressly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, and may include one or more intervening steps.

[0021] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and / or "including," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0022] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations consisting solely of analog and / or digital circuitry); and (b) combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software, and memory that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when not necessary for operation.

[0023] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor, as well as its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuitry also encompasses, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to certain claim elements.

[0024] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), 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, communications between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be implemented according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid evolution of communications, the present disclosure may, of course, also be implemented in future types of communication technologies and systems. This should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the systems described above.

[0025] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node such as a femto, pico, or non-terrestrial network (NTN), or a non-terrestrial network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an airborne network device, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE towards a parent node, and a DU portion of the IAB node behaves like a base station towards a next-hop IAB node.

[0026] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback equipment, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (loT) devices, watches or other wearables, head mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile termination (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0027] As used herein, the terms "resource," "transmission resource," "resource block," "physical resource block (PRB)," "uplink resource," or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource for implementing communication, e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other resource that enables communication. Hereinafter, unless explicitly stated, both frequency domain and time domain resources are used as examples of transmission resources to describe some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure equally apply to other resources in other domains.

[0028] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may include a terminal device 110. Hereinafter, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as a UE.

[0029] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. Hereinafter, the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB. The terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120.

[0030] 1 is given for illustrative purposes and is not intended to imply any limitation. Communications network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0031] In some demonstrative embodiments, a link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and a link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). For DL, network device 120 is the transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter) and terminal device 110 is the receiving (RX) device (or receiver). For UL, terminal device 110 is the TX device (or transmitter) and network device 120 is the RX device (or receiver).

[0032] Communications in communication environment 100 may be conducted according to any suitable communications protocol, 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), sixth generation (6G), wireless local network communications protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. Furthermore, 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 multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology now known or developed in the future.

[0033] As mentioned above, it has been specified that a user equipment (UE) can trigger and perform a PHR. The PHR procedure is used to provide a Type 1 PH, Type 2 PH, or Type 3 PH to the serving gNB. Type 1 PH can indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for a physical uplink shared channel, such as a transmission for each activated serving cell. Type 2 PH can indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for transmissions of the UL-SCH and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) on a special cell (SpCell) of another medium access control (MAC) entity. Type 3 PH can indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for transmissions of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for each activated serving cell.

[0034] A PHR procedure can be triggered in various scenarios, such as when a timer associated with the PHR procedure, i.e., phr-ProhibitTimer or phr-PeriodicTimer, expires and / or when a path loss change meets a threshold.

[0035] The UE can determine whether the PH value for the activated serving cell is based on real transmissions occurring on that serving cell or on a reference format also called "virtual PH."

[0036] Furthermore, the UE can also be configured with multiple timing advance groups (TAGs), each with its own timing and reference point. Serving cells with the same timing advance applied UL and using the same timing reference cell are grouped into a TAG. Each TAG can include at least one serving cell with a configured UL. For a primary TAG, the UE can use the primary cell (PCell) as the timing reference, except for shared spectrum channel access, which can also use the SCell in certain cases. For a secondary TAG, the UE can use any of the activated SCells of this TAG as the timing reference cell, but should not change it unless necessary.

[0037] The calculation of the virtual PH can be based on parameters provided to the UE in the physical random access channel (PRACH) / random access channel (RACH) configuration. However, if an SCell is not used as the cell for performing random access (RA) for UL timing for a TAG, no PRACH / RACH configuration is provided. Therefore, it may be necessary to discuss how a UE calculates a virtual PH for a serving cell that does not have a PRACH / RACH configuration. In some examples, one or more of the parameters used to calculate the virtual PH may include preambleReceivedTargetPower or msg3-DeltaPreamble. In this case, these parameters may be provided in the PRACH / RACH configuration. Therefore, in some examples below, when referring to a PRACH / RACH configuration, this may equally mean the configuration of preambleReceivedTargetPower and / or msg3-DeltaPreamble.

[0038] The solution of the present disclosure proposes a mechanism for calculating a virtual PH for a serving cell, e.g., an SCell. In this solution, a terminal device is connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, obtains information indicating one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, and calculates a PH value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell. In this way, the network device can recognize which parameters the UE uses to calculate the virtual PH or PH value based on the reference format, and can therefore more accurately utilize the received PH value for SCell scheduling.

[0039] 2 illustrates an example signaling diagram of a virtual PH calculation for a SCell 200 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, diagram 200 will be discussed by using terminal device 110 and network device 120, e.g., with reference to FIG.

[0040] 2. In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device may be configured by a network device through UL carrier aggregation (CA) to have one or more serving cells in the UL configuration within the same TAG (202). In this situation, the terminal device 110 may connect to multiple serving cells, including at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell.

[0041] When a PHR procedure is triggered 204 at the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may initiate calculation of PH values ​​for all activated serving cells.

[0042] In this scenario, the terminal device 110 may determine which parameters should be used for calculation of the PH value for the activated serving cell. For example, for calculation of the virtual PH, the terminal device 110 may determine whether a RACH or PRACH configuration for the SCell is obtained. If a RACH or PRACH configuration is not configured for the SCell, the terminal device 110 may determine to use parameters configured for other serving cells for calculation of the PH value for the SCell.

[0043] In a case where a terminal device is connected to a first serving cell and a second serving cell (i.e., SCell), if the terminal device 110 determines that corresponding parameters are not configured for the second serving cell and the first serving cell is configured to have corresponding parameters, the terminal device 110 may determine that the corresponding parameters should be used to calculate a PH value for the second serving cell.

[0044] In some embodiments, the first and second serving cells may be located in a Master Cell Group (MSG). In this situation, the first serving cell may be a PCell, and the second serving cell may be an SCell. In another example, the first serving cell and the second serving cell may be SCells.

[0045] In some other embodiments, the first and second serving cells may be located in a secondary cell group (SCG). In this situation, the first serving cell may be a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the second serving cell may be an SCell. In another example, the first serving cell and the second serving cell may be SCells.

[0046] That is, the first serving cell may be a PCell, an SCell, or a PSCell (PCell and PSCell may also be collectively referred to as a special cell (SpCell)).

[0047] As mentioned above, the terminal device 110 can be configured with multiple TAGs, each with its own timing and reference point. Serving cells with the same timing advance applied to the UL and using the same timing reference cell are grouped into a TAG. For a primary TAG, the terminal device 110 can use the PCell as a timing reference, and for a secondary TAG, the terminal device 110 can use any of the activated SCells of this TAG as a timing reference.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first and second serving cells may be located within the same TAG. That is, if the TAG is a primary TAG, the first serving cell may be a PCell or a PSCell, that is, the first serving cell may be an SpCell. If the TAG is a secondary TAG, the first serving cell may be an SCell.

[0049] In some exemplary embodiments, if a TAG involves multiple serving cells with a RACH or PRACH configuration, the terminal device 110 may use the corresponding parameters in the RACH or PRACH configuration configured for the serving cell with a designated identifier, e.g., the lowest or highest serving cell ID (i.e., ServCellIndex) or SCell ID (i.e., SCellIndex). That is, the terminal device 110 may determine a first serving cell based on the respective identifiers of one or more candidate serving cells, from which the terminal device 110 may calculate a PH value for the second serving cell using the corresponding parameters in the RACH or PRACH configuration.

[0050] In some other embodiments, network device 120 may be able to indicate which cell among a PCell, PSCell, SpCell, or SCell configured with a RACH or PRACH configuration can be used by terminal device 110 to calculate a PH value for the SCell. That is, network device 120 may explicitly indicate which cell is a first serving cell to be used for terminal device 110 to calculate a PH value for a second serving cell. In some examples, network device 120 may explicitly indicate which cell is a first serving cell to be used for terminal device 110 to calculate a PH value for a second serving cell in a case where the first and second serving cells are located within a secondary TAG. In this case, network device 120 may indicate a first serving cell configured with only a RACH or PRACH configuration within the same TAG.

[0051] In some other embodiments, the terminal device 110 may use parameters of the SpCell (i.e., primary cell or primary / secondary cell) regardless of whether the SCell is configured to have a RACH or PRACH configuration. That is, even if the second serving cell is configured to have a RACH or PRACH configuration, the terminal device 110 may also calculate a PH value for the second serving cell by using the corresponding parameters configured for the first serving cell. For example, this mechanism may be needed when the first and second serving cells are located within the primary TAG. However, it should be understood that this mechanism may also be applied when the second serving cell is located within the secondary TAG.

[0052] After determining which parameters should be used to calculate the PH value, the terminal device 110 may calculate the PH value for the SCell (e.g., the second serving cell) by using the corresponding parameters of the determined serving cell (e.g., the first serving cell) that is configured to have a RACH or PRACH configuration (206).

[0053] In some other embodiments, the terminal device 110 may indicate 208 the PHR to the network device 120 by using the calculated PH value for the SCell.

[0054] In this way, the UE behavior associated with the PHR procedure can be defined and the network side will know which parameters the UE will use to calculate the virtual PH or PH value based on the reference format, and thus be able to more accurately utilize the received PH value in SCell scheduling.

[0055] For example, the solution proposed in this disclosure can affect the following standards:

[0056] In some embodiments, if the SpCell is in the same TAG or same cell group as the SCell, the PH value may be calculated as follows:

[0057] [Table 1]

[0058] In some embodiments, if the PCell is always used to calculate the PH value for the SCell or to perform the PHR procedure, the PH value may be calculated as follows:

[0059] [Table 2]

[0060] In some embodiments, if the network side can indicate which serving cell should be used to calculate the PH value for the SCell or to perform the PHR procedure, the PH value can be calculated as follows:

[0061] [Table 3]

[0062] Furthermore, the possible RRC configurations of the ph-ReferenceCell can be shown as follows:

[0063] [Table 4]

[0064] 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 300 implemented in a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 of FIG.

[0065] At block 310, the terminal device 110 obtains information indicating one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, and the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell.

[0066] At block 320, the terminal device 110 calculates a PH value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0067] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are located within an MSG or an SCG.

[0068] In some exemplary embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0069] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0070] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are configured within the same TAG.

[0071] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is determined or selected based on one of the lowest or highest serving cell index, or a secondary cell index.

[0074] In some demonstrative embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive an indication from a network device indicating a first serving cell to be used for calculating a power headroom value for a second serving cell.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, this information includes a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration or a Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0076] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG, regardless of whether the multiple serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0077] In some demonstrative embodiments, terminal device 110 may calculate a power headroom value for a second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, regardless of whether the second serving is configured to have one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0078] In some exemplary embodiments, the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0079] In some exemplary embodiments, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to the virtual power headroom value.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to the power headroom value based on a reference format.

[0081] 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 400 implemented in a network device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 of FIG.

[0082] At block 410, within the network device 120 serving the terminal device connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell, the network device 120 receives, by the network device from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0083] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are located within an MSG or an SCG.

[0084] In some exemplary embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0085] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0086] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are configured within the same TAG.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

[0088] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0089] In some demonstrative embodiments, network device 120 may transmit an indication to the terminal device indicating the first serving cell to be used for calculating the power headroom value for the second serving cell.

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more parameters are associated with a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration or a Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG, regardless of whether the multiple serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0092] In some exemplary embodiments, if the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to the virtual power headroom value.

[0093] In some demonstrative embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 300 (e.g., terminal device 110 of FIG. 1 ) may comprise means for performing each operation of the method 300. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in circuitry or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as or included within the terminal device 110 of FIG. 1 .

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus comprises: means for obtaining information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are located within an MSG or an SCG.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are configured within the same TAG.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0101] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is determined or selected based on one of the lowest or highest serving cell index, or a secondary cell index.

[0102] In some demonstrative embodiments, the apparatus may also comprise means for receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a first serving cell to be used for calculating a power headroom value for a second serving cell.

[0103] In some exemplary embodiments, this information includes a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration or a Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0104] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG, regardless of whether the multiple serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0105] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for calculating the PH value may comprise means for calculating a power headroom value for a second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, regardless of whether the second serving is configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0106] In some exemplary embodiments, the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

[0107] In some exemplary embodiments, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to the virtual power headroom value.

[0108] In some demonstrative embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of methods 400 (e.g., network device 120 of FIG. 1 ) may comprise means for performing each operation of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in circuitry or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as or included within network device 120 of FIG. 1 .

[0109] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus providing a terminal device is connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, the apparatus comprising means for receiving, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0110] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are located within an MSG or an SCG.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, the second serving cell is a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0112] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, a primary-secondary cell, or a secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG.

[0113] In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second serving cells are configured within the same TAG.

[0114] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a primary TAG and the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell.

[0115] In some exemplary embodiments, the TAG is a secondary TAG and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

[0116] In some demonstrative embodiments, the apparatus may also comprise means for transmitting, to the terminal device, an indication indicating the first serving cell to be used for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, this information includes a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration or a Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

[0118] In some exemplary embodiments, the first serving cell is one of a special cell, a primary cell, or a primary-secondary cell in an MCG or an SCG, regardless of whether the multiple serving cells are configured with information indicating one or more parameters.

[0119] 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Device 500 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as terminal device 110 or network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to processors 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to processors 510.

[0120] The communications module 540 is intended for bidirectional communication. The communications module 540 has one or more communications interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communications interfaces may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some demonstrative embodiments, the communications module 540 may include at least one antenna.

[0121] The processor 510 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 500 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, that act as slaves in time to a clock that is synchronized to a main processor.

[0122] The memory 520 may include one or more nonvolatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of nonvolatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), optical disks, laser disks, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0123] A computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 510. The instructions of the program 530 may include instructions for performing the operations / acts of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 530 may be stored in a memory, such as the ROM 524. The processor 510 may also perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 530 into the RAM 522.

[0124] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 530, and thus the device 500 may perform any of the processes of the present disclosure discussed with reference to Figures 2-4. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 500 (such as in memory 520) or other storage device accessible by the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. In some exemplary embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, e.g., ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is not a limitation regarding the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM), but rather a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible as opposed to a signal).

[0126] 6 shows an example of a computer readable medium 600, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The computer readable medium 600 has the program 530 stored thereon.

[0127] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects 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 have been illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow diagrams, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0128] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product is contained in program modules and includes computer-executable instructions, such as those executed in a target physical or virtual processor device to perform any of the methods described above. 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 for the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In the case of distributed devices, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0129] Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / acts specified 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.

[0130] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0131] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media would 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.

[0132] Furthermore, while operations are shown in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order or sequential order shown, or that all of the shown operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous in certain situations. Similarly, while the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination within a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, 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.

[0133] 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 in 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 exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. at least one processor; and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least: obtaining information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, the apparatus being connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell; Device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second serving cells are located in a master cell group (MSG) or a secondary cell group (SCG).

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell within the MCG or the SCG.

4. The first serving cell is in the MCG or the SCG. Special cells, Primary cell, Primary and secondary cells, or Secondary Cell 4. The device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the device is one of:

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and second serving cells are configured within the same timing advance group (TAG).

6. The TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell: Special cells, the primary cell, or Primary and secondary cells 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the device is one of:

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the TAG is a secondary TAG and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

8. the first serving cell the lowest or highest serving cell index, or Secondary Cell Index The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the determination or selection is based on one of:

9. The apparatus further comprising: The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 8, configured to receive an indication from a network device indicating the first serving cell to be used for calculating the power headroom value for the second serving cell.

10. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the information includes a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration or a Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

11. The first serving cell may be configured to include the information indicating the one or more parameters in the MCG or the SCG, regardless of whether multiple serving cells are configured to include the information indicating the one or more parameters. Special cells, the primary cell, or Primary and secondary cells The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the device is one of:

12. The apparatus further comprising:

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, regardless of whether the second serving cell is configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

13. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell relates to a virtual power headroom value.

15. at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to provide a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell with at least: causing the apparatus to receive from the terminal device a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell. Device.

16. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second serving cells are located within a master cell group (MSG) or a secondary cell group (SCG).

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell within the MCG or the SCG.

18. The first serving cell is in the MCG or the SCG. Special cells, Primary cell, Primary and secondary cells, or Secondary Cell 18. The device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the device is one of:

19. The apparatus of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the first and second serving cells are configured within the same timing advance group (TAG).

20. The TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell: Special cells, the primary cell, or Primary and secondary cells 20. The device of claim 19, wherein the

21. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the TAG is a secondary TAG and the first serving cell is a secondary cell.

22. The apparatus further comprising:

22. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: an apparatus configured to transmit to the terminal device an indication indicating the first serving cell to be used for calculating the power headroom value for the second serving cell.

23. The apparatus of any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein the one or more parameters are associated with a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration or a Random Access Channel (RACH) configuration for the first serving cell.

24. The first serving cell may be configured to include the information indicating the one or more parameters in the MCG or the SCG, regardless of whether multiple serving cells are configured to include the information indicating the one or more parameters. Special cells, the primary cell, or Primary and secondary cells The device according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the device is one of

25. 25. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein if the second serving cell is not configured with one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value, the power headroom value for the second serving cell relates to a virtual power headroom value.

26. obtaining, by a terminal device, information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; calculating, by the terminal device, a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell; A method comprising:

27. In a network device that provides a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, receiving, by the network device from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell. method.

28. 1. An apparatus comprising: means for obtaining information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, the apparatus being connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

29. 1. An apparatus for providing a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, comprising:

12. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least: obtaining information indicative of one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the device is connected to at least the first serving cell and a second serving cell; and calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to provide a terminal device connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell with at least: A non-transitory computer-readable medium for performing a method of receiving, from the terminal device, a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, wherein the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

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