Method and UE

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium for communication. A first network device, which is a secondary node or a master node, sends to a terminal device a configuration that is applied to enable data transmission on a cell of a second network device based on lower layer signaling. The terminal device stores the configuration in a variable of the terminal device dedicated to data transmission. Thus, a procedure based on L1 / L2 may be enabled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, apparatuses, and computer storage media for communication based on lower layer signaling.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, the change, addition, or release of a serving cell is performed based on radio resource control (RRC) signaling. However, the transmission and reception of RRC signaling causes long delays in scenarios with cells having a small coverage area, such as in a frequency 2 (FR2) scenario and a central unit (CU) / distributed unit (DU) architecture, or for a terminal device moving at high speed, leading to long delays and large signaling overhead.

[0003] Some solutions to the above problems have been proposed based on lower layer signaling, such as layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) signaling, which is collectively referred to as a procedure based on L1 / L2. In one solution, data transmission is performed without changing the serving cell upon receiving lower layer signaling, which is also referred to as inter-cell beam management. In another solution, the serving cell is changed to perform data transmission upon receiving lower layer signaling, which is also referred to as L1 / L2-based mobility. However, the implementation of these solutions is still incomplete and further research is awaited.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication based on lower layer signaling.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a terminal device, receiving, from a first network device that is a secondary node or a master node, settings applied to enable data transmission on a cell of a second network device based on lower layer signaling, and storing the settings in a variable of the terminal device dedicated to the data transmission.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a first network device that is a secondary node or a master node, transmitting, to a terminal device, settings applied to enable data transmission on a cell of a second network device based on lower layer signaling.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes, at a second network device, transmitting, to a terminal device, a third message indicating that a cell of the second network device is released, where settings applied to enable data transmission based on lower layer signaling are stored in a variable of the terminal device dedicated to the data transmission.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor configured to execute the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor configured to execute the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, another network device is provided. The network device includes a processor configured to execute the method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute the method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0014] Other features of the present disclosure should be easily understood from the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail in the accompanying drawings, so that the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be made more apparent.

[0016]

Figure 1A

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Figure 1B

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Figure 1D

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Figure 2B

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Figure 2C

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Figure 2D

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[0028] In the figure, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Here, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the methods described below.

[0030] 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.

[0031] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) devices, any Internet of Everything (IoE) device, machine type communication (MTC) devices, in-vehicle devices for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, devices for integrated access and backhaul (IAB), satellite-mounted vehicles or aircraft-mounted vehicles within non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) including high altitude platforms (HAPs) such as satellites and unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), extended reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which are aircraft without human pilots and are generally referred to as drones, devices on high speed trains (HSTs), or image acquisition devices such as digital cameras, sensor game devices, music storage and playback devices, or Internet appliances enabling wireless or wired Internet access and browsing, etc., including but not limited to these. The "terminal device" may further have a "multicast / broadcast" function to support V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TVs, wireless services, software delivery via wireless, group communication, and IoT applications that prioritize public safety and missions. It may also incorporate one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) known as multi-SIM.The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0032] The term "network device" refers to a device that can provide or host a cell or coverage with which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), transmission and reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), IAB node, femto node, pico node, and low-power nodes such as reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS).

[0033] The terminal device or the network device may have the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. Generally, it includes a trained model from a large number of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0034] The terminal device or the network device may operate on several frequency ranges such as, for example, FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, it can operate on licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. The terminal device may have two or more connections with the network device under a multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. The terminal device or the network device can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, cross-split duplex modes.

[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment such as, for example, signal generators, signal analyzers, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, test terminal devices, test network devices, channel emulators, and the like.

[0036] In one embodiment, the terminal device can be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information regarding different RATs may be transmitted from at least one of the first network device or the second network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, information regarding the settings of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information regarding the resetting of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device.

[0037] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprising" and variations thereof are to be understood as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to". The term "based on" is to be understood as "at least partially based on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be understood as "at least one other embodiment". Terms such as "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included hereinafter.

[0038] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best", "lowest", "highest", "minimum", "maximum", etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection can be made from among a number of available functional alternatives, and it should be understood that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise more preferred than other selections.

[0039] As described above, procedures based on L1 / L2, such as inter-cell beam management or L1 / L2-based mobility, are still incomplete in implementation. For example, the method of pre-configuring and storing settings for L1 / L2-based procedures is unknown. Also, the content of L1 / L2 signaling and the UE behavior upon reception of L1 / L2 signaling are unclear. Furthermore, the method of handling failures in the master cell group (MCG) or secondary cell group (SCG) before triggering L1 / L2-based procedures is unknown. Additionally, the method of handling failures in L1 / L2-based procedures is unknown.

[0040] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication solution for L1 / L2-based procedures to solve the above and other potential problems. In this solution, the terminal device receives settings for enabling L1 / L2-based procedures from a secondary node (SN) or a master node (MN), and stores them in variables of the terminal device dedicated to L1 / L2-based procedures. When receiving L1 / L2 signaling indicating that the L1 / L2-based procedure is enabled, the terminal device may enable the L1 / L2-based procedure based on the stored settings. When detecting a radio link failure for MCG or SCG, the terminal device may directly apply the stored settings without receiving L1 / L2 signaling. When detecting a failure in the L1 / L2-based procedure, the terminal device may report this failure to the MN or SN. Thus, the L1 / L2-based procedure can be successfully implemented.

[0041] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Example of a communication network

[0042] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary communication network 100A in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication network 100A may include a terminal device 110 and a plurality of network devices 120 and 130 (for convenience, also referred to as a first network device 120 and a second network device 130 in this specification). The network devices 120 and 130 provide respective cells 121 and 131 to serve the terminal device.

[0043] It should be understood that the number of devices in FIG. 1A is provided for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation to the present disclosure. The communication network 100A may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, each of the network devices 120 and 130 may provide more cells to the terminal device 110.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1A, the terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120 or 130 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. The communication in the communication network 100A may comply with any suitable standard including, but not limited to, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), New Radio (NR), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (registered trademark)), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or sixth generation (6G) network.

[0045] Communication in the direction from the terminal device 110 to the network device 120 or 130 is referred to as UL communication, and communication in the direction from the network device 120 or 130 to the terminal device 110 is referred to as DL communication. The terminal device 110 can move between the cells of the network devices 120, 130, and optionally other network devices. In UL communication, the terminal device 110 may transmit UL data and control information to the network device 120 or 130 via the UL channel. In DL communication, the network device 120 or 130 can transmit DL data and control information to the terminal device 110 via the DL channel.

[0046] Communication in the communication network 100A may be performed according to the UP and CP protocol stacks. Generally speaking, in the case of a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device), there are a plurality of entities in a plurality of network protocol layers within the protocol stack, and these entities may be configured to perform corresponding processes on the data or signaling transmitted from and received by the communication device. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram 100B showing the network protocol layer entities that may be established for the UP protocol stack in the device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, for convenience, communication between the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 will be described as an example. It should be understood that the following description is also applicable to communication between the terminal device 110 and the network device 130.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1B, in UP, each of the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 may include an L1 layer entity, that is, a physical (PHY) layer entity (also referred to as a PHY entity), and one or more entities of the upper layer (L2 layer and layer 3 (L3) layer, that is, a higher layer). One or more entities of this upper layer include a media access control (MAC) layer entity (also referred to as a MAC entity), a radio link control (RLC) layer entity (also referred to as an RLC entity), a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer entity (also referred to as a PDCP entity), and a service data application protocol (SDAP) layer entity (also referred to as an SDAP entity and established in 5G and subsequent generation networks). In some cases, the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP entities are in a stack structure.

[0048] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram 100C showing network protocol layer entities that may be established for a CP protocol stack in an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1C, in CP, each of the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 may include an L1 layer entity, that is, a PHY layer entity (also referred to as a PHY entity), and one or more entities of the upper layers (L2 layer and L3 layer). One or more entities of this upper layer (L2 layer and L3 layer) include a MAC layer entity (also referred to as a MAC entity), an RLC layer entity (also referred to as an RLC entity), a PDCP layer entity (also referred to as a PDCP entity), and a radio resource control (RRC) layer entity (also referred to as an RRC entity). The RRC layer may also be further referred to as an access stratum (AS) layer, and for this reason, the RRC entity may also be further referred to as an AS entity. As shown in Figure 1C, the terminal device 110 may further include a non-access stratum (NAS) layer entity (also referred to as a NAS entity). The NAS layer on the network side is arranged not within the network device but within a core network (CN: core network, not shown). In some cases, these entities form a stack structure.

[0049] In the background of the present disclosure, L1 refers to the PHY layer, L2 refers to the MAC or RLC or PDCP or SDAP layer, and L3 refers to the RRC layer. In the background of the present disclosure, L1 or L2 may be collectively referred to as the lower layer, and L3 may be referred to as the upper layer. Therefore, L1 or L2 signaling may be referred to as lower layer signaling, and L3 signaling may be referred to as upper layer signaling.

[0050] Generally, communication channels are divided into logical channels, transmission channels, and physical channels. The physical channel is the channel through which the PHY layer actually transmits information. For example, the physical channels may include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random-access channel (PRACH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0051] The transmission channel is the channel between the PHY layer and the MAC layer. For example, the transmission channels may include a broadcast channel (BCH), a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH), a paging channel (PCH), an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), and a random access channel (RACH).

[0052] A logical channel is a channel between the MAC layer and the RLC layer. For example, the logical channels may include a dedicated control channel (DCCH), a common control channel (CCCH), a paging control channel (PCCH), a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH).

[0053] Generally, the channel between the RRC layer and the PDCP layer is referred to as a radio bearer. The terminal device 110 may be configured to have at least one data radio bearer (DRB) for carrying data plane data and at least one signaling radio bearer (SRB) for carrying control plane data. In the RRC layer, four types of SRBs, namely SRB0, SRB1, SRB2, and SRB3, may be defined. SRB0 uses the CCCH for establishing or re - establishing an RRC connection. SRB1 uses the DCCH and is established when the RRC connection is established. SRB2 uses the DCCH and is established during RRC re - configuration and after the first security activation. SRB3 uses the DCCH and is established between the terminal device 110 and the SN when a dual connection is established.

[0054] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram 100D of a CU / DU architecture that may be established for a UP protocol stack in an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The CU / DU architecture may be established in a network device. For illustration purposes, hereinafter, the network device 120 will be described as an example.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 1D, in the UP, the network device 120 may include one or more CUs. Here, for the sake of convenience, only one CU 141 is shown. Each CU 141 may communicate with a plurality of DUs. Here, for illustration purposes, two DUs 151 and 152 are shown. For the implementation of the embodiments of the present disclosure, more DUs may be provided. As shown in the figure, CU 141 may be responsible for achieving the functions of the SDAP entity and the PDCP entity, and DU 151 or 152 may be responsible for achieving the functions of the RLC entity, the MAC entity, and the PHY entity.

[0056] DU 151 may communicate with transmission and reception points (TRPs) 161 and 162. DU 152 may communicate with TRPs 163 and 164. This is merely an example, and it should be understood that any more or fewer TRPs are possible. The terminal device 110 may communicate with any of these TRPs to communicate with the network device 120.

[0057] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may switch from one TRP to another under the control of the same CU and the same DU. For example, the terminal device 110 may be handed over from TRP 161 to TRP 162. This is referred to as an in-DU serving cell change. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may switch from one TRP to another under the control of the same CU and different DUs. For example, the terminal device 110 may be handed over from TRP 162 to TRP 163. In this case, a cell change from DU 151 to DU 152 occurs. This is referred to as an inter-DU serving cell change. In another example, the terminal device 110 may be handed over from one TRP to another under the control of different CUs. In this case, a handover from one CU to another CU occurs. This is referred to as an inter-CU handover.

[0058] Returning to FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may be located within the coverage of the cell 121 of the network device 120, and the terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120 based on network settings. In this case, the cell 121 may be referred to as the serving cell of the terminal device 110.

[0059] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may establish a dual connection (i.e., simultaneous connection) with the network device 120 and the network device 130. For example, the network device 120 is an MN, and the network device 130 is an SN. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 120 via a set of serving cells. The set of serving cells constitutes an MCG, and the primary cell within the MCG is referred to as a PCell. In some scenarios, the PCell may be changed from the cell 131 to another cell. This is referred to as handover. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may communicate with the network device 130 via another set of serving cells. The another set of serving cells constitutes an SCG, and the primary cell within the SCG is referred to as a PSCell. It should be understood that the number of cells within the MCG and the SCG may be any positive integer. In some scenarios, the PSCell may be changed from the cell 131 to another cell. In some scenarios, the PSCell may be changed from the cell 131 to another cell. This is referred to as PSCell change.

[0060] In some scenarios, the terminal device 110 may be configured to have a secondary cell or a bandwidth part (BWP) or a beam. For the sake of convenience, hereinafter, the secondary cell will be described as an example. When the secondary cell is activated by L1 or L2 signaling, the terminal device 110 may perform data transmission via the secondary cell (also referred to as a non-serving cell) without changing the serving cell. That is, the terminal device 110 may transmit and receive data via both the secondary cell and the serving cell. This procedure is referred to as inter-cell beam management. In the context of the present disclosure, the term "data transmission" refers to the transmission and reception of data.

[0061] In some scenarios, the terminal device 110 may receive L1 or L2 signaling from the network device 120 indicating the addition or change or release of a serving cell. When adding or changing or releasing a serving cell, the terminal device 110 may perform data transmission by modifying or changing the serving cell. This procedure is referred to as L1 / L2-based mobility. As described above, these procedures based on L1 or L2 signaling may also be referred to as L1 / L2-based procedures.

[0062] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved solution for L1 / L2-based procedures. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D. An implementation example of setting storage for L1 / L2-based procedures

[0063] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing a process 200A for storing settings applied to enable an L1 / L2-based procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, process 200A will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. Terminal device 110 and a first network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1A may be involved in process 200A. The first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN that serves the terminal device 110. In this example, the first network device 120 provides a serving cell for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 2, the first network device 120 transmits (201) to the terminal device 110 settings applied to enable data transmission on a cell of another network device (for example, the second network device 130) based on lower layer signaling. In other words, the first network device 120 may pre-configure RRC settings applied for an L1 / L2-based procedure.

[0065] In some embodiments, this setting may include radio resource settings. In some embodiments, the radio resource settings may include at least one of radio bearer settings, MAC cell group settings, or physical channel settings. For example, in some embodiments where the CU-to-CU scenario is supported, radio bearer settings may be configured. These are merely examples, and it should be understood that the radio resource settings may also include any other appropriate settings or combinations of settings.

[0066] In some embodiments, this setting may include AS security settings. For example, the AS security settings may be configured in some embodiments where the CU-to-CU scenario is supported. It should be understood that the settings applied for an L1 / L2-based procedure may include any other appropriate settings or combinations of settings.

[0067] In some embodiments, the configuration may be associated with at least one of a configuration index, cell information, or beam information. For example, the first network device 120 may pre-configure a plurality of RRC configurations for a plurality of cells or candidate cells for L1 / L2-based procedures. The pre-configured RRC configurations may be associated with one index, cell information (e.g., identity, e.g., Physical cell Identity (PCI), cell ID, Cell Global Identity (CGI) or any other suitable information), or beam information (e.g., Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) ID or any other suitable information). It should be understood that different configurations for different cells may be identified by any other suitable information.

[0068] Upon receiving the configuration, the terminal device 110 stores this configuration in a variable of the terminal device 110 dedicated to L1 / L2-based procedures (202). In some embodiments, when the configuration is applied for data transmission without changing the serving cell (also referred to herein as the first data transmission), for example, when the configuration is applied for inter-cell beam management, the terminal device 110 may store the configuration in a variable of the terminal device 110 (also referred to herein as the first variable). When the configuration is applied for data transmission with a change in the serving cell (also referred to herein as the second data transmission), for example, in the case of L1 / L2-based mobility, the terminal device 110 may store the configuration in a variable of the terminal device 110 (also referred to herein as the second variable).

[0069] In some embodiments, the first variable and the second variable may be different variables. Thus, the terminal device 110 may separately store settings for mobility based on L1 / L2 and inter-cell beam management. Therefore, the terminal device 110 may easily handle the settings and may have different behaviors for mobility based on L1 / L2 and inter-cell beam management.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first variable and the second variable may be the same variable. Thus, the terminal device 110 may simply and conveniently store settings for mobility based on L1 / L2 and inter-cell beam management.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 receives a setting from the MN, the terminal device 110 may store the setting in a variable of the terminal device 110 (also referred to as the third variable in this specification). In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 receives a setting from the SN, the terminal device 110 may store the setting in a variable of the terminal device 110 (also referred to as the fourth variable in this specification).

[0072] In some embodiments, the third variable and the fourth variable may be different variables. Thus, the terminal device 110 can separately and easily process the settings for the L1 / L2-based procedure set by the MN and the SN.

[0073] In some embodiments, the third variable and the fourth variable may be the same variable. Thus, the terminal device 110 can simply and conveniently store the settings for the L1 / L2-based procedure set by the MN and the SN.

[0074] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the first network device 120, a message indicating that a setting is modified (also referred to as the first message in this specification) (203). For example, the first message may be an RRC message. Of course, the first message may adopt any other appropriate format. In some embodiments, the first message may indicate an index of the setting to be modified, or cell information, or beam information. Based on the first message, the terminal device 110 may correspondingly modify or update the setting stored in the variable (204).

[0075] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive, from the first network device 120, a message indicating that a setting is released (also referred to as the second message in this specification). For example, the second message may be an RRC message. Of course, the second message may adopt any other appropriate format. Based on the second message, the terminal device 110 may correspondingly release or discard the stored setting from the variable (206). In some embodiments, the second message may indicate an index of the setting to be released, or cell information, or beam information.

[0076] So far, the storage and update of settings for L1 / L2-based procedures have been defined. Implementation example of enabling L1 / L2-based procedures

[0077] FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a process 200B for enabling an L1 / L2-based procedure based on this setting according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, process 200B will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. In process 200B, a terminal device 110, a first network device 120, and a second network device 130 as shown in FIG. 1A may be involved. The first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN that serves the terminal device 110. In this example, the first network device 120 provides a serving cell for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 2B, the first network device 120 may transmit L1 / L2 signaling (210) to the terminal device 110 indicating that the L1 / L2-based procedure is enabled. In some embodiments, the L1 / L2 signaling may be carried within a MAC control element. In some embodiments, the L1 / L2 signaling may be carried within downlink control information (DCI).

[0079] In some embodiments, the L1 / L2 signaling may include information mapped to a stored setting. For example, the L1 / L2 signaling may include an index of the setting. As another example, the L1 / L2 signaling may include information about the cell of the second network device 130. Alternatively or additionally, the L1 / L2 signaling may include beam information. In another example, the L1 / L2 signaling may include information indicating that a transmit configuration index (TCI) state is activated. The L1 / L2 signaling may include any combination of the above information and any other suitable information or combination of information.

[0080] Upon receiving the L1 / L2 signaling, the terminal device 110 may activate the corresponding L1 / L2-based procedure (211). In some embodiments, a lower layer of the terminal device 110, such as the MAC layer or the PHY layer, notifies the RRC layer of the terminal device 110 that the L1 / L2 signaling has been received, and the RRC layer of the terminal device 110 may apply the settings indicated by the L1 / L2 signaling. For example, upon receiving the L1 / L2 signaling, the TCI state for the cell of the second network device 130 may be activated. The lower layer notifies the RRC layer of the information contained within the L1 / L2 signaling, and the RRC layer may apply the stored settings corresponding to the information.

[0081] In some embodiments, after activating the L1 / L2-based procedure, the terminal device 110 may release the stored settings from the variable. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard all entries of the settings stored within the variable. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may discard the entry for the triggered corresponding settings. Thus, the settings configured for the old serving cell may be released, and the storage resources for the settings may be reduced.

[0082] In some alternative embodiments, after activating the L1 / L2-based procedure, the terminal device 110 may maintain the stored settings within the variable. Thus, the stored settings may then be reused. In this case, since there is no need to send an RRC message to reconfigure the cell, a fast L1 / L2-based procedure can be activated.

[0083] In some embodiments regarding inter-cell beam management, a cell of the second network device 130 (i.e., a secondary cell or a non-serving cell) may be released. In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send a message (also referred to herein as the third message) indicating that the cell of the second network device 130 is released to the terminal device 110 (212). In some alternative embodiments, the second network device 130 may send the third message to the terminal device 110 (212’). In other words, both the serving cell of the first network device 120 and the cell of the second network device 130 may indicate the release of the cell of the second network device 130.

[0084] In some embodiments, the third message may be included in a MAC CE. In some embodiments, the third message may be included in a DCI. In some embodiments, the third message may be an RRC message. In some embodiments, the third message may include at least one of the identity of the cell of the second network device 130, beam information, or information indicating that the TCI state of the cell of the second network device 130 is deactivated. Of course, any other appropriate information may also be possible.

[0085] Upon receiving the third message, the terminal device 110 may release the cell of the second network device 130 (213). For example, the lower layer of the terminal device 110 may indicate the third message to the RRC layer of the terminal device 110, and the RRC layer of the terminal device 110 may release the corresponding settings.

[0086] In some embodiments where the second network device 130 indicates the release of a cell of the second network device 130, the terminal device 110 may send a message (also referred to herein as the fourth message) to the first network device 110 indicating that the cell of the second network device 130 has been released (214). That is, the terminal device 110 may notify the serving cell that the cell of the second network device 130 has already been released. In some embodiments, the fourth message may be included in the MAC CE. In some embodiments, the fourth message may be included in the DCI. In some embodiments, the fourth message may be included in the RRC signaling.

[0087] So far, the cross-layer cooperation for the L1 / L2-based procedure has been described. By the above process 200B, the L1 / L2-based procedure may be triggered and terminated using the L1 / L2 signaling. Implementation example of recovery based on stored settings

[0088] In some scenarios, a terminal device that has already been preconfigured to have settings for an L1 / L2-based procedure may experience a communication failure in the MCG or SCG, such as a radio link failure (RLF), a handover failure, or a PSCell change failure. In this case, if the settings for the L1 / L2-based procedure are preconfigured by the network side, since radio resources have already been reserved on the network side, it is better to perform the recovery procedure using the already preconfigured settings without requiring L1 / L2 signaling from the network side. Some exemplary embodiments will be described below with reference to FIG. 2C.

[0089] FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram showing a process 200C for recovering from a failure based on this setting according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, the process 200C will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. The process 200C may involve a terminal device 110 and a first network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1A. The first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN that serves the terminal device 110. In this example, the first network device 120 provides a serving cell for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 stores settings (i.e., settings for L1 / L2-based procedures) applied to enable data transmission on the cell of the second network device 130.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 2C, the terminal device 110 may determine that a failure has been detected for the MCG (220). For example, the terminal device 110 may detect an RLF failure for the MCG. As another example, the terminal device 110 may detect a handover failure for the MCG.

[0091] Upon determining a failure for the MCG, the terminal device 110 may determine a selected cell by performing cell selection (221). Then, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the selected cell is a cell for which settings for L1 / L2-based procedures are pre-set (222). In other words, the terminal device 110 may determine whether settings for L1 / L2-based procedures are pre-set for the selected cell.

[0092] If the selected cell is a cell of the second network device 130, that is, if it is determined that the selected cell is preconfigured to have settings for L1 / L2-based procedures, the terminal device 110 may apply the stored settings for the selected cell and initiate a handover procedure (224). Thus, the stored settings for L1 / L2-based handover for the selected cell are applied directly without L1 / L2 signaling from the first network device 120.

[0093] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive information from the first network device 120 indicating whether the settings are to be used for recovery from a failure for the MCG (223). In other words, the first network device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 as to whether recovery from a failure using the stored settings for L1 / L2-based mobility procedures is supported. If this information indicates that recovery from a failure is supported, the terminal device 110 may initiate a handover procedure using the stored settings for L1 / L2-based procedures after a failure occurs for the MCG (224).

[0094] Continuing to refer to FIG. 2C, the terminal device 110 may determine that a failure for the SCG has been detected (225). For example, the terminal device 110 may detect an RLF failure for the SCG. As another example, the terminal device 110 may detect a PSCell change failure for the SCG.

[0095] When determining a failure regarding SCG, the terminal device 110 may determine a selected cell that meets a pre-determined criterion (226). For example, the selected cell should meet the IDLE / INACTIVE state cell selection criterion. It should be understood that the pre-determined criterion may be any appropriate criterion for PSCell change, and the present disclosure does not limit this aspect. Then, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the selected cell is a cell for which settings for L1 / L2-based procedures are pre-set (227). In other words, the terminal device 110 may determine whether settings for L1 / L2-based procedures for the selected cell are pre-set.

[0096] If it is determined that the selected cell is a cell of the second network device 130, that is, the selected cell is pre-set to have settings for L1 / L2-based procedures, the terminal device 110 may apply the stored settings to the selected cell and execute a PSCell change procedure for SCG (229). Thus, the stored settings for L1 / L2-based PSCell change for the selected cell are directly applied without L1 / L2 signaling from the first network device 120.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive information from the first network device 120 indicating whether the settings were used for recovery from a failure regarding SCG (228). In other words, the first network device 120 may configure the terminal device 110 regarding whether failure recovery using stored settings for L1 / L2-based mobility procedures is supported. If this information indicates that failure recovery is supported, the terminal device 110 may execute a PSCell change procedure using the stored settings after a failure regarding SCG occurs (229).

[0098] With the above recovery, the network connection may be recovered with a smaller delay. Example of realizing the reporting of a failure in a procedure based on L1 / L2

[0099] In some scenarios, the terminal device may experience a failure in a procedure based on L1 / L2. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device may notify the network side of this failure to help the network side identify the cause of the failure. Hereinafter, several exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. 2D.

[0100] FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram showing a process 200D for reporting a failure in data transmission according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, the process 200D will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. The process 200D may involve the terminal device 110 and the first network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1A. The first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN that serves the terminal device 110. In this example, the first network device 120 provides a serving cell for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110. Assume that the terminal device 110 applies the settings applied to activate data transmission on the cell of the second network device 130 to activate a procedure based on L1 / L2.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 2D, the terminal device 110 may start a timer when applying the settings (230). In some embodiments, the timer may be a timer T304. Of course, any other suitable existing or future-developed timer is also possible. In some embodiments, the timer may have a shorter value. In some embodiments, the value of the timer may be indicated within the settings for a procedure based on L1 / L2.

[0102] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the timer has expired (231). In some embodiments, if the timer has expired, the terminal device 110 may determine that a failure has occurred in the L1 / L2-based procedure (232).

[0103] In some embodiments, during the execution of the timer, if data transmission on the cell of the second network device 130 is successfully enabled (i.e., the L1 / L2-based procedure is successfully enabled), the terminal device 110 may stop the timer (233). For example, if the terminal device 110 completes the random access procedure to the cell during the execution of the timer, the terminal device 110 may stop the timer. In another example, if the terminal device 110 successfully receives the PDCCH transmission addressed to the C-RNTI of the cell of the second network device 130, the terminal device 110 may stop the timer.

[0104] In some embodiments regarding inter-cell beam management, the configuration for the L1 / L2-based procedure may include a set of parameters for beam failure detection or RLF detection on the cell of the second network device 130. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may detect whether a beam failure or RLF has occurred on the cell of the second network device 130 based on the set of parameters (234). If the terminal device 110 detects a beam failure or RLF on the cell of the second network device 130, the terminal device 110 may determine that a failure has occurred in the L1 / L2-based procedure (235).

[0105] When determining a failure at 232 or 235 in the procedure based on L1 / L2, the terminal device 110 may transmit failure information 236 to the first network device 120 (236). In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the failure information by means of an RRC message, such as UE Assistance Information or any other suitable message. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the failure information by means of L1 / L2 signaling, such as MAC CE or DCI, or any other suitable signaling.

[0106] In some embodiments, the failure information may include an indication indicating that a failure has occurred in data transmission. In some embodiments, the failure information may include a configuration index. In some embodiments, the failure information may include information about the cell associated with the failure, i.e., information about the failed cell. In some embodiments, the failure information may include information about the beam associated with the failure, i.e., information about the failed beam. The failure information may include any combination of the above-listed information and any other suitable information or combination of information.

[0107] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the failure information within an RLF report to the MN. For example, the terminal device 110 may place the failure information of the L1 / L2-based procedure within the RLF report and report the RLF report to the MN. For example, when the handover timer based on L1 / L2 signaling expires, the terminal device 110 may transmit the failure information of the L1 / L2-based procedure within the RLF report to the MN.

[0108] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send information about the failure to the MN within an RRC message. For example, the RRC message may be an SCGFailureInformation, FailureInformation, or UEAssistanceInformation message. Note that any other suitable existing or future-developed message is also possible. For example, when the L1 / L2-based mobility timer for the SCG expires, the terminal device 110 may send information about the failure of the L1 / L2-based procedure to the MN within an RRC message.

[0109] In some embodiments, the RRC message may include an SN RRC message (also referred to herein as another RRC message) that contains information about the failure. For example, the RRC message may be a ULInformationTransferMRDC message, and the SN RRC message may be a FailureInformation message. Note that any other suitable existing or future-developed message is also possible. For example, when a beam failure or RLF occurs on a cell for the SCG without SRB3 being configured, the terminal device 110 may send information about the failure of the L1 / L2-based procedure to the MN within the SN RRC message.

[0110] In some embodiments where SRB3 is configured, the terminal device 110 may send an RRC message containing information about the failure to the SN via SRB3. For example, the RRC message may be a FailureInformation or UEAssistanceInformation message. Note that any other suitable existing or future-developed message is also possible. For example, when SRB3 is configured and a beam failure or RLF occurs on a cell for the SCG, the terminal device 110 may send information about the failure of the L1 / L2-based procedure to the SN via SRB3.

[0111] In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 receives L1 / L2 signaling from the MN to activate the L1 / L2-based procedure, the terminal device 110 may transmit L1 / L2 signaling including the fault information to the MN accordingly. For example, the terminal device 110 may transmit a MAC CE or DCI including the fault information to the MN. In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 receives L1 / L2 signaling from the SN to activate the L1 / L2-based procedure, the terminal device 110 may transmit L1 / L2 signaling including the fault information to the SN accordingly. For example, the terminal device 110 may transmit a MAC CE or DCI including the fault information to the SN. These embodiments may be applied due to the expiration of the L1 / L2-based mobility timer, or beam failure or RLF for the MN or SN.

[0112] So far, the reporting of faults in the L1 / L2-based procedure has been described. In this way, this serving cell may recognize the fault and further optimize the network implementation. Implementation example of the method

[0113] Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method implemented in a terminal device and a network device. Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, these methods will be described below.

[0114] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary communication method 300 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 300 may be executed in a terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1A. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, method 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. It should be understood that method 300 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the blocks shown may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. Assume that the first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN that serves the terminal device 110. The first network device 120 provides a serving cell (e.g., cell 121) for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110.

[0115] In block 310, the terminal device 110 receives, from the first network device 120, settings applied to activate data transmission on cell 131 of the second network device 130 based on lower layer signaling.

[0116] In some embodiments, the data transmission may be data transmission on cell 131 that does not change the serving cell (also referred to herein as the first data transmission), such as inter-cell beam management. In some embodiments, the data transmission may be data transmission on cell 131 that changes the serving cell (also referred to herein as the second data transmission), such as L1 / L2-based mobility.

[0117] In some embodiments, the setting may be associated with at least one of a setting index, information on cell 131 of the second network device 130, or beam information. For example, multiple settings for different cells may be pre-set, and the multiple settings may be associated with different setting indexes, cell information, or beam information.

[0118] In some embodiments, the configuration may include at least one of a radio resource configuration or an access stratum security configuration. In some embodiments, the radio resource configuration may include at least one of a radio bearer configuration, a media access control cell group configuration, or a physical channel configuration.

[0119] In block 320, the terminal device 110 stores the configuration in a variable of the terminal device 110 dedicated for data transmission. In some embodiments, when the configuration is applied to enable the first data transmission, the terminal device 110 may store this configuration in a first variable of the terminal device 110. When the configuration is applied to enable the second data transmission, the terminal device 110 may store this configuration in a second variable of the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the first variable and the second variable may be the same variable. In some embodiments, the first variable and the second variable may be different variables.

[0120] In some embodiments, when the configuration is received from the MN, the terminal device 110 may store this configuration in a third variable of the terminal device 110. When the configuration is received from the SN, the terminal device 110 may store this configuration in a fourth variable of the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the third variable and the fourth variable may be the same variable. In some embodiments, the third variable and the fourth variable may be different variables.

[0121] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive a first message from the first network device 120 indicating that the configuration is modified, and modify the stored configuration based on the first message. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive a second message from the first network device 120 indicating that the configuration is released, and release the stored configuration based on the second message.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive lower layer signaling indicating that data transmission is enabled from the first network device 120, and enable this data transmission based on this setting. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify the RRC layer of the terminal device 110 from the lower layer that the lower layer signaling has been received, and the RRC layer may apply the setting corresponding to the data transmission to be enabled indicated by the lower layer signaling, thereby enabling this data transmission. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may release the setting from the variable after enabling the data transmission. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may maintain the setting within the variable after enabling the data transmission.

[0123] In some embodiments where the data transmission is the first data transmission, the terminal device 110 may receive a third message indicating that the cell 131 of the second network device 130 is released from the first network device 120 or the second network device 130, and release the cell 131 of the second network device 130 based on the third message. In some embodiments, the third message may be included in the MAC CE or DCI. In some embodiments, the third message may include at least one of the identity of the cell 131 of the second network device 130, beam information, or information indicating that the TCI state of the cell of the second network device 130 is deactivated.

[0124] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may notify the RRC layer of the terminal device 110 from the lower layer that the third message has been received, and release the setting by the RRC layer, thereby releasing the cell 131 of the second network device 130.

[0125] In some embodiments where a third message is received from the second network device 130, the terminal device 110 may transmit a fourth message to the first network device 110 indicating that the cell of the second network device 130 has been released.

[0126] In some embodiments, in response to detecting a failure in the MCG of the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may determine a selected cell by performing cell selection. If the selected cell is the cell 131 of the second network device 130, the terminal device 110 may apply settings for the selected cell and initiate a handover procedure. In some embodiments, the initiation of the handover procedure is performed in response to receiving information from the first network device 120 indicating that the settings have been used for recovery from the failure.

[0127] In some embodiments, in response to detecting a failure in the SCG of the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may determine a selected cell that meets a pre-determined criterion. If the selected cell is the cell 131 of the second network device 130, the terminal device 110 may apply settings for the selected cell and initiate a PSCell change for the SCG. In some embodiments, the execution of the PSCell change for the SCG is performed in response to receiving information from the first network device 120 indicating that the settings will be used for recovery from the failure.

[0128] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may start a timer when applying settings. If the timer expires, the terminal device 110 may determine that a failure has occurred in data transmission. In some embodiments, if data transmission on the cell 131 of the second network device 130 is successfully enabled, the terminal device 110 may stop the timer. In some embodiments, the value of the timer may be indicated within the settings.

[0129] In some embodiments where the data transmission is the first data transmission and the configuration includes a set of parameters for beam failure detection or RLF detection on cell 131 of the second network device 130, in response to detecting a beam failure or RLF on cell 131 of the second network device 130 based on the set of parameters, the terminal device 110 may determine that a failure has occurred in the data transmission.

[0130] In some embodiments, when determining a failure in the data transmission, the terminal device 110 may send information about the failure in the data transmission to the first network device 120. In some embodiments, the failure information may include at least one of an indication indicating that a failure has occurred in the data transmission, an index of the configuration, information about the cell associated with the failure, or information about the beam associated with the failure.

[0131] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send failure information to the MN within the RLF report or within the RRC message. In some embodiments, the RRC message may include another RRC message sent to the SN, and the other RRC message may include failure information.

[0132] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send an RRC message including failure information to the SN via SRB3.

[0133] In some embodiments, in response to receiving lower layer signaling from the MN, the terminal device 110 may send a MAC CE or DCI including failure information to the MN. In some embodiments, in response to receiving lower layer signaling from the SN, the terminal device 110 may send a MAC CE or DCI including failure information to the SN.

[0134] In this way, the terminal device may activate the L1 / L2-based procedure based on the stored settings for the L1 / L2-based procedure. Further, the terminal device may recover from a failure based on the stored settings and report the failure of the L1 / L2-based procedure to the network side.

[0135] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary communication method 400 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 400 may be executed in a first network device 120 as shown in FIG. 1A. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, method 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. Method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the blocks shown may be omitted, and it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. The first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN that serves the terminal device 110. The first network device 120 provides a serving cell (e.g., cell 121) for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 4, in block 410, the first network device 120 transmits to the terminal device 110 the settings applied to activate data transmission on the cell 131 of the second network device 130 based on lower layer signaling.

[0137] In some embodiments, the settings may be associated with at least one of an index of the settings, information on the cell 131 of the second network device 130, or beam information.

[0138] In some embodiments, the settings may include at least one of radio resource settings or access stratum security settings. In some embodiments, the radio resource settings may include at least one of radio bearer settings, MAC cell group settings, or physical channel settings.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send a first message to the terminal device 110 indicating that the settings are modified. In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send a second message to the terminal device 110 indicating that the settings are released.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send lower layer signaling to the terminal device 110 indicating that data transmission is enabled. In some embodiments where the data transmission is the first data transmission on the cell of the second network device without changing the serving cell, the first network device 120 may send a third message to the terminal device 110 indicating that the cell 131 of the second network device 130 is released. In some embodiments, the third message may be included in the MAC CE or DCI. In some embodiments, the third message may include at least one of the identity of the cell 131 of the second network device 130, beam information, or information indicating that the TCI state of the cell 131 is deactivated.

[0141] In some embodiments where the data transmission is the first data transmission on the cell of the second network device without changing the serving cell, the first network device 120 may receive a fourth message from the terminal device 110 indicating that the cell 131 of the second network device 130 is released.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send information to the terminal device 110 indicating that the settings are used for recovery from a failure regarding the MCG of the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send information to the terminal device 110 indicating that the settings are used for recovery from a failure regarding the SCG of the terminal device 110.

[0143] In some embodiments, the setting may indicate the value of a timer used for detecting a failure in data transmission.

[0144] In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may receive information on a failure in data transmission from the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the failure information may include at least one of an indication indicating that a failure has occurred in data transmission, an index of a setting, information on a cell associated with the failure, or information on a beam associated with the failure.

[0145] In some embodiments where the first network device 120 is an MN, the first network device 120 may receive failure information within an RLF report from the terminal device 110 or within an RRC message. In some embodiments, the RRC message may include another RRC message transmitted to the SN, and the other RRC message may include the failure information.

[0146] In some embodiments where the first network device 120 is an SN, the first network device 120 may receive an RRC message including failure information from the terminal device 110 via SRB3.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may receive a MAC CE or DCI including failure information from the terminal device 110.

[0148] In this way, the network side may set and update settings for L1 / L2-based procedures. Further, the network side may obtain failure information on L1 / L2-based procedures and optimize related network implementations.

[0149] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another exemplary communication method 500 implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 500 may be executed in a second network device 130 as shown in FIG. 1A. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1A. It should be understood that method 500 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the blocks shown may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. The first network device 120 may be an MN or an SN serving the terminal device 110. The first network device 120 provides a serving cell (e.g., cell 121) for the terminal device 110. The second network device 130 does not provide a serving cell for the terminal device 110.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 5, in block 510, the second network device 130 transmits a third message to the terminal device 110 indicating that the cell 131 of the second network device 130 is released. Settings applied to activate data transmission on cell 131 based on lower layer signaling are stored in a variable of the terminal device 110 dedicated to data transmission.

[0151] In some embodiments, the third message may be included in a MAC CE or DCI. In some embodiments, the third message may include at least one of the identity of the cell 131 of the second network device 130, beam information, or information indicating that the TCI state of the cell 131 is deactivated.

[0152] In this way, the network side may optimize the related network implementation.

[0153] Note that the operations of methods 300 to 500 are the same as the operations described in relation to FIGS. 2A to 2D. For the sake of brevity, duplicate explanations of other details are omitted here. Examples of Realization of Devices and Equipment

[0154] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 600 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 600 can be regarded as another exemplary embodiment of the terminal device 110, the first network device 120, or the second network device 130 shown in FIG. 1A. Therefore, the apparatus 600 can be implemented in the terminal device 110, the first network device 120, or the second network device 130, or as at least a part of them.

[0155] As shown, the apparatus 600 includes a processor 610, a memory 620 coupled to the processor 610, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 640 coupled to the processor 610, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 640. The memory 610 stores at least a part of the program 630. The TX / RX 640 is used for two-way communication. The TX / RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes mentioned in this specification may actually have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as the X2 / Xn interface for two-way communication between eNB / gNB, the S1 / NG interface for communication between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and eNB / gNB, the Un interface for communication between eNB / gNB and the relay node (RN), or the Uu interface for communication between eNB / gNB and the terminal device.

[0156] Program 630 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 610 as described herein with reference to FIGS. 1A-5, enable apparatus 600 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by a processor 610 of apparatus 600, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Processor 610 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, a combination of processor 610 and memory 620 may form processing means 650 suitable for realizing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0157] Memory 620 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, by way of non-limiting example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, a fixed memory, and a removable memory. Although only one memory 620 is shown within apparatus 600, there may be several physically different memory modules within apparatus 600. Processor 610 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Apparatus 600 may have a specific-purpose integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock that synchronizes a plurality of processors, such as a main processor.

[0158] In some embodiments, the terminal device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to receive settings applied to enable data transmission on a cell of a second network device based on lower layer signaling from a first network device that is a secondary node or a master node, and to store the settings in a variable of the terminal device dedicated to the data transmission.

[0159] In some embodiments, the configuration is associated with at least one of an index of the configuration, information of a cell of the second network device, or information of a beam.

[0160] In some embodiments, the configuration includes at least one of a radio resource configuration or an access stratum security configuration. In some embodiments, the radio resource configuration includes at least one of a radio bearer configuration, a media access control cell group configuration, or a physical channel configuration.

[0161] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to store the configuration in a first variable of the terminal device according to a determination that the configuration is applied to enable a first data transmission on the cell of the second network device without changing the serving cell, or to store the configuration in a second variable of the terminal device according to a determination that the configuration is applied to enable a second data transmission on the cell of the second network device with a change in the serving cell. In some embodiments, the first variable and the second variable are the same variable. In some embodiments, the first variable and the second variable are different variables.

[0162] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to store the configuration in a third variable of the terminal device in response to receiving the configuration from the master node, or to store the configuration in a fourth variable of the terminal device in response to receiving the configuration from the secondary node. In some embodiments, the third variable and the fourth variable are the same variable. In some embodiments, the third variable and the fourth variable are different variables.

[0163] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to receive, from a first network device, a first message indicating that a setting is modified, and to modify the stored setting based on the first message. In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to receive, from a first network device, a second message indicating that a setting is released, and to release the stored setting based on the second message.

[0164] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to receive, from a first network device, lower layer signaling indicating that data transmission is enabled, and to enable the data transmission based on this setting. In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to enable data transmission by notifying the radio resource control layer of the terminal device from the lower layer that the lower layer signaling has been received, and by applying, by the radio resource control layer, a setting corresponding to the data transmission to be enabled indicated by the lower layer signaling.

[0165] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to release the setting from the variable after the enabling of the data transmission, or to maintain the setting within the variable after the enabling of the data transmission.

[0166] In some embodiments where the data transmission is a first data transmission on a cell of a second network device without changing the serving cell, the circuit may further receive, from a first network device or a second network device, a third message indicating that the cell of the second network device is released, and may be configured to release the cell of the second network device based on the third message. In some embodiments, the third message is included in a media access control control element or downlink control information. In some embodiments, the third message includes at least one of an identity of the cell of the second network device, beam information, or information indicating that a transmission configuration index state of the cell of the second network device is deactivated.

[0167] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to release the cell by notifying the radio resource control layer of the terminal device from the lower layer that the third message has been received and releasing the configuration by the radio resource control layer.

[0168] In some embodiments where the third message is received from the second network device, the circuit may further be configured to transmit, to the first network device, a fourth message indicating that the cell of the second network device has been released.

[0169] In some embodiments, the circuit may further determine a selected cell by performing cell selection in response to detecting a failure for the master cell group of the terminal device, and may be configured to apply the setting to the selected cell and start a handover procedure according to a determination that the selected cell is the cell of the second network device. In some embodiments, the start of the handover procedure is performed in response to receiving, from the first network device, information indicating that the setting has been used for recovery from the failure.

[0170] In some embodiments, the circuit is further configured to determine a selected cell that meets a predetermined criterion in response to detecting a failure in the secondary cell group of the terminal device, and apply the setting to the selected cell to perform a primary cell change for the secondary cell group according to a determination that the selected cell is the cell of the second network device. In some embodiments, the execution of the primary cell change for the secondary cell group is performed in response to receiving, from the first network device, information indicating that the setting has been used for recovery from the failure.

[0171] In some embodiments, the circuit is further configured to start a timer when applying the setting, and determine that a failure has occurred in the data transmission according to a determination that the timer has expired. In some embodiments, the circuit is further configured to stop the timer according to a determination that the data transmission on the cell of the second network device has been successfully enabled. In some embodiments, the value of the timer is indicated within the setting.

[0172] In some embodiments where the data transmission is a first data transmission on a cell of a second network device without changing the serving cell, and the setting includes a set of parameters for beam failure detection or radio link failure detection on the cell of the second network device, the circuit is configured to determine that a failure has occurred in the data transmission in response to detecting a beam failure or a radio link failure on the cell of the second network device based on the set of parameters.

[0173] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to transmit, to the first network device, information about the failure in the data transmission. In some embodiments, the information about the failure may include at least one of an indication indicating that a failure has occurred in the data transmission, an index of a setting, information about a cell associated with the failure, or information about a beam associated with the failure.

[0174] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to transmit the information about the failure by transmitting, to the master node, the information about the failure within a radio link failure report or within a radio resource control message. In some embodiments, the radio resource control message includes another radio resource control message transmitted to the secondary node, and the another radio resource control message includes the information about the failure.

[0175] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to transmit the information about the failure by transmitting, to the secondary node, a radio resource control message including the information about the failure via SRB3.

[0176] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to transmit the information about the failure by transmitting, to the master node, a media access control control element or downlink control information including the information about the failure in response to receiving the lower layer signaling from the master node, or by transmitting, to the secondary node, a media access control control element or downlink control information including the information about the failure in response to receiving the lower layer signaling from the secondary node.

[0177] In some embodiments, the network device includes a circuit, and in a first network device that is a secondary node or a master node, the circuit is configured to send to a terminal device settings that are applied to enable data transmission on a cell of a second network device based on lower layer signaling.

[0178] In some embodiments, the settings are associated with at least one of an index of the settings, information about a cell of the second network device, or information about a beam.

[0179] In some embodiments, the settings include at least one of a radio resource setting or an access stratum security setting. In some embodiments, the radio resource setting includes at least one of a radio bearer setting, a media access control cell group setting, or a physical channel setting.

[0180] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to send to the terminal device a first message indicating that the settings are modified. In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to send to the terminal device a second message indicating that the settings are released.

[0181] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to send to the terminal device the lower layer signaling indicating that the data transmission is enabled.

[0182] In some embodiments where the data transmission is a first data transmission on a cell of a second network device without changing the serving cell, the circuit may further be configured to transmit, to the terminal device, a third message indicating that the cell of the second network device is released. In some embodiments, the third message is included in a media access control control element or downlink control information. In some embodiments, the third message includes at least one of an identity of a cell of the second network device, beam information, or information indicating that a transmission setting index state of the cell is deactivated.

[0183] In some embodiments where the data transmission is a first data transmission on a cell of a second network device without changing the serving cell, the circuit may further be configured to receive, from the terminal device, a fourth message indicating that the cell of the second network device has been released.

[0184] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to perform at least one of transmitting, to the terminal device, information indicating that the setting has been used for recovery from a failure for a master cell group of the terminal device, or transmitting, to the terminal device, information indicating that the setting has been used for recovery from a failure for a secondary cell group of the terminal device.

[0185] In some embodiments, the setting indicates a value of a timer used for detecting a failure in data transmission.

[0186] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to receive, from the terminal device, information about a failure in the data transmission. In some embodiments, the failure information includes at least one of an indication indicating that a failure has occurred in the data transmission, an index of the setting, cell information associated with the failure, or beam information associated with the failure.

[0187] In some embodiments where the first network device is the master node, the circuit may be configured to receive the information of the failure by receiving the information of the failure from the terminal device within a radio link failure report or within a radio resource control message. In some embodiments, the radio resource control message includes another radio resource control message transmitted to the secondary node, and the another radio resource control message includes the information of the failure.

[0188] In some embodiments where the first network device is the secondary node, the circuit may be configured to receive the information of the failure by receiving a radio resource control message including the information of the failure from the terminal device via SRB3.

[0189] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to receive the information of the failure by receiving a media access control control element or downlink control information including the information of the failure from the terminal device.

[0190] In some embodiments, a network device includes a circuit, and the circuit is configured to transmit, in a second network device, a third message indicating that a cell of the second network device is released to a terminal device, and settings applied to activate data transmission based on lower layer signaling are stored in a variable of the terminal device dedicated to the data transmission.

[0191] In some embodiments, the third message is included in a media access control control element or downlink control information. In some embodiments, the third message includes at least one of an identity of a cell of the second network device, beam information, or information indicating that a transmission setting index state of the cell is deactivated.

[0192] As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware. As yet another example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor that includes a digital signal processor, software, and one or more memories that cooperate to cause a device such as a terminal device or a network device to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor such as a microprocessor or a portion thereof that requires software / firmware for operation, but the software may not be present if not required for operation. As used herein, the term "circuit" also includes the implementation of only a hardware circuit or one or more processors, or a portion of a hardware circuit or one or more processors and their (or their) associated software and / or firmware.

[0193] Overall, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or a dedicated circuit, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, a dedicated circuit or logic, general purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0194] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that are executed within a device on a target physical processor or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-5. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0195] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure may be described in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, and when executed by the processor or controller, the program codes implement the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0196] The above program code may be implemented on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can be utilized by or associated with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with the same. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-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 foregoing media. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0197] Note that although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should be understood that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, nor is it necessary to perform all the operations described, in order to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while some specific implementation details have been included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some of the features described in the context of individual embodiments may be combined in a single embodiment to be implemented. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0198] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for a UE (User Equipment), comprising: receiving, from a base station, an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including configuration information regarding candidate cells for Layer1 / Layer2 triggered mobility; storing the configuration information in a variable; when the UE receives a MAC CE (Medium Access Control Control Element) including a configuration index from the base station, applying the stored configuration information, which is the information of the RRC message indicated by the configuration index; performing a cell handover to a target cell; starting a timer T304 when the UE applies the configuration information; stopping the timer T304 when the UE receives a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) addressed to a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI); a method.

2. The UE further includes a MAC entity, wherein when the MAC entity receives the MAC CE and indicates information regarding the MAC CE to an upper layer, the UE applies the stored configuration information; The method according to claim 1.

3. storing second configuration information regarding a second candidate cell; selecting a cell when the UE detects a radio link failure (RLF) of a Master Cell Group (MCG); when the selected cell is the second candidate cell, further performing a second cell handover for the selected cell; The method according to claim 1.

4. activating a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state of the candidate cell before the candidate cell becomes a serving cell; The method according to claim 1.

5. A UE (User Equipment), comprising: means for receiving, from a base station, an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message including configuration information regarding candidate cells for Layer1 / Layer2 triggered mobility; Means for storing the setting information in a variable When the UE receives a MAC CE (Medium Access Control Control Element) including a setting index from the base station, means for applying the stored setting information, which is the information of the RRC message indicated by the setting index Means for performing cell switching to a target cell Means for starting timer T304 when the UE applies the setting information Means for stopping timer T304 when the UE receives a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) addressed to a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) A UE comprising the above

6. Further comprising a MAC entity When the MAC entity receives the MAC CE and indicates information regarding the MAC CE to a higher layer, the UE applies the stored setting information The UE according to claim 5

7. Means for storing second setting information regarding a second candidate cell Means for selecting a cell when the UE detects a radio link failure (RLF) of a Master Cell Group (MCG) Means for performing a second cell switch for the selected cell when the selected cell is the second candidate cell The UE according to claim 5, further comprising the above

8. Means for activating the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of the candidate cell before the candidate cell becomes a serving cell The UE according to claim 5, further comprising the above

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