Power headroom for secondary cells

Abstract

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

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] User equipment (UE) has been specified to be able to trigger and perform a power headroom report (PHR). Substantially, the PHR can indicate the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for uplink (UL) transmissions on one or more cells associated with the UE. The UE can determine whether the PH value for an activated serving cell is based on the actual transmissions that occurred on that serving cell or on a reference format also referred to as "virtual PH".

Summary of the Invention

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

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least obtain information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, and calculate a power headroom value for a second serving cell by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, where the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell.

[0005] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory for storing instructions, wherein when an instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus provides terminal devices connected to at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell, and at least the apparatus causes the terminal devices to receive a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0006] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a method, which includes obtaining information relating to one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell by a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell, and calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell by the terminal device.

[0007] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method, which comprises, in a network device providing at least a first serving cell and terminal devices connected to a second serving cell, the network device receiving a power headroom report from the terminal devices having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell being calculated using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

[0008] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus, comprising means for acquiring information relating to one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the apparatus is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell, and means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

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

[0010] A seventh aspect of this disclosure provides a non-temporary computer-readable medium which includes program instructions which, when executed by the device, cause the device to perform at least the method of the third or fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the Summary of the Invention chapter is not intended to identify the principal or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will also be easily understood from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] Several exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows an exemplary communication environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. [Figure 2]This is an exemplary signal transfer diagram of a virtual PH calculation for SCell according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart of a method implemented in a terminal device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of a method implemented in a network device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for carrying out exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

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

[0015] The principles of this disclosure will be described below with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and should not be considered to imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can also be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

[0016] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0017] References in this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and “an example embodiment” indicate that the embodiments described may include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but not all embodiments are required to include such features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Moreover, when certain features, structures, or characteristics are described in relation to one embodiment, it is raised that any influence on such features, structures, or characteristics in relation to other embodiments, whether or not they are explicitly stated, is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0018] Terms such as “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, the first element may be called the second element, and similarly, the second element may be called the first element. In this specification, the term “and / or” includes any combination of one or more of the terms described herein.

[0019] In this specification, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" is used. )" and "at least one of " )」, as well as similar expressions, when a list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or", means at least any one of those elements, or at least any two or more of those elements, or at least all of those elements.

[0020] In this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, and may also include one or more intervening steps.

[0021] The terms used in this specification are for the sole purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to be limiting of exemplary embodiments. In this specification, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including", when used in this specification, specify the presence of the described features, elements, and / or components, etc., but it is further understood that they do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0022] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" can refer to one or more or all of the following. (a) Only hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations with only analog and / or digital circuitry), and (b) Combinations of hardware circuits and software, for example (where applicable), (i) Combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, (ii) A hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and any part of a memory that together function to cause a device such as a mobile phone or a server to perform various functions, and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0023] This definition of circuit configuration applies to all uses of this term in this application, including all claims. As a further example, when used in this application, the term circuit configuration also includes simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or processor, and the implementation of its (or their) associated software and / or firmware. The term circuit configuration also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a server, a cellular network device, or a similar integrated circuit within other computing or network devices, if applicable to a particular claim element.

[0024] In this specification, the term “communication network” refers to a network conforming to any preferred communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Broadband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be carried out in accordance with any preferred generation of communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid evolution of communications, it is natural that this disclosure can also be implemented in future types of communication technologies and systems. This should not be considered to limit the scope of this disclosure to the systems described above.

[0025] In this specification, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communications network, from which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, network devices may refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), e.g., node B (NodeB or NB), evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio units (RRUs), radio headers (RHs), remote radio heads (RRHs), relays, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, low-power nodes, e.g., femto, pico, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), or non-terrestrial network devices, e.g., satellite network devices, low orbit (LEO) satellites, and geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites, aircraft network devices, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) partitioned architecture includes centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs) in IAB donor nodes. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE (Union Engine) to its parent node, while the DU (Digital Unit) portion of the IAB node behaves like a base station to the next-hop IAB node.

[0026] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. It is not limited to this term; for example, a terminal device may also be called a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices, though not limited to these, may include mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain situations), consumer electronics devices, and devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. Terminal devices may also correspond to the mobile termination (MT) portion of IAB nodes (e.g., relay nodes). In the following description, the terms “terminal device,” “communication device,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” can be used interchangeably.

[0027] In this specification, the terms “resource,” “transmit resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block (PRB),” “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for carrying out communication, for example, communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other resources that enable communication. Hereafter, unless expressly stated otherwise, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmit resources to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Note that exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also apply equally to other resources in other domains.

[0028] Figure 1 shows an exemplary communication network 100 that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the communication network 100 may include terminal devices 110. Hereinafter, the terminal devices 110 may also be referred to as UEs.

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

[0030] Please understand that the number of network devices and terminal devices shown in Figure 1 are given for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

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

[0032] Communication in communication environment 100 can be carried out in accordance with any appropriate communication protocol, including, but is not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G), wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including, but is not limited to, code division multiplexing access (CDMA), frequency division multiplexing access (FDMA), time division multiplexing access (TDMA), frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple input / output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0033] As described above, user equipment (UE) has been designated to be able to trigger and perform PHRs. PHR procedures are used to provide a serving gNB with a Type 1PH, Type 2PH, or Type 3PH. A Type 1PH can show the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for a physical uplink shared channel, such as per-serving cell transmissions being activated. A Type 2PH can show the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for UL-SCH and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions on special cells (SpCells) of other media access control (MAC) entities. A Type 3PH can show the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for per-serving cell sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions being activated.

[0034] PHR procedures can be triggered in a variety of scenarios. For example, when the timer associated with the PHR procedure, namely phr-ProhibitTimer or phr-PeriodicTimer, expires, and / or when the path loss change meets a threshold.

[0035] The UE can determine whether the PH value for an activated serving cell is based on actual transmissions that occurred on that serving cell, or on a reference format also known as a "virtual PH".

[0036] Furthermore, a UE can also be configured to have multiple Timing Advance Groups (TAGs), each TAG having its own timing and reference point. Serving cells that have the same Timing Advance applied and use the same Timing Reference Cell are grouped as a TAG. Each TAG can contain at least one serving cell with a configured UL. For a primary TAG, the UE can use a primary cell (PCell) as the Timing Reference, except for shared spectral channel access, which may also use a SCell in certain cases. For a secondary TAG, the UE can use any of the activated SCells of this TAG as the Timing Reference Cell, but should not change it unless necessary.

[0037] Virtual PH can be calculated based on parameters provided to the UE within a physical random access channel (PRACH) / random access channel (RACH) configuration. However, if a SCell is not used as a cell to perform random access (RA) for UL timing relative to a TAG, it will not be provided with a PRACH / RACH configuration. Therefore, it may be necessary to discuss how the UE calculates virtual PH for serving cells that do not have a PRACH / RACH configuration. In some examples, one or more of the parameters used to calculate virtual PH may include preambleReceivedTargetPower or msg3-DeltaPreamble. In this case, these parameters can be provided within a PRACH / RACH configuration. Therefore, in some of the following examples, when referring to a PRACH / RACH configuration, this can also mean the configuration of preambleReceivedTargetPower and / or msg3-DeltaPreamble.

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

[0039] Figure 2 shows an exemplary signal transfer diagram of virtual PH calculation for SCell 200 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, Figure 200 will be discussed by using terminal device 110 and network device 120, for example with reference to Figure 1.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 2. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device may be configured by a network device, by UL Carrier Aggregation (CA), to have one or more UL-configured serving cells within the same TAG (202). In this scenario, the terminal device 110 may be connected to a plurality of serving cells, including at least a first serving cell and a second serving cell.

[0041] If a PHR procedure is triggered on terminal device 110 (204), terminal device 110 can begin calculating PH values ​​for all activated serving cells.

[0042] In this scenario, terminal device 110 can determine which parameters should be used for calculating the PH value for the activated serving cell. For example, to calculate the virtual PH, terminal device 110 can determine whether a RACH or PRACH configuration is obtained for the SCell. If no RACH or PRACH configuration is configured for the SCell, terminal device 110 can decide to use parameters configured for other serving cells for calculating the PH value for the SCell.

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

[0044] In some embodiments, the first and second serving cells can be located within a master cell group (MSG). In this scenario, the first serving cell can be a PCell and the second serving cell can be an SCell. In another example, both the first and second serving cells can be SCells.

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

[0046] In other words, the first serving cell can be a PCell, SCell, or PSCell (PCells and PSCells can also be collectively called special cells (SpCells)).

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

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

[0049] In some exemplary embodiments, if the TAG has multiple serving cells having a RACH or PRACH configuration, the terminal device 110 can use the corresponding parameters in the RACH or PRACH configuration configured for the serving cell having a specified identifier, such as the lowest or highest serving cell ID (i.e., ServCellIndex) or SCell ID (i.e., SCellIndex). That is, the terminal device 110 can determine a first serving cell based on the identifier of one or more candidate serving cells, and from there the terminal device 110 can calculate a PH value for a second serving cell using the corresponding parameters in the RACH or PRACH configuration.

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

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

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

[0053] In some other embodiments, the terminal device 110 can inform the network device 120 of the PHR by using a calculated PH value for the SCell (208).

[0054] In this way, the UE behavior associated with the PHR procedure can be defined, and the network side can recognize which parameters the UE uses to calculate the virtual PH or PH value based on the reference format, and thus the received PH value can be used more accurately with SCell schedules.

[0055] For example, the solutions proposed in this disclosure may affect the following standards:

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

[0057] [Table 1]

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

[0059] [Table 2]

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

[0061] [Table 3]

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

[0063] [Table 4]

[0064] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 300 implemented in a terminal device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, method 400 will be described in terms of the terminal device 110 in Figure 1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0074] In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive instructions from a network device indicating a first serving cell to be used for a second serving cell to calculate a power headroom value.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, this information includes a physical random access channel PRACH configuration or a random access channel RACH configuration for a first serving cell.

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

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

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

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

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

[0081] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 implemented with a network device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, method 400 will be described in terms of the network device 120 in Figure 1.

[0082] In block 410, within a network device 120 that provides at least a first serving cell and terminal devices connected to the second serving cell, the network device 120 receives a power headroom report from the terminal devices by the network device, which has a power headroom value for the second serving cell, and the power headroom value for the second serving cell is calculated by using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, the network device 120 may send instructions to a terminal device indicating the first serving cell to be used for a second serving cell to calculate the power headroom value.

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments, one or more parameters are associated with a physical random access channel PRACH configuration or a random access channel RACH configuration for a first serving cell.

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

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

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of carrying out any of the methods 300 (for example, the terminal device 110 in Figure 1) may comprise means for carrying out each operation of the methods 300. The means can be carried out in any preferred form. For example, the means can be carried out in a circuit configuration or in a software module. The apparatus can be carried out as the terminal device 110 in Figure 1, or can be contained within the terminal device 110 in Figure 1.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for acquiring information relating to one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell, wherein the apparatus is connected to at least the first and second serving cells, and means for calculating a power headroom value for the second serving cell by applying one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may also include means for receiving instructions from a network device indicating a first serving cell to be used for a second serving cell to calculate a power headroom value.

[0103] In some exemplary embodiments, this information includes a physical random access channel PRACH configuration or a random access channel RACH configuration for a first serving cell.

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

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

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

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

[0108] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of carrying out any of the methods 400 (for example, the network device 120 in Figure 1) may include means for carrying out each operation of the methods 400. The means can be carried out in any preferred form. For example, the means can be carried out in a circuit configuration or in a software module. The apparatus can be carried out as the network device 120 in Figure 1, or can be included within the network device 120 in Figure 1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0116] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may also include means for transmitting instructions to a terminal device indicating a first serving cell to be used for a second serving cell to calculate a power headroom value.

[0117] In some exemplary embodiments, this information includes a physical random access channel PRACH configuration or a random access channel RACH configuration for a first serving cell.

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

[0119] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for carrying out exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 can be provided to carry out a communication device, for example, a terminal device 110 or a network device 120 as shown in Figure 1. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processors 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processors 510.

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

[0121] The processor 510 can be any type suitable for the local technology network and, as non-limiting examples, may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, that act as slaves in time to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

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

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

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

[0125] In some exemplary embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that can be contained in device 500 (such as in memory 520) or in other storage devices accessible by device 500. Device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. In some exemplary embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-temporary storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. In this specification, the term “non-temporary” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than signal), and not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0126] Figure 6 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 600, which can be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. A program 530 is stored on the computer-readable medium 600.

[0127] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Various embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or any other graphic representation, but it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented, in non-limiting examples, in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0128] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-temporary computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those contained within a program module and executed within a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform one of the methods described above. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. The functions of program modules can be combined or divided among program modules, as desired, in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can be executed within a local or distributed device. In the case of a distributed device, the program module can reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0129] Program code for carrying out the methods of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, it causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code can be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0130] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be held on any suitable carrier so that a device, apparatus, or processor can perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0131] Computer-readable media may be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media may, but are not limited to, include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media should include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0132] Furthermore, although the operations are shown in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in a specific or sequential order, or that all shown operations be performed, in order to achieve the desired result. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, which should be interpreted as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments, rather than limitations on the scope of this disclosure. Unless expressly stated, certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may be implemented in combination within a single embodiment. Conversely, unless expressly stated, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may be implemented separately or in any preferred partial combination within multiple embodiments.

[0133] While this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the attached claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Conversely, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. At least one processor, A device comprising at least one memory for storing instructions, wherein when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the device has at least The device is configured to obtain information indicating one or more parameters set for the first serving cell, and is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell. By applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell, the power headroom value for the second serving cell without a physical random access channel (PRACH) / random access channel (RACH) configuration is calculated. Device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second serving cells are located within a master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell in the MCG or SCG.

4. The first serving cell is located within the MCG or SCG. Special cells, Primary cell, Primary and secondary cells, or Secondary cell The apparatus according to claim 2, which is one of the above.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second serving cells are configured within the same timing advance group TAG.

6. The TAG is a primary TAG, and the first serving cell is Special cells, Primary cell, or Primary and secondary cells The apparatus according to claim 5, which is one of the above.

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

8. The first serving cell, The lowest or highest serving cell index, or Secondary cell index The apparatus according to claim 1, which is determined or selected based on one of the following.

9. The aforementioned device further, The apparatus according to claim 1, which can receive instructions from a network device indicating the first serving cell to be used for the second serving cell in order to calculate the power headroom value.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information includes a physical random access channel PRACH configuration or a random access channel RACH configuration for the first serving cell.

11. Regardless of whether the first serving cell is configured such that a plurality of serving cells have the information indicating one or more parameters, within the MCG or SCG Special cells, Primary cell, or Primary and secondary cells The apparatus according to claim 1, which is one of the following.

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

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

14. At least one processor, A device comprising at least one memory for storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device is configured to provide at least a first serving cell and terminal devices connected to a second serving cell, The terminal device receives a power headroom report having a power headroom value for the second serving cell, and the power headroom value for the second serving cell without a physical random access channel (PRACH) / random access channel (RACH) configuration is calculated using one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell. Device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first and second serving cells are located within a master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG).

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the second serving cell is a secondary cell in the MCG or SCG.

17. The first serving cell is located within the MCG or SCG. Special cells, Primary cell, Primary and secondary cells, or Secondary cell The apparatus according to claim 15, which is one of the above.

18. The aforementioned device further, The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the terminal device is instructed to send an instruction indicating the first serving cell to be used for the second serving cell in order to calculate the power headroom value.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein if the second serving cell is not configured to have one or more other parameters associated with the calculation of the power headroom value, the power headroom value for the second serving cell is related to a virtual power headroom value.

20. The acquisition of information indicating one or more parameters configured for a first serving cell by a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is connected to at least the first serving cell and the second serving cell, The terminal device calculates the power headroom value for the second serving cell without a physical random access channel (PRACH) / random access channel (RACH) configuration by applying the one or more parameters configured for the first serving cell. A method that includes this.

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