COMMUNICATIONS METHOD, DEVICE, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR BEAM FAILURE RECOVERY - Patent application

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for BFR. The method, implemented in a first device, includes detecting a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that a beam failure has been detected for the serving cell; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and, according to a determination that the information is not available, transmitting a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available to a second device. In this way, complete BFR information for the failed serving cell can be finally obtained, and more reliable and faster BFR can be achieved.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to communication methods, devices, and computer-readable media for beam failure recovery (BFR). [Background technology]

[0002] In New Radio (NR) technology, a network device can provide multiple serving cells to a terminal device, and the terminal device can perform a BFR procedure for each serving cell. The BFR procedure on the terminal device side typically includes the following operations: beam failure detection (BFD), searching for candidate beams, sending a BFR request to the network device, and monitoring the response to the BFR request from the network device.

[0003] Typically, a terminal device takes tens of milliseconds to search for a candidate beam for a serving cell where a beam failure is detected. In the current BFR procedure, when a beam failure is detected on a serving cell, the terminal device transmits a BFR medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to the network device to indicate the beam failure and the availability of candidate beams, and available candidate beams, if any. If the terminal device has not completed the search for candidate beams at this point, the terminal device should indicate that no candidate is found. In this case, the network device may consider it as a candidate not found and erroneously deactivate the serving cell. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for BFR.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided, the first device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause, with the at least one processor, the first device to: detect a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; trigger a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell; determine whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and, according to a determination that the information is not available, send a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available to a second device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a first device is provided, the first device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause, with the at least one processor, the first device to: detect a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; determine whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available according to a determination that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell; trigger a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the information is available; and transmit a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a second device is provided, the second device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the second device, using the at least one processor, to perform at least one of: receiving, at the second device, a first indication that a beam failure has been detected for a serving cell of the first device and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available, the first and second indications being sent by the first device according to a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is not available, or receiving, at the second device, a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, the first and second indications being sent by the first device according to a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, and performing beam management based on the first and second indications.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including: detecting, at a first device, a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the beam failure is detected for the serving cell; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and transmitting, according to a determination that the information is not available, a first indication that the beam failure is detected and a second indication that the candidate beam is not available to a second device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including: detecting, at a first device, a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available according to a determination that a beam failure is detected for the serving cell; triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the information is available; and transmitting, to a second device, a first indication that a beam failure is detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including performing at least one of: receiving, at a second device, a first indication that a beam failure has been detected for a serving cell of a first device and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available, the first and second indications being sent by the first device in accordance with a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is not available, or receiving, at the second device, a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, the first and second indications being sent by the first device in accordance with a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, and performing beam management based on the first and second indications.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a communications apparatus is provided, comprising: means, at a first device, for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of the first device, means for triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that beam failure is detected for the serving cell, means for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell, and means for transmitting a first indication that beam failure has been detected and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available to a second device according to a determination that the information is not available.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a communications apparatus is provided, comprising: means, at a first device, for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; means for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available according to a determination that beam failure is detected for the serving cell; means for triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the information is available; and means for transmitting a first indication that beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device is configured to receive, at a second device, a first indication that a beam obstruction has been detected for a serving cell of a first device and a second indication that candidate beams are not available, the first and second indications being transmitted by the first device in accordance with a determination that information related to beam obstruction recovery for the serving cell is not available, or to receive, at the second device, a first indication that a beam obstruction has been detected and a second indication as to whether candidate beams are available, the first and second indications being transmitted by the first device in accordance with a determination that information related to beam obstruction recovery for the serving cell is available, and means for performing at least one of receiving; and means for performing beam management based on the first and second indications.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing a device to execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing a device to execute the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing a device to execute the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0017] It should be understood that the summary section does not identify important or fundamental features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent through the following description.

[0018] Next, some exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication process during a BFR procedure, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a BFR MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 1 is a diagram of another BFR MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating another communication process during a BFR procedure, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart of a communication method implemented in a first device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart of another communication method implemented in a first device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart of a communication method implemented in a second device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0021] Next, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only, to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0023] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," and the like indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment is required to include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with one embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0024] Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element can be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more listed items.

[0025] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise," "comprising," "having," "having," "including," and / or "including," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] The term "circuit" as used in this application means (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only implementations); (b) (where applicable) (i) The combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware; and (ii) Any portion of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory that work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) A combination of hardware circuits and software such as (c) Hardware circuitry and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but where the software need not be present when not required for operation It may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0027] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, the term circuitry as used in this application also covers merely a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. The term circuitry also covers, for example, and where applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0028] The term "communication network" as used herein refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth generation (5G) system, long-term evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and communication systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be seen as being limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0029] The term "network device" as used herein refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the applied terminology and technology, the network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also called gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as femto, pico, etc. The RAN split architecture includes a gNB-CU (a centralized unit hosting RRC, SDAP, and PDCP) that controls multiple gNB-DUs (distributed units hosting RLC, MAC, and PHY). A relay node may correspond to the DU part of an IAB node.

[0030] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cell phones, voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music recording and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile terminated (MT) portion of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (a.k.a. relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communications device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0031] When the terminal device detects a beam failure on the serving cell and the terminal device has uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) resources to transmit the BFR MAC CE, the terminal device should indicate the detected beam failure for the serving cell. However, if the terminal device has not completed the candidate beam search at this time, the terminal device should indicate the availability indication (AC) field in the BFR MAC CE as no candidate is found for the network device. This is the case when the Ci field setting follows a logic that the beam failure for the serving cell is either detected or not detected. If the terminal device always needs to indicate that the candidate is not found in this case, the BFR may be delayed even further compared to allowing the terminal device to complete the search and report the candidate beam, and the network device may consider it as a candidate not found and erroneously deactivate the serving cell.

[0032] In existing solutions, if an implementation allows the terminal device to not indicate failure to the serving cell if the search is not completed, this may lead to unnecessary grants being provided to the terminal device by the network device for the failed serving cell. If the failed serving cell is the serving cell of an uplink control channel, such as a PUCCH secondary cell (SCell), it may also prevent the provision of reliable downlink feedback for SCells in a PUCCH group.

[0033] For example, the interpretation of the Ci field is changed to only indicate "beam failure detected" when it is set to 1, instead of "beam failure not detected" when it is set to 0, since it may be the case that beam failure is detected but the candidate beam search is not completed. However, this leads to the problem of network devices giving unnecessary grants to a failed serving cell.

[0034] Furthermore, it is proposed that if at least one BFR has been triggered and not cancelled, but is not ready to report beam failure information for any serving cell, there is no need to generate a BFR MAC CE or a shortened BFR MAC CE or trigger a Scheduling Request (SR) for BFRs for serving cells. However, this does not solve the problem when there is a serving cell for which a candidate search has already been performed. A delay in reporting after this point will delay the recovery of a given serving cell.

[0035] Considering this, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides an improved solution for BFR. In this solution, the situation that the search for candidate beams (also referred to herein as obtaining information related to BFR) is still in progress for at least one serving cell is considered for at least one of the triggering of BFR or the contents of the reported BFR MAC CE. In one aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the BFR procedure is triggered and there is at least one failed serving cell for which the search is not completed or no candidate beam has been detected so far, or both, the terminal device keeps the BFR triggered and not cancelled for this serving cell to continue the search until the search is completed. In this way, the terminal device can finally complete the search for candidate beams and transmit complete BFR information to the network device. Thus, a more reliable and faster BFR can be realized.

[0036] In another aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the BFR for the serving cell is triggered only when the search for the candidate beam is completed or further when the network device finds at least one suitable candidate beam for the serving cell. In this way, the network device can also obtain complete BFR information for the failed serving cell, and can achieve more reliable and faster BFR. The principle and implementation of the present disclosure are described in more detail below with reference to the figures.

[0037] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the network 100 includes a first device 110 and a second device 120. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may be a terminal device, and the second device 120 may be a network device that serves the first device 110. The second device 120 may provide serving cells 121-123 to the first device 110. For example, each of the serving cells 121-123 may be a SCell, a Primary Cell (PCell), a Primary SCell (PSCell), or a Special Cell (SpCell), such as a PCell or a PSCell.

[0038] 1 are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitations. Network 100 may include any suitable number and type of first and second devices and any suitable number and type of serving cells adapted to implement implementations of the present disclosure.

[0039] 1, the first device 110 and the second device 120 can communicate with each other. For example, the first device 110 can detect beam failure for each of the serving cells 121-123, and if beam failure for at least one serving cell (in this example, the serving cell 121) is detected, the first device 110 can trigger a BFR for each failed serving cell.

[0040] When a BFR is triggered, the first device 110 can transmit an indication regarding beam failure for the serving cell and information related to the BFR to the second device 120. In some embodiments, the information related to the BFR may include the presence of a candidate beam field (also referred to as an availability indication (AC)) and / or a candidate beam ID if available for the serving cell. Of course, the information related to the BFR may also include any other suitable information. In response, the second device 120 can learn the beam failure and BFR related information for the serving cell and transmit an updated configuration for the serving cell to the first device 110.

[0041] Communications within network 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE Evolution, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. Furthermore, communications may be performed according to any generation of communications protocols now known or developed in the future. Examples of communications protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth generation (5G) communications protocols.

[0042] In some cases, when a BFR is triggered for the serving cell 121, the first device 110 may not have acquired information related to the BFR for the serving cell 121. It may affect the performance of the BFR and therefore should be considered. The BFR information acquisition or candidate search may include, for example, evaluation of beams (such as synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) beams or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) beams) during a predefined time period. In some cases, the BFR information becomes available when the beam is better than a configured threshold.

[0043] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for BFR, the mechanism of which is illustrated in the high-level flowchart shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows a flowchart 200 illustrating a communication process for BFR, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, Figure 2 will be described in conjunction with the example of Figure 1.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the first device 110 detects 201 a beam failure for each of the serving cells 121-123. In some embodiments, when a beam failure instance indication is received from a lower layer, the first device 110 may start or restart a timer for BFD (e.g., beamFailureDetectionTimer) and increment a value of a counter (e.g., BFI_COUNTER) by 1. Of course, any other suitable method may also be implemented for BFD, and the present disclosure makes no limitation thereto.

[0045] If the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121, the first device 110 triggers a BFR procedure for the serving cell 121 at 202. Following the above example, if the value of a counter exceeds a threshold (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount), the first device 110 may trigger a BFR procedure for the serving cell 121. It should be noted that this is just an example and any other suitable method for triggering a BFR procedure is also feasible.

[0046] Upon triggering a BFR procedure or during the BFR procedure, the first device 110 may determine 203 whether BFR-related information is available for the serving cell 121. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may perform this determination by determining whether a search of candidate beams for the serving cell 121 is complete. In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the search is not complete, it may determine that the BFR-related information is not available. In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the search is complete, it may determine that the BFR-related information is available.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the search is complete by determining whether at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the search is complete if it determines that at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the search is complete by determining whether a candidate beam has not been identified within a predetermined period of time. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the search is complete if it determines that a candidate beam has not been identified within a predetermined period of time.

[0049] In some embodiments, the predetermined period may be set for candidate beam evaluation, for example, for synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) / channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). Of course, the predetermined period may be in any other suitable manner.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may identify or find a candidate beam from a resource set configured for searching (also referred to herein as a first resource set). In some embodiments, the first resource set may be a set of RSs configured for candidate beam evaluation. For example, if at least one of an SSB with an SS-RSRP exceeding rsrp-ThresholdBFR among the SSBs in candidateBeamRSSCellList or a CSI-RS with a CSI-RSRP exceeding rsrp-ThresholdBFR among the CSI-RSs in candidateBeamRSSCellList is available, the first device 110 may determine that a candidate beam has been found and then determine that the search is complete. Note that this is merely an example and does not create a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0051] In some embodiments, if a candidate beam is not found from the first resource set, the first device 110 may continue searching in another resource set (also referred to herein as the second resource set) configured for the serving cell 121. For example, when a candidate beam is not found and the candidate beam evaluation period ends, the first device 110 may keep the BFR in a triggered state and consider one or more or all SSB indices (and / or CSI-RS indices) configured for the serving cell (or the serving cell that the device 110 has determined to be in the set of at least one candidate) 121 as the second resource set. In this case, the first device 110 may start a new evaluation period. If a candidate beam is found from the second resource set, the first device 110 may determine that the candidate beam is found and then determine that the search is complete. In some examples, the second resource set may be determined on resources of the same serving cell for which the first resource set is configured, or the second resource set may be determined on resources configured for another serving cell (e.g., SSB index and / or CSI-RS index of a PCell or SCell).

[0052] In some embodiments, the first device 110 can determine whether the first resource set includes the second resource set. If the first device 110 determines that the first resource set includes the second resource set, the first device 110 cannot hold or leave the BFR in a triggered state. That is, there is no need to continue searching in the second resource set. If the first device 110 determines that the first resource set does not include (e.g., only partially includes) the second resource set, the first device 110 can continue searching in the second resource set.

[0053] In these embodiments, the second device 120 may then know that the first device 110 will consider the SSB index after providing a BFR MAC CE with an indication that the search period has ended, and may decode the candidate RS field with the SSB index only in the next transmission for the serving cell 121.

[0054] So far, a description has been given of determining whether BFR-related information is available to the serving cell 121. If the first device 110 determines that BFR-related information is not available to the serving cell 121, the first device 110 transmits 204 to the second device 120 a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may generate a BFR MAC CE to convey the first and second indications. FIG. 3A shows a diagram 300A of a BFR MAC CE with a highest ServCellIndex less than 8. FIG. 3B shows a diagram 300B of a BFR MAC CE with a highest ServCellIndex equal to or greater than 8. Of course, any other suitable form of BFR MAC CE is also possible.

[0055] For example, one field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., Ci field 301 in FIG. 3A and Ci field 311 in FIG. 3B) may be used to indicate beam failure detection for a serving cell, and another field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., AC field 302 in FIG. 3A and AC field 312 in FIG. 3B) may be used to indicate the presence of a candidate beam. As an example, the Ci field for the serving cell 121 may be set to 1 to indicate that a beam failure has been detected for the serving cell having cell IDi, and the Ci field may be set to 0 to indicate that no beam failure has been detected. As an example, the AC field for the serving cell 121 may be set to 1 to indicate that a candidate beam is available, and the AC field may be set to 0 to indicate that a candidate beam is not available. Of course, these are just examples, and the first and second indications may also be transmitted in any other suitable manner.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also send a third indication to the second device 120 regarding whether the search is complete. For example, one field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., the R field 303 in FIG. 3A and the R field 313 in FIG. 3B) may be used to indicate whether the search is complete. This indication may be a one-bit flag. The interpretation of the R field may also be that the BFR MAC CE includes or does not include complete BFR information for the serving cell 121. Accordingly, the second device 120 may determine based on the R field that the first device 110 is still searching for candidates and that more information may follow, and thus may not necessarily perform any beam management operations on the serving cell 121.

[0057] In some alternative embodiments, if the AC field in the BFR MAC CE is set (e.g., set to 0) to indicate that no candidate beam is found, one or more bits of the candidate RS index field 304 of FIG. 3A or 314 of FIG. 3B may be used to encode an indication of whether the search is complete. In some embodiments, the completion of the search may indicate whether the first device 110 has searched for candidate beams according to a minimum candidate beam search, i.e., candidate beam evaluation period requirement.

[0058] Of course, these are merely examples, and the third instruction may also be transmitted in any other suitable manner, and this disclosure makes no limitation thereto.

[0059] In these embodiments, once the first and second indications are transmitted, the first device 110 may leave the BFR for the serving cell 121 in a triggered and uncanceled state. In this case, the search for candidate beams may continue until the search is complete. Thereby, the search for candidate beams may be completed and the candidate beams may be further indicated via a separate BFR MAC CE, if present.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, when the first device 110 determines that BFR-related information is available for the serving cell 121, e.g., when the first device 110 determines that the search is complete, the first device 110 may resend the first and second indications to the second device 120 at 205. For example, the first device 110 may generate a new BFR MAC CE to convey the first and second indications. The first indication indicates a beam failure for the serving cell 121. The second indication indicates whether BFR-related information is available. In this case, the first device 110 needs to transmit the BFR MAC CE again to the second device 120 regardless of whether the first device 110 can find a candidate beam or not.

[0061] In some embodiments where a candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may also transmit information about the candidate beam. For example, the first device 110 may transmit the candidate beam RS ID in the candidate RS index field 304 of FIG. 3A or 314 of FIG. 3B. Of course, any other suitable method may be implemented.

[0062] In some alternative embodiments, if no new candidate beams are found, the first device 110 may cease reporting a new BFR MAC CE.

[0063] 2, in some embodiments where the BFR procedure remains triggered for the serving cell 121 and the first device 110 indicates that no candidate beam is found, the second device 120 may take beam management measures accordingly. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit an updated or new configuration for reporting CSI measurements at 206. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit an updated configuration for measuring CSI. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit a condition for reporting CSI. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit a beam indication for a downlink control channel for the serving cell 121.

[0064] For example, if the first device 110 transmits a BFR MAC CE to the second device 120 indicating that no candidate is found or the search is not completed after the candidate beam evaluation period and the BFR is held in a triggered state, the second device 120 may transmit such information to perform beam management. It should be noted that any other suitable information is also feasible and is not limited to the above example.

[0065] In these embodiments, upon receiving information from the second device 120, the first device 110 may cease searching for candidate beams at 207, and the BFR procedure for the serving cell 121 is then canceled.

[0066] In the process described in Figure 2, if the search for the candidate beam for the serving cell is not completed, the BFR can be triggered and kept in the triggered state until the search is completed. Meanwhile, one or more BFR MAC CEs can transmit to convey the complete BFR information for the failed serving cell. In this way, the network device can finally obtain the complete BFR information for the failed serving cell in the BFR MAC CE, and a more reliable and faster BFR can be realized.

[0067] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide another solution for BFR, the mechanism of which is illustrated in the high-level flowchart shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 shows a flowchart 400 illustrating a communication process for BFR according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, Figure 4 is described in relation to the example of Figure 1. In contrast to Figure 2, the idea of ​​the process of Figure 4 is that BFR can only be triggered for a serving cell when the search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed.

[0068] As shown in Figure 4, the first device 110 detects 401 beam obstructions for each of the serving cells 121-123. The operations of detection are similar to those described in connection with 201 in Figure 2 and therefore will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0069] When the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121, the first device 110 determines 402 whether information related to BFR for the serving cell 121 is available. The operations of the determination are similar to those described in connection with 203 of FIG. 2 and therefore will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0070] If the first device 110 determines that information related to the BFR for the serving cell 121 is available, the first device 110 triggers 403 a procedure for the BFR for the serving cell 121. The operation of the trigger is similar to that described in connection with 202 of FIG. 2 and therefore will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0071] When the BFR procedure is triggered, the first device 110 transmits 404 to the second device 120 a first indication that a beam obstruction has been detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may generate a BFR MAC CE to carry the first and second indications. For example, one field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., the Ci field 301 in FIG. 3A and the Ci field 311 in FIG. 3B) may be used to indicate the BFD, and another field in the BFR MAC CE (e.g., the AC field 302 in FIG. 3A and the AC field 312 in FIG. 3B) may be used to indicate the presence of a candidate beam. As an example, the Ci field for the serving cell 121 may be set to 1 to indicate that a beam failure has been detected, and the Ci field may be set to 0 to indicate that a beam failure has been detected. As an example, the AC field for the serving cell 121 may be set to 1 to indicate that a candidate beam is available, and the AC field may be set to 0 to indicate that a candidate beam is not available. Of course, these are just examples, and the first and second indications may be transmitted in any other suitable manner.

[0073] In some embodiments where a candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may also transmit information about the candidate beam. For example, the first device 110 may transmit the candidate beam RS ID in the candidate RS index field 304 of FIG. 3A or 314 of FIG. 3B. Of course, any other suitable method may be implemented.

[0074] 4, in some embodiments, the second device 120 may transmit 405 information regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for measuring CSI, a condition for reporting CSI, or a beam instruction for a downlink control channel for the serving cell 121. For example, if the first device 110 transmits a BFR MAC CE to the second device 120 indicating that no candidate is found or the search is not completed after a candidate beam evaluation period and BFR is held in a triggered state, the second device 120 may transmit such information to perform beam management.

[0075] In these embodiments, upon receiving information from the second device 120, the first device 110 may cease searching for candidate beams at 406, and the BFR procedure for the serving cell 121 is then canceled.

[0076] In the process described in Figure 4, BFR can be triggered only when the search for the candidate beam for the serving cell is completed. In this way, the network device can obtain complete BFR information for the failed serving cell in the BFR MAC CE, and can achieve more reliable and faster BFR.

[0077] Corresponding to the above process, some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the detailed description given herein with reference to these figures is for illustrative purposes, as the present disclosure extends beyond these limited embodiments.

[0078] 5 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method 500 implemented in a first device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented in the first device 110 illustrated in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, the method 500 is described with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that the method 500 may further include additional blocks not illustrated and / or omit some illustrated blocks, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 5, in block 510, the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110. In some embodiments, if a beam failure instance indication is received from a lower layer, the first device 110 may start or restart a timer for BFD (e.g., beamFailureDetectionTimer) and increment a value of a counter (e.g., BFI_COUNTER) by one. Of course, any other suitable method is also feasible for BFD, and this disclosure makes no limitation thereto. In some embodiments, if the value of the counter exceeds a threshold (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount), the first device 110 may determine that a beam failure for the serving cell is detected. It should be noted that this is just an example, and any other suitable method for BFR is also feasible.

[0080] When the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121, in block 520, the first device 110 triggers a BFR procedure for the serving cell 121. Triggering the BFR procedure means starting the operations of blocks 530 to 540.

[0081] In block 530, the first device 110 determines whether information related to BFR is available for the serving cell 121. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is complete. If the search is determined to be incomplete, the first device 110 may determine that the information is not available. If the search is determined to be complete, the first device 110 may determine that the information is available.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the search is complete if it determines that at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the search is complete if it determines that no candidate beams have been identified within a predetermined period of time.

[0083] If it is determined that the information is not available, in block 540, the first device 110 transmits a first indication that a beam obstruction has been detected and a second indication that the candidate beam is not available to the second device 120. In some embodiments, if it is determined that the information is not available, the first device 110 may keep the procedure for BFR for the serving cell 121 triggered. In this manner, the search for the candidate beam may continue and then be completed. Thus, complete information related to BFR may be available, facilitating the execution of the BFR procedure.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also send a third indication to the second device 120 regarding whether the search is complete. In this way, the second device 120 may know that the first device 110 is still searching for candidates and that more information may follow, and thus may not necessarily perform any beam management actions on the serving cell 121.

[0085] In some embodiments where the procedure for BFR towards the serving cell 121 is kept triggered, if the search is completed such that information relating to BFR is available, the first device 110 may again transmit to the second device 120 a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available. In this way, complete BFR information may finally be transmitted to the second device 120.

[0086] In some embodiments, once the search for the candidate beam for the serving cell 121 is complete, the first device 110 may determine whether the candidate beam is found. If it is determined that the candidate beam is not found from the first resource set configured for the search, the first device 110 may continue the search in the second resource set configured for the serving cell. If it is determined that the candidate beam is found from the second resource set, the first device may determine that the candidate beam is found. In this manner, complete BFR information may be more reliably obtained.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the first resource set configured for the search includes the second resource set configured for the serving cell. If the first resource set is determined to not include the second resource set, the first device 110 may continue searching in the second resource set. In this manner, the search may be accomplished more efficiently.

[0088] In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may transmit a second indication that the candidate beam is available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also transmit information regarding the candidate beam to the second device 120.

[0089] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may cease searching in response to receiving information from the second device 120 regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for measuring CSI, conditions for reporting CSI, or beam instructions for a downlink control channel for the serving cell 121.

[0090] The operations of the method of FIG. 5 correspond to the operations in the process described in FIG. 2, and therefore other details are omitted here for brevity. In the method of FIG. 5, if the search for the candidate beam for the serving cell is not completed, the BFR can be triggered and kept in the triggered state until the search is completed. Meanwhile, one or more BFR MAC CEs can transmit to convey the complete BFR information for the failed serving cell. In this way, the complete BFR information for the failed serving cell can be finally obtained, and more reliable and faster BFR can be realized.

[0091] 6 illustrates a flowchart of another communication method 600 implemented in a first device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be implemented in the first device 110 illustrated in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, the method 600 is described with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that the method 600 may further include additional blocks not illustrated and / or omit some illustrated blocks, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 6, in block 610, the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110. In some embodiments, if a beam failure instance indication is received from a lower layer, the first device 110 may start or restart a timer for BFD (e.g., beamFailureDetectionTimer) and increment a value of a counter (e.g., BFI_COUNTER) by one. Of course, any other suitable method is also feasible for BFD, and this disclosure makes no limitation thereto. In some embodiments, if the value of the counter exceeds a threshold (e.g., beamFailureInstanceMaxCount), the first device 110 may determine that a beam failure for the serving cell is detected. It should be noted that this is just an example, and any other suitable method for BFR is also feasible.

[0093] If the first device 110 detects a beam failure for the serving cell 121, in block 620, the first device 110 may determine whether information related to BFR for the serving cell 121 is available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is complete. If it determines that the search is not complete, the first device 110 may determine that the information is not available. If it determines that the search is complete, the first device 110 may determine that the information is available.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the search is complete if it determines that at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine that the search is complete if it determines that no candidate beams have been identified within a predetermined period of time.

[0095] If it is determined that the information is available, then in block 630, the first device 110 may trigger a BFR procedure towards the serving cell 121. Triggering a BFR procedure refers to the initiation of the operation of block 640.

[0096] In block 640, the first device 110 transmits a first indication that a beam obstruction has been detected and a second indication as to whether a candidate beam is available to the second device 120. In this manner, complete BFR information can be transmitted to the second device 120.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether a candidate beam is found. If it is determined that a candidate beam is not found from the first resource set configured for the search, the first device 110 may continue searching in a second resource set configured for the serving cell. If it is determined that a candidate beam is found from the second resource set, the first device 110 may determine that a candidate beam is found. In this manner, complete BFR information may be more reliably obtained.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the first resource set includes the second resource set. If it is determined that the first resource set does not include the second resource set, the first device 110 may continue searching in the second resource set. In this manner, the search may be accomplished more efficiently.

[0099] In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the candidate beam is found, the first device 110 may transmit a second indication that the candidate beam is available. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may also transmit information regarding the candidate beam to the second device 120.

[0100] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may cease searching in response to receiving information from the second device 120 regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for measuring CSI, conditions for reporting CSI, or beam instructions for a downlink control channel for the serving cell 121.

[0101] The operations of the method of Figure 6 correspond to the operations in the process described in Figure 4, and therefore other details are omitted here for brevity. In the method of Figure 6, BFR can be triggered only when the search for the candidate beam for the serving cell is completed. In this way, complete BFR information about the failed serving cell can be conveyed to the network device, and more reliable and faster BFR can also be achieved.

[0102] It should be noted that each of the methods of Figures 5 and 6 may be used separately, and of course the methods of Figures 5 and 6 may be used together in any suitable manner.

[0103] Correspondingly, the embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication method implemented in a second device. Figure 7 shows a flowchart of a communication method 700 implemented in a second device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be implemented in the second device 120 shown in Figure 1. For illustrative purposes, the method 700 is described with reference to Figure 1. It should be understood that the method 700 may further include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some illustrated blocks, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 7, in block 710, the second device 120 performs at least one of the following: receiving a first indication that a beam failure has been detected for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110 and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available, where the first and second indications are sent by the first device 110 in accordance with a determination that information related to BFR for the serving cell 121 is not available; or receiving a first indication that a beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, where the first and second indications are sent by the first device 110 in accordance with a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell 121 is available.

[0105] In some embodiments, if the search for candidate beams for the serving cell 121 by the first device 110 is not completed, the second device 120 may receive a first indication that a beam failure has been detected for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110 and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may also receive a third indication as to whether the search is completed. Based on the third indication, the second device 120 may know whether the search is completed and may determine whether to take any beam management action.

[0106] In these embodiments, when the search for candidate beams for the serving cell 121 by the first device 110 is finally completed, the second device 120 may further receive a first indication that a beam failure has been detected for the serving cell 121 of the first device 110 and a second indication regarding whether the candidate beams are available. In this manner, the second device 120 may obtain complete BFR information for the serving cell 121.

[0107] In some embodiments in which the second indication indicates that a candidate beam is available, the second device 120 may also receive information regarding the candidate beam from the first device 110.

[0108] In block 720, the second device 120 performs beam management based on the first and second instructions. In some embodiments, the second device 120 can determine from the first and second instructions whether a beam failure for the serving cell 121 is detected and whether a candidate beam is available. The second device 120 can take beam management measures accordingly. In some embodiments, the second device 120 can send information regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting CSI measurements, an updated configuration for measuring CSI, a condition for reporting CSI, or a beam instruction for a downlink control channel for the serving cell 121 to the first device 110, so that the search for the candidate beam is stopped.

[0109] In the method of FIG. 7, a network device can obtain complete BFR information about a failed serving cell, and can achieve more reliable and faster BFR.

[0110] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 500 (e.g., the first device 110) may comprise means for performing each step of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0111] In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise: means, at a first device, for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; means for triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that beam failure has been detected for the serving cell; means for determining whether information related to beam failure recovery is available for the serving cell; and means for transmitting a first indication that beam failure has been detected and a second indication that the candidate beam is not available to the second device according to a determination that the information is not available.

[0112] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for keeping triggered a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell in accordance with a determination that the information is not available.

[0113] In some embodiments, the means for determining may comprise means for determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed, means for determining that the information is not available in accordance with a determination that the search is not completed, and means for determining that the information is available in accordance with a determination that the search is completed.

[0114] In some embodiments, the means for determining whether the search is complete may comprise means for determining that the search is complete according to a determination that at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time, or means for determining that the search is complete according to a determination that no candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time.

[0115] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for sending a third indication to the second device regarding whether the search is complete.

[0116] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for transmitting, in accordance with a determination that the information is available, a first indication that a beam obstruction has been detected and a second indication regarding whether the candidate beam is available to a second device.

[0117] In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise means for determining whether the candidate beam is found and means for transmitting a second indication that the candidate beam is available according to a determination that the candidate beam is found. In these embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting information regarding the candidate beam to a second device.

[0118] In some embodiments, the means for determining whether a candidate beam is found may comprise means for continuing the search in a second resource set configured for the serving cell in accordance with a determination that a candidate beam is not found from the first resource set configured for the search, and means for determining that a candidate beam is found in accordance with a determination that a candidate beam is found from the second resource set.

[0119] In some embodiments, the means for continuing may comprise means for determining whether a first resource set configured for the search includes a second resource set configured for the serving cell, and means for continuing the search in the second resource set pursuant to a determination that the first resource set does not include the second resource set.

[0120] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for ceasing the search in response to receiving information from the second device regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements, an updated configuration for measuring channel state information, a condition for reporting channel state information, or a beam indication for a downlink control channel for the serving cell.

[0121] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 600 (e.g., the first device 110) may comprise means for performing each step of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0122] In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise: means, at a first device, for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; means for determining, according to a determination that beam failure has been detected for the serving cell, whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available; means for triggering a procedure for beam failure recovery for the serving cell, according to a determination that the information is available; and means for transmitting a first indication that beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available to the second device.

[0123] In some embodiments, the means for determining whether the information is available for the serving cell may comprise means for determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed, means for determining that the information is not available in accordance with a determination that the search is not completed, and means for determining that the information is available in accordance with a determination that the search is completed.

[0124] In some embodiments, the means for determining whether the search is complete comprises means for determining that the search is complete according to a determination that at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time, or means for determining that the search is complete according to a determination that no candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined period of time.

[0125] In some embodiments, the means for transmitting the second indication comprises means for determining whether the candidate beam is found and, according to a determination that the candidate beam is found, means for transmitting a second indication that the candidate beam is available. In these embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for transmitting information regarding the candidate beam to the second device.

[0126] In some embodiments, the means for determining whether a candidate beam is found may comprise means for continuing the search in a second resource set configured for the serving cell in accordance with a determination that a candidate beam is not found from the first resource set configured for the search, and means for determining that a candidate beam is found in accordance with a determination that a candidate beam is found from the second resource set.

[0127] In some embodiments, the means for continuing the search in the second resource set may comprise means for determining whether the first resource set configured for the search includes a second resource set configured for the serving cell, and means for continuing the search in the second resource set pursuant to a determination that the first resource set does not include the second resource set.

[0128] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for ceasing the search in response to receiving information from the second device regarding at least one of the following: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements, an updated configuration for measuring channel state information, a condition for reporting channel state information, or a beam indication for a downlink control channel for the serving cell.

[0129] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 700 (e.g., the second device 120) may comprise means for performing each step of the method 700. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0130] In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise means for performing at least one of the following: receiving a first indication that beam failure has been detected for a serving cell of the first device and a second indication that a candidate beam is not available, where the first and second indications are sent by the first device in accordance with a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is not available, or receiving a first indication that beam failure has been detected and a second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, where the first and second indications are sent by the first device in accordance with a determination that information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, and means for performing beam management based on the first and second indications.

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for receiving from the first device a third indication regarding whether the search for candidate beams is completed.

[0132] In some embodiments in which the second indication indicates that the candidate beam is available, the apparatus may further comprise means for receiving information regarding the candidate beam from the first device.

[0133] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for transmitting information regarding at least one of the following to the first device: an updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements, an updated configuration for measuring channel state information, a condition for reporting channel state information, or a beam indication for a downlink control channel for the serving cell, such that the search for candidate beams is stopped.

[0134] 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a first device or a second device, such as the first device 110 or the second device 120 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 (such as a transmitter and / or a receiver) coupled to the processor 810.

[0135] The communication module 840 is for bidirectional communication. The communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0136] Processor 810 may be any type of processor suitable for a local technology network, and may include, by way of non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips whose time is controlled by a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0137] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0138] The computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. The program 830 may be stored in the ROM 824. The processor 810 can load the program 830 into the RAM 822 to perform any suitable operations and processes.

[0139] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830, so that the device 800 can execute any process of the present disclosure described with reference to Figures 2 to 7. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0140] In some embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly included in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 800 (such as in memory 820) or other storage device accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 9 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 900 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer-readable medium has the program 830 stored thereon.

[0141] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0142] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, that execute in a target real or virtual processor device to perform the methods 500, 600, and 700 described above with reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0143] The program codes for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, perform the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program codes may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0144] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes or operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, and the like.

[0145] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0146] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order or sequence shown, or that all of the depicted operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while some specific implementation details are included in the above description, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to certain embodiments. Some features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0147] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the particular features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features or acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, At least one processor; at least one memory containing computer program code; Equipped with The at least one memory and the computer program code are adapted to execute, using the at least one processor: Detecting, at the first device, a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available according to a determination that the beam failure has been detected for the serving cell, wherein determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell has been completed; triggering a procedure for the beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the information is available, the determination that the information is available comprising a determination that a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; sending a first indication to a second device that the beam failure has been detected and a second indication indicating whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell has been completed; A first device configured to cause the first device to perform the following:

2. The first device comprises: The first device of claim 1 , further caused to determine that the information is not available in accordance with determining that the search is not complete.

3. The first device comprises: determining whether the candidate beam is found; and transmitting the second indication that the candidate beam is available in response to a determination that the candidate beam is found. causing the second instruction to be transmitted; the first device is further caused to transmit information regarding the candidate beams; The first device of claim 2 .

4. The first device comprises: Continuing the search in a second resource set configured for the serving cell in accordance with a determination that no candidate beam is found from a first resource set configured for the search; and determining that the candidate beam is found according to a determination that the candidate beam is found from the second resource set; The first device of claim 3 , further comprising:

5. The first device comprises: determining whether a first resource set configured for the search includes a second resource set configured for the serving cell; and Continuing the search within the second resource set in accordance with a determination that the first resource set does not include the second resource set. The first device of claim 4 , further comprising: a first device configured to cause the search to continue in the second resource set.

6. The first device comprises: Updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements; Updated configuration for measuring channel state information; Conditions for reporting channel state information, or Beam direction for a downlink control channel for the serving cell and ceasing said search in response to receiving information from said second device regarding at least one of: The first device of claim 1 further comprising:

7. The first device comprises: determining that the search is complete in accordance with a determination that at least one candidate beam has been identified within a predetermined time period; or determining that the search is complete in response to a determination that no candidate beams have been identified within the predetermined time period. The first device of claim 1 , further comprising:

8. a second device, At least one processor; at least one memory containing computer program code; Equipped with The at least one memory and the computer program code are adapted to execute, using the at least one processor: receiving the first indication that the beam failure has been detected and the second indication regarding whether a candidate beam is available, the first and second indications being received from the first device when the information related to the beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, and whether the information is available includes whether a search for a candidate beam for the serving cell has been completed; performing beam management based on the first and second instructions; A second device configured to cause the second device to perform the

9. The second device comprises: receiving a third indication from the first device regarding whether the search of the candidate beams is completed; The second device of claim 8 further comprising:

10. the second indication indicates that the candidate beam is available; the second device is further caused to receive information regarding the candidate beams from the first device. A second device according to claim 8.

11. The second device comprises: Updated configuration for reporting channel state information measurements; Updated configuration for measuring channel state information; Conditions for reporting channel state information; and Beam direction for a downlink control channel for the serving cell The second device of claim 8, further comprising: a first device configured to transmit information regarding at least one of the candidate beams to the first device, enabling the first device to stop searching for the candidate beams.

12. detecting, at a first device, a beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available according to a determination that the beam failure has been detected for the serving cell, wherein determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell has been completed; triggering a procedure for the beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the information is available, the determination that the information is available comprising a determination that a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; sending a first indication that the beam failure has been detected and a second indication indicating whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell has been completed to a second device; (c) methods of communication;

13. means, at a first device, for detecting beam failure for a serving cell of the first device; means for determining, according to a determination that the beam failure has been detected for the serving cell, whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available, wherein determining whether information related to beam failure recovery for the serving cell is available includes determining whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell has been completed; means for triggering a procedure for the beam failure recovery for the serving cell according to a determination that the information is available, the determination that the information is available comprising a determination that a search for candidate beams for the serving cell is completed; and means for transmitting to a second device a first indication that the beam failure has been detected and a second indication indicating whether a search for candidate beams for the serving cell has been completed; A communication device comprising:

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method of claim 12.

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