Dynamic channel state information acquisition

Abstract

Dynamic channel state information acquisition may be provided. A method for dynamic channel state information acquisition may include receiving, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity and determining at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The method may also include, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication. The method may further include, after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

Description

DYNAMIC CHANNEL STATE INFORMATION ACQUISITIONTECHNICAL FIELD:

[0001] Some exemplary embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) or sixth generation (6G) new radio (NR) access technology, or other communications systems. For example, certain exemplary embodiments may relate to implementing dynamic channel state information acquisition.BACKGROUND:

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), MulteFire, LTE-A Pro, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology, and / or sixth generation (6G) radio access technology. 5G and 6G wireless systems refer to the next generation (NG) of radio systems and network architecture. 5G and 6G network technology are mostly based on new radio (NR) technology, but the 5G (or NG) network can also build on E- UTRAN radio. It is estimated that NR may provide bitrates on the order of 10- 20 Gbit / s or higher and may support at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) as well as massive machine-type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low-latency connectivity and massive networking to support the Internet of Things (loT).SUMMARY:

[0003] Various exemplary embodiments may provide an apparatus includingat least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity. The apparatus may also be caused to determine at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied, and based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, perform the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication. The apparatus may further be caused to, after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmit, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

[0004] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to determine radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition and transmit, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication. The apparatus may also be caused to transmit, to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition, and receive, from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition. The early channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0005] Some exemplary embodiments may provide an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive, from a network entity, information for performing fast channel state information acquisition, and determine at least one condition for performing fast channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The apparatus may also be caused to, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, perform the fast channel state information acquisition until a predefined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus may further be caused to, after the pre-defined time or completing the fast channel state information acquisition, transmit, to the network entity, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition.

[0006] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to determine radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus may also be caused to transmit, to the user device, information for performing the fast channel state information acquisition based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied and until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus may further be caused to receive from the user device and after the pre-defined time or the completion of the fast channel state information acquisition, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition. The fast channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0007] Various exemplary embodiments may provide a method including receiving, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity. The method may also include determining at least one condition for performing early channel stateinformation acquisition is satisfied, and based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication. The method may further include, after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

[0008] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide a method including determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition and transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication. The method may also include transmitting, to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition, and receiving, from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition. The early channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0009] Some exemplary embodiments may provide a method including receiving, from a network entity, information for performing fast channel state information acquisition, and determining at least one condition for performing fast channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The method may also include, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the fast channel state information acquisition until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The method may further include, after the pre-defined time or completing the fast channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, areport on the fast channel state information acquisition.

[0010] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide a method including determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform fast channel state information acquisition. The method may also include transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the fast channel state information acquisition based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied and until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The method may further include receiving from the user device and after the pre-defined time or the completion of the fast channel state information acquisition, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition. The fast channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0011] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform any one or more of the methods described herein.

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments may provide one or more computer programs comprising instructions stored thereon for performing one or more of the methods described herein.

[0013] Various exemplary embodiments may provide one or more apparatuses comprising one or more circuitry configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein.

[0014] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide one or more apparatuses comprising one or more means configured for performing one or more of the methods described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

[0015] For proper understanding of exemplary embodiments, reference shouldbe made to the accompanying drawings, as follows:

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a time-based representation of channel state information (CSI) acquisition, according to various exemplary embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an example timeline of certain pre-defined time points associated with CSI acquisition, according to certain exemplary embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an example timeline for CSI acquisition relative to triggered mobility processing timing, according some exemplary embodiments;

[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a signal diagram, according to certain exemplary embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of another signal diagram, according to some exemplary embodiments;

[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method, according to various exemplary embodiments;

[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of an additional method, according to certain exemplary embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a further method, according to some exemplary embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of another method, according to certain exemplary embodiments; and

[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates a set of apparatuses, according to various exemplary embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

[0026] It will be readily understood that the components of certain exemplary embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. The following is a detailed description of some exemplary embodiments ofsystems, methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer program products for implementing dynamic channel state information acquisition. Although the devices discussed below and shown in the figures refer to 6G / 5G or Next Generation NodeB (gNB) devices and UE devices, this disclosure is not limited to only gNBs and UEs.

[0027] It may be readily understood that the components of certain exemplary embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Different reference designations from multiple figures may be used out of sequence in the description, to refer to a same element to illustrate their features or functions. If desired, the different functions or procedures discussed herein may be performed in a different order and / or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the described functions or procedures may be optional or may be combined. As such, the following description should be considered as illustrative of the principles and teachings of certain exemplary embodiments, and not in limitation thereof.

[0028] 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) may provide specifications for implementing channel state information acquisition. A communication connection may be initiated between devices, such as a UE and a network entity, such as a base station, gNB, etc., through a random access (RA) procedure by employing a physical random access channel (PRACH). A contention-based RACH may be, for example, a 2-step or 4-step RACH.

[0029] Lower layer triggered mobility (LTM), which may also be referred to as Layer 1 (Ll) / Layer 2 (L2) triggered mobility, is a procedure in which a network entity, such as a gNB, receives LI or Layer 3 (L3) measurement report(s) from a UE. The network entity may use the LI or L3 measurement report(s) to change a serving cell of the UE, such as, for example, by a cell switch indication or command, or upon a predetermined period of time elapsing, which may be defined by a specification (e.g., a 3GPP specification).The indication or demand to switch the serving cell may be signalled via L2 (in-band) signalling mechanism, such as a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). The indication or command may indicate an LTM candidate configuration that the network entity previously generated and provided to the UE through radio resource control (RRC) signalling. Then the UE may switch from the current serving cell to the target configuration according to the cell switch command. When configured by the network, one or more TCI states of one or multiple cells that are different from the current serving cell may be activated. For example, the TCI states of one or more LTM candidate cells may be activated in advance before any of those cells become a serving cell. This may allow the UE to be DL synchronized with those cells, which may allow for facilitating a faster cell switch to one of those cells when cell switch is triggered. The activated TCI states except those received in the cell switch command may then be deactivated upon LTM cell switch.

[0030] For each cell, LTM channel state information (CSI) reporting configurations may be provided in a configuration of a current serving cell. Each report configuration may include an indication of a LTM CSI resource configuration parameter and other parameters related to reporting, such as, for example, timing and uplink resources to transmit reports. An LTM CSI resource configuration may include a set of synchronization signal block (SSB) indices from multiple candidate cells. The set of SSB indices may be consolidated into a common LTM configuration, such as LTM-Config.

[0031] Various exemplary embodiments may recognize that it is desirable to provide measurement-related enhancements for supporting LTM procedures. For example, certain exemplary embodiments may recognize the enhancement to LTM of specifying CSI acquisition on one or more candidate cells based on CSI-RS before and / or during an LTM cell switch. CSI acquisition may include, for example, acquiring one or more channelparameters, such as a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a layer indicator (LI), and / or a rank indicator (RI). The channel parameters may be used to define an appropriate or corresponding modulation and coding rate, and / or multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration (e.g., number of layers, precoding matrix, and / or the like) of the channel.

[0032] Certain exemplary embodiments may recognize that CSI acquisition may start before reception of an LTM cell switch command, such as MAC CE, and a CSI reporting operation may be performed after reception of LTM cell switch command. Before the cell switch command, the UE may be connected to a current serving cell, and after the cell switch command, UE may be connected to a target cell. During the cell switching process, there are multiple processing or other delay time periods. Various exemplary embodiments may provide technological advantages to provide for performing CSI acquisition before and / or during LTM processing delays (e.g., interruption).

[0033] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the processing or other delay time periods may include a command (cmd) processing time, an interruption time, and the like. Command processing time and interruption time may be defined by one or more specifications, such as 3GPP specifications. For example, the command processing time (Tcmd) may be equal to THARQ + 3ms, where THARQ is the timing between a cell switch command and acknowledgement and 3ms may be an example of a processing time. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the processing time may be any amount of time and 3ms is used herein for exemplary purposes only. The interruption time (TLTM-intemipt) may be defined as the time between the end of the last transmission time interval (TTI) containing the MAC-CE command for LTM cell switch until the time the UE transmits the first UL message on the target cell, excluding the command processing time Tcmd. Thefirst UL message may be different depending on whether the cell switch is RACH-based or RACH-less. For example, the interruption time TurM-interrupt may be defined as follows (in milliseconds):TLTM -interrupt — TLTM-RRC-processing + TLTM-processing + Tfirst-RS + TRS-proc + TLTM -IU

[0034] TLTM-RRC-processing may be the time for decoding and performing a validity / compliance check for the RRC configuration of the LTM target cell indicated in the LTM cell switch command. TLTM -processing may be defined as the time for UE processing, including hardware and RF tuning, and applying the target cell parameters and L1 / L2 / L3 change. Tfirst-RS may be the time for fine time tracking and acquiring full timing information of the target cell. TRS- proc may be the time for SSB or reference signal processing. TLTM-IU may be the interruption uncertainty during LTM cell switch, such as the interruption uncertainty in acquiring the first available physical random-access channel (PRACH) occasion in the new cell in RACH-based cell switch. For RACH- less LTM cell switch, TLTM-IU may be the uncertainty on transmitting the first uplink transmission on the target cell. TLTM-IU may be up to the summation of SSB to a PRACH occasion association period and / or, for example, 10 ms. SSB to PRACH occasion associated period may be defined in a specification (e.g., a 3GPP specification).

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a time-based representation of CSI acquisition, according to various exemplary embodiments. Certain exemplary embodiments may provide for, under specific conditions and according to network configuration, a UE may continue or start the CSI-acquisition process relative to the cell switch command, such as once the UE has decoded the target cell information from the cell switch command. As shown in FIG. 1., the CSI acquisition may be an early CSI acquisition or a fast CSI acquisition, wherein the terms early and fast are used to define the time period in which the CSI acquisition begins. For example, early CSI acquisition is performedprior to receiving an indication or command to perform cell switching (e.g., before Tcmd and / or TLTM-intenupt is / are received by the UE). The UE may be configured to perform full or partial CSI acquisition starting from and / or during LTM cell switch.

[0036] Early CSI acquisition may start from a configured condition being satisfied on the UE side or from a network-based trigger or network initiated command before a cell switch indication or command. Fast CSI acquisition may start once the UE has decoded cell identifying information from the cell switch command, such as a MAC CE command, after the UE has completed the decoding and processing of the cell switch command. The cell switch command may include an indication to start fast CSI acquisition.

[0037] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that early CSI acquisition based on a MAC CE may be performed prior to a MAC CE cell switch command, which may indicate a candidate cell and / or beam for cell switching, such as a target / candidate beam or cell. Capability information of the UE may include an indication of whether the UE supports early CSI acquisition. The capability information of the UE may also indicate that the UE is configured for or supports performing and / or continuing CSI acquisition over LTM interruption. The UE may continue or may be configured or indicated to continue the CSI acquisition procedure when the CSI acquisition procedure is not complete prior to receiving the MAC CE command and when one or more conditions are fulfilled, as discussed in more detail herein. The early CSI acquisition may also be performed for conditional LTM, instead of or in addition to using a MAC CE. In conditional LTM, the UE may trigger the cell switch once conditions configured by the network have been fulfilled. The interruption components for conditional LTM may be different from the MAC CE based cell switch interruption components. Similar principles may apply for using conditional LTM, such as the trigger for early CSI acquisition and a defined time point where a candidate cell / beam changes to a targetcell / beam (e.g., the cell switch decision is made). The fast CSI acquisition for conditional LTM may be performed at the end of or after a time when the UE has realized the condition for conditional LTM cell switch is satisfied, which may be referred to as Tmeasure. IN some exemplary embodiments, early CSI- acquisition may start prior to fast CSI acquisition based on various trigger conditions. For example, one or more conditions may not be associated with the cell switch and may be directly associated with the early CSI acquisition procedure (e.g., a special threshold trigger for early CSI acquisition). In early CSI acquisition, there may be a threshold configured to start the CSI acquisition before the condition is triggered. The network may configured the condition separately from the cell switch trigger.

[0038] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide the fast CSI acquisition may be performed starting from or after the reception and / or processing of the MAC CE cell switch command indicating a target cell / beam. The fast CSI acquisition may be considered to start from the time when the UE has fully received and decoded necessary information from a MAC CE of the target cell / beam. Capability information of the UE may include an indication of whether the UE supports fast CSI acquisition. During fast CSI acquisition, the UE may initiate the CSI acquisition starting from the reception of the MAC CE cell switch command when one or more defined conditions are fulfilled, as discussed in more detail herein.

[0039] Some exemplary embodiments may also provide for fast CSI acquisition for conditional LTM. Similar principles may apply for using conditional LTM with fast CSI acquisition, as discussed above, except instead of having a cell switch command, the time point for starting fast CSI acquisition may be at the end or after the time point when the UE has realized one or more conditions for conditional LTM cell switch is satisfied (e.g., during or at the end of Tmeasure). Whether an early CSI acquisition or a fast CSI acquisition is performed may be based on whether the UE is configuredfor one or both types of CSI acquisition and based on whether CSI acquisition starts prior to the cell switch command (or other indication) or after the cell switch command (or other indication). A difference between the early and fast acquisition may be considered the starting point of the CSI acquisition. Fast CSI acquisition may be initiated at the trigger while the early CSI acquisition may be started prior to the trigger.

[0040] Various exemplary embodiments may define one or more conditions to be satisfied for when the UE is configured to perform CSI acquisition after the reception of an indication triggering CSI acquisition or the MAC CE command, such as during an interruption or until a pre-defined or specified time point. The one or more conditions may be based on one or more conditions based on bandwidth configurations, such as bandwidth part (BWP) conditions. The BWP condition(s) may be one or more conditions based on frequency domain characteristics and / or parameters of a serving cell and BWPs of a target / candidate cell or one or more characteristics or and / or parameters of a BWP of the target cell. The serving cell may be the source cell where the cell switch is triggered from. One or more of the BWP conditions may be whether the BWP of the target cell is contained or considered to be contained within an active BWP of the serving cell. The BWP may be contained, or considered to be contained, in the active BWP of the serving cell when, for example, the frequencies of the BWPs are overlapping such that the UE does not need to perform RF processing, which may interrupt a linterruption time. When this condition is satisfied, the UE may perform CSI acquisition on the target cell or continue to perform CSI acquisition on the target cell. Another one or more of the conditions may be that an active BWP of the target cell is included into the BWP of the serving cell, such that the UE may not need to extend the active BWP of the serving cell.

[0041] Another condition may be that the CSI acquisition resource is notoverlapping with one of the interruption components in the time-domain. For example, when the CSI acquisition resource is not overlapping with the TLTM- processing in the time domain, and the BWP condition is fulfilled, the UE may perform the CSI acquisition and processing of the RF / L1 / L2 so that the processing does not interrupt the CSI acquisition.

[0042] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that the one or more conditions may be that the BWP of the target cell is the initial or default BWP of the target cell. Another one or more of the conditions may be that the BWP of the target cell corresponds to the active BWP of the target cell, such as when a frequency occupancy of the BWP of the active target cell is equal to the BWP of the serving cell. Another one or more of the conditions may be when an overlapping portion or set of frequency resources between the BWP of the serving cell and the BWP of the target cell is equal to or greater than a number N of physical resource blocks (PRBs). The value of N may be specified or configured by the network, such as a gNB.

[0043] Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the BWP may be a set of frequency resources or a range of frequency resources or frequency resource occupancy. The active BWP of the target cell may be the first active DL BWP that is used by the UE in a target or candidate cell. Further, the active BWP may be an initial BWP or a dedicated BWP.

[0044] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the one or more conditions to be satisfied for the UE to perform or continue to perform CSI acquisition may be defined based on CSI-RS resources. For example, one or more conditions may be that a CSI acquisition resource associated with a candidate or target cell is fully contained within the active BWP of the serving cell. The CSI acquisition resource associated with a candidate or target cell may be a CSI-RS resource used for measurements to acquire the CSI. One or more conditions may be that the CSI acquisition resource associated with the candidate or target is fully contained within an active BWP of the target cell.One or more conditions may be that the candidate or target CSI-RS resource is fully contained within an initial BWP of the target cell, and the initial BWP is fully contained within the active BWP of the serving cell. Further, one or more conditions may be that the UE may perform CSI acquisition on an overlapping portion or set of frequency resources between the BWP of the serving cell and the BWP of the target cell, when the overlapping portion or set of frequency resources is larger than a number N PRBs. The value of N may be specified by a specification (e.g., a 3GPP specification) or configured by the network. One or more conditions may also be that the CSI-RS resource associated with the CSI acquisition remains measurable or detectable during a time period from the initiation of the CSI acquisition until the UE has attached to the target cell and transmitted a report on the CSI acquisition.

[0045] Certain exemplary embodiment may provide that the UE may be configured to perform full or one shot CSI acquisition during a time period from receiving a MAC CE until the UE has attached to the target cell and transmitted a report associated with the CSI acquisition. A one shot CSI acquisition may refer to the UE using a minimum number of samples, for instance, one or two, during the cell switch. This may be done when the radio conditions are considered good (e.g., above a certain threshold). Alternatively, the UE may be configured to perform a partial CSI acquisition during a time period from receiving a MAC CE until a pre-defined time point. The CSI acquisition during the interruption may be triggered from the beginning of, during, or from the end of the TLTM-processing. The UE may also time the start of TLTM -processing based on CSI acquisition in a time-domain, or the UE may use more of the TLTM-processing time budget than it would normally use based on the time domain location of the CSI acquisition resource. For example, the UE may perform TLTM-processing in, for example, 3ms and the CSI acquisition resource in 3ms. When the TLTM-processing budget is specified as 10ms, the UE may use 4 ms to adjust LTM-processing time before exceedingthe time budget specified in the minimum requirements. In this example, the same may be applied to other interruption components similarly with respect to the minimum requirements processing values.

[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates an example timeline of certain pre-defined time points associated with CSI acquisition, according to certain exemplary embodiments. The pre-defined time point may be, for example, the end of Tcmd time period, such as when the interruption time is reduced and the T iM-processing time period is started directly. The pre-defined point may be the end of the TLTM-RRC- processing time period, when the UE has not performed or supported fast or enhanced RRC processing capability. The pre-defined point may be at the beginning of, during, or at the end of T iM-processing in which the UE may start performing radio frequency (RF) retuning interruption. The pre-defined point may be at the beginning of, during, or at the end of Tfirst-Rs (e.g., the time for fine time tracking and acquiring full timing information of the target cell) or TRS-PIOC (e.g., the time for SSB processing). When TCSLRS + TRS-PIOC is specified, the UE may receive the CSI-RS acquisition resource during the cell switch. Further, the pre-defined point may be, for example, at the start of or end of TLTM-IU- The pre-defined point may be at the first UL transmission to the target cell, such as, for example, at a configured grant based transmission in case of RACH-less cell switch, or PRACH or RACH MSG3 transmission in case of RACH-based cell switch. The pre-defined point may be at the first DL reception from the target cell, such as, for example, at DL reception providing a UL grant for RACH MSG3 or RRC reconfiguration complete message.

[0047] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the UE may perform certain procedures when the target BWP or CSI acquisition resource is outside of the BWP of the serving cell. When the UE does not satisfy at least one of the conditions (e.g., BWP-based, CSI-RS resource based, or full or partial CSI acquisition based, as explained herein), the UE may not be ableto trigger the CSI acquisition prior to TLTM -process, ng. For example, the condition may not be satisfied and the UE may not be able to trigger the CSI acquisition when the CSI acquisition resource associated with the candidate cell is fully or partially outside of the active BWP from the point of view of the serving cell. As another example, the condition may not be satisfied and the UE may not be able to trigger the CSI acquisition prior to TurM-processing when the target BWP where the CSI-acquisition resource is located is fully or partially outside of the active BWP of the serving cell.

[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates an example timeline for CSI acquisition relative to TLTM -processing, according some exemplary embodiments. The LTM processing may be considered a component during which the UE is not able to continue the CSI-acquisition process due to reconfiguration of the UE protocol layers and applying target cell configurations and / or RF adjustments. When one or more of the conditions are fulfilled, the UE may have an extended capability to be able to continue CSI acquisition even during the period of time of TLTM- processing, as long as the RF does not require change. There may be two types of UEs - UEs that may perform CSI acquisition during LTM processing and UEs which may not, regardless of whether the UE is performing early or fast CSI acquisition.

[0049] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that a UE that is configured to perform early CSI acquisition may continue CSI acquisition throughout the LTM cell switch when one or more of the conditions described herein are satisfied. The UE may perform early CSI acquisition until a predefined time point, as described and defined herein. In some scenarios, the UE may be enabled by the network to perform early CSI acquisition using a network configuration and information about the pre-defined time point. Alternatively, or in addition, the capability to perform early CSI acquisition may be enabled via an indication in a cell switch command. The UE may not perform measurements for CSI acquisition after the pre-defined time point toavoid prolonging the interruption time. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE may indicate the status of CSI acquisition (e.g., partial or full) to the target cell, such as in a first UL message to the target cell. The target cell may then use that information on the the status of CSI acquisition to determine whether to acquire the CSI information from the UE.

[0050] The UE may have a set or defined number of CSI-RS resources or other samples for CSI acquisition. The UE may suspend or cease early CSI acquisition when the number of CSI-RS resources or other samples collected for CSI acquisition is satisfied. For example, the UE may suspend or cease early CSI acquisition when the UE is configured to receive five CSI-RS resources and four of the CSI-RS resources are received prior to the switch command, e.g., MAC CE cell switch, associated with the CSI resource, and the UE receives one more CSI-resource prior to TLTM-processing. In this case, the UE may be not required to continue CSI acquisition and the UE may transmit a report to the target cell on the CSI acquisition.

[0051] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that a UE that is configured to perform fast CSI acquisition may initiate CSI acquisition from a trigger point. The trigger point may be a cell switch command, such as, for example, a MAC CE for network-controlled LTM, or may be a defined time point at the end of Tmeasure. The UE may perform CSI acquisition when one or more of the conditions described herein are satisfied. The UE may perform CSI acquisition until a pre-defined time point, as described herein. In some scenarios, the UE may be enabled by the network, using a network configuration and information about the pre-defined time point. In other scenarios, the UE may be enabled via an indication in a cell switch command. The UE may not attempt to perform measurements for CSI acquisition after the pre-defined time point to avoid prolonging the interruption time.

[0052] Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the UE may indicate the status of CSI acquisition (e.g., partial or full) to the target cell, such as ina first UL message to the target cell. The target cell may then use information on the indicated status of the CSI acquisition to determine whether to acquire the CSI information from the UE. Fast CSI acquisition may be initiated from the cell switch command (e.g., MAC CE) or the fast CSI acquisition may be triggered by one or more network indications. The UE may continue performing fast CSI acquisition after the UE has attached to the target cell, which may shorten the time for performing the CSI acquisition.

[0053] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the UE may report a result of the early CSI acquisition or the fast CSI acquisition to the network once the UE has received the defined number of resources or samples to satisfy CSI acquisition requirements. Further, after CSI acquisition is complete, the UE may report the results of the CSI acquisition to the network. The reporting may be performed once the UE has attached to the target cell and completed the TLTM-IU time period.

[0054] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that the UE may be enabled with capabilities for performing the early CSI acquisition and / or the fast CSI acquisition, as described herein. The capabilities of the UE may also be referred to as feature groups. Table 1 defines examples of features groups or capabilities of the UE and the associated components related to early CSI acquisition and / or the fast CSI acquisition, as follows:TABLE 1

[0055] Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the UE may not be enabled to support one or more of the feature groups for performing the early CSI acquisition and / or the fast CSI acquisition, as described herein. Table 2 provides examples of configurations for a UE which is not enabled to support one or more of the feature groups, as follows:TABLE 2

[0056] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a signal diagram, according to various exemplary embodiments. The signal diagram shows signaling between a UE401, a serving cell 402, and a target or candidate cell 403. The serving cell 402 and the target cell 403 may be network entities, such as gNBs. At 410, the serving cell 402 may transit a UECapabilityEnquiry message to the UE 401, which request a capability report or capability information from the UE 401. At 411, the UE 401 may generate and transmit a capability report or UECapabilitylnformation message to the serving cell 402. The capability report or UECapabilitylnformation message may include an indication of an early CSI acquisition capability of the UE and / or a fast CSI acquisition capability of the UE. At 412, the UE 401 may transmit to the serving cell 402, a measurement report, such as a Layer 3 (L3) measurement report which includes, for example, the results of L3 measurements performed by the UE 401. At 413, the serving cell 402 may generate RRC reconfiguration including, for example, a configuration for early CSI acquisition and / or fast CSI acquisition, and at 414, the serving cell 402 may transmit, to the UE 401, the generated RRC reconfiguration. At 415, the UE 401 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message or indication to the serving cell 402. At 416, the UE 401 may perform configured measurements according to configurations included in the received RRC reconfiguration. At 417, the serving cell 402 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message or indication to the UE 401.

[0057] At 418, the serving cell 402 may transmit an early CSI acquisition trigger to the UE 401. The early CSI acquisition trigger may be an indication or command to trigger a cell switch to another cell. For example, the command may be a MAC CE. At 419, the target cell 403 may provide one or more CSI resources to the UE 401. At 420, the UE 401 may initiate early CSI acquisition according to the received RRC reconfiguration. At 421, the UE 401 may determine or evaluate whether one or more CSI acquisition conditions has been satisfied. The conditions may be one or more of the conditions defined herein. At 422, the UE 401 may determine that the earlyCSI acquisition has not been completed, and at 423, the UE 401 may transmit a measurement report to the serving cell 402. At 424, the serving cell 402 may perform a cell switch decision, and at 425, the serving cell 402 may transmit to the UE 401, a cell switch command or indication, such as a MAC CE. At 426, the UE 401 may continue to perform CSI acquisition until completed or until a pre-defined time point. At 427, the UE 401 may transmit to the target cell 403, a cell switch complete message or indication, and at 428, the UE 401 may transmit to the target cell 403, a CSI acquisition report based on a status of the CSI acquisition.

[0058] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a signal diagram, according to certain exemplary embodiments. The signal diagram shows signaling between a UE 501, a serving cell 502, and a target or candidate cell 503. The serving cell 502 and the target cell 503 may be network entities, such as gNBs. At 510, the serving cell 502 may transit a UECapabilityEnquiry message to the UE 501, which request a capability report or capability information from the UE 501. At 511, the UE 501 may generate and transmit a capability report or UECapabilitylnformation message to the serving cell 502. The capability report or UECapabilitylnformation message may include an indication of an early CSI acquisition capability of the UE and / or a fast CSI acquisition capability of the UE. At 512, the UE 501 may transmit to the serving cell 502, a measurement report, such as an L3 measurement report which includes, for example, the results of L3 measurements performed by the UE 501. At 513, the serving cell 502 may generate RRC reconfiguration including, for example, a configuration for early CSI acquisition and / or fast CSI acquisition, and at 514, the serving cell 502 may transmit, to the UE 501, the generated RRC reconfiguration. At 515, the UE 501 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message or indication to the serving cell 502. At 516, the UE 501 may perform configured measurements according to configurations included in the received RRC reconfiguration. At 517, theserving cell 502 may transmit an RRC reconfiguration message or indication to the UE 501.

[0059] At 518, the serving cell 502 may transmit a fast CSI acquisition trigger to the UE 501. The fast CSI acquisition trigger may be an indication or command to trigger a cell switch to another cell. For example, the command may be a MAC CE. At 519, the target cell 503 may provide one or more CSI resources to the UE 501. At 520, the UE 501 may transmit to the serving cell 502, a measurement report based on one or more measurements performed by the UE 501. At 521, the serving cell 502 may perform a cell switch decision for the UE 501 to switch from the serving cell 502 to the target cell 503. At 522, the serving cell 502 may transmit to the UE 501, a cell switch command or indication, such as a MAC CE. At 523, the UE 501 may perform fast CSI acquisition according to a configuration included in the RRC reconfiguration and based on one or more condition which are determined to be satisfied. At 524, the UE 501 may continue to perform CSI acquisition until completed or until a pre-defined time point. At 525, the UE 501 may transmit to the target cell 503, a cell switch complete message or indication, and at 526, the UE 501 may transmit to the target cell 503, a CSI acquisition report based on a status of the CSI acquisition.

[0060] Various exemplary embodiments may provide technological advantages to allow for performing CSI acquisition before and / or during LTM processing delays (e.g., interruption).

[0061] FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to certain exemplary embodiments. In an example embodiment, the method of FIG. 6 may be performed by a user device in a 3GPP system, such as LTE, 5G-NR, or 6G. For instance, in an exemplary embodiment, the method of FIG. 6 may be performed by a user device or user equipment, such as a UE, similar to apparatus 1010 illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0062] According to various exemplary embodiments, the method of FIG. 6may include, at 610, receiving, from a network entity, such as a gNB, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity. The method may include, at 620, determining at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied, and at 630, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication. The method may include at 640, after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

[0063] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is based on frequency domain parameters. The at least one condition may be satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth part of a target cell is contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is an initial or default bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is active in the target cell, and / or an overlapping portion of frequency resources between at least one bandwidth part of the serving cell and the target cell is equal to or greater than a defined number of physical resource blocks. Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one channel state information resource associated with a target cell is fully contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within a first active bandwidth part of the target cell, and / or at least one channel state informationresource associated with the target cell is fully contained within an initial bandwidth part of the target cell, and the initial bandwidth part is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the serving cell.

[0064] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied in response to a channel state information resource associated with the early channel state information acquisition remaining measurable during the time from initiation of the early channel state information acquisition until the apparatus has attached to a target cell and transmitted an indication of the early channel state information acquisition or the report on the early channel state information acquisition. The pre-defined time may comprise at least one of the following: an end of a time period indicated by the cell switch indication, an end of a time period for target cell reconfiguration processing in lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, a pre-defined time during lower layer triggered mobility interruption, a time of transmitting a first uplink transmission to a target cell, and / or a time of receiving a first downlink transmission from the target cell. In response to the at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition not being satisfied prior to lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, the early channel state information acquisition may be suspended until the lower layer triggered mobility cell switching is completed.

[0065] Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the early channel state information acquisition is completed based on the UE receiving a defined number of channel state information resources. The method may also include transmitting, to the network entity and prior to receiving the information for performing early channel state information acquisition, capability information comprising an indication that the UE is configured to perform the early channel state information acquisition. The report on the early channel state information acquisition may be transmitted after completion of lower layer triggered mobility cell switching and completion of the cell switch from aserving cell to a target cell.

[0066] FIG. 7 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to certain exemplary embodiments. In an example embodiment, the method of FIG. 7 may be performed by a network element / entity, or a group of multiple network entities in a 3GPP system, such as LTE, 5G-NR, or 6G. For instance, in an exemplary embodiment, the method of FIG. 7 may be performed by a network node or network entity, such as a gNB, similar to apparatus 1020 illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0067] According to various exemplary embodiments, the method of FIG. 7 may include, at 710, determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition, and at 720, transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication. The method may also include, at 730, transmitting, to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition. The method may further include, at 740, receiving, from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition. The early channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0068] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is based on frequency domain parameters. The at least one condition may be satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth part of a target cell is contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is an initial or default bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is active in the target cell, and / or an overlapping portion of frequency resources between at least one bandwidth part of the serving cell and the targetcell is equal to or greater than a defined number of physical resource blocks. Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition may be satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one channel state information resource associated with a target cell is fully contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within a first active bandwidth part of the target cell, and / or at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within an initial bandwidth part of the target cell, and the initial bandwidth part is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the serving cell.

[0069] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied in response to a channel state information resource associated with the early channel state information acquisition remaining measurable during the time from initiation of the early channel state information acquisition until the user device has attached to a target cell and an indication of the early channel state information acquisition or the report on the early channel state information acquisition is transmitted to the apparatus from the user device. The pre-defined time may comprise at least one of the following: an end of a time period indicated by the cell switch indication, an end of a time period for cell reconfiguration in lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, a pre-defined time during lower layer triggered mobility interruption, a time of receiving a first uplink transmission to a target cell, and / or a time of transmitting a first downlink transmission from the target cell.

[0070] In response to the at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition not being satisfied prior to lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, the early channel state information acquisition maybe suspended until the lower layer triggered mobility cell switching is completed. The early channel state information acquisition may be completed based on a defined number of channel state information resources transmitted to the user device. The method may also include receiving, from the user device, capability information comprising an indication that the user device is configured to perform the early channel state information acquisition. The report on the early channel state information acquisition may be received after completion of lower layer triggered mobility cell switching and completion of the cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell.

[0071] FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to certain exemplary embodiments. In an example embodiment, the method of FIG. 8 may be performed by a user device in a 3GPP system, such as LTE, 5G-NR, or 6G. For instance, in an exemplary embodiment, the method of FIG. 8 may be performed by a user device or user equipment, such as a UE, similar to apparatus 1010 illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0072] According to various exemplary embodiments, the method of FIG. 8 may include, at 810, receiving, from a network entity, such as a gNB, information for performing fast channel state information acquisition, and at 820, determining at least one condition for performing fast channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The method may also include at 830, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the fast channel state information acquisition until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The method may further include, at 840, after the pre-defined time or completing the fast channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition.

[0073] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is based on frequency domain parameters. The at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth partof a target cell is contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is an initial or default bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is active in the target cell, and / or an overlapping portion of frequency resources between at least one bandwidth part of the serving cell and the target cell is equal to or greater than a defined number of physical resource blocks. Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one channel state information resource associated with a target cell is fully contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within a first active bandwidth part of the target cell, and / or at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within an initial bandwidth part of the target cell, and the initial bandwidth part is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the serving cell.

[0074] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied in response to a channel state information resource associated with the fast channel state information acquisition remaining measurable during the time from initiation of the fast channel state information acquisition until the apparatus has attached to a target cell and transmitted an indication of the fast channel state information acquisition or the report on the fast channel state information acquisition. The pre-defined time may comprise at least one of the following: an end of a time period indicated by a cell switch indication included in the received indication, an end of a time period for target cell reconfiguration processing in lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, a pre-defined time during lower layer triggered mobility interruption, a time of transmitting a first uplink transmission to atarget cell, and / or a time of receiving a first downlink transmission from the target cell. The received indication triggering the fast channel state information acquisition may comprise at least one of: a control element for lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, or an indication of an end of a cell measurement reporting time period.

[0075] Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the fast channel state information acquisition is completed based on the apparatus receiving a defined number of channel state information resources. The method may also include transmitting, to the network entity and prior to receiving the information for performing fast channel state information acquisition, capability information comprising an indication that the UE is configured to perform the fast channel state information acquisition. The report on the fast channel state information acquisition may be transmitted after completion of lower layer triggered mobility cell switching and completion of the cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell.

[0076] FIG. 9 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method, according to certain exemplary embodiments. In an example embodiment, the method of FIG. 9 may be performed by a network element / entity, or a group of multiple network entities in a 3GPP system, such as ETE, 5G-NR, or 6G. For instance, in an exemplary embodiment, the method of FIG. 9 may be performed by a network node or network entity, such as a gNB, similar to apparatus 1020 illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0077] According to various exemplary embodiments, the method of FIG. 9 may include, at 910, determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform fast channel state information acquisition. The method may also include, at 920, transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the fast channel state information acquisition based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied and until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channelstate information acquisition. The method may further include, at 930, receiving, from the user device and after the pre-defined time or the completion of the fast channel state information acquisition, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition. The fast channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0078] Certain exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is based on frequency domain parameters. The at least one condition may be satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth part of a target cell is contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is an initial or default bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is active in the target cell, and / or an overlapping portion of frequency resources between at least one bandwidth part of the serving cell and the target cell is equal to or greater than a defined number of physical resource blocks. Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one channel state information resource associated with a target cell is fully contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the target cell, at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within a first active bandwidth part of the target cell, and / or at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within an initial bandwidth part of the target cell, and the initial bandwidth part is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the serving cell.

[0079] Various exemplary embodiments may provide that the at least one condition is satisfied in response to a channel state information resource associated with the fast channel state information acquisition remainingmeasurable during the time from initiation of the fast channel state information acquisition until the user device has attached to a target cell and an indication of the fast channel state information acquisition or the report on the fast channel state information acquisition is transmitted to the apparatus from the user device. The pre-defined time may comprise at least one of the following: an end of a time period indicated by a cell switch indication included in the transmitted indication, an end of a time period for cell reconfiguration in lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, a pre-defined time during lower layer triggered mobility interruption, a time of receiving a first uplink transmission to a target cell, and / or a time of transmitting a first downlink transmission from the target cell.

[0080] Some exemplary embodiments may provide that the transmitted information for performing the fast channel state information acquisition comprises at least one of: a control element for lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, or an indication of an end of a cell measurement reporting time period. The fast channel state information acquisition may be completed based on a defined number of channel state information resources transmitted to the user device. The method may also include receiving, from the user device, capability information comprising an indication that the user device is configured to perform the fast channel state information acquisition. The report on the fast channel state information acquisition may be received after completion of lower layer triggered mobility cell switching and completion of the cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell.

[0081] FIG. 10 illustrates apparatuses 1010 and 1020 according to various exemplary embodiments. In the various exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1010 may be an element in a network or associated with such a network, such as mobile device, user device, or other type of user equipment. UEs 401 / 501 may be examples of apparatus 1010 according to various exemplary embodiments as discussed above. It should be noted that one ofordinary skill in the art would understand that apparatus 1010 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 10. Further, apparatus 1020 may be an element in a network or associated with such a network, such as a serving cell and / or target cell, which may comprise a base station, gNB, and the like. Serving cells 402 / 502 and target cells 403 / 503 may be examples of apparatus 1020 according to various exemplary embodiments as discussed above. It should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that apparatus 1020 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 10.

[0082] According to various exemplary embodiments, the apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may include one or more processors, one or more computer- readable storage medium (for example, memory, storage, or the like), one or more radio access components (for example, a modem, a transceiver, or the like), and / or a user interface. In some exemplary embodiments, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other radio access technologies.

[0083] As illustrated in the example of FIG. 10, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may include or be coupled to processors 1012 and 1022, respectively, for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processors 1012 and 1022 may be any type of general or specific purpose processor. In fact, processors 1012 and 1022 may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as examples. While a single processor 1012 (1022) for each of apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 is shown in FIG. 10, multiple processors may be utilized according to other example embodiments. For example, it should be understood that, in certain exemplary embodiments, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may include two or more processors that may form amultiprocessor system (for example, in this case processors 1012 and 1022 may represent a multiprocessor) that may support multiprocessing. According to certain exemplary embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled to, for example, form a computer cluster).

[0084] Processors 1012 and 1022 may perform functions associated with the operation of apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020, respectively, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020, including processes illustrated in FIGs. 1-9.

[0085] Apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may further include or be coupled to memory 1014 and / or 1024 (internal or external), respectively, which may be coupled to processors 1012 and 1022, respectively, for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processors 1012 and 1022. Memory 1014 (memory 1024) may be one or more memories and of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or nonvolatile data storage technology such as a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, memory 1014 (memory 1024) can be comprised of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable media. The instructions stored in memory 1014 and memory 1024 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processors 1012 and 1022, enable the apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0086] In certain exemplary embodiments, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may further include or be coupled to (internal or external) a drive or port that isconfigured to accept and read an external computer readable storage medium, such as an optical disc, USB drive, flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processors 1012 and 1022 and / or apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 to perform any of the methods illustrated in FIGs. 1-9.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 1015 and 1025, respectively, for receiving a downlink signal and for transmitting via an uplink from apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020. Apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may further include transceivers 1016 and 1026, respectively, configured to transmit and receive information. The transceivers 1016 and 1026 may also include a radio interface (for example, a modem) respectively coupled to the antennas 1015 and 1025. The radio interface may correspond to a plurality of radio access technologies including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, or the like. The radio interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (for example, digital-to-analog converters or the like), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) module, or the like, to process symbols, such as OFDMA symbols, carried by a downlink or an uplink.

[0088] For instance, transceivers 1016 and 1026 may be respectively configured to modulate information on to a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna(s) 1015 and 1025, and demodulate information received via the antenna(s) 1015 and 1025 for further processing by other elements of apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020. In other exemplary embodiments, transceivers 1016 and 1026 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals or data directly. Additionally or alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may include an input and / or output device (I / Odevice). In certain exemplary embodiments, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may further include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or touchscreen.

[0089] In certain exemplary embodiments, memory 1014 and memory 1024 store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processors 1012 and 1022, respectively. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as an application or program, to provide additional functionality for apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020. The components of apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to certain exemplary embodiments, apparatus 1010 may optionally be configured to communicate with apparatus 1020 via a wireless or wired communications link 1030 according to any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0090] According to certain exemplary embodiments, processors 1012 and 1022, and memory 1014 and 1024 may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. In addition, in some exemplary embodiments, transceivers 1016 and 1026 may be included in or may form a part of transceiving circuitry.

[0091] For instance, in certain exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1010 may be controlled by the memory 1014 and the processor 1012 to receive, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity, and to determine at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The apparatus 1010 may also be controlled to, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, perform the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing toperform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication. The apparatus 1010 may further be controlled to, after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmit, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

[0092] In various exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1020 may be controlled by the memory 1024 and the processor 1022 to determine radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition, and to transmit, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication. The apparatus 1020 may also be controlled to transmit to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1020 may further be controlled to receive from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition. The early channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0093] In some additional exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1010 may be controlled by the memory 1014 and the processor 1012 to receive, from a network entity, information for performing fast channel state information acquisition, and determine at least one condition for performing fast channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The apparatus 1010 may also be controlled to, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, perform the fast channel state information acquisition until a predefined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1010 may further be controlled to, after the predefined time or completing the fast channel state information acquisition, transmit, to the network entity, a report on the fast channel state informationacquisition.

[0094] In certain additional exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1020 may be controlled by the memory 1024 and the processor 1022 to determine radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1020 may also be controlled to transmit, to the user device, information for performing the fast channel state information acquisition based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied and until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1020 may further be controlled to receive, from the user device and after the predefined time or the completion of the fast channel state information acquisition, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition. The fast channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 1010 and / or apparatus 1020) may include means for performing a method, a process, or any of the variants discussed herein. Examples of the means may include one or more processors, memory, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and / or computer program code for causing the performance of the operations.

[0096] In various exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1010 may include means for receiving, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity, and means for determining at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The apparatus 1010 may also include means for, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication. The apparatus 1010 may further includemeans for, after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1020 may include means for determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition, and means for transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication. The apparatus 1020 may also include means for transmitting to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1020 may further include means for receiving from the user device and after a predefined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition. The early channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0098] In certain additional exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1010 may include means for receiving, from a network entity, information for performing fast channel state information acquisition, and means for determining at least one condition for performing fast channel state information acquisition is satisfied. The apparatus 1010 may also include means for, based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the fast channel state information acquisition until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1010 may further include means for, after the pre-defined time or completing the fast channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition.

[0099] In some additional exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 1020 may include means for determining radio resource control configurationparameters comprising information for a user device to perform fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1020 may also include means for transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the fast channel state information acquisition based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied and until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition. The apparatus 1020 may further include means for receiving, from the user device and after the pre-defined time or the completion of the fast channel state information acquisition, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition. The fast channel state information acquisition may be performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

[0100] As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to hardware-only circuitry implementations (for example, analog and / or digital circuitry), combinations of hardware circuits and software, combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, any portions of hardware processor(s) with software, including digital signal processors, that work together to cause an apparatus (for example, apparatus 1010 and / or 1020) to perform various functions, and / or hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), or portions thereof, that use software for operation but where the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. As a further example, as used herein, the term “circuitry” may also cover an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor or multiple processors, or portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and the accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry may also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0101] A computer program product may include one or more computerexecutable components which, when the program is run, are configured to carry out some exemplary embodiments. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions of it. Modifications and configurations required for implementing functionality of certain exemplary embodiments may be performed as routine(s), which may be implemented as added or updated software routine(s). Software routine(s) may be downloaded into the apparatus.

[0102] As an example, software or a computer program code or portions of it may be in a source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form, and it may be stored in some sort of carrier, distribution medium, or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers may include a record medium, computer memory, read-only memory, photoelectrical and / or electrical carrier signal, telecommunications signal, and software distribution package, for example. Depending on the processing power needed, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or it may be distributed amongst a number of computers. The computer readable medium or computer readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0103] In other exemplary embodiments, the functionality may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in an apparatus (for example, apparatuses 1010 and / or 1020), for example through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the functionality may be implemented as a signal, a non-tangible means that can be carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network.

[0104] According to certain exemplary embodiments, an apparatus, such as a node, device, or a corresponding component, may be configured as circuitry, a computer or a microprocessor, such as single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, including at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for arithmetic operation and an operation processor for executing the arithmeticoperation.

[0105] The features, structures, or characteristics of exemplary embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “certain embodiments,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “an example embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. Further, the terms “cell”, “node”, “gNB”, or other similar language throughout this specification may be used interchangeably.

[0106] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or,” mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0107] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the disclosure as discussed above may be practiced with procedures in a different order, and / or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although the disclosure has been described based upon these exemplary embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of exemplary embodiments. Although the above embodiments refer to 5G NR and LTE technology, the above embodiments may also apply to any otherpresent or future 3GPP technology, such as LTE-advanced, and / or fourth generation (4G) and / or sixth (6G) technology.

[0108] Partial Glossary:

[0109] 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project

[0110] 5G 5th Generation

[0111] BWP Bandwidth Part

[0112] CE Control Element

[0113] CSI Channel State Information

[0114] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0115] DL Downlink

[0116] EMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0117] gNB 5G or Next Generation NodeB

[0118] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0119] MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0120] NR New Radio

[0121] NW Network

[0122] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0123] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0124] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0125] RACH Random Access Channel

[0126] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0127] SIB System Information Block

[0128] SSB Synchronization Signal Block

[0129] UE User Equipment

[0130] UL Uplink

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity; determine at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied; based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, perform the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication; and after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmit, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one condition is based on frequency domain parameters.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth part of a target cell is contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell; at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is an initial or default bandwidth part of the target cell; at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is active in the target cell;or an overlapping portion of frequency resources between at least one bandwidth part of the serving cell and the target cell is equal to or greater than a defined number of physical resource blocks.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one channel state information resource associated with a target cell is fully contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell; at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the target cell; at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within a first active bandwidth part of the target cell; or at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within an initial bandwidth part of the target cell, and the initial bandwidth part is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the serving cell.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the at least one condition is satisfied in response to a channel state information resource associated with the early channel state information acquisition remaining measurable during the time from initiation of the early channel state information acquisition until the apparatus has attached to a target cell and transmitted an indication of the early channel state information acquisition or the report on the early channel state information acquisition.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the predefined time comprises at least one of the following:an end of a time period indicated by the cell switch indication; an end of a time period for target cell reconfiguration processing in lower layer triggered mobility cell switching; a pre-defined time during lower layer triggered mobility interruption; a time of transmitting a first uplink transmission to a target cell; or a time of receiving a first downlink transmission from the target cell.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, in response to the at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition not being satisfied prior to lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, the early channel state information acquisition is suspended until the lower layer triggered mobility cell switching is completed.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the early channel state information acquisition is completed based on the apparatus receiving a defined number of channel state information resources.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to the network entity and prior to receiving the information for performing early channel state information acquisition, capability information comprising an indication that the apparatus is configured to perform the early channel state information acquisition.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the report on the early channel state information acquisition is transmitted after completion of lower layer triggered mobility cell switching and completion of the cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell.

11. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition; transmit, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication; transmit, to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition; and receive, from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition, wherein the early channel state information acquisition is performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one condition is based on frequency domain parameters.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth part of a target cell is contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell; at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is an initial or default bandwidth part of the target cell; at least one bandwidth part of the target cell is active in the target cell; oran overlapping portion of frequency resources between at least one bandwidth part of the serving cell and the target cell is equal to or greater than a defined number of physical resource blocks.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-13, wherein the at least one condition is satisfied based on at least one of the following: at least one channel state information resource associated with a target cell is fully contained within an active bandwidth part of a serving cell; at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the target cell; at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within a first active bandwidth part of the target cell; or at least one channel state information resource associated with the target cell is fully contained within an initial bandwidth part of the target cell, and the initial bandwidth part is fully contained within the active bandwidth part of the serving cell.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-14, wherein the at least one condition is satisfied in response to a channel state information resource associated with the early channel state information acquisition remaining measurable during the time from initiation of the early channel state information acquisition until the user device has attached to a target cell and an indication of the early channel state information acquisition or the report on the early channel state information acquisition is transmitted to the apparatus from the user device.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-15, wherein the predefined time comprises at least one of the following:an end of a time period indicated by the cell switch indication; an end of a time period for cell reconfiguration in lower layer triggered mobility cell switching; a pre-defined time during lower layer triggered mobility interruption; a time of receiving a first uplink transmission to a target cell; or a time of transmitting a first downlink transmission from the target cell.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-16, wherein, in response to the at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition not being satisfied prior to lower layer triggered mobility cell switching, the early channel state information acquisition is suspended until the lower layer triggered mobility cell switching is completed.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-17, wherein the early channel state information acquisition is completed based on a defined number of channel state information resources transmitted to the user device.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-18, wherein the stored instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from the user device, capability information comprising an indication that the user device is configured to perform the early channel state information acquisition.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11-19, wherein the report on the early channel state information acquisition is received after completion of lower layer triggered mobility cell switching and completion of the cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell.

21. A method comprising: receiving, by a user device from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity; determining at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied; based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication; and after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

22. A method comprising: determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition; transmitting, from a network entity to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication; transmitting, to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition; and receiving, from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition, wherein the early channel state information acquisition is performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

23. An apparatus comprising means for: receiving, from a network entity, information for performing early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication or a configuration from the network entity; determining at least one condition for performing early channel state information acquisition is satisfied; based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to receiving a cell switch indication and continuing to perform the early channel state information acquisition after receiving the cell switch indication; and after a pre-defined time or completing the early channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the early channel state information acquisition.

24. An apparatus comprising means for: determining radio resource control configuration parameters comprising information for a user device to perform early channel state information acquisition; transmitting, to the user device, information for performing the early channel state information acquisition prior to a cell switch indication; transmitting, to the user device, a cell switch indication or a configuration during the early channel state information acquisition; and receiving, from the user device and after a pre-defined time or completion of the early channel state information acquisition, a report on the early channel state information acquisition, wherein the early channel state information acquisition is performed based on at least one condition being determined to be satisfied.

25. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which,when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from a network entity, information for performing fast channel state information acquisition; determining at least one condition for performing fast channel state information acquisition is satisfied; based on the at least one condition being determined to be satisfied, performing the fast channel state information acquisition until a pre-defined time or upon completing the fast channel state information acquisition; and after the pre-defined time or completing the fast channel state information acquisition, transmitting, to the network entity, a report on the fast channel state information acquisition.

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