Terminal device, method, and integrated circuit

Abstract

To efficiently control communication.SOLUTION: A terminal apparatus determines whether a candidate special cell SpCell associated with a conditional reconfiguration information element of each entry included in an entry list is identical to a special cell SpCell currently configured for the terminal apparatus, and does not cause an execution condition to be evaluated, the execution condition being included in the entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element of which the associated candidate SpCell is identical to the SpCell currently configured for the terminal apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a method, and an integrated circuit. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a standardization project for cellular mobile communication systems, is conducting technical studies and formulating standards for cellular mobile communication systems, including radio access, core networks, and services.

[0003] For example, 3GPP has begun technical studies and standardization of E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) as a radio access technology (RAT) for 3.9G and 4G cellular mobile communication systems. 3GPP is currently conducting technical studies and standardization of E-UTRA extension technologies. E-UTRA is also called Long Term Evolution (LTE: registered trademark), and the extension technologies are sometimes called LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0004] Additionally, 3GPP has begun technical studies and standardization of NR (New Radio, or NR Radio access) as a radio access technology (RAT) for 5th Generation (5G) cellular mobile communication systems. 3GPP is currently conducting technical studies and standardization of NR extension technologies. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.4.0,"NR;NR and NG-RAN Overall description; Stage 2" pp10-134 [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TS 36.300 v16.4.0,"Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN);Overall description; Stage 2" pp19-362 [Non-patent document 3] 3GPP TS 38.331 v16.3.1,"NR;Radio Resource Control (RRC);Protocol specifications"pp21-881 [Non-patent document 4] 3GPP TS 36.331 v16.3.0,"Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA);Radio Resource Control (RRC);Protocol specifications" pp25-1015 [Non-Patent Document 5] 3GPP TS 37.340 v16.4.0,"Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)and NR; Multi-Connectivity; Stage 2" pp7-77 [Non-patent document 6] 3GPP TS 38.321 v16.3.0, "NR;Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification" pp8-152 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] NR uses handover and PSCell change techniques to switch the cell with which a terminal device communicates. It also uses PSCell addition, which adds a cell group with which a terminal device communicates. These, along with handover and PSCell change, are performed by a technique called RRC connection reconfiguration. It also uses a technique called conditional reconfiguration, which reconfigures the RRC connection based on pre-set execution conditions. However, in 5G Advanced (Release 18 and later), which will begin to be studied in the future, further enhancements to mobility technologies are planned, but the details have not yet been considered.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device, a method, and an integrated circuit that can efficiently perform communication control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides the following: That is, one aspect of the present invention provides a terminal device communicating with a base station device, the terminal device comprising: a receiving unit that receives radio resource control (RRC) signaling transmitted from the base station device; and a processing unit that holds an entry list, the entry list including one or more entries, one of the entries including a conditional reconfiguration information element associated with one candidate special cell (SpCell) and one or more execution conditions, the processing unit adding one or more entries to the entry list and / or modifying one or more entries in the entry list based on the inclusion of an entry addition / modification list in the information regarding conditional reconfiguration in the received RRC signaling, the processing unit further determining whether the candidate SpCell associated with the conditional reconfiguration information element of each entry and a special cell (SpCell) currently configured in the terminal device are the same cell, and excluding from evaluation execution conditions included in the entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element in which the associated candidate SpCell is the same cell as the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a method for a terminal device communicating with a base station device, comprising the steps of receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling transmitted from the base station device, maintaining an entry list, adding one or more entries to the entry list and / or modifying one or more entries in the entry list based on the fact that the information regarding conditional reconfiguration in the received RRC signaling includes an entry addition / modification list, and further determining whether one candidate special cell (SpCell) associated with the conditional reconfiguration information element of each entry is the same cell as the special cell (SpCell) currently configured in the terminal device, and excluding from the evaluation an execution condition included in an entry including a conditional reconfiguration information element in which the associated candidate SpCell is the same cell as the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device, wherein the entry list includes one or more entries, and one of the entries includes the conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the candidate special cell (SpCell) and one or more execution conditions.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is an integrated circuit implemented in a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, which has the following functions: receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling transmitted from the base station device; maintaining an entry list; adding one or more entries to the entry list and / or modifying one or more entries in the entry list based on the fact that the information regarding conditional reconfiguration of the received RRC signaling includes an entry addition / modification list; and determining whether one candidate special cell (SpCell) associated with the conditional reconfiguration information element of each entry is the same cell as the special cell (SpCell) currently configured in the terminal device, and excluding from evaluation execution conditions included in entries that include conditional reconfiguration information elements in which the associated candidate SpCell is the same cell as the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device, wherein the entry list includes one or more entries, and one of the entries includes the conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the candidate special cell (SpCell) and one or more execution conditions.

[0011] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, a terminal device, a method, and an integrated circuit can realize efficient communication control processing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an E-UTRA protocol configuration according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an NR protocol configuration according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of procedures for various settings in RRC according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a base station device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] An example of an ASN.1 description included in a message regarding re-establishment of an RRC connection in NR in this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information list according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 shows an example of processing related to the operation of a terminal device in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] LTE (and LTE-A, LTE-A Pro) and NR may be defined as different radio access technologies (RATs). NR may also be defined as a technology included in LTE. LTE may also be defined as a technology included in NR. LTE that can connect to NR via Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) may be distinguished from conventional LTE. LTE that uses 5GC in the core network (Core Network: CN) may be distinguished from conventional LTE that uses EPC in the core network. Conventional LTE may refer to LTE that does not implement technologies standardized in 3GPP Release 15 or later. This embodiment may be applied to NR, LTE, and other RATs. In the following description, terms related to LTE and NR are used, but this embodiment may also be applied to other technologies using other terminology. In this embodiment, the term E-UTRA may be replaced with the term LTE, and the term LTE may be replaced with the term E-UTRA.

[0016] In this embodiment, the names of the nodes and entities and the processes performed by the nodes and entities are described when the radio access technology is E-UTRA or NR, but this embodiment may be used for other radio access technologies. The names of the nodes and entities in this embodiment may be different names.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to this embodiment. Note that the functions of each node, radio access technology, core network, interface, etc. described using Fig. 1 are only some of the functions closely related to this embodiment, and the system may have other functions.

[0018] E-UTRA 100 may be a radio access technology. E-UTRA 100 may also be an air interface between UE 122 and eNB 102. The air interface between UE 122 and eNB 102 may be referred to as a Uu interface. eNB (E-UTRAN Node B) 102 may be a base station device of E-UTRA 100. eNB 102 may have an E-UTRA protocol, which will be described later. The E-UTRA protocol may be configured from an E-UTRA User Plane (UP) protocol, which will be described later, and an E-UTRA Control Plane (CP) protocol, which will be described later. eNB 102 may terminate the E-UTRA User Plane (UP) protocol and the E-UTRA Control Plane (CP) protocol for UE 122. A radio access network configured by eNBs may be referred to as E-UTRAN.

[0019] The EPC (Evolved Packet Core) 104 may be a core network. The interface 112 is an interface between the eNB 102 and the EPC 104 and may be referred to as an S1 interface. The interface 112 may include a control plane interface through which control signals pass and / or a user plane interface through which user data passes. The control plane interface of the interface 112 may terminate at a Mobility Management Entity (MME: not shown) in the EPC 104. The user plane interface of the interface 112 may terminate at a Serving Gateway (S-GW: not shown) in the EPC 104. The control plane interface of the interface 112 may be referred to as an S1-MME interface. The user plane interface of the interface 112 may be referred to as an S1-U interface.

[0020] Note that one or more eNBs 102 may be connected to the EPC 104 via an interface 112. An interface (not shown) may exist between the multiple eNBs 102 connected to the EPC 104. The interface between the multiple eNBs 102 connected to the EPC 104 may be referred to as an X2 interface.

[0021] The NR 106 may be a radio access technology. The NR 106 may also be an air interface between the UE 122 and the gNB 108. The air interface between the UE 122 and the gNB 108 may be referred to as a Uu interface. The gNB (g Node B) 108 may be a base station device of the NR 106. The gNB 108 may have the NR protocol described below. The NR protocol may be composed of an NR user plane (User Plane: UP) protocol described below and an NR control plane (Control Plane: CP) protocol described below. The gNB 108 may terminate the NR user plane (User Plane: UP) protocol and the NR control plane (Control Plane: CP) protocol for the UE 122.

[0022] 5GC110 may be a core network. Interface 116 is an interface between gNB108 and 5GC110 and may be referred to as an NG interface. Interface 116 may have a control plane interface through which control signals pass and / or a user plane interface through which user data passes. The control plane interface of interface 116 may terminate in an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF: not shown) in 5GC110. The user plane interface of interface 116 may terminate in a User Plane Function (UPF: not shown) in 5GC110. The control plane interface of interface 116 may be referred to as an NG-C interface. The user plane interface of interface 116 may be referred to as an NG-U interface.

[0023] Note that one or more gNBs 108 may be connected to 5GC 110 via interface 116. An interface (not shown) may exist between multiple gNBs 108 connected to 5GC 110. The interface between multiple gNBs 108 connected to 5GC 110 may be referred to as an Xn interface.

[0024] The eNB 102 may have the capability to connect to the 5GC 110. The eNB 102 with the capability to connect to the 5GC 110 may be referred to as an ng-eNB. The interface 114 is an interface between the eNB 102 and the 5GC 110 and may be referred to as an NG interface. The interface 114 may have a control plane interface through which control signals pass and / or a user plane interface through which user data passes. The control plane interface of the interface 114 may terminate in the AMF in the 5GC 110. The user plane interface of the interface 114 may terminate in the UPF in the 5GC 110. The control plane interface of the interface 114 may be referred to as an NG-C interface. The user plane interface of the interface 114 may be referred to as an NG-U interface. A radio access network consisting of an ng-eNB or a gNB may be referred to as an NG-RAN. The NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. may simply be referred to as a network. Furthermore, the network may include an eNB, ng-eNB, gNB, etc.

[0025] One or more eNBs 102 may be connected to 5GC 110 via interface 114. An interface may exist between multiple eNBs 102 connected to 5GC 110 (not shown). The interface between multiple eNBs 102 connected to 5GC 110 may be called an Xn interface. Furthermore, an eNB 102 connected to 5GC 110 and a gNB 108 connected to 5GC 110 may be connected by interface 120. The interface 120 between an eNB 102 connected to 5GC 110 and a gNB 108 connected to 5GC 110 may be called an Xn interface.

[0026] The gNB 108 may have the function of connecting to the EPC 104. A gNB 108 with the function of connecting to the EPC 104 may be referred to as an en-gNB. Interface 118 is an interface between the gNB 108 and the EPC 104 and may be referred to as an S1 interface. A user plane interface through which user data passes may exist in interface 118. The user plane interface of interface 118 may terminate in an S-GW (not shown) in the EPC 104. The user plane interface of interface 118 may be referred to as an S1-U interface. Furthermore, the eNB 102 connecting to the EPC 104 and the gNB 108 connecting to the EPC 104 may be connected by interface 120. The interface 120 between the eNB 102 connecting to the EPC 104 and the gNB 108 connecting to the EPC 104 may be referred to as an X2 interface.

[0027] The interface 124 is an interface between the EPC 104 and the 5GC 110, and may be an interface that passes only the CP, only the UP, or both the CP and the UP. In addition, some or all of the interfaces such as the interface 114, the interface 116, the interface 118, the interface 120, and the interface 124 may not exist depending on the communication system provided by the communication carrier or the like.

[0028] The UE 122 may be a terminal device capable of receiving system information and paging messages transmitted from the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108. The UE 122 may also be a terminal device capable of wireless connection with the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108. The UE 122 may also be a terminal device capable of simultaneously establishing a wireless connection with the eNB 102 and a wireless connection with the gNB 108. The UE 122 may have an E-UTRA protocol and / or an NR protocol. The wireless connection may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection.

[0029] Furthermore, the UE 122 may be a terminal device capable of connecting to the EPC 104 and / or the 5GC 110 via the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108. When the core network to which the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108, with which the UE 122 communicates, is connected is the EPC 104, each Data Radio Bearer (DRB) (described later) established between the UE 122 and the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108 may be uniquely associated with each EPS (Evolved Packet System) bearer passing through the EPC 104. Each EPS bearer may be identified by an EPS bearer identifier (Identity, or ID). Furthermore, the same QoS may be guaranteed for data such as IP packets and Ethernet frames passing through the same EPS bearer.

[0030] Furthermore, if the core network to which the eNB102 and / or gNB108 with which the UE122 communicates is connected is the 5GC110, each DRB established between the UE122 and the eNB102 and / or gNB108 may be further linked to one of the PDU (Packet Data Unit) sessions established within the 5GC110. One or more QoS flows may exist in each PDU session. Each DRB may be mapped to one or more QoS flows, or may not be mapped to any QoS flow. Each PDU session may be identified by a PDU session identifier (Identity, or ID). Each QoS flow may be identified by a QoS flow identifier (Identity, or ID). The same QoS may be guaranteed for data such as IP packets and Ethernet frames passing through the same QoS flow.

[0031] There may be no PDU sessions and / or QoS flows in the EPC 104. There may also be no EPS bearers in the 5GC 110. When the UE 122 is connected to the EPC 104, the UE 122 has information about the EPS bearers, but may not have information about the PDU sessions and / or QoS flows. When the UE 122 is connected to the 5GC 110, the UE 122 has information about the PDU sessions and / or QoS flows, but may not have information about the EPS bearers.

[0032] In the following description, eNB102 and / or gNB108 will also be simply referred to as base station devices, and UE122 will also be simply referred to as terminal devices or UEs.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an E-UTRA protocol architecture according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an NR protocol architecture according to this embodiment. Note that the functions of each protocol described using FIG. 2 and / or FIG. 3 are only some of the functions closely related to this embodiment, and other functions may also be included. Note that in this embodiment, an uplink (UL) may be a link from a terminal device to a base station device. Also, in this embodiment, a downlink (DL) may be a link from a base station device to a terminal device.

[0034] 2A is a diagram of an E-UTRA user plane (UP) protocol stack. As shown in FIG. 2A, the E-UTRAN UP protocol may be a protocol between the UE 122 and the eNB 102. That is, the E-UTRAN UP protocol may be a protocol that terminates at the eNB 102 on the network side. As shown in FIG. 2A, the E-UTRA user plane protocol stack may be composed of a PHY (Physical layer) 200, which is a radio physical layer, a MAC (Medium Access Control) 202, which is a medium access control layer, a RLC (Radio Link Control) 204, which is a radio link control layer, and a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) 206, which is a packet data convergence protocol layer.

[0035] FIG. 3A is a diagram of an NR user plane (UP) protocol stack. As shown in FIG. 3A, the NR UP protocol may be a protocol between the UE 122 and the gNB 108. That is, the NR UP protocol may be a protocol that terminates at the gNB 108 on the network side. As shown in FIG. 3A, the E-UTRA user plane protocol stack may be composed of a radio physical layer, PHY 300, a medium access control layer, MAC 302, a radio link control layer, RLC 304, a packet data convergence protocol layer, PDCP 306, and a service data adaptation protocol layer, SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) 310.

[0036] 2(B) is a diagram of the E-UTRAN control plane (CP) protocol configuration. As shown in FIG. 2(B), in the E-UTRAN CP protocol, RRC (Radio Resource Control) 208, which is a radio resource control layer, may be a protocol between the UE 122 and the eNB 102. That is, RRC 208 may be a protocol that terminates at the eNB 102 on the network side. Also, in the E-UTRAN CP protocol, NAS (Non Access Stratum) 210, which is a non-AS (Access Stratum) layer, may be a protocol between the UE 122 and the MME. That is, NAS 210 may be a protocol that terminates at the MME on the network side.

[0037] 3B is a diagram of the NR control plane (CP) protocol configuration. As shown in FIG. 3B, in the NR CP protocol, the radio resource control layer RRC 308 may be a protocol between the UE 122 and the gNB 108. That is, the RRC 308 may be a protocol that terminates at the gNB 108 on the network side. Also, in the E-UTRAN CP protocol, the non-AS layer NAS 312 may be a protocol between the UE 122 and the AMF. That is, the NAS 312 may be a protocol that terminates at the AMF on the network side.

[0038] The AS (Access Stratum) layer may be a layer that terminates between the UE 122 and the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108. That is, the AS layer may be a layer that includes some or all of the PHY 200, the MAC 202, the RLC 204, the PDCP 206, and the RRC 208, and / or a layer that includes some or all of the PHY 300, the MAC 302, the RLC 304, the PDCP 306, the SDAP 310, and the RRC 308.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the E-UTRA protocol and the NR protocol may not be distinguished from each other, and the terms PHY (PHY layer), MAC (MAC layer), RLC (RLC layer), PDCP (PDCP layer), RRC (RRC layer), and NAS (NAS layer) may be used. In this case, PHY (PHY layer), MAC (MAC layer), RLC (RLC layer), PDCP (PDCP layer), RRC (RRC layer), and NAS (NAS layer) may respectively refer to the PHY (PHY layer), MAC (MAC layer), RLC (RLC layer), PDCP (PDCP layer), RRC (RRC layer), and NAS (NAS layer) of the E-UTRA protocol, or the PHY (PHY layer), MAC (MAC layer), RLC (RLC layer), PDCP (PDCP layer), RRC (RRC layer), and NAS (NAS layer) of the NR protocol. The SDAP (SDAP layer) may also be the SDAP (SDAP layer) of the NR protocol.

[0040] In this embodiment, when distinguishing between E-UTRA protocols and NR protocols, the PHY 200, MAC 202, RLC 204, PDCP 206, and RRC 208 may be referred to as E-UTRA PHY or LTE PHY, E-UTRA MAC or LTE MAC, E-UTRA RLC or LTE RLC, E-UTRA PDCP or LTE PDCP, and E-UTRA RRC or LTE RRC, respectively. The PHY 200, MAC 202, RLC 204, PDCP 206, and RRC 208 may also be referred to as E-UTRA PHY or LTE PHY, E-UTRA MAC or LTE MAC, E-UTRA RLC or LTE RLC, E-UTRA PDCP or LTE PDCP, and E-UTRA RRC or LTE RRC, respectively. Furthermore, when distinguishing between E-UTRA protocols and NR protocols, PHY 300, MAC 302, RLC 304, PDCP 306, and RRC 308 may be referred to as NR PHY, NR MAC, NR RLC, NR RLC, and NR RRC, respectively. Furthermore, PHY 200, MAC 302, RLC 304, PDCP 306, and RRC 308 may be referred to as NR PHY, NR MAC, NR RLC, NR PDCP, and NR RRC, respectively.

[0041] This section describes entities in the AS layer of E-UTRA and / or NR. An entity having some or all of the functions of the MAC layer may be referred to as a MAC entity. An entity having some or all of the functions of the RLC layer may be referred to as an RLC entity. An entity having some or all of the functions of the PDCP layer may be referred to as a PDCP entity. An entity having some or all of the functions of the SDAP layer may be referred to as an SDAP entity. An entity having some or all of the functions of the RRC layer may be referred to as an RRC entity. The MAC entity, RLC entity, PDCP entity, SDAP entity, and RRC entity may be referred to as MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, and RRC, respectively.

[0042] Note that data provided from MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP to lower layers, and / or data provided from lower layers to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP, may be referred to as MAC PDU (Protocol Data Unit), RLC PDU, PDCP PDU, and SDAP PDU, respectively. Also, data provided from higher layers to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP, and / or data provided from MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP to higher layers may be referred to as MAC SDU (Service Data Unit), RLC SDU, PDCP SDU, and SDAP SDU, respectively. Also, segmented RLC SDUs may be referred to as RLC SDU segments.

[0043] Here, the base station apparatus and the terminal apparatus exchange (transmit and receive) signals in a higher layer. For example, the base station apparatus and the terminal apparatus may transmit and receive RRC messages (also referred to as RRC messages, RRC information, or RRC signaling) in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. The base station apparatus and the terminal apparatus may also transmit and receive MAC control elements in a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The RRC layer of the terminal apparatus acquires system information broadcast from the base station apparatus. Here, the RRC messages, system information, and / or MAC control elements are also referred to as higher layer signals (higher layer signals) or higher layer parameters (higher layer parameters). Each of the parameters included in the higher layer signals received by the terminal apparatus may be referred to as a higher layer parameter. In PHY layer processing, the higher layer refers to a layer higher than the PHY layer, and may therefore refer to one or more of the MAC layer, RRC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, NAS (Non Access Stratum) layer, etc. For example, in MAC layer processing, the upper layer may mean one or more of the RRC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, NAS layer, etc. Hereinafter, "A is given (provided) by the upper layer" or "A is given (provided) by the upper layer" may mean that the upper layer (mainly the RRC layer or MAC layer) of the terminal device receives A from the base station device, and the received A is given (provided) to the physical layer of the terminal device from the upper layer of the terminal device. For example, in a terminal device, "being provided with upper layer parameters" may mean receiving an upper layer signal from the base station device, and providing the upper layer parameters included in the received upper layer signal from the upper layer of the terminal device to the physical layer of the terminal device 1. Setting upper layer parameters in the terminal device may mean that the upper layer parameters are given (provided) to the terminal device.For example, setting upper layer parameters in a terminal device may mean that the terminal device receives an upper layer signal from a base station device and sets the received upper layer parameters in the upper layer. However, setting upper layer parameters in a terminal device may also include setting default parameters that are pre-assigned to the upper layer of the terminal device. When describing transmission of an RRC message from a terminal device to a base station device, the expression "submitting a message from an RRC entity of the terminal device to a lower layer" may be used. In a terminal device, "submitting a message to a lower layer" from an RRC entity may mean submitting a message to a PDCP layer. In a terminal device, "submitting a message to a lower layer" from an RRC layer may mean submitting an RRC message to a PDCP entity corresponding to each SRB, since RRC messages are transmitted using SRBs (SRB0, SRB1, SRB2, SRB3, etc.). When the RRC entity of the terminal device receives an indication from a lower layer, the lower layer may mean one or more of a PHY layer, a MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, etc.

[0044] An example of the functions of the PHY will be described. The PHY of the terminal device may have a function to receive data transmitted from the PHY of the base station device via a downlink (DL) physical channel. The PHY of the terminal device may have a function to transmit data to the PHY of the base station device via an uplink (UL) physical channel. The PHY may be connected to a higher MAC via a transport channel. The PHY may pass data to the MAC via the transport channel. The PHY may also be provided with data from the MAC via the transport channel. In the PHY, an RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identifier) ​​may be used to identify various control information.

[0045] Here, the physical channels will be described. The physical channels used for wireless communication between a terminal device and a base station device may include the following physical channels.

[0046] PBCH (Physical Broadcast CHannel) PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control CHannel) PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared CHannel) PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control CHannel) PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared CHannel) PRACH (Physical Random Access CHannel)

[0047] The PBCH may be used to broadcast system information required by a terminal device.

[0048] In addition, in NR, the PBCH may be used to broadcast a time index (SSB-Index) within a synchronization signal block (SSB) period.

[0049] The PDCCH may be used to transmit (or carry) downlink control information (DCI) in downlink wireless communication (wireless communication from a base station device to a terminal device). Here, one or more DCIs (which may also be referred to as DCI formats) may be defined for transmitting the downlink control information. That is, a field for the downlink control information may be defined as DCI and mapped to information bits. The PDCCH may be transmitted in PDCCH candidates. The terminal device may monitor a set of PDCCH candidates in a serving cell. Monitoring the set of PDCCH candidates may mean attempting to decode the PDCCH according to a certain DCI format. The DCI format may be used for scheduling the PUSCH in the serving cell. The PUSCH may be used for transmitting user data, transmitting an RRC message (described later), and the like.

[0050] The PUCCH may be used to transmit uplink control information (UCI) in uplink wireless communication (wireless communication from a terminal device to a base station device). Here, the uplink control information may include channel state information (CSI) used to indicate the state of a downlink channel. The uplink control information may also include a scheduling request (SR) used to request an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) resource. The uplink control information may also include a hybrid automatic repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement (HARQ-ACK).

[0051] The PDSCH may be used to transmit downlink data (DL-SCH: Downlink Shared CHannel) from the MAC layer, and may also be used to transmit system information (SI) and random access responses (RAR) in the downlink.

[0052] The PUSCH may be used to transmit uplink data from the MAC layer (UL-SCH: Uplink Shared CHannel) or HARQ-ACK and / or CSI together with uplink data. The PUSCH may also be used to transmit only CSI, or only HARQ-ACK and CSI. That is, the PUSCH may be used to transmit only UCI. The PDSCH or PUSCH may also be used to transmit RRC signaling (also referred to as an RRC message) and MAC CE. Here, in the PDSCH, the RRC signaling transmitted from the base station apparatus may be signaling common to multiple terminal apparatuses in a cell. The RRC signaling transmitted from the base station apparatus may also be signaling dedicated to a certain terminal apparatus (also referred to as dedicated signaling). That is, terminal apparatus-specific (UE-specific) information may be transmitted using signaling dedicated to a certain terminal apparatus. The PUSCH may also be used to transmit UE capabilities in the uplink.

[0053] The PRACH may be used to transmit a random access preamble and may be used to indicate initial connection establishment procedures, handover procedures, connection re-establishment procedures, synchronization (timing adjustment) for uplink transmissions, and requests for UL-SCH resources.

[0054] An example of the MAC function will be described. MAC may be called a MAC sublayer. MAC may have the function of mapping various logical channels to corresponding transport channels. Logical channels may be identified by logical channel identities (or logical channel IDs). MAC may be connected to the higher-level RLC via logical channels. Depending on the type of information to be transmitted, logical channels may be divided into control channels that transmit control information and traffic channels that transmit user information. Logical channels may also be divided into uplink logical channels and downlink logical channels. MAC may have the function of multiplexing MAC SDUs belonging to one or more different logical channels and providing them to the PHY. MAC may also have the function of demultiplexing MAC PDUs provided by the PHY and providing them to the higher layer via the logical channels to which each MAC SDU belongs. MAC may also have the function of performing error correction through HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). The MAC may also have a scheduling report (SR) function that reports scheduling information. The MAC may also have a function to perform prioritized processing between terminal devices using dynamic scheduling. The MAC may also have a function to perform prioritized processing between logical channels within one terminal device. The MAC may also have a function to perform prioritized processing of overlapping resources within one terminal device. The E-UTRA MAC may have a function to identify Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS). The NR MAC may also have a function to identify Multicast / Broadcast Services (MBS). The MAC may have a function to select a transport format.The MAC may have functions such as discontinuous reception (DRX) and / or discontinuous transmission (DTX), a random access (RA) procedure, a power headroom report (PHR) function that notifies information about available transmission power, and a buffer status report (BSR) function that notifies information about the amount of data in the transmission buffer. The NR MAC may have a bandwidth adaptation (BA) function. The MAC PDU format used in the E-UTRA MAC may differ from that used in the NR MAC. The MAC PDU may also include a MAC control element (MAC CE), which is an element for performing control in the MAC.

[0055] This section describes logical channels for uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) used in E-UTRA and / or NR.

[0056] The BCCH (Broadcast Control Channel) may be a downlink logical channel for broadcasting control information such as system information (SI).

[0057] A PCCH (Paging Control Channel) may be a downlink logical channel for carrying paging messages.

[0058] A CCCH (Common Control Channel) may be a logical channel for transmitting control information between a terminal device and a base station device. The CCCH may be used when the terminal device does not have an RRC connection. The CCCH may also be used between a base station device and multiple terminal devices.

[0059] A DCCH (Dedicated Control Channel) may be a logical channel for transmitting dedicated control information bidirectionally, point-to-point, between a terminal device and a base station device. The dedicated control information may be control information dedicated to each terminal device. The DCCH may be used when the terminal device has an RRC connection.

[0060] A DTCH (Dedicated Traffic Channel) may be a logical channel for transmitting user data point-to-point between a terminal device and a base station device. A DTCH may be a logical channel for transmitting dedicated user data. Dedicated user data may be user data dedicated to each terminal device. A DTCH may exist in both uplink and downlink.

[0061] This section describes the mapping of logical channels and transport channels for the uplink in E-UTRA and / or NR.

[0062] The CCCH may be mapped to an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), which is an uplink transport channel.

[0063] The DCCH may be mapped to an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), which is an uplink transport channel.

[0064] The DTCH may be mapped to an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), which is an uplink transport channel.

[0065] This section describes the mapping of logical channels and transport channels for the downlink in E-UTRA and / or NR.

[0066] The BCCH may be mapped to a downlink transport channel, a BCH (Broadcast Channel) and / or a DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel).

[0067] The PCCH may be mapped to a PCH (Paging Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0068] The CCCH may be mapped to a DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0069] The DCCH may be mapped to a DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0070] The DTCH may be mapped to a DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0071] An example of the RLC function will be described. The RLC may be called an RLC sublayer. The E-UTRA RLC may have the function of segmenting and / or concatenating data provided by the PDCP in the upper layer and providing it to the lower layer. The E-UTRA RLC may have the function of reassembling and reordering data provided by the lower layer and providing it to the upper layer. The NR RLC may have the function of adding a sequence number independent of the sequence number added by PDCP to data provided by the PDCP in the upper layer. The NR RLC may also have the function of segmenting data provided by PDCP and providing it to the lower layer. The NR RLC may also have the function of reassembling data provided by the lower layer and providing it to the upper layer. The RLC may also have the function of data retransmission and / or retransmission request (Automatic Repeat reQuest: ARQ). RLC may also have a function for performing error correction using ARQ. The control information sent from the receiving side of RLC to the transmitting side to indicate data that needs to be retransmitted in order to perform ARQ may be called a status report. The instruction to send a status report sent from the transmitting side of RLC to the receiving side may be called a poll. RLC may also have a function for detecting data duplication. RLC may also have a function for discarding data. RLC may have three modes: transparent mode (TM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and acknowledged mode (AM). In TM, data received from the upper layer is not segmented, and an RLC header need not be added. The TM RLC entity is a unidirectional entity and may be configured as a transmitting TM RLC entity or a receiving TM RLC entity.In UM, the UM RLC entity performs functions such as segmenting and / or concatenating data received from a higher layer and adding an RLC header, but does not require data retransmission control. The UM RLC entity may be a unidirectional or bidirectional entity. If the UM RLC entity is a unidirectional entity, it may be configured as a transmitting UM RLC entity or a receiving UM RLC entity. If the UM RLC entity is a bidirectional entity, the UM RRC entity may be configured as a UM RLC entity consisting of a transmitting side and a receiving side. In AM, the UM RLC entity may perform functions such as segmenting and / or concatenating data received from a higher layer, adding an RLC header, and controlling data retransmission. The AM RLC entity is a bidirectional entity and may be configured as an AM RLC consisting of a transmitting side and a receiving side. Note that data provided to a lower layer in TM and / or data provided from a lower layer may be referred to as a TMD PDU. Furthermore, data provided to a lower layer in UM and / or data provided from a lower layer may be referred to as a UMD PDU. Furthermore, data provided to or provided from a lower layer in AM may be called an AMD PDU. The RLC PDU format used in E-UTRA RLC may differ from the RLC PDU format used in NR RLC. RLC PDUs may include data RLC PDUs and control RLC PDUs. Data RLC PDUs may be called RLC DATA PDUs (RLC Data PDUs). Control RLC PDUs may be called RLC CONTROL PDUs (RLC Control PDUs).

[0072] An example of PDCP functionality is described below. PDCP may be called a PDCP sublayer. PDCP may have a function for maintaining sequence numbers. PDCP may also have a header compression / decompression function for efficiently transmitting user data such as IP packets and Ethernet frames over wireless interfaces. The protocol used for IP packet header compression / decompression may be called the ROHC (Robust Header Compression) protocol. The protocol used for Ethernet frame header compression / decompression may be called the EHC (Ethernet (registered trademark) Header Compression) protocol. PDCP may also have a data encryption / decryption function. PDCP may also have data integrity protection / verification functions. PDCP may also have a reordering function. PDCP may also have a PDCP SDU retransmission function. PDCP may also have a data discard function using a discard timer. PDCP may also have a duplication function. PDCP may also have a function to discard duplicated data. The PDCP entity is a bidirectional entity and may consist of a transmitting PDCP entity and a receiving PDCP entity. The PDCP PDU format used in E-UTRA PDCP may differ from that used in NR PDCP. PDCP PDUs may include data PDCP PDUs and control PDCP PDUs. The data PDCP PDU may be called a PDCP DATA PDU (PDCP Data PDU). The control PDCP PDU may be called a PDCP CONTROL PDU (PDCP Control PDU).

[0073] An example of the SDAP function will be described. The SDAP is a service data adaptation protocol layer. The SDAP may have the function of mapping a downlink QoS flow sent from the 5GC 110 to the terminal device via the base station device to a data radio bearer (DRB), and / or mapping an uplink QoS flow sent from the terminal device to the 5GC 110 via the base station device to a DRB. The SDAP may also have the function of storing mapping rule information. The SDAP may also have the function of marking a QoS flow identifier (QoS Flow ID: QFI). The SDAP PDU may include a data SDAP PDU and a control SDAP PDU. The data SDAP PDU may be called an SDAP DATA PDU (SDAP Data PDU). The control SDAP PDU may be called an SDAP CONTROL PDU (SDAP Control PDU). One SDAP entity in the terminal device may exist for each PDU session.

[0074] An example of the functions of the RRC will be described. The RRC may have a broadcast function. The RRC may have a paging function from the EPC 104 and / or the 5GC 110. The RRC may have a paging function from the eNB 102 connected to the gNB 108 or the 5GC 110. The RRC may also have an RRC connection management function. The RRC may also have a radio bearer control function. The RRC may also have a cell group control function. The RRC may also have a mobility control function. The RRC may also have terminal device measurement reporting and terminal device measurement reporting control functions. The RRC may also have a QoS management function. The RRC may also have a radio link failure detection and recovery function. The RRC may use RRC messages to perform broadcasting, paging, RRC connection management, radio bearer control, cell group control, mobility control, terminal device measurement reporting and terminal device measurement reporting control, QoS management, radio link failure detection and recovery, etc. Note that the RRC messages and parameters used in E-UTRA RRC may differ from the RRC messages and parameters used in NR RRC.

[0075] RRC messages may be sent using the logical channel BCCH, the logical channel PCCH, the logical channel CCCH, or the logical channel DCCH, and RRC messages sent using the DCCH may be referred to as dedicated RRC signaling or RRC signaling.

[0076] The RRC messages sent using the BCCH may include, for example, a Master Information Block (MIB), various types of System Information Blocks (SIBs), or other RRC messages.The RRC messages sent using the PCCH may include, for example, paging messages or other RRC messages.

[0077] RRC messages transmitted in the uplink (UL) direction using the CCCH may include, for example, an RRC setup request message (RRC Setup Request), an RRC resume request message (RRC Resume Request), an RRC reestablishment request message (RRC Reestablishment Request), an RRC system information request message (RRC System Info Request), etc. Also, for example, an RRC connection request message (RRC Connection Request), an RRC connection resume request message (RRC Connection Resume Request), an RRC connection reestablishment request message (RRC Connection Reestablishment Request), etc. Other RRC messages may also be included.

[0078] The RRC message transmitted in the downlink (DL) direction using the CCCH may include, for example, an RRC connection reject message (RRC Connection Reject), an RRC connection setup message (RRC Connection Setup), an RRC connection reestablishment message (RRC Connection Reestablishment Reject), an RRC connection reestablishment reject message (RRC Connection Reestablishment Reject), etc. Also, for example, an RRC reject message (RRC Reject), an RRC setup message (RRC Setup), etc. Also, other RRC messages may be included.

[0079] The RRC signaling sent in the uplink (UL) direction using the DCCH may include, for example, a Measurement Report message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message, an RRC Connection Setup Complete message, an RRC Connection Reestablishment Complete message, a Security Mode Complete message, a UE Capability Information message, etc. Also, for example, a Measurement Report message, an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message, an RRC Setup Complete message, an RRC Reestablishment Complete message, an RRC Resume Complete message, a Security Mode Complete message, a UE Capability Information message, etc. Also, other RRC signaling may be included.

[0080] The RRC signaling sent in the downlink (DL) direction using the DCCH may include, for example, an RRC connection reconfiguration message, an RRC connection release message, a security mode command message, a UE capability inquiry message, etc. Also, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message, an RRC resume message, an RRC release message, an RRC reestablishment message, a security mode command message, a UE capability inquiry message, etc. Also, other RRC signaling may be included.

[0081] An example of the functions of the NAS will be described. The NAS may have an authentication function. The NAS may also have a function for performing mobility management. The NAS may also have a security control function.

[0082] The above-mentioned functions of PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS are merely examples, and some or all of the functions may not be implemented. Also, some or all of the functions of each layer may be included in another layer.

[0083] Next, state transitions of the UE 122 in LTE and NR will be described. When the UE 122 connected to EPC or 5GC has an established RRC connection, the UE 122 may be in an RRC_CONNECTED state. The state in which the RRC connection is established may include a state in which the UE 122 holds some or all of the UE context described below. The state in which the RRC connection is established may also include a state in which the UE 122 can transmit and / or receive unicast data. The UE 122 may be in an RRC_INACTIVE state when the RRC connection is suspended. The UE 122 may be in the RRC_INACTIVE state when the UE 122 is connected to 5GC and the RRC connection is suspended. When the UE 122 is neither in the RRC_CONNECTED state nor in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE 122 may be in an RRC_IDLE state.

[0084] Note that when UE 122 is connected to the EPC, it does not have the RRC_INACTIVE state, but the suspension of the RRC connection may be initiated by E-UTRAN. When UE 122 is connected to the EPC, when the RRC connection is suspended, UE 122 may transition to the RRC_IDLE state while retaining the UE AS context and an identifier (resumeIdentity) used for resuming. A layer above the RRC layer of UE 122 (e.g., the NAS layer) may initiate the resumption of the suspended RRC connection when UE 122 retains the UE AS context, the E-UTRAN has permitted resumption of the RRC connection, and UE 122 needs to transition from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0085] The definition of dormancy may be different for UE 122 connected to EPC 104 and UE 122 connected to 5GC 110. In addition, all or part of the procedure for UE 122 to return from dormancy may be different when UE 122 is connected to EPC (when UE 122 is dormant in RRC_IDLE state) and when UE 122 is connected to 5GC (when UE 122 is dormant in RRC_INACTIVE state).

[0086] The RRC_CONNECTED state, RRC_INACTIVE state, and RRC_IDLE state may be referred to as the connected state (connected mode), the inactive state (inactive mode), and the idle state (idle mode), respectively, or as the RRC connected state (RRC connected mode), the RRC inactive state (RRC inactive mode), and the RRC idle state (RRC idle mode).

[0087] Next, the serving cell will be described. In a terminal device in an RRC connected state in which CA and / or DC (described later) are not configured, the serving cell may be configured as a primary cell (PCell). Furthermore, in a terminal device in an RRC connected state in which CA and / or DC (described later) are configured, the multiple serving cells may refer to a set of multiple cells (set of cells) configured as one or more special cells (SpCells) and one or all of the multiple secondary cells (SCells). The SpCell may support PUCCH transmission and contention-based random access (CBRA). Additionally or alternatively, if deactivation of a secondary cell group (SCG) (described later) is not supported or if the SCG is not deactivated (i.e., the SCG is activated), the SpCell of the SCG may always be activated. Additionally or alternatively, the SpCell may be a cell added or changed by a synchronized reconfiguration information element (described later). The PCell may be a cell used in the RRC connection establishment procedure when a terminal device in an RRC idle state transitions to an RRC connected state. The PCell may also be a cell used in the RRC connection re-establishment procedure when a terminal device re-establishes an RRC connection. The PCell may also be a cell used in the random access procedure during handover. The SpCell may also be a cell used for purposes other than those described above.

[0088] When a group of serving cells configured for a terminal device is composed of an SpCell and one or more SCells, it may be considered that carrier aggregation (CA) is configured for the terminal device. Also, for a terminal device in which CA is configured, a cell providing additional radio resources to the SpCell may refer to an SCell.

[0089] A group of serving cells configured by RRC that uses the same timing reference cell and the same timing advance value for the cells in which uplinks are configured may be called a Timing Advance Group (TAG). A TAG including an SpCell of a MAC entity may refer to a Primary Timing Advance Group (PTAG). A TAG other than the above PTAG may refer to a Secondary Timing Advance Group (STAG). One or more TAGs may be configured for each cell group, as described below.

[0090] A cell group configured by a base station device for a terminal device will now be described. A cell group may be configured with one SpCell. A cell group may also be configured with one SpCell and one or more SCells. That is, a cell group may be configured with one SpCell and, optionally, one or more SCells. A cell group may also be expressed as a set of cells (set of cell(s)).

[0091] Dual Connectivity (DC) may be a technology for performing data communication using radio resources of cell groups configured by a first base station device (first node) and a second base station device (second node). When DC or MR-DC (described later) is performed, the cell group may be added from the base station device to the terminal device. To perform DC, the first base station device may add a second base station device. The first base station device may be called a master node (MN). Also, the cell group configured by the master node may be called a master cell group (MCG). The second base station device may be called a secondary node (SN). Also, the cell group configured by the secondary node may be called a secondary cell group (SCG). Note that the master node and the secondary node may be configured within the same base station device.

[0092] Furthermore, when a DC is not configured, a cell group configured in a terminal device may be called an MCG. Furthermore, when a DC is not configured, an SpCell configured in a terminal device may be a PCell.

[0093] Note that Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) may be a technology that performs DC using E-UTRA for MCG and NR for SCG. MR-DC may also be a technology that performs DC using NR for MCG and E-UTRA for SCG. MR-DC may also be a technology that performs DC using NR for both MCG and SCG. MR-DC may be a technology included in DC. Examples of MR-DC that use E-UTRA for MCG and NR for SCG include EN-DC (E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity) that uses EPC for the core network, and NGEN-DC (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity) that uses 5GC for the core network. Examples of MR-DC that use NR for MCG and E-UTRA for SCG include NE-DC (NR-E-UTRA Dual Connectivity) that uses 5GC for the core network. Examples of MR-DC that use NR for both MCG and SCG include NR-DC (NR-NR Dual Connectivity) that uses 5GC for the core network.

[0094] In addition, in a terminal device, one MAC entity may exist for each cell group. For example, when DC or MR-DC is configured in the terminal device, there may be one MAC entity for the MCG and one MAC entity for the SCG. The MAC entity for the MCG in the terminal device may always be established in the terminal device in all states (such as RRC idle state, RRC connected state, and RRC inactive state). The MAC entity for the SCG in the terminal device may be created by the terminal device when an SCG is configured in the terminal device. The MAC entity for each cell group in the terminal device may be configured by the terminal device receiving RRC signaling from the base station device. When the MAC entity is associated with the MCG, the SpCell may refer to the PCell. When the MAC entity is associated with the SCG, the SpCell may refer to the primary SCG cell (PSCell). When the MAC entity is not associated with a cell group, the SpCell may refer to the PCell. The PCell, PSCell, and SCell are serving cells. In the EN-DC and the NGEN-DC, the MAC entity for the MCG may be an E-UTRA MAC entity, and the MAC entity for the SCG may be an NR MAC entity. Also, in the NE-DC, the MAC entity for the MCG may be an NR MAC entity, and the MAC entity for the SCG may be an E-UTRA MAC entity. Also, in the NR-DC, the MAC entities for both the MCG and the SCG may be NR MAC entities. The existence of one MAC entity for each cell group may be rephrased as the existence of one MAC entity for each SpCell. Also, the existence of one MAC entity for each cell group may be rephrased as the existence of one MAC entity for each SpCell.

[0095] Radio bearers will now be described. When a terminal device communicates with a base station device, a radio connection may be established by establishing a radio bearer (RB) between the terminal device and the base station device. A radio bearer used for CP may be called a signaling radio bearer (SRB). A radio bearer used for UP may be called a data radio bearer (DRB). Each radio bearer may be assigned a radio bearer identity (ID). A radio bearer identifier for an SRB may be called an SRB identity (SRB ID). A radio bearer identifier for a DRB may be called a DRB identity (DRB ID). SRB0 to SRB2 may be defined for the SRB of E-UTRA, or other SRBs may be defined. SRB0 to SRB3 may be defined for the SRB of NR, or other SRBs may be defined. SRB0 may be an SRB for RRC messages transmitted and / or received using the logical channel CCCH. SRB1 may be an SRB for RRC signaling and for NAS signaling before the establishment of SRB2. The RRC signaling transmitted and / or received using SRB1 may include piggybacked NAS signaling. The logical channel DCCH may be used for all RRC and NAS signaling transmitted and / or received using SRB1. SRB2 may be an SRB for NAS signaling and for RRC signaling including logged measurement information. The logical channel DCCH may be used for all RRC and NAS signaling transmitted and / or received using SRB2. SRB2 may also have a lower priority than SRB1. SRB3 may be an SRB for transmitting and / or receiving specific RRC signaling when EN-DC, NGEN-DC, NR-DC, etc. are configured in the terminal device.All RRC and NAS signaling transmitted and / or received using SRB3 may use the logical channel DCCH. Other SRBs may also be provided for other uses. A DRB may be a radio bearer for user data. RRC signaling transmitted and / or received using a DRB may use the logical channel DTCH.

[0096] The following describes a radio bearer in a terminal device. A radio bearer may include an RLC bearer. An RLC bearer may consist of one or two RLC entities and logical channels. When an RLC bearer has two RLC entities, the RLC entities may be a TM RLC entity and / or a transmitting RLC entity and a receiving RLC entity in a unidirectional UM mode RLC entity. SRB0 may consist of one RLC bearer. The RLC bearer of SRB0 may consist of a TM RLC entity and logical channels. SRB0 may always be established in a terminal device in all states (such as RRC idle state, RRC connected state, and RRC inactive state). SRB1 may be established and / or configured in the terminal device by RRC signaling received from the base station device when the terminal device transitions from the RRC idle state to the RRC connected state. SRB1 may consist of one PDCP entity and one or more RLC bearers. The RLC bearer of SRB1 may consist of an AM RLC entity and logical channels. SRB2 may be established and / or configured in a terminal device in an RRC connected state with AS security activated by RRC signaling received from a base station device. SRB2 may consist of one PDCP entity and one or more RLC bearers. The RLC bearer of SRB2 may consist of an AM RLC entity and a logical channel. Note that the PDCP on the base station device side of SRB1 and SRB2 may be placed in the master node. SRB3 may be established and / or configured in a terminal device in an RRC connected state with AS security activated by RRC signaling received from a base station device when a secondary node in EN-DC, NGEN-DC, or NR-DC is added or when the secondary node is changed. SRB3 may be a direct SRB between the terminal device and the secondary node. SRB3 may consist of one PDCP entity and one or more RLC bearers. The RLC bearer of SRB3 may consist of an AM RLC entity and a logical channel. The PDCP on the base station device side of SRB3 may be placed in the secondary node.One or more DRBs may be established and / or configured in a terminal device by RRC signaling received from a base station device when the terminal device is in an RRC connected state with AS security activated. A DRB may consist of one PDCP entity and one or more RLC bearers. An RLC bearer of a DRB may consist of an AM or UM RLC entity and a logical channel.

[0097] In MR-DC, a radio bearer in which a PDCP is placed in the master node may be called an MN terminated bearer. In MR-DC, a radio bearer in which a PDCP is placed in a secondary node may be called an SN terminated bearer. In MR-DC, a radio bearer in which an RLC bearer exists only in an MCG may be called an MCG bearer. In MR-DC, a radio bearer in which an RLC bearer exists only in an SCG may be called an SCG bearer. In DC, a radio bearer in which an RLC bearer exists in both an MCG and an SCG may be called a split bearer.

[0098] When MR-DC is configured in a terminal device, the bearer type of SRB1 and SRB2 established / and / or configured in the terminal device may be an MN terminated MCG bearer and / or an MN terminated split bearer. Also, when MR-DC is configured in a terminal device, the bearer type of SRB3 established / and / or configured in the terminal device may be an SN terminated SCG bearer. Also, when MR-DC is configured in a terminal device, the bearer type of the DRB established / and / or configured in the terminal device may be any of all bearer types.

[0099] For an RLC bearer established and / or configured in a cell group configured with E-UTRA, the RLC entity established and / or configured may be an E-UTRA RLC. For an RLC bearer established and / or configured in a cell group configured with NR, the RLC entity established and / or configured may be an NR RLC. When an EN-DC is configured in the terminal device, the PDCP entity established and / or configured for an MN-terminated MCG bearer may be either an E-UTRA PDCP or an NR PDCP. When an EN-DC is configured in the terminal device, the PDCP entity established and / or configured for radio bearers of other bearer types, i.e., MN-terminated split bearer, MN-terminated SCG bearer, SN-terminated MCG bearer, SN-terminated split bearer, and SN-terminated SCG bearer, may be an NR PDCP. When an NGEN-DC, NE-DC, or NR-DC is configured in the terminal device, the PDCP entity established and / or configured for radio bearers of all bearer types may be an NR PDCP.

[0100] In NR, a DRB established and / or configured in a terminal device may be associated with one PDU session. One SDAP entity may be established and / or configured for one PDU session in the terminal device. The SDAP entity, PDCP entity, RLC entity, and logical channels established and / or configured in the terminal device may be established and / or configured by RRC signaling received by the terminal device from the base station device.

[0101] Regardless of whether MR-DC is configured, a network configuration in which the master node is eNB102 and EPC104 is the core network may be called E-UTRA / EPC. Also, a network configuration in which the master node is eNB102 and 5GC110 is the core network may be called E-UTRA / 5GC. Also, a network configuration in which the master node is gNB108 and 5GC110 is the core network may be called NR or NR / 5GC. When MR-DC is not configured, the above-mentioned master node may refer to a base station device that communicates with a terminal device.

[0102] Next, handover in LTE and NR will be described. A handover may be a process in which a UE 122 in an RRC connected state changes a serving cell from a source SpCell to a target SpCell. A handover may be performed when the UE 122 receives RRC signaling instructing a handover from the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108. The RRC signaling instructing a handover may be a message related to reconfiguration of an RRC connection including a parameter instructing a handover (e.g., an information element named MobilityControlInfo or an information element named ReconfigurationWithSync). Note that the above-mentioned information element named MobilityControlInfo may be referred to as a mobility control setting information element, mobility control setting, or mobility control information. Note that the above-mentioned information element named ReconfigurationWithSync may be referred to as a reconfiguration with synchronization information element, or reconfiguration with synchronization. The RRC signaling indicating a handover may be a message indicating movement to a cell of another RAT (e.g., MobilityFromEUTRACommand or MobilityFromNRCommand). Handover may also be referred to as reconfiguration with sync. The conditions under which UE 122 can perform a handover may include some or all of the following: AS security is activated, an SRB2 is established, and at least one DRB is established.

[0103] Next, a PSCell change and a PSCell addition in LTE and NR will be described. A PSCell change may be a process of changing a secondary node that performs data communication with a UE 122 in which DC is configured from a source secondary node to a target secondary node. A PSCell addition may be a process of adding a new secondary node that performs data communication with a UE 122 in which DC is configured. A PSCell change and a PSCell addition may mean a secondary node change and a secondary node addition, respectively. A PSCell change may be performed when the UE 122 receives RRC signaling instructing a PSCell change from a master node. A PSCell addition may be performed when the UE 122 receives RRC signaling instructing a PSCell addition from a master node. Note that the above-mentioned master node may be the eNB 102 and / or the gNB 108. The RRC signaling instructing a PSCell change may be a message related to reconfiguration of the RRC connection including a parameter instructing a PSCell change (for example, an information element named MobilityControlInfoSCG or an information element named ReconfigurationWithSync). Furthermore, the RRC signaling instructing a PSCell addition may be a message related to reconfiguration of the RRC connection including a parameter instructing a PSCell addition (for example, an information element named MobilityControlInfoSCG or an information element named ReconfigurationWithSync). Note that the above-mentioned information element named MobilityControlInfoSCG may be rephrased as an SCG mobility control setting information element, or an SCG mobility control setting, or an SCG mobility control information. Note that the above-mentioned information element named ReconfigurationWithSync may be rephrased as a synchronized reconfiguration information element, or a synchronized reconfiguration. Furthermore, in MR-DC, a PSCell change and / or a PSCell addition does not always require a security key update.

[0104] Conditional Handover (CHO) will now be described. A conditional handover may be a handover that is performed only if one or more execution conditions are met. Upon receiving a CHO configuration, the terminal device starts evaluating the one or more execution conditions, and stops the evaluation once the handover is performed.

[0105] Here, the CHO configuration may include one or more CHO candidate cell configurations generated by one or more candidate gNBs, and one or more execution conditions generated by the source gNB for each CHO candidate cell. One execution condition may consist of one or more trigger conditions. In evaluating the execution conditions for one candidate cell, only one RS type is supported, and up to two different trigger quantities may be configured simultaneously. The two different trigger quantities may be, for example, RSRP and RSRQ, RSRP and SINR, or a combination of other indicators.

[0106] If the terminal device receives signaling without a CHO setting instructing a handover before any of the execution conditions is satisfied, the terminal device may execute a non-CHO handover procedure regardless of the previously received CHO setting. Also, while the CHO is being executed, i.e., after the terminal device starts synchronization with the target cell, the terminal device does not need to monitor the source cell.

[0107] Conditional PSCell Addition (CPA) will now be described. Conditional PSCell Addition may be a PSCell addition that is performed only when one or more execution conditions are satisfied. Upon receiving a CPA configuration, the terminal device may start evaluating one or more execution conditions, and may stop the evaluation once the PSCell addition is performed.

[0108] Here, the CPA configuration may include the configuration of one or more CPA candidate cells (CPA candidate PSCells) and one or more execution conditions for each CPA candidate cell. One execution condition may be composed of one or two trigger conditions. In the evaluation of the execution conditions for one candidate cell, only one RS type may be supported, and up to two different trigger quantities may be configured simultaneously. The two different trigger quantities may be, for example, RSRP and RSRQ, RSRP and SINR, or a combination of other indicators.

[0109] A conditional PSCell change (CPC) will now be described. A conditional PSCell change may be a PSCell change that is performed only when one or more execution conditions are satisfied. Upon receiving a CPC configuration, the terminal device may start evaluating one or more execution conditions, and may stop the evaluation once the PSCell change is performed.

[0110] Here, the CPC configuration includes configuration of one or more CPC candidate cells (CPC candidate PSCells) and one or more execution conditions for each candidate cell. The CPC configuration may also include configuration of a master node for CPC between secondary nodes. One execution condition may consist of one or two trigger conditions. In evaluating the execution conditions for one candidate cell, only one RS type is supported, and up to two different trigger quantities may be configured simultaneously. The two different trigger quantities may be, for example, RSRP and RSRQ, RSRP and SINR, or a combination of other indicators.

[0111] The RS type in the above description may refer to a reference signal (RS) used by a terminal device to acquire measurement results of beams and cells. The RS type may also be used to evaluate execution conditions in conditional reconfiguration. The RS type may also be included in a reporting configuration for measurement.

[0112] Next, conditional reconfiguration in NR will be described. Conditional reconfiguration may refer to conditional handover, conditional PSCell addition, and / or conditional PSCell modification. The network configures one or more target candidate cells for conditional reconfiguration for the terminal device. The terminal device evaluates the status of the configured candidate cells. The terminal device performs the evaluation and applies conditional reconfiguration information elements associated with candidate cells that satisfy execution conditions. The terminal device may also maintain a list of entries (VarConditionalReconfig) described below for conditional reconfiguration.

[0113] Based on receiving information regarding conditional reconfiguration, the terminal device may perform an operation to erase a target candidate cell for conditional reconfiguration if the information regarding conditional reconfiguration includes an entry deletion list (condReconfigToRemoveList), and may perform an operation to add or modify a target candidate cell for conditional reconfiguration if the information regarding conditional reconfiguration includes an entry addition modification list (condReconfigToAddModList).

[0114] The operation of deleting the target candidate cell for the conditional reconfiguration may be, when an entry identifier (condReconfigId) included in the entry deletion list is included in a list of entries held by the terminal device, the terminal device deleting an entry corresponding to the entry identifier from the list of entries held by the terminal device. In the following description, the list of entries held by the terminal device will also be simply referred to as an entry list. In other words, unless otherwise specified, the "entry list" in the following description refers to a list of entries held by the terminal device. In addition, the entry list may be a variable named VarConditionalReconfig. In addition, the entry identifier will also be simply referred to as an entry identifier.

[0115] The operation of adding or modifying a target candidate cell for the conditional reconfiguration may be that when each entry identifier included in the entry addition / modification list exists in an entry in the entry list, the terminal device performs the following processing (A) and / or (B): (A) If an entry included in the addition / modification list of an entry includes an execution condition (condExecutionCond), the execution condition of the entry in the entry list that matches the entry identifier of this entry is replaced with the execution condition included in the addition / modification list of that entry. (B) If an entry included in the additional modification list of an entry includes a conditional reconfiguration information element (condRRCReconfig), replace the conditional reconfiguration information element in the entry list that matches the entry identifier of this entry with the conditional reconfiguration information element included in the additional modification list of that entry.

[0116] Furthermore, if an entry identifier included in the entry addition / modification list is not included in the entry list, the terminal device may add to the entry list a new entry corresponding to the entry identifier not included in the entry list.

[0117] The entry deletion list may be a list of configurations of one or more candidate SpCells to be deleted. The entry addition / modification list may be a list of configurations of one or more candidate SpCells to be added and modified for the CHO, CPC, and CPA. Each entry included in the entry addition / modification list includes an entry identifier and may also include an execution condition and / or a conditional reconfiguration information element. Each entry may be associated with one of the one or more candidate SpCells. The entry identifier is an identifier used to identify each entry for the CHO, CPA, and CPC. The entry list may include one or more entries. Each entry may include one entry identifier, one or more execution conditions, and one conditional reconfiguration information element. If the entry list does not include an entry, the terminal device may maintain an empty list. The execution condition may be a condition that needs to be met to trigger the execution of a conditional reconfiguration. The conditional reconfiguration information element may be an RRC connection reconfiguration message that is applied when the execution condition is met. The RRC connection reconfiguration message may be a message used to connect to a candidate SpCell. The conditional reconfiguration information element may include a synchronized reconfiguration information element.

[0118] The terminal device may evaluate the execution conditions of the entries included in the entry list. If the entry list is empty or if no entry list is held, the terminal device does not need to evaluate the execution conditions.

[0119] Executing a conditional reconfiguration may mean, when one or more execution conditions are met, applying a conditional reconfiguration information element included in the same entry as the one or more execution conditions, and reconfiguring the RRC connection based on the conditional reconfiguration information element.

[0120] If there are multiple candidate cells that satisfy the execution conditions, the terminal device may select one cell from the multiple candidate cells that satisfy the execution conditions and apply the conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the selected candidate cell.

[0121] This section describes deactivation of a secondary cell group (SCG). The network may activate or deactivate a secondary cell group (SCG) configured in a terminal device. The terminal device may also be instructed by the network to activate or deactivate an SCG.

[0122] A terminal device that has been instructed to deactivate an SCG may deactivate the SCG by performing some or all of the following processes (A) to (F) on the PSCell of that SCG in the RRC connected state. (A) Do not transmit SRS in PSCell (B) Do not report CSI for PSCell (C) Do not transmit UL-SCH in the PSCell (D) Do not transmit PUCCH in the PSCell (E) Do not monitor PDCCH in PSCell (F)Do not monitor PDCCH for PSCell

[0123] A terminal device that has been instructed to activate an SCG may activate the SCG by performing some or all of the following processes (A) to (D) on the PSCell of that SCG in an RRC connected state. (A) Send SRS via PSCell (B) Perform CSI reporting for the PSCell (C) Monitor PDCCH in PSCell (D) Transmit PUCCH in PSCell

[0124] The flow of RRC signaling transmitted and received between a terminal device and a base station device will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of a procedure for various settings in RRC according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 shows an example of a flow when RRC signaling is sent from a base station device (eNB102 and / or gNB108) to a terminal device (UE122).

[0125] In FIG. 4, the base station device creates an RRC message (step S400). The base station device may create an RRC message in order to deliver system information (SI) or a paging message. The base station device may also create an RRC message in order to transmit RRC signaling that causes a specific terminal device to perform a process. The process that the specific terminal device is to perform may include, for example, security-related settings, RRC connection reconfiguration, handover to a different RAT, RRC connection suspension, and RRC connection release. The RRC connection reconfiguration process may include, for example, radio bearer control (establishment, modification, release, etc.), cell group control (establishment, addition, modification, release, etc.), measurement setting, handover, security key update, etc. The base station device may also create an RRC message in order to respond to RRC signaling transmitted from the terminal device. A response to the RRC signaling transmitted from the terminal device may include, for example, a response to an RRC setup request, a response to an RRC reconnection request, a response to an RRC resume request, etc. The RRC message includes information (parameters) for various information notifications and settings. These parameters may be called fields and / or information elements, and may be described using a description format known as ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One).

[0126] 4, the base station device then transmits the created RRC signaling to the terminal device (step S402). Next, the terminal device performs processing such as setting according to the received RRC signaling if necessary (step S404). After performing the processing, the terminal device may transmit RRC signaling as a response to the base station device (not shown).

[0127] RRC signaling may be used for other purposes, not limited to the above examples.

[0128] In MR-DC, the master node's RRC may be used to transfer RRC signaling for SCG-side configuration (cell group configuration, radio bearer configuration, measurement configuration, etc.) between the terminal device and the UE. For example, in EN-DC or NGEN-DC, NR RRC signaling may be included in the form of a container in E-UTRA RRC signaling transmitted and received between eNB 102 and UE 122. In NE-DC, NR RRC signaling may be included in the form of a container in NR RRC signaling transmitted and received between gNB 108 and UE 122. RRC signaling for SCG-side configuration may be transmitted and received between the master node and a secondary node.

[0129] Regardless of whether MR-DC is used or not, the RRC signaling for E-UTRA transmitted from eNB102 to UE122 may include RRC signaling for NR, and the RRC signaling for NR transmitted from gNB108 to UE122 may include RRC signaling for E-UTRA.

[0130] An example of parameters included in a message related to RRC connection reconfiguration will be described. FIG. 7 shows an example of an ASN.1 description representing fields and / or information elements related to cell group configuration included in the message related to RRC connection reconfiguration in NR in FIG. 4. Not limited to FIG. 7, in the ASN.1 examples of this embodiment, <Omitted> and <Omitted> are not part of the ASN.1 notation and indicate the omission of other information. Note that information elements may be omitted even in places without the notation <Omitted> or <Omitted>. Note that the ASN.1 example in this embodiment does not strictly follow the ASN.1 notation. The ASN.1 example in this embodiment describes an example of parameters of RRC signaling in this embodiment, and other names and notations may be used. Furthermore, to avoid complication of explanation, the ASN.1 example only shows an example of main information closely related to this embodiment. Note that parameters described in ASN.1 may all be referred to as information elements without distinguishing between fields, information elements, etc. In this embodiment, fields, information elements, etc. described in ASN.1 included in the RRC signaling may be referred to as information or parameters. Note that the message related to the reconfiguration of the RRC connection may be an RRC reconfiguration message in NR or an RRC connection reconfiguration message in E-UTRA.

[0131] Based on the above description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that the processes described above may be applied to the processes omitted in the following description.

[0132] Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device (UE 122) in this embodiment. To avoid complicating the explanation, Fig. 5 shows only the main components closely related to this embodiment.

[0133] 5 includes a receiver 500 that receives RRC signaling and the like from a base station device, a processor 502 that performs processing according to parameters included in the received message, and a transmitter 504 that transmits the RRC signaling and the like to the base station device. The base station device may be the eNB 102 or the gNB 108. The processor 502 may include some or all of the functions of various layers (e.g., the physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, RRC layer, and NAS layer). That is, the processor 502 may include some or all of the physical layer processor, MAC layer processor, RLC layer processor, PDCP layer processor, SDAP processor, RRC layer processor, and NAS layer processor.

[0134] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a base station device in this embodiment. To avoid complicating the explanation, Fig. 6 shows only main components closely related to this embodiment. The base station device may be the eNB 102 or the gNB 108.

[0135] 6 includes a transmitter 600 that transmits RRC signaling and the like to the UE 122, a processor 602 that creates RRC signaling including parameters and transmits it to the UE 122, causing the processor 502 of the UE 122 to process it, and a receiver 604 that receives the RRC signaling and the like from the UE 122. The processor 602 may include some or all of the functions of various layers (e.g., the physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, RRC layer, and NAS layer). That is, the processor 602 may include some or all of the physical layer processing section, MAC layer processing section, RLC layer processing section, PDCP layer processing section, SDAP processing section, RRC layer processing section, and NAS layer processing section.

[0136] An example of the processing of the terminal device in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0137] 9 is a diagram showing an example of processing by the terminal device (UE 122) in this embodiment. When performing conditional reconfiguration to reconfigure an RRC connection, the processing unit 502 of the UE 122 determines information related to conditional reconfiguration received from the base station device (eNB 102 and / or gNB 108) (step S900), and performs an operation based on the determination (step S902).

[0138] The UE 122 may maintain an entry list for conditional reconfiguration. As shown in Figure 8, the entry list may include one or more entries. Each entry may include an entry identifier, one or more execution conditions, and a conditional reconfiguration information element.

[0139] The UE 122 may receive RRC signaling including information regarding the conditional reconfiguration, and may add one or more entries to the entry list and / or modify one or more entries in the entry list based on the information regarding the conditional reconfiguration including an additional modification list. The additional modification list of entries may include one or more entries.

[0140] In step S900, determining information related to conditional reconfiguration may be, for example, determining whether to delete one or more entries from the entry list, including an entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element applied when executing conditional reconfiguration. In this case, the operation may be, when it is determined not to delete one or more entries including the entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element applied when executing the conditional reconfiguration, not to include, as a target for evaluation in the conditional reconfiguration, an execution condition included in the same entry as the entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element applied when executing the conditional reconfiguration.

[0141] Furthermore, in step S900, determining information related to conditional reconfiguration may be, for example, determining whether or not conditional reconfiguration has been performed. In this case, the operation may be, when conditional reconfiguration has been performed, not including, as targets for evaluation in conditional reconfiguration, execution conditions included in the same entry as an entry including a conditional reconfiguration information element applied when the conditional reconfiguration has been performed. In this case, the operation may be, when conditional reconfiguration has been performed, including, as targets for evaluation in conditional reconfiguration, execution conditions included in an entry other than an entry including a conditional reconfiguration information element applied when the conditional reconfiguration has been performed.

[0142] Here, reconfiguring the RRC connection by executing conditional reconfiguration may mean reconfiguring the RRC connection based on the conditional reconfiguration information element of an entry included in the entry list. Furthermore, the conditional reconfiguration information element of an entry included in the entry list may include a synchronized reconfiguration information element, and in this case, reconfiguring the RRC connection by executing conditional reconfiguration may mean reconfiguring the RRC connection based on the conditional reconfiguration information element of an entry included in the entry list, which includes the synchronized reconfiguration information element.

[0143] Another example of the processing of the UE 122 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The processing unit 502 of the UE 122 determines information related to conditional resetting (step S900), and performs an operation based on the determination (step S902).

[0144] In step S900, determining information regarding conditional reconfiguration may be, for example, determining whether a candidate SpCell indicated by an entry included in the entry list is the same as the SpCell currently configured in UE 122. In this case, the operation based on the determination may be, when it is determined that the candidate SpCell indicated by an entry included in the entry list is the same as the SpCell currently configured in UE 122, not to include in the evaluation an execution condition included in an entry including the configuration of the same candidate SpCell as the SpCell currently configured in UE 122. In addition, in this case, the operation based on the determination may be, when it is determined that the candidate SpCell indicated by an entry included in the entry list is different from the SpCell currently configured in UE 122, to include in the evaluation an execution condition included in an entry including the configuration of a candidate SpCell different from the SpCell currently configured in UE 122. In addition, the candidate SpCell being the same as the SpCell currently set in UE 122 may mean that the physical cell identity (PCI) of the candidate SpCell is the same as the physical cell identity of the SpCell currently set in UE 122.

[0145] In this way, according to the above-described embodiment, the terminal device (UE122) can judge the information regarding conditional reconfiguration received from the base station device (eNB102 and / or gNB108) and, based on the judgment, efficiently set which of the entry execution conditions included in the entry list will be subject to evaluation.

[0146] Unless otherwise specified, the radio bearer in the above description may be a DRB, an SRB, or a combination of a DRB and an SRB.

[0147] In the above description, expressions such as "link," "associate," and "link" may be interchangeable.

[0148] In addition, in the above description, expressions such as "included," "included," and "was included" may be used interchangeably.

[0149] In the above description, "the above-mentioned" may be replaced with "the above-mentioned."

[0150] In the above description, the "SpCell of an SCG" may be replaced with the "PSCell."

[0151] In the above description, expressions such as "confirmed to be...", "is set to...", and "includes..." may be interchangeable.

[0152] In the above description, the "dormant state" may be rephrased as the "inactive state," and the "state after recovery from the dormant state" may be rephrased as the "active state." Furthermore, in the above description, the terms "activated" and "inactivated" may be rephrased as the "active state" and "inactive state," respectively.

[0153] In the above description, "transition from X to Y" may be rephrased as "X becomes Y." Also, in the above description, "cause a transition" may be rephrased as "determine a transition."

[0154] Furthermore, in each example of processing or each example of processing flow in the above description, some or all of the steps may not be executed. Furthermore, in each example of processing or each example of processing flow in the above description, the order of the steps may be different. Furthermore, in each example of processing or each example of processing flow in the above description, some or all of the processing within each step may not be executed. Furthermore, in each example of processing or each example of processing flow in the above description, the order of the processing within each step may be different. Furthermore, in the above description, "doing B based on A being true" may be rephrased as "doing B." In other words, "doing B" may be executed independently of "A being true."

[0155] In the above explanation, "A may be replaced with B" may mean replacing A with B, as well as replacing B with A. Also, in the above explanation, when it is written that "C may be D" and "C may be E", it may also mean that "D may be E". Also, in the above explanation, when it is written that "F may be G" and "G may be H", it may also mean that "F may be H".

[0156] In the above explanation, if the conditions "A" and "B" are contradictory conditions, the condition "B" may be expressed as the "other" condition of the condition "A."

[0157] A program running on an apparatus according to the present embodiment may be a program that controls a central processing unit (CPU) or the like to cause a computer to function so as to realize the functions of the present embodiment. The program or information handled by the program is temporarily loaded into a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) during processing, or stored in a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), and is read, modified, or written by the CPU as necessary.

[0158] Note that a part of the device in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In this case, a program for realizing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read and executed by a computer system. The "computer system" here refers to a computer system built into the device, including hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" may be any of a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, etc.

[0159] Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include a medium that dynamically stores a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, or a medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client in such cases. The program may also be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions, or one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

[0160] Furthermore, each functional block or feature of the device used in the above-described embodiments may be implemented or performed by an electrical circuit, typically an integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits. The electrical circuit designed to perform the functions described herein may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or a combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or alternatively, the processor may be a conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The general-purpose processor or each of the aforementioned circuits may be composed of digital circuits or analog circuits. Furthermore, if advances in semiconductor technology result in the emergence of integrated circuit technology that replaces current integrated circuits, integrated circuits based on that technology may also be used.

[0161] It should be noted that the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In the embodiment, an example of a device is described, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and can be applied to terminal devices or communication devices such as stationary or non-movable electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors, for example, AV equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning / washing equipment, air conditioning equipment, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0162] Although this embodiment has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes design modifications within the scope of the gist of this embodiment. Furthermore, this embodiment can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of this embodiment. Furthermore, configurations in which elements described in the above embodiment are substituted with elements that achieve the same effect are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0163] 100 E-UTRA 102 eNB 104 EPC 106NR 108 gNB 110 5GC 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 124 interfaces 122UE 200, 300 PHY 202, 302 MAC 204, 304 RLC 206, 306 PDCP 208, 308 RRC 310 SDAP 210, 312 NAS 500, 604 Receiver 502, 602 Processing section 504, 600 Transmitter

Claims

1. A terminal device that communicates with a base station device, a receiving unit configured to receive, from the base station device, a radio resource control (RRC) signaling including information regarding conditional reconfiguration; a processing unit for holding an entry list, the information regarding the conditional reset includes an additional modified list of entries; the entry list includes one or more entries; An entry included in the one or more entries includes a conditional reconfiguration information element associated with one candidate special cell (SpCell) and one or more execution conditions; the processing unit adds one or more entries included in the entry addition / modification list to the entry list based on the entry addition / modification list, and / or modifies one or more entries in the entry list; The processing unit further determines whether the candidate SpCell is the same as the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device, and evaluates an execution condition included in the entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the candidate SpCell different from the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device. Terminal device.

2. A method for a terminal device communicating with a base station device, comprising: receiving, from the base station device, radio resource control (RRC) signaling including information regarding conditional reconfiguration; Maintains the entry list, Adding one or more entries included in the entry addition / modification list to the entry list based on the entry addition / modification list, and / or modifying one or more entries in the entry list; Furthermore, determine whether one candidate special cell (SpCell) is the same as the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device, and evaluate the execution condition included in the entry including a conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the candidate SpCell different from the SpCell currently configured in the terminal device; the entry list includes one or more entries; The one entry includes a conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the SpCell and one or more execution conditions. method.

3. An integrated circuit implemented in a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, receiving, from the base station device, a radio resource control (RRC) signaling including information regarding conditional reconfiguration; The ability to maintain a list of entries; a function of adding one or more entries included in the entry addition / modification list to the entry list and / or modifying one or more entries in the entry list based on the entry addition / modification list; Furthermore, the present invention has a function of determining whether one candidate special cell (SpCell) is the same as the SpCell currently set in the terminal device, and evaluating the execution condition included in the entry including the conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the candidate SpCell different from the SpCell currently set in the terminal device; the entry list includes one or more entries; The one entry includes a conditional reconfiguration information element associated with the SpCell and one or more execution conditions. Integrated circuit.

Images