Realization of an early PDCCH order for activation of PUCCH S cells

Abstract

This provides a method for realizing an early physical downlink control channel order for the activation of secondary cells of a physical uplink control channel. [Solution] In a communication network, the method includes: a terminal device 10 sending an instruction to the communication network via a primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell 12(13) of the communication network to receive or monitor a physical downlink control channel order on a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel; the terminal device receiving at least one message from a network node of the communication network containing information to be applied when at least one serving cell of the communication network is activated; and applying the information to access at least one serving cell.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The teachings by exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to the activation of secondary cells, and more specifically, to realizing an early physical downlink control channel order for the activation of secondary cells of a physical uplink control channel. [Background technology]

[0002] This section is intended to provide background or context to the invention described in the claims. The descriptions herein may include concepts that may be practiced, but are not necessarily previously invented or practiced. Accordingly, unless otherwise stated herein, nothing described in this section is prior art to the present specification and claims, and nothing described in this section shall be deemed prior art.

[0003] Certain abbreviations found in this specification and / or in the figures are defined herein as follows: CSI Channel Status Information CSI-RS Channel Status Information Reference Signal FR1 Frequency Range 1 FR2 Frequency Range 2 NG-RAN (Next Generation Wireless Access Network) NW Network OoR PUCCH Packet UL Control Channel QCL quasi-collocation RRC Radio Resource Control Protocol RRM Wireless Resource Management RSRP Reference Signal Received Power RSRQ Reference Signal Reception Quality SINR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) SSB Synchronization Signal Block UE User Equipment

[0004] To meet increasing communication demands, component carriers (CCs) can be aggregated and rearranged to support larger transmission bandwidths. Such aggregations can be classified using primary cells (P cells) and secondary cells (S cells). S cells can be added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources. P cells and / or S cells may be in an activated or deactivated state. If an S cell needs to be activated, it can be activated by control element (CE) signaling in the Media Access Control (MAC) layer.

[0005] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention function to improve at least these types of operations. [Overview of the project]

[0006] This section includes possible embodiments and is not intended to be limiting.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a device is provided, such as a user device, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the device to perform, at least, the following actions: receive at least one message from a network node of a communication network containing information to be applied when activating at least one serving cell of the communication network; and apply the information for access to at least one serving cell, wherein the information is for initiating transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0008] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a terminal device includes receiving from a network node of a communication network at least one message containing information to be applied when activating at least one serving cell of the communication network, and applying information to access at least one serving cell, wherein the information is for initiating transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0009] A further exemplary embodiment is a method comprising the method described in the preceding paragraph, wherein at least one serving cell comprises a secondary cell or a primary secondary cell, and at least one message comprises an RRC message, a medium access control element, or a PDCCH order, and the commencement of transmission is for contention-free random access channel access based on the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell during activation, and in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, the commencement of transmission using at least one of the physical random access channel preambles on the physical random access channel resource is for contention-free random access channel access, and the minimum time Earlier than the requirement, at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble resource is reserved by the communications network for the terminal device to enable uncontested access to at least one serving cell when at least one serving cell is activated, and at least one serving cell includes a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, and a transmission using the physical random access channel preamble is transmitted on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, and the terminal device communicates instructions to the communications network to receive or monitor physical downlink control channel orders on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel via the communications network's primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell, and the terminal device communicates instructions to the communications network in response to the terminal device obtaining the necessary downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell.

[0010] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell earlier than the minimum time condition, the terminal device communicates an instruction to the communication network or receives and applies a physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell, which includes the physical uplink control channel reporting channel status information upon completion of random access to the activated serving cell of at least one serving cell mapped to the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, with an OoR (Out of Rate) allowed between completion of random access for a valid CSI report and the minimum time condition, a valid CSI reported after the minimum time condition, and a downlink activation delay condition determined based on either the time the instruction is communicated to the communication network or the time the physical downlink control channel command is received from the communication network, and the instruction to the communication network initiates a random access procedure from the terminal device to the physical downlink control channel in at least one serving cell. This involves initiating a physical downlink control channel order via a medium access control element, and if cross-carrier scheduling is set up in the terminal device, the physical downlink control channel order is received in information from other cells in the communication network, the instruction uses a medium access control element, the downlink activation delay condition is determined based on either the time the instruction is communicated to the communication network or the time the physical downlink control channel order is received from the communication network, and based on the instruction from the terminal device, it is communicated to the network node via either a channel status information reporting resource or a medium access control element, the physical downlink control channel order is received, and based on the information, the information constituting the physical downlink control channel order is received from the network node, a random access procedure is performed for random access to at least one serving cell, the random access procedure is used to obtain a timing advance for the access, the timing advance is used to transmit a channel status information report, and based on the random access,Report at least one of valid channel state information or invalid channel state information to at least one secondary cell, the reporting being performed upon completion of random access for activation of at least one secondary cell of a serving cell or a primary secondary cell, activation of at least one serving cell being in a state where a physical uplink control channel is mapped to a secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, and when two or more secondary cells of at least one serving cell are activated, reporting invalid channel state information is based on at least one of whether channel state information is not available or not completed for at least one of the two or more secondary cells. When a plurality of secondary cells are activated in an activation command for activation of at least one serving cell, the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel is activated earlier than other secondary cells, the other secondary cells being associated with the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, and invalid channel state information is allowed between completion of random access and reporting of first valid channel state information, and in response to completion of random access, the first valid channel state information is reported after a minimum time condition.

[0011] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code, the program code being executed by at least one processor to perform at least the method described in the above paragraph.

[0012] In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus comprising means for a terminal device to receive at least one message containing information applied at the activation of at least one serving cell of a communication network from a network node of the communication network, and means for applying information for accessing at least one serving cell, the information being for starting transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary-secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0013] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the above paragraph, the means for at least configuration and transmission comprises a network interface and computer program code stored in a computer-readable medium and executed by at least one processor.

[0014] A further exemplary embodiment is an apparatus comprising the apparatus of the preceding paragraph, wherein at least one serving cell comprises a secondary cell or a primary secondary cell, and at least one message comprises an RRC message, a medium access control element or a PDCCH order, and at least one of a physical random access channel preamble or a physical random access channel preamble resource is applied by the terminal device for physical random access channel preamble transmission by a minimum time condition, and transmission commences for uncontested random access channel access based on the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell during activation, and in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, transmission commences using the physical random access channel preamble on the physical random access channel resource earlier than the minimum time condition, and the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble At least one of the resources is reserved by the communication network for the terminal device to enable uncontested access to at least one serving cell when at least one serving cell is activated, and at least one secondary cell includes a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, and a transmission using at least one of a physical random access channel preamble or a physical random access channel preamble resource is transmitted on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, and the terminal device communicates an instruction to the communication network to receive or monitor physical downlink control channel orders on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel via a primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell of the communication network, and a minimum time condition is defined for receiving physical downlink control channel orders from at least one secondary cell, and in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, the terminal device communicates an instruction to the communication network,In response to obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell earlier than the minimum time condition, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network or receives and applies a physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell, which includes the physical uplink control channel reporting channel status information upon completion of random access to the activated serving cell of at least one serving cell mapped to the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, with an OoR (Out of Rate) allowed between the completion of random access and the minimum time condition for valid CSI reporting, and a valid CSI being reported after the minimum time condition, and the downlink activation delay condition being determined based on either the time the instructions are communicated to the communication network or the time the physical downlink control channel order is received from the communication network, and the information includes a delay time after the terminal device has obtained at least one of the downlink timings for initiating at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel resources. An instruction to a communication network for providing a physical downlink control channel order via a physical downlink control channel in at least one serving cell, used by a terminal device to initiate a random access procedure, wherein, if cross-carrier scheduling is configured in the terminal device, the physical downlink control channel order is received in information from other cells in the communication network, and the information from other cells indicates to the terminal device that at least one of the other cells is activated or that an uplink to at least one secondary cell is available, and the instruction uses a medium access control element, and the downlink activation delay condition is determined based on either the time the medium access control element is received in at least one message during a minimum time condition, or the time the physical downlink control channel order is received from the communication network, and based on an instruction to receive a physical downlink control channel order from a terminal device sent to a network node via either a channel status information reporting resource or a medium access control element,Information including a physical downlink control channel order is received from a network node, and based on this information, a random access procedure is performed for random access to at least one serving cell, the random access procedure is used to obtain a timing advance for access, the timing advance is used to send a channel status information report, and based on the random access, either channel status information or invalid channel status information is reported to at least one secondary cell, the report is performed upon completion of random access for activation of at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the serving cell, where the activation of at least one serving cell is physical uplink control If your channel is mapped to a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, and two or more secondary cells of at least one secondary cell are activated, then reporting invalid channel status information is based on the fact that channel status information is unavailable or incomplete for at least one of the two or more secondary cells. If multiple secondary cells are activated in an activation command for the activation of at least one serving cell, then the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel is activated before the other secondary cells, the other secondary cells are associated with the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, and PUCCH reports channel status information upon completion of random access to the activated S cell mapped to the PUCCH S cell. Invalid channel status information is permitted between the completion of random access and the minimum time condition for reporting valid channel status information, and valid channel status information is reported after the minimum time condition.

[0015] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is a device such as a network-side device that comprises at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to cause the device to perform at least the following actions using the at least one processor: determine at least one message containing information to be applied to a terminal device of the communication network when a network node activates at least one serving cell of the communication network; and communicate information to the terminal device for accessing at least one serving cell, wherein the information is for the terminal device to initiate transmission using at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble resources of at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0016] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a network node determines at least one message to a terminal device of a communication network that includes information to be applied when at least one serving cell of the communication network is activated, and communicates information to the terminal device for accessing the at least one serving cell, the information being used to initiate transmission at the terminal device using at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble resources of at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0017] A further exemplary embodiment is a method comprising the method described in the preceding paragraph, wherein at least one serving cell comprises a secondary cell or a primary secondary cell, at least one message comprises an RRC message, a medium access control element or a PDCCH order, at least one of a physical random access channel preamble or a physical random access channel preamble resource is to be applied by the terminal device for physical random access channel preamble transmission by a minimum time condition, and initiating transmission is for uncontested random access channel access based on the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell during activation, and initiating transmission using at least one of the physical random access channel preambles on the physical random access channel resource in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell earlier than the minimum time condition, and the physical random access channel At least one of the access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble resource is reserved by the communication network for a terminal device to enable uncontested access to at least one serving cell when at least one serving cell is activated, and at least one secondary cell includes a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, and a transmission using at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble resource is for transmission on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, and a network node receives instructions to receive or monitor physical downlink control channel orders on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel via a primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell of the communication network, and in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network,In response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell earlier than the minimum time condition, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network or receives and applies a physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell, which includes reporting channel status information upon completion of random access for the activated serving cell of at least one serving cell mapped to the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel, with an OoR (Out of Rate) allowed between the completion of random access and the minimum time condition for valid CSI reporting, and a valid CSI being reported after the minimum time condition, the downlink activation delay condition being determined based on either the time the instructions are communicated to the communication network or the time the physical downlink control channel order is received from the communication network, and a minimum time condition for communicating the physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell is defined, and the information is, by the terminal device, the physical random access channel An instruction to a communications network for providing a physical downlink control channel order via a physical downlink control channel in at least one serving cell, used by a terminal device to initiate a random access procedure, including a delay time after obtaining at least one downlink timing to initiate at least one of a preamble or a physical random access channel resource, wherein, if cross-carrier scheduling is configured in the terminal device, the physical downlink control channel order is received in information from other cells in the communications network, and the information from other cells indicates to the terminal device that at least one of the other cells is activated or that an uplink to at least one secondary cell is available, and the instruction uses a media access control element, and the downlink activation delay condition is determined based on either the time the media access control element receives at least one message between minimum time conditions, or the time the physical downlink control channel order is received from the communications network.Based on an instruction to receive a physical downlink control channel order from a terminal device transmitted to the network node via either a channel status information reporting resource or a media access control element, the network node receives information including the physical downlink control channel order, and based on this information, performs a random access procedure for random access to at least one serving cell, the random access procedure is used to obtain a timing advance for access, the timing advance is used to send a channel status information report, and based on the random access, reports either channel status information or invalid channel status information to at least one secondary cell, and if two or more of the at least one secondary cell are activated, the reporting of invalid channel status information is based on the fact that channel status information is unavailable or incomplete for at least one of the two or more secondary cells, and if multiple secondary cells are activated in an activation command for activating at least one serving cell, the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel is activated before the other secondary cells, and the other secondary cells are associated with the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel.

[0018] A non-transient computer-readable medium for storing program code, wherein the program code is executed by at least one processor and performs at least the method described in the above paragraph.

[0019] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a network node has means for determining at least one message to a terminal device of a communication network that includes information to be applied when at least one serving cell of the communication network is activated, and means for communicating information to the terminal device for accessing at least one serving cell, the information being used to initiate transmission at the terminal device using at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel preamble resources of at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0020] In accordance with the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraphs above, the means for determining and communicating comprises at least a network interface and computer program code stored in a computer-readable medium and executed by at least one processor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of various embodiments of this disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the LTE PUCCH S cell activation delay conditions. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows possible LTE PDCCH order timings. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the single S-cell activation delay in wireless communication. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows how to trigger a PDCCH order in a PUCCH S cell using legacy operation and operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]Figure 5 shows how to trigger a PDCCH order in a PUCCH S cell using legacy and usage operations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a comparison of PUCCH S cell activation timing between a legacy method and the proposed method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the activation timing in each S cell when multiple S cells are activated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows high-level block diagrams of various devices used when carrying out various embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 9A] Figure 9A shows a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention that can be performed by the apparatus. [Figure 9B] Figure 9B shows a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention that can be performed by the apparatus. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided that enables an early physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order for at least physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) secondary cell activation.

[0023] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a 5G new radio (NR) system and, in particular, addresses a method by which a UE activates a PUCCH S cell and its associated S cells in a time-efficient manner.

[0024] In NR, as with LTE, S cells can be activated or deactivated. The goal is to reasonably reduce UE battery consumption when CA is configured, based on a defined S cell activation / deactivation mechanism. When an S cell is deactivated, the UE does not need to receive the corresponding PDCCH or PDSCH, nor can it transmit on the corresponding uplink, nor does it need to perform L1 measurements such as CQI or CSI measurements on the S cell. The UE needs to perform RRM measurements with reduced performance on the deactivated S cell.

[0025] Once an S cell is activated, and therefore activated, the UE is required to receive PDSCH and PDCCH (if the UE is configured to monitor PDCCH from this S cell), perform L1 measurements such as CSI measurements, and report them as configured. In addition, the UE must perform RRM measurements as well as activated serving cells.

[0026] The transition between the activated and deactivated states is primarily based on MAC control element commands from the network. For example, 3GPP® TS 38.321 specifies an activation / deactivation MAC CE for an S cell to indicate whether an S cell with SCellIndex is activated or deactivated.

[0027] When a UE activates a deactivated S cell, there is a time delay T required for the transition from the deactivated state to the activated state. activation_time The delay conditions under which a UE can activate a deactivated S-cell are defined in RAN4. In REL15, the delay condition for activating one S-cell for a UE composed of one downlink S-cell is (T activation_time) is defined in 3GPP® TS 38.133 Section 8.3.2. When a slot N receives an S-cell activation command, the UE sends a valid CSI report and the S-cell is considered activated (and therefore the UE can be scheduled) in the slot.

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[0028] In 3GPP® Rel.17, a new work item [1] was approved that requires further investigation of the S-cell activation delay of PUCCH S-cells for the purpose of defining UE conditions. basis - PUCCH cell activation Starting with Release 15 NR, two PUCCH groups are now optionally supported by the UE. However, the activation conditions for PUCCH S cells are missing in the RAN4 RRM. the purpose - Activation / deactivation of PUCCH S cells [RAN4] Specify the cell activation delay conditions for deactivated PUCCH cells (including active and inactive TAs). Specify the cell activation delay condition for deactivated PUCCH S cells that have multiple S cells (including active and inactive TAs). Specify the delay condition for deactivating S cells for activated PUCCH S cells. 〇 Specifies the S-cell deactivation delay condition for activated PUCCH S-cells that have multiple S-cells.

[0029] In NR, two PUCCH groups are optionally supported by the UE to reduce the PUCCH load on the P cell. An S cell composed of PUCCHs is called a PUCCH S cell. In REL16, the activation delay condition only concerns the activation of one or more downlink S cells. The activation delay condition for PUCCH S cells in NR is planned to be defined in REL17.

[0030] In LTE, the activation delay conditions for PUCCH S cells are defined in TS 36.133 section 7.7.6. Compared to activating a downlink S cell (an S cell without PUCCH), the UE must "activate the uplink" in addition to the downlink when activating a PUCCH S cell to enable CSI reporting (used in the activation procedure). In particular, if there is no valid TA for the PUCCH S cell to be activated, the UE must perform random access to obtain the timing advance (TA) for the PUCCH S cell.

[0031] Therefore, the activation delay condition for PUCCH S cells in LTE (T delay_PUCCH SCell ) is the S-cell activation delay (T) for non-PUCCH S-cells. activate_basic In addition to the above, it is defined by allowing the UE to perform a random access procedure (T1+T2) and apply the TA (T3). The LTE PUCCH S cell activation delay condition is defined as follows: If the UE does not have a valid TA to transmit on the S cell, the UE will send subframe n+T ACTIVATE_BASIC Prior to the PUCCH S cell, the downlink operation associated with the S cell activation command can be performed for the S cell to be activated on the PUCCH S cell, as defined in

[17] , in subframe n+T delay_PUCCH SCellBefore that in

[17] , for the S cell activated on the PUCCH S cell, the uplink operation related to the S cell activation command can be executed, and in subframe n+T delay_PUCCH SCell Before that in

[17] , transmit the valid CSI report of the activated S cell on the PUCCH cell, and T delay_PUCCH SCell =T activate_basic =T - T1 is the uncertainty of the delay when obtaining the first available PRACH opportunity within the PUCCH S cell. T1 is at most 25 subframes, and the actual value of T1 depends on the PRACH configuration used in the PUCCH S cell. - T2 is the delay for obtaining a valid TA command for the STAG to which the S cell configured with the PUCCH belongs. T2 is at most 13 subframes. - T3 is the delay for applying the received TA to the uplink transmission. T3 is 6 subframes.

[0032] Figure 1 shows the operation of the UE in the PUCCH S cell activation procedure in LTE, indicating how the PUCCH S cell activation delay condition is derived. As shown in Figure 1, UE10 receives a S cell activation command 110 from the network, which instructs the activation of the PUCCH S cell. The UE must execute the downlink operation before Tactivation_basic115, which is the activation delay for activating the downlink S cell, i.e., the non-PUCCH S cell. Then, it starts a random access procedure to obtain a TA that requires T1+T2+T3 118, and can transmit a valid CSI report 120 at time 140. Note that in Figure 1, the uplink CSI report can be transmitted on the PUCCH S cell only after the activation of DL and RACH is completed.

[0033] As mentioned above, since only contention-free RAs are supported in S cells, if the UE does not have a valid TA to transmit on a PUCCH S cell, the RA procedure must be triggered by a PDCCH order from the network. In LTE, if the UE has a T activate_basic The delay conditions are defined assuming that a PDCCH order is received on the PUCCH S cell (and so on). However, because the UL is not aligned, it is not possible to transmit an uplink CSI on the PUCCH S cell, and the network cannot accurately determine when the UE should obtain DL timing and when to send a PDCCH order to the UE on the PUCCH S cell. The above delay condition (T delay_PUCCH SCell The following conditions apply to ): - UE is T activate_basic We have received a PDCCH order to initiate the RA procedure for the PUCCH S cell, otherwise an additional delay is expected to activate the S cell. - PUCCH The RA on the S cell is not interrupted by the RA on the P cell; otherwise, an additional delay is expected to activate the S cell. - If SRS carrier-based switching does not occur during the S cell activation procedure, PUCCH S cell activation delay (T delay_PUCCH SCell ) can be extended.

[0034] In the case of a non-PUCCH S cell, when the S cell's CSI is reported in the P cell PUCCH, the reception of a valid CSI notifies the NW of early activation. However, this is not possible in a PUCCH S cell where the UE does not have a valid TA (and therefore the UE is not allowed to transmit in the PUCCH S cell). In this case, the network may repeatedly transmit PDCCH orders blindly until it receives a preamble from the UE (Figure 2-1). The network can then assign a TA to the UE so that it can receive a valid CSI report from the PUCCH S cell. Alternatively, the network must wait until it knows that the UE is ready to receive in the DL (receive the PDCCH order), which means waiting for the maximum allowable DL activation delay (i.e., the S cell activation delay condition) to ensure that the UE receives the PDCCH order (Figure 2-2). This avoids redundant repetition of the PDCCH order, but the activation delay may increase because the PDCCH order is slower.

[0035] Figure 2 shows the timing at which PDCCH orders can be sent in LTE. As shown in Figure 2, UE 10 receives an S-cell activation command 110 from the network instructing the activation of a PUCCH S-cell, and the downlink operation is activated within the activation delay Tactivation_basic 215. In one embodiment 217, the network may randomly send PDCCH orders during downlink activation. In another embodiment 220, the network may send a PDCCH order at the end of the downlink activation delay condition Tactivation_basic 215 to ensure that the UE can receive the PDCCH order. Upon receiving the PDCCH order, the UE can initiate the RACH procedure 218 to obtain a TA and send a valid CSI report 230 at time 240.

[0036] In this approach, UEs with better UE implementations, or UEs under better conditions, cannot benefit from shorter DL activation delays and overall reduced PUCCH cell activation delays. In practice, because activation delays depend on configurations such as SMTC, SSB, and measurement cycle, UEs may acquire DL timing earlier than the minimum acceptable UE condition (maximum acceptable activation time) for activation delay. In such cases, PUCCH S cells may be activated faster.

[0037] In NR, as shown in Figure 3, the S cell activation time (T activaton_time ) is HARQ time (T HARQ ) and CSI reporting time (T CSI-reporting Except for being distinguished from ), a single activation delay condition for a downlink S cell is defined similarly. However, the problem remains the same.

[0038] Figure 3 shows the timing of the UE's operation during single S-cell activation of the new radio, illustrating how the activation delay condition is derived. As shown in Figure 3, UE 10 receives an S-cell activation command 310 from the network instructing the downlink S-cell to be activated. This corresponds to the HARQ timing T HARQ An acknowledgment is sent back to HARQ315, which takes 312 seconds. Subsequently, the S cell activates the delay condition T. activation_time Activated within 314, the UE sends a valid CSI report 330 after CSI measurement and obtains resources for a time-consuming CSI report 316. The UE may also send an invalid CSI report 320 during S-cell activation.

[0039] The problem becomes more serious when multiple S cells are activated together with a PUCCH cell, for example, when the activation command includes a PUCCH S cell and other S cells. According to section 7.7.7 of TS 36.133, the activation delay for a PUCCH S cell with multiple S cells is defined as follows:activate_total This is the activation delay for multiple DL S cells, and additionally counts the time spent interrupting cell detection by other S cells being activated. This extended activation delay condition can unnecessarily lengthen the activation procedure, as the network may further delay the start of the PDCCH order until the activation delay conditions for multiple S cells are met (as the UE may not receive the PDCCH order due to the interruption).

[0040] If the UE does not have a valid TA to transmit on the S cell, the UE will not transmit at the latest subframe n+T activate_basic In this context, for S cells activated on PUCCH S cells, the UE must be able to perform downlink operations related to the S cell activation command, as defined in

[17] , and the UE must be able to perform subframe n+T delay_PUCCH_multiple_SCell Prior to that, the UE can perform uplink actions related to the S-cell activation command, as specified for the S-cell to be activated on the PUCCH S-cell, and the UE can perform subframe n+T delay_PUCCH_multiple_SCells Prior to that, a valid CSI report for the S cell activated on the PUCCH S cell must be submitted, T delay_PUCCH multiple_SCells =T activate_total +T1+T2+T3,

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[0041] In summary, since PUCCH S cell activation involves an RA procedure to obtain UL TA, when and how the PDCCH order that triggers the RA procedure is initiated affects the overall activation delay. Optimizing the timing of the PDCCH order allows for earlier activation of PUCCH S cells, providing better offload opportunities.

[0042] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method is proposed to enable rapid activation of a PUCCH S cell when a UE receives a MAC CE that includes at least the activation of a PUCCH S cell.

[0043] The method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is proposed to function at least as follows. 1) Enable the UE to initiate contention-free access on the activated PUCCH S cell. 2) Enable the UE to notify the network when it can receive DL on an activated PUCCH S cell.

[0044] Before describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention in further detail, we refer to Figure 8 to show a simplified block diagram of various electronic devices suitable for use in carrying out exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 8 shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting exemplary system in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be carried out. In Figure 8, a user device (UE) 10 is wirelessly communicating with a wireless network 1 or network 1 as shown in Figure 8. The wireless network 1 or network 1 as shown in Figure 8 may comprise a communication network such as a mobile network as disclosed herein, e.g., mobile network 1 or first mobile network. Any reference herein to a wireless network 1 as shown in Figure 8 may be considered a reference to any wireless network as disclosed herein. Furthermore, the wireless network 1 as shown in Figure 8 may also comprise hardwired functions as may be required by the communication network. The UE is a wireless, typically portable device, capable of accessing the wireless network. The UE may be, for example, a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and / or a computer with mobile terminal capabilities. For example, the UE or mobile terminal may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or vehicle-mounted portable device that performs language signaling and / or data exchange with the RAN.

[0046] UE10 includes one or more processors DP10A, one or more memory MEM10B, and one or more transceivers TRANS10D interconnected via one or more buses. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS10D includes a receiver and a transmitter. Furthermore, each transceiver 10D is associated with a subscriber ID module 10E. One or more buses may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, or other optical communication equipment. One or more transceivers TRANS10D may optionally be connected to one or more antennas 11 and 18 for communication with NN12 and NN13, respectively. One or more memory MEM10B includes computer program code PROG10C. UE10 communicates with NN12 and / or NN13 via radio link 11.

[0047] NN12 (NR / 5G Node B, Evolutionary NB, or LTE device) is a network node such as a master or secondary node base station (e.g., for NR or LTE Long Term Evolution) that communicates with devices such as NN13 and UE10 in Figure 8. NN12 provides wireless devices such as UE10 with access to the wireless network 1. NN12 includes one or more processors DP12A, one or more memory MEM12C, and one or more transceivers TRANS12D interconnected via one or more buses. According to exemplary embodiments, these TRANS12D may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for use in performing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS12D comprises a receiver and a transmitter. One or more transceivers TRANS12D may optionally be connected to one or more antennas for communication with UE10 via at least link 11. One or more memory MEM12B and computer program code PROG12C are configured by one or more processors DP12A to cause NN12 to perform one or more operations described herein. NN12 may communicate with other gNBs or eNBs, or devices such as NN13 via link 14. Furthermore, links 11, 14, and / or other links may be wired, wireless, or both, and may implement, for example, X2 or Xn interfaces. Furthermore, links 11 and / or 14 may be via other network devices, but are not limited to NCE / SGW / AMF / UPF devices such as NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF14 in Figure 8. NN12 can perform MME (Mobility Management Entity) or SGW (Serving Gateway) functions, such as user plane functions, and / or access management functions for LTE, and / or similar functions for 5G.

[0048] NN13 can be associated with a mobility function device such as an AMF or SMF, and further NN13 may include an NR / 5G node B or optionally an evolved NB base station, such as a master or secondary node base station (e.g., for NR or LTE Long Term Evolution) that communicates with devices such as NN12 and / or UE10 and / or radio network 1. NN13 includes one or more processors DP13A, one or more memory MEM13B, one or more network interfaces, and one or more transceivers TRANS12D interconnected via one or more buses. According to exemplary embodiments, these network interfaces of NN13 may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for use in performing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Each of the one or more transceivers TRANS13D includes a receiver and transmitter that can optionally be connected to one or more antennas. One or more memory MEM13B includes computer program code PROG13C. For example, one or more memory MEM13B and computer program code PROG13C are configured to cause NN13 to perform one or more operations described herein by one or more processors DP13A. NN13 can communicate with other mobility function devices and / or eNBs, such as NN12 and UE10 or any other device, using, for example, link 11 or other links. Link 14, as shown in Figure 8, can be used for communication between NN12 and NN13. These links can be wired or wireless or both, and can implement, for example, X2 or Xn interfaces. Furthermore, as stated above, links 11 and / or link 14 may be via other network devices, but are not limited to NCE / MME / SGW devices such as NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF14 in Figure 8.

[0049] One or more buses in the device of Figure 8 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanisms such as a series of wires on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fibers or other optical communication devices, or radio channels. For example, one or more transceivers TRANS12D, TRANS13D and / or TRANS10D may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH), the other elements of NN12 may be located in a physically separate location from the RRH, and one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented as optical fiber cables for connecting the other elements of NN12 to the RRH.

[0050] Note that Figure 8 shows network nodes such as NN12 and NN13. Any of these nodes can, or may, incorporate an eNodeB, eNB, or gNB, such as for LTE and NR, and can be configured to perform exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0051] Furthermore, while this specification uses the term "cell" to indicate that a function is performed, it should be noted that it is clear that the gNBs and / or user devices and / or mobility management function devices that form the cell are the ones that perform the function. In addition, a cell constitutes part of a gNB, and there may be multiple cells in each gNB.

[0052] Wireless network 1 or any network it may represent may include or may not include NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF14, which provide connectivity to further networks such as telephone networks and / or data networks (e.g., the Internet), and which, at the time of filing, are configured to perform any 5G and / or NR operations in addition to or instead of the operations of other standards. The NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF14 can be configured to perform operations according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention in any communication technology based on LTE, NR, 5G, and / or any standard being implemented or discussed at the time of this application. Furthermore, it should be noted that operations according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention performed by NN12 and / or NN13 can also be performed by the NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF14.

[0053] NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF14 includes one or more processors DP14A, one or more memory MEM14B, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F(pl)) interconnected via one or more buses coupled to links 13 and / or 14. According to exemplary embodiments, these network interfaces may include X2 and / or Xn interfaces for use in performing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One or more memory MEM14B includes computer program code PROG14C. One or more memory MEM14B and computer program code PROG14C are configured to cause one or more processors DP14A to perform one or more operations that may be required to support operation according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0054] Wireless network 1 can implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single, software-based managed entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization includes platform virtualization and is often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is classified into external types, which integrate a large number of networks or parts of networks into a virtual unit, and internal types, which provide network-like functionality to a software container on a single system. It should be noted that the virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization are still implemented at some level using hardware such as processors DP10, DP12A, DP13A, and / or DP14A and memory MEM10B, MEM12B, MEM13B, and / or MEM14B, and such virtualized entities produce technical effects.

[0055] Computer-readable memories MEM12B, MEM13B, and MEM14B may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Computer-readable memories MEM12B, MEM13B, and MEM14B may also be means for performing storage functions. Processors DP10, DP12A, DP13A, and DP14A may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include, in non-limiting examples, one or more of general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Processors DP10, DP12A, DP13A, and DP14A may be means for performing functions such as controlling UE10, NN12, NN13, and other functions described herein.

[0056] Enable the UE to initiate random access on activated PUCCH S cells.

[0057] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the UE obtains the required DL time and frequency synchronization from the PUCCH S cell, the UE can initiate PRACH preamble transmission on the PUCCH S cell. The preamble transmitted on the PUCCH S cell and the PRACH resources used for preamble transmission may be reserved to the UE in a manner similar to that of a PDCCH order (to enable conflict-free access). In this case, the preamble may be delivered to the UE, for example, in or with an activation command. Alternatively, the UE is instructed to initiate a random access procedure on the PUCCH S cell. In this case, the UE can use normal conflict-based access and select a preamble according to existing preamble selection rules. This can be done, for example, in an S cell configuration if the S cell is configured as a directly activated S cell.

[0058] Regarding the option to initiate RA procedures via PDCCH orders

[0059] Options according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention for initiating the RA procedure via a PDCCH order include: - If cross-carrier scheduling is not configured, a minimum condition is defined for the latest time after receiving the activation command that the UE should be able to receive DL (for receiving PDCCH orders) from the PUCCH S cell, which could be the currently defined activation delay, for example, minus the time required for L1-RSRP measurement and reporting. Alternatively, it could be defined as the latest time after the UE has obtained DL timing that the PRACH preamble can be initiated, for example, one PRACH resource period. - If cross-carrier scheduling is configured, PDCCH orders may be received from other cells that are already activated, and based on the preamble reception at the PUCCH S cell, the NW recognizes that the PUCCH S cell is activated or at least ready for UL.

[0060] To enable the UE to indicate the network when it can receive DL in an activated PUCCH S cell.

[0061] Furthermore, to allow the UE and system to benefit from a better UE implementation, the UE can indicate via the P-cell / PS-cell that it is ready to receive / monitor PDCCH on the PUCCH S-cell, and such indication can be used by the network to send PDCCH orders on the PUCCH S-cell. This indication can be sent, for example, via CSI reporting or MAC CE.

[0062] This is not the case in the following instances. - If inter-carrier scheduling is not supported / configured, - If the network does not receive instructions within the activation delay condition, the network will initiate a PDCCH order on the PUCCH S cell at the end of the activation delay condition, and / or - The DL activation delay condition for the UE for a PUCCH S cell is determined by the instruction transmission time and / or the PDCCH order reception time. For example, the DL activation delay condition is determined as the time between the HARQ feedback and the instruction transmission time.

[0063] In either case, the initial CSI report for the PUCCH S cell begins at the completion of the random access procedure (e.g., the processing time after receiving the RAR to complete the RA, i.e., after the UE applies the TA provided by the network) if the PUCCH S cell does not have a valid TA when the MAC CE is received. - If the UE does not have a valid CSI for a PUCCH S cell, for example, if the CSI measurement is not completed, the CSI reporting resource is unavailable, or the CSI-RS resource is unavailable for measurement, an OoR (Out of Range, i.e., invalid CSI) will be reported for that PUCCH S cell. - If multiple S cells are activated using S-cell activation MAC CE, and some of those S cells do not yet have a valid CSI, an OoR will be reported for those S cells. - The minimum requirements for reporting a valid CSI for an S cell may be the same as in legacy systems. - Unlike S cells where PUCCH is mapped to a PUCCH cell, the first CSI report (invalid or valid) for an S cell where PUCCH is mapped to a PUCCH cell begins at the completion of Random Access (RA), rather than at n+K after receiving the S cell activation MAC CE, and OoR is only permitted to report between the completion of RA (if it occurred before the minimum condition) and the minimum condition for a valid CSI report.

[0064] When multiple S cells, including a PUCCH S cell, are to be activated, it is proposed that the PUCCH S cell be activated (on DL) before the other S cells are activated so that the random access procedure can begin as early as possible. Alternatively, the PUCCH S cell is activated (on DL) before the UL, which is associated with the PUCCH S cell, is activated. This principle minimizes the activation delay of a PUCCH S cell with multiple S cells.

[0065] Next, Figure 4 shows a flowchart of the solution (Proposed Method 1) that "enables the UE to initiate contention-free access on the PUCCH S cell to be activated".

[0066] In legacy systems, the timing of sending PDCCH orders depends on the implementation. To save system capacity, the network is T activation_timeYou must send a PDCCH order before the end of the process, or blindly repeat the PDCCH order. As proposed, since the minimum condition for DL ​​reception is defined earlier than the legacy condition, the NW will have the UE T activation_time You can know that you are ready to receive PDCCH orders earlier than the end of the current process.

[0067] Furthermore, in the proposed method, the network can transmit PDCCH orders, such as the RA preamble and / or PRACH resources, via the P cell, along with the S cell activation MAC CE, or during S cell configuration if the PUCCH S cell is activated directly during configuration. The UE then uses this preamble for a conflict-free RACH once DL timing is obtained. The initial CSI report must not be sent before the completion of the RA procedure. The advantage of this new feature lies particularly in FR2, which requires the UE to indicate the DL to be used in the UL (assuming UL / DL correspondence).

[0068] Figure 4 illustrates how to trigger a PDCCH order for a PUCCH S cell using legacy operation and operation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, UE10 is in connection mode 410 with P cell l12 and PUCCH_SCell13. As shown in step 420 of Figure 4, a measurement configuration including the PUCCH S cell carrier 420 is communicated between P cell 12 and UE10. As shown in step 430 of Figure 4, a measurement is performed according to the measurement configuration using SSB and PUCCH_cell events. As shown in step 435 of Figure 4, a measurement report including the measurement results for the PUCCH S cell is communicated between UE10 and P cell 12. In step 440 of Figure 4, the S cell configuration of the PUCCH S cell is communicated between UE10 and P cell 12. As shown in step 445 of Figure 4, UE10 applies the configuration of the PUCCH S cell, which is in an inactive state. Step 450 of Figure 4 illustrates legacy operation based on S cell activation. Step 455 shows the proposed method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A flowchart of the proposed solution (which allows the UE to indicate the network when it can receive DL in the PUCCH S cell that is to be activated), i.e., the method for triggering the PDCCH order in proposed method 2), is shown in Figure 5. A measurement is performed according to a measurement configuration using SSB from P cell 12 and PUCCH S cell 13, as shown in steps 515 to 525 of Figure 5.

[0069] Figure 5 illustrates how to trigger a PDCCH order for a PUCCH S cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, UE10 is in connection mode 510 with P cell 12. As shown in step 515 of Figure 5, a measurement configuration, including the configuration of the PUCCH S cell, is communicated between P cell 12 and UE10. As shown in step 525 of Figure 5, a measurement report, including the measurement results of the PUCCH S cell, is communicated between UE10 and P cell 12 when an event defined in the measurement configuration in step 515 is triggered. In step 530 of Figure 5, a PUCCH S cell activation command is communicated between P cell 12 and UE10. In step 535 of Figure 5, LTE legacy operation based on PUCCH S cell activation is shown. In step 540 of Figure 5, the proposed PUCCH S cell (NR PUCCH) method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0070] In this solution, if a UE with a good implementation activates the DL of a PUCCH S cell earlier than the activation delay condition, the UE sends a DL alignment instruction to the network, and the network initiates a PDCCH order. This ensures that the network is notified of clear DL alignment information, thus avoiding unnecessary and blind PDCCH order scheduling.

[0071] Note that the activated MAC CE is unaffected because the PUCCH can be sent via other already activated cells mapped to the P cell, and the ACK can be sent via the PUCCH of the PC cell.

[0072] Furthermore, Figure 6 shows the signaling timing on the UE side in the legacy system and the proposed system. • The first timeline assumes that the LTE PUCCH S cell activation principle applies to NR. The UE obtains the DL timing, and after completing DL activation, initiates the random access procedure. • In the second timeline, a dedicated preamble / PRACH resource used for RACH in the PUCCH S cell is configured / sent to the UE via the P cell. The network needs to hold the preamble / resource until the RACH procedure is complete. However, the S cell is activated as quickly as possible. • In the third timeline, the UE indicates the DL alignment to the network and triggers the PDCCH order. Round-trip time for the instruction is sacrificed, but overhead is minimized.

[0073] Figure 6 shows a comparison of PUCCH S cell activation timing between the legacy method and the proposed method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in step sequence 610 of Figure 6, the LTE PUCCH S cell activation principle is applied to the NR. In step sequence 610, time-series communication takes place with UE10 based on THarq, Tactivation_time, RACH, and TCSI reports for S cell activation. When the UE receives an activation command to activate the PUCCH S cell, it sends a HARQ acknowledgment according to the HARQ timing. An invalid CSI report may be sent while the UE is activating downlink operations on the PUCCH S cell (e.g., RF tuning, AGC, and cell synchronization). Only after the downlink operations have been activated does the UE perform RACH and then send a valid CSI report. In the proposed step sequence 1)620 shown in Figure 6, time-series communication with UE10 takes place based on THarq, TDLactivation_time, RACH, and TCSI-reporting, and the communication includes S-cell activation (RA preamble), HARQ, RA preamble transmission (pre-configured), RA response (TA), initial CSI report, and valid CSI report. In the proposed step sequence 2)630 shown in Figure 6, time-series communication with UE10 takes place based on THarq, TDLactivation_time, RACH, and TCSI-reporting, and the communication includes S-cell activation, HARQ, DL alignment instruction (P-cell / PS-cell), PUCCH order (PUCCH S-cell), initial CSI report, and valid CSI report. In this method, preamble and PRACH resources are reserved and delivered from the network to the UE along with the S-cell activation command. The UE transmits the preamble after activating downlink operation. Subsequently, the network, knowing that the DL for the PUCCH S cell has been activated, returns an RA response indicating UL TA. UL TA allows the UE to send the initial CSI report with the resources for CSI reporting.This CSI report may be invalidated by OoR values, etc., before the UE can measure a valid CSI. Ultimately, it can send a valid CSI report, signifying the completion of PUCCH S cell activation.

[0074] Figure 7 shows the activation timing for each S cell when multiple S cells, including a PUCCH S cell, are activated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. S cell activation is shown in step sequence 710 of Figure 7. Step sequence 710 of Figure 7 includes time-series communication with UE10 based on THarq, TActivation_time_multiple SCell, RACH, and TCSI-report for the activated S cell. Step sequence 710 of Figure 7 shows S cell activation, S cell 1: cell detection, S cell 2: cell detection, and PUCCH S cell detection, and includes a valid CSI report for the activated S cell. Step sequence 720 of Figure 7 shows time-series communication with UE10 based on THarq, TActivation_time, RACH, and TCSI-report for the activated S cell. The step sequence 720 in Figure 7 shows the activation of the S cell, HARQ based on PUCCH S cell detection, S cell 1: cell detection and S cell 2: cell detection using TCSI reporting, the first CSI report, the CSI report (S cell 1: valid CSI, PUCCH S cell, OoR, S cell 2: OoR), and the valid CSI report for all S cells.

[0075] The timeline at the top shows the activation process when three S cells, including the PUCCH S cell, are activated. It is assumed that two S cells, S cell 1 and S cell 2, are associated with the PUCCH S cell, i.e., their PUCCHs are mapped to the PUCCH S cell. According to LTE principles, the activation delay condition for activating multiple downlink S cells is T activation_time_multiple SCells Use. According to Section 8.3.7 of 38.133, Tactivation_time_multiple SCells This takes into account the possibility of interruptions in AGC settling and cell detection. In the worst case, detection of a PUCCH S cell may be interrupted by the activation of other S cells, so its DL may only be activated after DL activation of all other S cells is complete. The RACH procedure is initiated only after the PUCCH S cell has been detected on the downlink.

[0076] Since S cells are associated with PUCCH S cells, valid CSI reports for these S cells can only be sent after RACH is complete. Therefore, in the proposed timeline, DL activation of PUCCH S cells takes precedence over other S cells so that the RACH procedure can start as early as possible. Meanwhile, the UE can perform cell detection of other S cells during random access. Also, the first CSI report cannot be sent before RACH is complete. After RACH is complete, the UE measures and reports CSI for each S cell in parallel and sends the CSI for each S cell on the CSI resource.

[0077] Based on this principle, the S-cell activation delay for a PUCCH S-cell with multiple S-cells can be defined as follows (this can be added to TS 38.133): • If other activated S cells are associated with the PUCCH S cell, 〇 In the case of a PUCCH S cell, the UE slots a valid CSI.

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[0078] Figure 9A illustrates, but is not limited to, operations that may be performed by a device (for example, UE10 as shown in Figure 8). As shown in step 910 of Figure 9A, the terminal device receives at least one message from a network node of the communication network containing information to be applied when activating at least one serving cell of the communication network. Next, as shown in step 920 of Figure 9A, the information is applied to access at least one serving cell, and the information is to initiate transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0079] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one serving cell comprises a secondary cell or a primary-secondary cell.

[0080] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one message includes an RRC message, a media access control element, or a PDCCH order.

[0081] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, initiating transmission is for uncontested random access channel access based on the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell during activation.

[0082] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, initiating transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource is earlier than the minimum time condition.

[0083] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one of a physical random access channel preamble or a physical random access channel preamble resource is reserved by the communication network for a terminal device to enable uncontested access to at least one serving cell when at least one serving cell is activated.

[0084] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one serving cell includes a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, and a transmission using a physical random access channel preamble is transmitted on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel.

[0085] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network via a primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell of the communication network to either receive or monitor physical downlink control channel orders on a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel.

[0086] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network.

[0087] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell earlier than the minimum time condition, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network or receives a physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell.

[0088] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the application includes reporting channel status information upon completion of random access for an activated serving cell of at least one serving cell having a physical uplink control channel mapped to a secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel.

[0089] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, an Out of Rate (OoR) is permitted between the completion of random access for a valid CSI report and the shortest time condition, and a valid CSI is reported after the shortest time condition.

[0090] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the downlink activation delay condition is determined based on either the time it takes for the instruction to be communicated to the communication network or the time it takes for the physical downlink control channel order to be received from the communication network.

[0091] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, the instruction to the communication network is to initiate a physical downlink control channel order via a physical downlink control channel in at least one serving cell in order to initiate a random access procedure from a terminal device.

[0092] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, when cross-carrier scheduling is configured in the terminal device, the physical downlink control channel order is received in information from other cells in the communication network.

[0093] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the instruction uses a media access control element.

[0094] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, the downlink activation delay condition is determined based on either the time it takes for the instruction to be communicated to the communication network or the time it takes for the physical downlink control channel order to be received from the communication network.

[0095] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, information including a physical downlink control channel order is received from the network node based on instructions from a terminal device transmitted to the network node via either a channel status information reporting resource or a media access control element in order to receive a physical downlink control channel order, and based on that information, a random access procedure for random access to at least one serving cell is performed.

[0096] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, a random access procedure is used to obtain a timing advance for access, and the timing advance is used to transmit a channel status information report.

[0097] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, based on random access, either valid channel status information or invalid channel status information is reported to at least one secondary cell.

[0098] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, reporting is performed upon completion of random access for activation of at least one secondary or primary secondary cell of a serving cell, the activation of at least one serving cell being a state in which the physical uplink control channel is mapped to the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel.

[0099] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, if two or more secondary cells of at least one serving cell are activated, reporting invalid channel status information is based on the fact that for at least one of the two or more secondary cells, channel status information is either unavailable or incomplete.

[0100] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel is activated before other secondary cells when multiple secondary cells are activated in an activation command for activating at least one serving cell.

[0101] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, other secondary cells relate to the secondary cells of the physical uplink control channel.

[0102] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, invalid channel state information is permitted between the completion of random access and the reporting of the first valid channel state information, and the first valid channel state information is reported after a minimum time condition in response to the completion of random access.

[0103] A non-transient computer-readable medium (MEM10B in Figure 8) that stores program code (PROG10C in Figure 8), the program code being executed by at least one processor (DP10A in Figure 8) and performing at least the operations described in the paragraph above.

[0104] According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention described above, there is a device that includes means (one or more transceivers TRANS10D, MEM10B, PROG10C, and DP10A in Figure 8) for receiving at least one message from a network node (NN12 and / or NN13 in Figure 8) of a communication network (Network 1 in Figure 8) containing information to be applied when at least one serving cell of the communication network is activated, and means (one or more transceivers TRANS10D, MEM10B, PROG10C, and DP10A in Figure 8) for applying information to access at least one serving cell, wherein the information is for initiating transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the activated serving cell.

[0105] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention as described in the paragraphs above, at least the means for receiving and applying comprises a non-transient computer-readable medium [MEM10B in Figure 8] encoded with a computer program [PROG10C in Figure 8] executable by at least one processor [DP10A in Figure 8].

[0106] Figure 9B illustrates an operation that may, but is not limited to, be performed by a device (e.g., NN12 and / or NN13 as shown in Figure 8). As shown in step 950 of Figure 9B, a network node determines at least one message to a terminal device of the communication network containing information to be applied when at least one serving cell of the communication network is activated. Then, as shown in step 960 of Figure 9B, information is communicated to the terminal device for accessing at least one serving cell, which is to be initiated by the terminal device using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the at least one serving cell to be activated.

[0107] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one serving cell includes a secondary cell or a primary-secondary cell.

[0108] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one message includes an RRC message, a media access control element, or a PDCCH order.

[0109] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one of a physical random access channel preamble or a physical random access channel preamble resource is to be applied by a terminal device to transmit the physical random access channel preamble by a minimum time condition.

[0110] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the initiation of transmission is for uncontested random access channel access, based on the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell during activation.

[0111] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, initiating transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource is earlier than the minimum time requirement.

[0112] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one of a physical random access channel preamble or a physical random access channel preamble resource is reserved by the communication network for a terminal device to enable uncontested access to at least one serving cell when at least one serving cell is activated.

[0113] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, at least one secondary cell includes a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, and a transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel preamble resource is intended for transmission on the secondary cell of the physical uplink control channel.

[0114] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, a network node receives any instruction to receive or monitor physical downlink control channel orders on a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel via a primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell of the communication network.

[0115] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network.

[0116] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, in response to the terminal device obtaining the required downlink time and frequency synchronization from at least one serving cell earlier than the minimum time condition, the terminal device communicates instructions to the communication network or receives a physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell.

[0117] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, a minimum time condition for communication of the physical downlink control channel order from at least one secondary cell is defined.

[0118] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the information includes a delay time after acquisition by at least one terminal device of downlink timing for initiating at least one of the physical random access channel preamble or physical random access channel resource.

[0119] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, a communication network is instructed to provide a physical downlink control channel order via a physical downlink control channel in at least one serving cell for use by a terminal device to initiate a random access procedure.

[0120] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, when cross-carrier scheduling is configured in the terminal device, the physical downlink control channel order is received in information from other cells in the communication network.

[0121] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, information from other cells indicates to the terminal device that at least one of the following is that the other cells are activated or that an uplink to a secondary cell of at least one secondary is available.

[0122] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the instructions utilize a media access control element.

[0123] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the downlink activation delay condition is determined based on either the time during which a medium access control element is received in at least one message, or the time during which a physical downlink control channel order is received from the communication network.

[0124] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, the terminal device receives information from the network node, including a physical downlink control channel order, based on instructions to receive a physical downlink control channel order transmitted from the terminal device to the network node via either a channel status information reporting resource or a media access control element, and based on that information, performs a random access procedure for random access to at least one serving cell.

[0125] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, a random access procedure is used to obtain a timing advance for access, and the timing advance is used to transmit a channel status information report.

[0126] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, channel status information or invalid channel status information is reported to at least one secondary cell based on random access.

[0127] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, reporting invalid channel status information when two or more of the two or more secondary cells are activated is based on the fact that channel status information is unavailable or incomplete for at least one of the two or more secondary cells.

[0128] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the paragraph above, a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel is activated before other secondary cells when multiple secondary cells are activated in an activation command for activating at least one serving cell.

[0129] According to the exemplary embodiments described in the paragraph above, other secondary cells relate to the secondary cells of the physical uplink control channel.

[0130] A non-transient computer-readable medium (memory 12B and / or memory 13B in Figure 8) that stores program code (program 12C and / or program 13C in Figure 8), the program code being executed by at least one processor (DP12A and / or DP13A in Figure 8) and performing at least the operations described in the above paragraph.

[0131] According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention described above, for a terminal device (UE10 as shown in Figure 8) of a communication network (Network 1 as shown in Figure 8), there is a device in which a network node (NN12 and / or NN13 as shown in Figure 8) has means for determining at least one message containing information to be applied to the activation of at least one serving cell of the communication network (one or more transceivers TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, memory 12B and / or memory 13B, program 12C and / or program 13C, and DP12A and / or DP13A as shown in Figure 8). The means for communicating information to a terminal device for accessing at least one serving cell (one or more transceivers TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, memory 12B and / or memory 13B, program 12C and / or program 13C, and DP12A and / or DP13A, as shown in Figure 8), the information for initiating transmission by a terminal device using at least one of the physical random access channel preambles on a physical random access channel resource in at least one secondary cell or primary secondary cell of the activated serving cell (one or more transceivers TRANS12D and / or TRANS13D, memory 12B and / or memory 13B, program 12C and / or program 13C, and DP12A and / or DP13A, as shown in Figure 8). In exemplary embodiments of the present invention as described in the above paragraph, at least the means for determining and communicating comprises a non-transient computer-readable medium [memory 12B and / or memory 13B in Figure 8] encoded with a computer program [prog 12C and / or prog 13C in Figure 8] executable by at least one processor [DP12A and / or DP13A in Figure 8].

[0132] Furthermore, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there exists a circuit for performing operations according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein. This circuit may include any type of circuit, including content encoding circuits, content decoding circuits, processing circuits, image generation circuits, data analysis circuits, and the like. Furthermore, this circuit may include discrete circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or field-programmable gate array circuits (FPGAs), etc., as well as processors specifically configured by software to perform their respective functions, or dual-core processors with software and corresponding digital signal processors, etc. Furthermore, necessary inputs to and outputs from the circuit, functions performed by the circuit, and interconnections of the circuit (possibly via inputs and outputs) with other components, which may include other circuits, are provided for performing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention described herein.

[0133] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification, the “circuit” provided may include at least one, a number, or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementation (such as implementation using only analog and / or digital circuits), (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, for example (where applicable), (i) combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s) comprising software (including digital signal processors(s), software and memory) and, which cooperate to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, such as functions or operations according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein, (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor(s) or part of a microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, and the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0134] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there exists a suitable circuit for performing at least a novel operation as disclosed herein, and such “circuit” as used herein means at least the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations of analog and / or digital circuits only), (b) combinations of circuitry and software (and / or firmware), for example (where applicable), (i) combinations of processors, or (ii) parts of processors / software (including digital signal processors), software, and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions. (c) A microprocessor(s) or part of a microprocessor(s), or any circuit that requires software or firmware to operate even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

[0067] This definition of “circuit” applies to all use of the term in this application, including in the claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term “circuit” also covers merely a processor (or more processors) or a part of a processor and the implementation of the software and / or firmware associated with it (or them). The term “circuit” would also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other network device, as applicable to the elements of a particular claim.

[0135] In general, various embodiments can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Various embodiments of the present invention can be illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or any other graphic representation, but it is well understood that these blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, in non-limiting examples, in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0136] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in various components, such as integrated circuit modules. Designing integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to translate logic-level designs into semiconductor circuit designs ready for etching and forming on semiconductor substrates.

[0137] As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, illustration, or explanatory example.” Embodiments described herein as “exemplary” are not necessarily construed to be preferable or advantageous to other embodiments. All embodiments described in this detailed description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable those skilled in the art to manufacture or use the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

[0138] The foregoing description, by illustrative and non-limiting examples, has provided a complete and useful description of the best methods and apparatus currently envisioned by the inventors for carrying out the invention. However, in consideration of the foregoing description, various modifications and adaptations will become apparent to those skilled in the art, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. However, all such changes and similar changes to the teachings of this invention remain within the scope of this invention.

[0139] The terms “connected,” “joined,” or variations thereof mean a direct or indirect connection or joining between two or more elements, and should be noted that this may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two “connected” or “joined” elements. The joining or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. As adopted herein, two elements may be considered “connected” or “joined” together by the use of one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as by the use of electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain, in some non-exclusive and non-exclusive examples. Furthermore, some of the features of preferred embodiments of the present invention can be advantageously used without corresponding use of other features. Thus, the foregoing description should be considered merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not limiting them.

Claims

[Claim 1] The terminal device transmits to the communication network, via the primary (secondary) cell or other serving cell of the communication network, any instruction to receive or monitor a physical downlink control channel order on a secondary cell of a physical uplink control channel, The terminal device receives at least one message from a network node of the communication network, which includes information that is applied when at least one serving cell of the communication network is activated. Applying the information to access at least one serving cell, Includes, The information described above is for initiating transmission using a physical random access channel preamble on a physical random access channel resource in at least one serving cell to be activated, wherein the at least one serving cell to be activated is of the type of secondary cell or primary secondary cell. method.

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