Terminal apparatus, method, and integrated circuit

Abstract

A terminal apparatus receives conditional reconfiguration information from a base station device, determines whether a candidate target cell is an applicable cell on the basis of whether cell intermittent transmission of the candidate target cell to a common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated, and applies a setting included in the conditional reconfiguration information to the candidate target cell that is determined to be the applicable cell on the basis of a determination that a first condition is satisfied.

Description

Terminal device, method, and integrated circuit

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a method, and an integrated circuit. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-013835, filed in Japan on January 30, 2025, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is a standardization project for cellular mobile communication systems, technical studies and standardization of cellular mobile communication systems, including radio access, core networks, services, etc., are being carried out.

[0003] For example, in 3GPP, E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) was started for technical study and standardization as a radio access technology (RAT) for cellular mobile communication systems for the 3.9th generation and 4th generation. Even now, in 3GPP, technical studies and standardization of extended technologies of E-UTRA are being carried out. Note that E-UTRA is also referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE: registered trademark), and extended technologies may be referred to as LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0004] Also, in 3GPP, NR (New Radio, or NR Radio access) was started for technical study and standardization as a radio access technology (RAT) for cellular mobile communication systems for the 5th generation (5G). Even now, in 3GPP, technical studies and standardization of extended technologies of NR are being carried out.

[0005] 3GPP TS 38.331 v18.4.0," NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification " pp141-151,pp644-6463GPP TS 38.304 v18.0.0," NR; User Equipment (UE) procedures in Idle mode and RRC Inactive state " pp24-32

[0006] Within 3GPP, as an extension of NR technology, for example in the consideration of non-terrestrial networks (NTN), technology for extending downlink coverage is being considered. However, mobility control in RRC connection states is necessary to take into account terminals that do not support this technology.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a terminal device, a base station device, and a communication method that can efficiently provide mobility control.

[0008] To achieve the above objective, one aspect of the present invention employs the following means.

[0009] (1) That is, one aspect of the present invention is a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, comprising a receiving unit that receives RRC signaling including conditional reset information from the base station device, and a processing unit, wherein the conditional reset information includes one or more entries, each of which includes information on an RRC reset message and a condition (first condition) for applying the RRC reset message, the RRC reset message includes the setting of a candidate target cell, the processing unit determines that the candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on whether the candidate target cell does not satisfy a second condition, determines that the candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on whether the candidate target cell satisfies the second condition, and applies the setting included in the RRC reset message to the candidate target cell that has been determined to be an applicable cell based on whether the first condition has been met, the second condition being that intermittent cell transmission to a common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated.

[0010] (2) Another aspect of the present invention is a method applied to a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, comprising the steps of: receiving RRC signaling including conditional reset information from the base station device; determining that a candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell does not satisfy a second condition; determining that a candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell satisfies the second condition; and applying the settings included in the RRC reset message to the candidate target cell that has been determined to be an applicable cell, based on the fact that the first condition has been met, wherein the conditional reset information includes one or more entries, each of which includes information on an RRC reset message and the conditions for applying the RRC reset message (the first condition), the RRC reset message includes the settings of the candidate target cell, and the second condition is that intermittent cell transmission to a common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated.

[0011] (3) Another aspect of the present invention is an integrated circuit implemented in a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, which causes the terminal device to perform the following functions: receiving RRC signaling including conditional reset information from the base station device; determining that a candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell does not satisfy a second condition; determining that a candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell satisfies the second condition; and applying the settings included in the RRC reset message to the candidate target cell that has been determined to be an applicable cell based on the fact that the first condition has been determined to be satisfied, wherein the conditional reset information includes one or more entries, each of which includes information on an RRC reset message and the conditions for applying the RRC reset message (the first condition), the RRC reset message includes the settings of the candidate target cell, and the second condition is that intermittent cell transmission to the common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated.

[0012] These comprehensive or specific embodiments may be implemented as systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, or recording media, or as any combination of systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, and recording media.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, terminal devices, methods, and integrated circuits can achieve efficient communication control processing.

[0014] A schematic diagram of the communication system according to this embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the NR protocol configuration according to this embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the procedure flow for various settings in RRC according to this embodiment. A block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device in this embodiment. A block diagram showing the configuration of the base station device in this embodiment. An example of processing in this embodiment. An example of processing in this embodiment.

[0015] This embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] This embodiment may be applied to NR, LTE and other RATs. While the following description uses terminology related to NR, this embodiment may be applied to technologies using other terminology and / or other radio access technologies.

[0017] In this embodiment, the names of each node and entity, and the processing at each node and entity, are described when the wireless access technology is NR, but this embodiment may be applied to other wireless access technologies. The names of each node and entity, and the names of parameters and messages in this embodiment may differ from those described in this embodiment.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication system according to this embodiment. The functions of each node, wireless access technology, core network, interface, etc., described using Figure 1 are only some of the functions closely related to this embodiment, and other functions may also be present.

[0019] NR106 may be a wireless access technology. NR106 may also be an air interface between UE122 and gNB108. The air interface between UE122 and gNB108 may be called a Uu interface. gNB108 may be the base station equipment for NR106. gNB108 may have the NR protocol described below. The NR protocol may consist of the NR User Plane (UP) protocol and the NR Control Plane (CP) protocol described below. gNB108 may terminate the NR User Plane (UP) protocol and the NR Control Plane (CP) protocol to UE122.

[0020] 5GC110 may be the core network. Interface 116 is the interface between gNB108 and 5GC110 and may be called the NG interface. Interface 116 may have a control plane interface through which control signals pass, and / or a user plane interface through which user data passes. The control plane interface of interface 116 may be terminated by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF: not shown) in 5GC110. The user plane interface of interface 116 may be terminated by the User Plane Function (UPF: not shown) in 5GC110. The control plane interface of interface 116 may be called the NG-C interface. The user plane interface of interface 116 may be called the NG-U interface.

[0021] One or more gNB108s may be connected to the 5GC110 via interface 116. Interfaces may exist between multiple gNB108s connected to the 5GC110 (not shown). The interfaces between multiple gNB108s connected to the 5GC110 may be called Xn interfaces.

[0022] UE122 may be a terminal device capable of receiving system information and paging messages transmitted from gNB108. UE122 may also be a terminal device capable of wireless connection with gNB108. UE122 may have the NR protocol. Note that the wireless connection may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection. Furthermore, UE122 may be a terminal device capable of connecting with 5GC110 via gNB108.

[0023] Furthermore, if the gNB108 with which UE122 communicates is connected to the 5GC110 core network, each DRB established between UE122 and gNB108 may be further linked to one of the PDU (Packet Data Unit) sessions established within 5GC110. Each PDU session may have one or more QoS flows. Each DRB may be mapped to one or more QoS flows, or it may not be mapped to any QoS flow. Each PDU session may be identified by a PDU session identifier (Identity, or ID). Each QoS flow may also be identified by a QoS flow identifier (Identity, or ID). In addition, the same QoS may be guaranteed for data such as IP packets and Ethernet frames passing through the same QoS flow.

[0024] In the following explanation, gNB108 will also be referred to simply as the base station device, and UE122 will also be referred to simply as the terminal device or UE.

[0025] Figure 2(A) is a diagram of the NR User Plane (UP) protocol stack. As shown in Figure 2(A), the NRUP protocol may be a protocol between the UE122 and the gNB108. That is, the NR UP protocol may be a protocol that terminates at the gNB108 on the network side. As shown in Figure 2(A), the NR User Plane protocol stack may consist of the PHY300, which is the wireless physical layer; the MAC302, which is the media access control layer; the RLC304, which is the wireless link control layer; the PDCP306, which is the packet data convergence protocol layer; and the SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol)310, which is the service data adaptation protocol layer.

[0026] Figure 2(B) is a diagram of the NR control plane (CP) protocol configuration. As shown in Figure 2(B), in the NR CP protocol, the RRC308, which is the radio resource control layer, may be a protocol between the UE122 and the gNB108. That is, the RRC308 may be a protocol that terminates at the gNB108 on the network side. Also, in the NR CP protocol, the NAS312, which is a non-AS layer, may be a protocol between the UE122 and the AMF. That is, the NAS312 may be a protocol that terminates at the AMF on the network side.

[0027] The AS (Access Stratum) layer may be the layer that terminates between UE122 and gNB108. That is, the AS layer may be a layer that includes some or all of PHY200 (PHY layer), MAC202 (MAC layer), RLC204 (RLC layer), PDCP206 (PDCP layer), SDAP310 (SDAP layer), and RRC208 (RRC layer), and / or a layer that includes some or all of PHY300, MAC302, RLC304, PDCP306, SDAP310, and RRC308.

[0028] This section describes entities in the AS layer of NR. Entities that possess some or all of the functions of the MAC layer may be called MAC entities. Entities that possess some or all of the functions of the RLC layer may be called RLC entities. Entities that possess some or all of the functions of the PDCP layer may be called PDCP entities. Entities that possess some or all of the functions of the SDAP layer may be called SDAP entities. Entities that possess some or all of the functions of the RRC layer may be called RRC entities. MAC entities, RLC entities, PDCP entities, SDAP entities, and RRC entities may be replaced with MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, and RRC, respectively.

[0029] Furthermore, the data provided from MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP to lower layers, and / or the data provided from lower layers to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP, may be referred to as MAC PDU (Protocol Data Unit), RLC PDU, PDCP PDU, and SDAP PDU, respectively. Also, the data provided from higher layers to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP, and / or the data provided from MAC, RLC, PDCP, and SDAP to higher layers, may be referred to as MAC SDU (Service Data Unit), RLC SDU, PDCP SDU, and SDAP SDU, respectively. In addition, a segmented RLC SDU may be referred to as an RLC SDU segment.

[0030] Here, the base station equipment and the terminal equipment exchange (send and receive) signals at the higher layer. The higher layer may also be called the upper layer, and they are interchangeable. For example, the base station equipment and the terminal equipment may send and receive RRC messages (also called RRC message or RRC signalling) at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. Also, the base station equipment and the terminal equipment may send and receive MAC control elements at the MAC (Medium Access Control) layer. Furthermore, the RRC layer of the terminal equipment acquires system information broadcast from the base station equipment. Here, RRC messages, system information, and / or MAC control elements are also called higher layer signals (higher layer signaling) or higher layer parameters (higher layer parameters). Each of the parameters included in the higher layer signal received by the terminal equipment may also be called a higher layer parameter. For example, in the processing of the PHY layer, the upper layer refers to the layer above the PHY layer, and may refer to one or more of the MAC layer, RRC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, NAS (Non-Access Stratum) layer, etc. For example, in the processing of the MAC layer, the upper layer may refer to one or more of the RRC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, NAS layer, etc.

[0031] In the following, the phrases "A is provided in the upper layer" or "A is provided by the upper layer" may mean that the upper layer of the terminal device (mainly the RRC layer or MAC layer, etc.) receives A from the base station device, and that received A is provided from the upper layer of the terminal device to the lower layer of the terminal device (mainly the MAC layer or physical layer). For example, "upper layer parameters are provided" in the terminal device may mean that the terminal device receives an upper layer signal from the base station device, and the upper layer parameters contained in the received upper layer signal are provided from the upper layer of the terminal device to the lower layer of the terminal device. "Upper layer parameters are set in the terminal device" may mean that upper layer parameters are provided to the terminal device. For example, "upper layer parameters are set in the terminal device" may mean that the terminal device receives an upper layer signal from the base station device and sets the received upper layer parameters in the upper layer. However, "upper layer parameters are set in the terminal device" may also include the setting of default parameters that are pre-assigned to the upper layer of the terminal device. When describing the transmission of an RRC message from a terminal device to a base station device, the expression "submitting a message from the RRC entity of the terminal device to a lower layer" is sometimes used. In a terminal device, "submitting a message to a lower layer" from the RRC entity may also mean submitting a message to the PDCP layer. In a terminal device, "submitting a message to a lower layer" from the RRC layer may also mean submitting a message to the PDCP entity corresponding to each SRB, since RRC messages are transmitted using SRBs (SRB0, SRB1, SRB2, SRB3, etc.). When the RRC entity of the terminal device receives an indication from a lower layer, that lower layer may mean one or more layers such as the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, etc.

[0032] An example of PHY functionality is described below. The terminal device's PHY may have the function of receiving data transmitted from the base station device's PHY via the Downlink (DL) physical channel. The terminal device's PHY may also have the function of transmitting data to the base station device's PHY via the Uplink (UL) physical channel. The PHY may be connected to a higher-level MAC via a Transport Channel. The PHY may transfer data to the MAC via the Transport Channel. The PHY may also receive data from the MAC via the Transport Channel. In the PHY, an RNTI (Radio Network Temporary Identifier) ​​may be used to identify various control information.

[0033] Now, let's explain physical channels. The following physical channels may be included in the physical channels used for wireless communication between terminal equipment and base station equipment.

[0034] PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel)

[0035] PBCH may be used to broadcast system information required by terminal devices.

[0036] Furthermore, in NR, the PBCH may be used to announce the time index (SSB-Index) within the period of the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB).

[0037] PDCCH may be used to transmit (or carry) Downlink Control Information (DCI) in downlink wireless communication (wireless communication from base station equipment to terminal equipment). Here, one or more DCIs (which may also be called DCI formats) may be defined for the transmission of downlink control information. That is, fields for downlink control information may be defined as DCIs and mapped to information bits. PDCCH may be transmitted in PDCCH candidates. Terminal equipment may monitor a set of PDCCH candidates in a serving cell. Monitoring a set of PDCCH candidates may mean attempting to decode a PDCCH according to a certain DCI format. Terminal equipment may also monitor PDCCH candidates in configured monitoring occasions within one or more configured control resource sets (CORESET) set by the search space configuration. The DCI format may be used for scheduling PUSCHs in a serving cell. PUSCHs may be used for transmitting user data or RRC messages, as described later.

[0038] PUCCH may be used to transmit Uplink Control Information (UCI) in uplink wireless communication (wireless communication from terminal equipment to base station equipment). Here, Uplink Control Information may include Channel State Information (CSI), which is used to indicate the state of the downlink channel. Furthermore, Uplink Control Information may include Scheduling Requests (SR), which are used to request UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel) resources. Furthermore, Uplink Control Information may include HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest ACKnowledgement).

[0039] PDSCH may be used to transmit downlink data (DL-SCH: Downlink Shared Channel) from the MAC layer. In the case of downlinks, PDSCH may also be used to transmit system information (SI) and random access responses (RAR).

[0040] PUSCH may be used to transmit uplink data (UL-SCH: Uplink Shared Channel) from the MAC layer or HARQ-ACK and / or CSI along with uplink data. Alternatively, PUSCH may be used to transmit only CSI, or only HARQ-ACK and CSI. In other words, PUSCH may be used to transmit only UCI. Furthermore, PDSCH or PUSCH may be used to transmit RRC messages and MAC CE, which will be described later. Here, in PDSCH, the RRC message transmitted from the base station equipment may be a common signaling to multiple terminal devices within a cell. Alternatively, the RRC message transmitted from the base station equipment may be dedicated signaling to a particular terminal device. In other words, UE-specific information may be transmitted using dedicated signaling to a particular terminal device. Furthermore, PUSCH may be used to transmit UE Capability on the uplink.

[0041] PRACH may be used to send a random access preamble. PRACH may also be used to indicate the initial connection establishment procedure, handover procedure, connection re-establishment procedure, synchronization (timing adjustment) for uplink transmissions, and requests for UL-SCH resources.

[0042] An example of MAC functionality is described below. MAC may also be called a MAC sublayer. MAC may have the function of mapping various logical channels to corresponding transport channels. Logical channels may be identified by a Logical Channel Identity (Logical Channel ID). MAC may be connected to the higher-level RLC via logical channels. Logical channels may be divided into control channels that transmit control information and traffic channels that transmit user information, depending on the type of information being transmitted. Logical channels may also be divided into uplink logical channels and downlink logical channels. MAC may have the function of multiplexing MAC SDUs belonging to one or more different logical channels and providing them to the PHY. MAC may also have the function of demultiplexing MAC PDUs provided from the PHY and providing them to the higher layer via the logical channel to which each MAC SDU belongs. MAC may also have the function of performing error correction through HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). MAC may also have a scheduling reporting function that reports scheduling information. MAC may have a function to prioritize between terminal devices using dynamic scheduling. MAC may also have a function to prioritize between logical channels within a single terminal device. MAC may have a function to prioritize overlapping resources within a single terminal device. MAC may have a function to identify Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS). MAC may also have a function to identify Multicast Broadcast Service (MBS). MBS is also called MBS service. MBS services provided via broadcast are also called broadcast services or MBS broadcast services.The MBS service provided by multicast is also referred to as a multicast service or an MBS multicast service. The MAC may have a function of selecting a transport format. The MAC may have functions of performing discontinuous reception (DRX) and / or discontinuous transmission (DTX), executing a random access (RA) procedure, notifying information on transmit power, a power headroom report (PHR) function, notifying data volume information of a transmit buffer, a buffer status report (BSR) function, etc. The MAC may have a bandwidth adaptation (BA) function. Further, the MAC PDU may include a MAC control element (MAC CE), which is an element for performing control in the MAC.

[0043] The uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) logical channels used in NR will be described.

[0044] The BCCH (Broadcast Control Channel) may be a downlink logical channel for notifying (broadcasting) control information such as system information (SI).

[0045] The PCCH (Paging Control Channel) may be a downlink logical channel for carrying paging messages.

[0046] The CCCH (Common Control Channel) may be a logical channel for transmitting control information between a terminal device and a base station device. The CCCH may be used when the terminal device does not have an RRC connection. Further, the CCCH may be used between a base station device and a plurality of terminal devices.

[0047] The DCCH (Dedicated Control Channel) may be a logical channel for transmitting dedicated control information in a one-to-one (point-to-point) and bi-directional manner between a terminal device and a base station device. The dedicated control information may be control information dedicated to each terminal device. The DCCH may be used when the terminal device has an RRC connection.

[0048] The DTCH (Dedicated Traffic Channel) may be a logical channel for transmitting user data in a one-to-one (point-to-point) manner between a terminal device and a base station device. The DTCH may be a logical channel for transmitting dedicated user data. The dedicated user data may be user data dedicated to each terminal device. The DTCH may exist on both the uplink and the downlink.

[0049] The MCCH (Multicast Control Channel) may be a one-to-multipoint downlink channel for sending MBMS control information for one or more MTCHs from a base station device to a terminal device. The MCCH may be a logical channel for multicast and / or broadcast. The MCCH may carry the MBS broadcast configuration (MBSBroadcastConfiguration) provided in the cell where the MCCH is transmitted.

[0050] The MTCH (Multicast Traffic Channel) may be a one-to-multipoint downlink channel for transmitting data from a base station device to a terminal device. The MTCH may be a logical channel for multicast and / or broadcast.

[0051] The mapping between the logical channel and the transport channel for the uplink in NR will be described.

[0052] The CCCH may be mapped to the UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel), which is an uplink transport channel.

[0053] DCCH may be mapped to UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel), which is an uplink transport channel.

[0054] DTCH may be mapped to UL-SCH (Uplink Shared Channel), which is an uplink transport channel.

[0055] This section describes the mapping between logical channels and transport channels in downlinks in NR.

[0056] BCCH may be mapped to a downlink transport channel, BCH (Broadcast Channel), and / or DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel).

[0057] The PCCH may be mapped to the PCH (Paging Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0058] CCCH may be mapped to DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0059] DCCH may be mapped to DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0060] DTCH may be mapped to DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0061] MCCH may be mapped to DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0062] MTCH may be mapped to DL-SCH (Downlink Shared Channel), which is a downlink transport channel.

[0063] An example of RLC functionality is described below. RLC may also be called an RLC sublayer. E-UTRA RLC may have the functionality to segment and / or concatenate data provided from the upper layer PDCP and provide it to the lower layer. E-UTRA RLC may have the functionality to reassemble and reorder data provided from the lower layer and provide it to the upper layer. RLC may have the functionality to add a sequence number to the data provided from the upper layer PDCP that is independent of the sequence number added by the PDCP. RLC may also have the functionality to segment the data provided from the PDCP and provide it to the lower layer. RLC may also have the functionality to reassemble data provided from the lower layer and provide it to the upper layer. RLC may also have a data retransmission function and / or retransmission request function (Automatic Repeat reQuest: ARQ). RLC may also have an error correction function using ARQ. To perform ARQ, control information sent from the receiver to the transmitter of an RLC, indicating data that needs to be retransmitted, can be called a status report. The instruction to send a status report, sent from the transmitter to the receiver of an RLC, can be called a poll. RLC may also have a function to detect duplicate data. RLC may also have a data discard function. RLC may have three modes: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). In TM mode, data received from higher layers is not split, and an RLC header is not required. A TM RLC entity is a unidirectional entity and may be configured as a transmitting TM RLC entity or a receiving TM RLC entity.UM performs tasks such as splitting and / or merging data received from higher layers and adding RLC headers, but does not need to control data retransmission. UM RLC entities may be unidirectional or bidirectional. If a UM RLC entity is unidirectional, it may be configured as a transmitting UM RLC entity or a receiving UM RLC entity. If a UM RLC entity is bidirectional, it may be configured as a UM RLC entity consisting of a transmitting side and a receiving side. AM may perform tasks such as splitting and / or merging data received from higher layers, adding RLC headers, and controlling data retransmission. AM RLC entities are bidirectional entities and may be configured as AM RLCs consisting of a transmitting side and a receiving side. Data provided to lower layers by TM, and / or data provided by lower layers, may be called TMD PDUs. Similarly, data provided to lower layers by UM, and / or data provided by lower layers, may be called UMD PDUs. Furthermore, data provided to lower layers by AM, or data provided by lower layers, may be called AMD PDUs. Additionally, RLC PDUs may consist of data RLC PDUs and control RLC PDUs. Data RLC PDUs may be called RLC DATA PDUs (RLC Data PDUs, RLC data PDUs). Control RLC PDUs may be called RLC CONTROL PDUs (RLC Control PDUs, RLC control PDUs, RLC control PDUs).

[0064] This section describes some examples of PDCP functionality. PDCP may be referred to as the PDCP sublayer. PDCP may have a function for maintaining sequence numbers. PDCP may also have a header compression / decompression function for efficiently transmitting user data such as IP packets and Ethernet frames over the wireless section. The protocol used for compressing and decompressing IP packet headers may be called the ROHC (Robust Header Compression) protocol. The protocol used for compressing and decompressing Ethernet frame headers may be called the EHC (Ethernet® Header Compression) protocol. PDCP may also have data encryption / decryption functions. PDCP may also have data integrity protection and integrity verification functions. PDCP may also have a re-ordering function. PDCP may also have a PDCP SDU retransmission function. PDCP may also have a data discard function using a discard timer. PDCP may also have a duplication function. PDCP may also have a function for discarding duplicate received data. A PDCP entity is a bidirectional entity and may consist of a transmitting PDCP entity and a receiving PDCP entity. A PDCP PDU may also consist of a data PDCP PDU and a control PDCP PDU. The data PDCP PDU may be called a PDCP DATA PDU (PDCP Data PDU). The control PDCP PDU may be called a PDCP CONTROL PDU (PDCP Control PDU).

[0065] This section describes an example of SDAP functionality. SDAP is a Service Data Adaptive Protocol Layer (SPD). SDAP may have the function of mapping downlink QoS flows sent from the 5GC110 to the terminal device via the base station equipment to the Data Radio Bearer (DRB), and / or mapping uplink QoS flows sent from the terminal device to the 5GC110 via the base station equipment to the DRB. SDAP may also have the function of storing mapping rule information. SDAP may also have the function of marking QoS flow identifiers (QoS Flow ID: QFI). Note that there may be data SDAP PDUs and control SDAP PDUs. Data SDAP PDUs may be called SDAP DATA PDUs (SDAP Data PDUs). Control SDAP PDUs may be called SDAP CONTROL PDUs (SDAP Control PDUs). Note that there may be one SDAP entity for each PDU session in the terminal device.

[0066] An example of RRC functionality is described below. RRC may have broadcast functionality. RRC may have paging functionality from 5GC110. RRC may also have RRC connection management functionality. RRC may also have wireless bearer control functionality. RRC may also have cell group control functionality. RRC may also have mobility control functionality. RRC may also have terminal device measurement reporting and terminal device measurement reporting control functionality. RRC may also have QoS management functionality. RRC may also have wireless link failure detection and recovery functionality. RRC may use RRC messages to perform broadcasting, paging, RRC connection management, wireless bearer control, cell group control, mobility control, terminal device measurement reporting and terminal device measurement reporting control, QoS management, wireless link failure detection and recovery, etc.

[0067] RRC messages may be sent using the logical channels BCCH. In addition to or instead, RRC messages may be sent using the logical channel PCCH. In addition to or instead, RRC messages may be sent using the logical channel CCCH. In addition to or instead, RRC messages may be sent using the logical channel DCCH. In addition to or instead, RRC messages may be sent using the logical channel MCCH. Furthermore, RRC messages sent using DCCH are referred to as dedicated RRC signaling or simply RRC signaling.

[0068] RRC messages sent using BCCH may include, for example, a Master Information Block (MIB), a System Information Block (SIB) of each type, or other RRC messages. RRC messages sent using PCCH may include, for example, a paging message or other RRC messages.

[0069] RRC messages sent in the uplink (UL) direction using CCCH may include, for example, RRC Setup Request, RRC Resume Request, RRC Reestablishment Request, and RRC System Info Request. They may also include, for example, RRC Connection Request, RRC Connection Resume Request, and RRC Connection Reestablishment Request. Other RRC messages may also be included.

[0070] RRC messages sent in the downlink (DL) direction using CCCH may include, for example, RRCReject messages and RRC Setup messages. Other RRC messages may also be included.

[0071] RRC signaling sent in the uplink (UL) direction using DCCH may include, for example, Measurement Report messages, RRC Reconfiguration Complete messages, RRC Setup Complete messages, RRC Reestablishment Complete messages, RRC Resume Complete messages, Security Mode Complete messages, and UE Capability Information messages. Other RRC signaling may also be included.

[0072] RRC signaling sent in the downlink (DL) direction using DCCH may include, for example, RRC Reconfiguration messages, RRC Resume messages, RRC Release messages, RRC Reestablishment messages, Security Mode Command messages, and UE Capability Enquiry messages. Other RRC signaling may also be included.

[0073] RRC messages sent in the downlink (DL) direction using MCCH may include, for example, MBS broadcast configuration messages (MBSBroadcastConfiguration messages). Other RRC signaling may also be included.

[0074] This section describes some examples of NAS functionality. A NAS may have authentication capabilities. It may also have mobility management capabilities. Furthermore, a NAS may have security control capabilities.

[0075] The aforementioned PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions are merely examples, and some or all of each function may not be implemented. Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each layer may be included in other layers.

[0076] Next, we will explain the state transitions of UE122 in NR. When a UE122 connected to 5GC has an RRC connection, it may be in the RRC_CONNECTED state. The state of having an RRC connection may include the state in which UE122 holds some or all of the UE context described below. The state of having an RRC connection may also include the state in which UE122 can send and / or receive unicast data. When the RRC connection is suspended, UE122 may be in the RRC_INACTIVE state. Furthermore, UE122 may be in the RRC_INACTIVE state when it is connected to 5GC and the RRC connection is suspended. When UE122 is neither in the RRC_CONNECTED state nor the RRC_INACTIVE state, it may be in the RRC_IDLE state.

[0077] The RRC_CONNECTED state, RRC_INACTIVE state, and RRC_IDLE state may be referred to as connected mode, inactive mode, and idle mode, respectively, or as RRC connected mode, RRC inactive mode, and RRC idle mode.

[0078] The AS context of the UE held by UE122 may include all or part of the following information: the current RRC settings, the current security context, the PDCP status including the ROHC (RObust Header Compression) status, the C-RNTI (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier) ​​used by the source PCell, the cell identifier, and the physical cell identifier of the source PCell. The AS context of the UE held by any or all of eNB102 and gNB108 may include the same information as the AS context of the UE held by UE122, or it may include information different from the information included in the AS context of the UE held by UE122.

[0079] The security context may include all or part of the following at the AS level: the encryption key, the NH (Next Hop parameter), the NCC (Next Hop Chaining Counter parameter) used to derive the next hop access key, the identifier of the selected AS-level encryption algorithm, and the counter used for replay protection.

[0080] Next, we will describe the Serving Cell. In terminal devices in an RRC connection state where the CA and / or DC described later are not set, the Serving Cell may consist of one Primary Cell (PCell). Also, in terminal devices in an RRC connection state where the CA and / or DC described later are set, multiple Serving Cells may mean a set of multiple cells consisting of one or more Special Cells (SpCells) and one or more all Secondary Cells (SCells). SpCells may support PUCCH transmission and contention-based Random Access (CBRA), and SpCells may always be activated. A PCell may be a cell used in the RRC connection establishment procedure when a terminal device in an RRC idle state transitions to an RRC connection state. A PCell may also be a cell used in the RRC connection re-establishment procedure when a terminal device re-establishes the RRC connection. A PCell may also be a cell used in the random access procedure during handover. PSCell may be a cell used in the random access procedure when adding a secondary node, as described later. SpCell may be a cell used for purposes other than those mentioned above.

[0081] If a group of serving cells configured for a terminal device consists of a SpCell and one or more SCells, it may be considered that carrier aggregation (CA) is configured for the terminal device. Furthermore, for a terminal device with CA configured, a cell providing additional radio resources to a SpCell may mean an SCell.

[0082] This section describes a cell group, which is configured on a terminal device by a base station device. A cell group may consist of one SpCell. Alternatively, a cell group may consist of one SpCell and one or more SCells. In other words, a cell group may consist of one SpCell and, optionally, one or more SCells. A cell group may also be described as a set of cell(s).

[0083] Dual Connectivity (DC) is a technology that enables data communication using the radio resources of cell groups configured by a first base station device (first node) and a second base station device (second node). When DC or MR-DC (described later) is performed, cell groups may be added to terminal devices from the base station device. To perform DC, the first base station device may add a second base station device. The first base station device may be called the Master Node (MN). The cell group configured by the Master Node may be called the Master Cell Group (MCG). The second base station device may be called the Secondary Node (SN). The cell group configured by the Secondary Node may be called the Secondary Cell Group (SCG). Note that the Master Node and Secondary Node may be configured within the same base station device.

[0084] Furthermore, when a DC is not configured, the cell group configured on the terminal device may be called an MCG. Also, when a DC is not configured, the SpCell configured on the terminal device may be a PCell. Furthermore, an NR without a configured DC may be called an NR standalone (NR SA).

[0085] In a terminal device, there may be one MAC entity for each cell group. For example, when a DC is configured on a terminal device, there may be one MAC entity for the MCG and one MAC entity for the SCG. The MAC entity for the MCG on a terminal device may always be established in all states of the terminal device (RRC idle state, RRC connected state, and RRC inactive state, etc.). The MAC entity for the SCG on a terminal device may be created by the terminal device when an SCG is configured on the terminal device. The MAC entities for each cell group on a terminal device may be established when the terminal device receives RRC signaling from the base station device. When a MAC entity is associated with an MCG, SpCell may mean a PCell. When a MAC entity is associated with an SCG, SpCell may mean a Primary SCG Cell (PSCell). When a MAC entity is not associated with a cell group, SpCell may mean a PCell. PCell, PSCell, and SCell are serving cells. Furthermore, the statement that there is one MAC entity for each cell group can be rephrased as "there is one MAC entity for each SpCell." Similarly, the statement that there is one MAC entity for each cell group can be rephrased as "there is one MAC entity for each SpCell."

[0086] The flow of RRC signaling transmitted and received between the terminal device and the base station device will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of procedures for various settings in the RRC according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is an example of the flow when RRC signaling is sent from the base station device (gNB108) to the terminal device (UE122).

[0087] In Figure 3, the base station device creates an RRC message (step S400). The creation of an RRC message by the base station device may be performed to distribute system information (SI) or paging messages. Alternatively, the creation of an RRC message by the base station device may be performed to send an RRC signaling to a specific terminal device to perform an action. The actions to be performed by a specific terminal device may include, for example, security settings, RRC connection reconfiguration, handover to a different RAT, suspension of an RRC connection, and release of an RRC connection. RRC connection reconfiguration processes may include, for example, control of radio bearers (establish, change, release, etc.), control of cell groups (establish, add, change, release, etc.), measurement settings, handover, security key update, etc. The creation of an RRC message by the base station device may also be performed in response to an RRC signaling sent from a terminal device. Responses to RRC signaling transmitted from a terminal device may include, for example, responses to RRC setup requests, RRC reconnection requests, and RRC restart requests. RRC messages contain various information notifications and configuration information (parameters). These parameters may be fields of the RRC message and / or information elements, or the values ​​of fields (including information elements). The structure of an RRC message may be described using the ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) notation scheme.

[0088] In Figure 3, the base station device then transmits the created RRC signaling to the terminal device (step S402). The terminal device then performs any necessary processing, such as configuration, according to the received RRC signaling (step S404). The terminal device that has performed the processing may transmit a response RRC signaling to the base station device (not shown).

[0089] RRC signaling may be used for purposes other than those mentioned above.

[0090] This section explains the system information.

[0091] System information may be divided into a Master Information Block (MIB) and multiple System Information Blocks (SIBs). Furthermore, system information may include information blocks other than MIBs and SIBs.

[0092] MIB may be transmitted periodically from the base station equipment via BCH. MIB may contain parameters necessary to obtain SIB1. SIB1 may be transmitted periodically from the base station equipment via DL-SCH. SIB1 may contain information regarding the availability and scheduling of other SIBs. For example, SIB1 may contain multiple fields, one of which may contain system information scheduling information. System information scheduling information may contain information regarding whether one or more SIBs are broadcast, information regarding the broadcast period, and / or other information.

[0093] SIBs other than SIB1 may be included in the system information message (SI message) and transmitted from the base station equipment via DL-SCH. The system information message may contain one or more SIBs.

[0094] A terminal device may apply a system information acquisition procedure to obtain system information. This procedure may be applied to terminal devices in the RRC_IDLE state, RRC_INACTIVE state, and RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0095] The terminal device may apply the system information retrieval procedure when selecting a cell, re-selecting a cell, or returning to coverage from outside the coverage area. Furthermore, the terminal device may apply the system information retrieval procedure when it does not possess a valid version of the SIB.

[0096] This section explains intermittent cell transmission / reception (cell DTX / DRX).

[0097] Base station equipment may control radio transmission and / or radio reception in the cells it provides for purposes such as network energy saving. For example, to reduce the active time of downlink transmission and / or uplink reception of the base station equipment, terminal equipment may be configured to set a periodic cell DTX / DRX pattern (i.e., active and inactive periods for transmission and / or reception). This cell DTX / DRX pattern may also be common within a cell for multiple terminal equipment that have this setting. Cell DTX and cell DRX patterns may be configured independently. Cell DTX and cell DRX patterns may also be enabled independently. Furthermore, up to N (e.g., 2) cell DTX / DRX patterns may be configured for each MAC entity for multiple serving cells.

[0098] When Cell DTX is configured and enabled for a target cell, the terminal device does not need to monitor PDCCH in certain cases during the inactivity period of Cell DTX. Also, when Cell DTX is configured and enabled for a target cell, the terminal device does not need to monitor SPS occasions during the inactivity period of Cell DTX. When Cell DRX is configured and enabled for a target cell, the terminal device does not need to send on configured grant resources during the inactivity period of Cell DRX. Also, when Cell DRX is configured and enabled for a target cell, the terminal device does not need to send SRs during the inactivity period of Cell DRX.

[0099] This feature may be applied to terminal devices in an RRC-connected state and may not affect random access procedures, SSB transmissions, paging, and broadcasting of system information. Cell DTX / DRX may be enabled / disabled by an RRC signal or an L1 group common signal. In addition to or instead of this, this feature may be applied to terminal devices in an RRC idle state (and / or RRC inactive state).

[0100] Furthermore, cell DTX / DRX may be characterized as follows: Active period: The period during which terminal equipment waits to receive PDCCH and / or SPS occasions and transmits SR or CG. During this period, base station equipment's PDCCH transmissions, SPS transmissions, SR receptions, CG receptions, periodic CSI report receptions, and semi-persistent CSI report receptions do not affect the purpose of network energy saving. Cycle: Specifies the periodic repetition of the active period and the subsequent inactive period.

[0101] The active period and cycle parameters may be common parameters if both cell DTX and cell DRX are configured. Once the base station equipment recognizes that there is an emergency call or public safety-related service, the network may operate in a way that does not affect that service (e.g., by releasing or disabling the cell DTX / DRX configuration). The network may also be configured so that there is at least partial overlap between the on period of the terminal device's connection mode DRX and the active period of the cell DTX / DRX. That is, the periodicity of the terminal device's connection mode DRX may be a multiple of the periodicity of the cell DTX / DRX, and the periodicity of the cell DTX / DRX may be a multiple of the periodicity of the terminal device's connection mode DRX.

[0102] If the base station equipment has enabled or is attempting to enable cell DTX / DRX, it may use the cell's broadcast information to allow access from terminal devices in an RRC idle state (and / or RRC inactive state) that are compatible with cell DTX / DRX, and to deny access from terminal devices in an RRC idle state (and / or RRC inactive state) that are not compatible with cell DTX / DRX.

[0103] Conditional reconfiguration is described below. The network sets one or more candidate target SpCells (also referred to as candidate target cells) for a terminal device through conditional reconfiguration. The terminal device evaluates the conditions for the set candidate target SpCells. Based on the evaluation, the terminal device applies one of the conditional reconfigurations associated with the one or more candidate target SpCells that satisfy the execution conditions. The terminal device may also maintain a list of entries (VarConditionalReconfig) described later for conditional reconfiguration.

[0104] Conditional resetting may be referred to as conditional handover when the candidate target SpCell is an MCG SpCell (i.e., a PCell). Alternatively, conditional resetting may be referred to as conditional PSCell addition and / or conditional PSCell modification when the candidate target SpCell is an SCG SpCell (i.e., a PSCell).

[0105] As part of the conditional reset setting process, the terminal device may, upon receiving information regarding conditional resets (e.g., conditional reset information elements), remove the conditional reset settings specified in the entry deletion list (condReconfigToRemoveList) from the settings held by the terminal device if the information regarding conditional resets includes an entry deletion list. Specifically, if an entry identifier (condReconfigId) included in the entry deletion list is included in the list of entries held by the terminal device, the terminal device may delete the entry corresponding to the entry identifier from the list of entries held by the terminal device.

[0106] In the following explanation, the list of conditional reset entries held by the terminal device will also be simply referred to as the entry list. That is, unless otherwise specified, "entry list" in the following explanation refers to the list of conditional reset entries held by the terminal device. The conditional reset entry list may also be a variable named VarConditionalReconfig. The entry identifier will also be simply referred to as the entry identifier.

[0107] As part of the conditional reset setting process, if the information regarding the conditional reset includes an entry addition / modification list (condReconfigToAddModList), the terminal device may add the conditional reset settings included in the entry addition / modification list to the entry list maintained by the terminal device, or modify the entry list. The entry addition / modification list may be a list of one or more conditional reset information elements. Each entry in the entry list maintained by the terminal device may be set by the conditional reset information element. The conditional reset information element may include an entry identifier, an execution condition, and a conditional RRC reset information element.

[0108] Specifically, if each entry identifier included in the entry addition / modification list exists in an entry in the entry list, the terminal device may perform the following processes (A) and / or (B): (A) If an entry included in the entry addition / modification list includes an execution condition (condExecutionCond), the execution condition of the entry in the entry list that matches the entry identifier of this entry is replaced with the execution condition included in the entry addition / modification list. (B) If an entry included in the entry addition / modification list includes a conditional RRC reconfiguration information element (condRRCReconfig), the conditional RRC reconfiguration information element of the entry list that matches the entry identifier of this entry is replaced with the conditional RRC reconfiguration information element included in the entry addition / modification list.

[0109] Furthermore, if an entry identifier included in the entry addition / modification list is not included in the entry list, the terminal device may add a new entry to the entry list corresponding to the entry identifier that is not included in the entry list.

[0110] The entry deletion list may be a list of one or more entry identifiers to be deleted. Each entry included in the entry addition / modification list may include an entry identifier, and in addition, may include execution conditions and / or conditional RRC reset information elements. Each entry may be associated with one of one or more candidate target SpCells. The entry identifier may be an identifier used to identify each entry of CHO, CPA, and CPC. The entry list may include one or more entries. Each entry may include one entry identifier, one or more execution conditions, and one conditional RRC reset information element. If the entry list held by the terminal device does not contain any entries, the terminal device may hold an empty list. The execution conditions may be conditions that must be met to trigger the execution of conditional reset. The conditional RRC reset information elements may be messages regarding the reset of the RRC connection that are applied when the execution conditions are met. The messages regarding the reset of the RRC connection may be messages used to connect to a candidate target SpCell.

[0111] A terminal device may consider a cell having the same cell identifier as the physical cell identifier contained in the conditional RRC reconfiguration information element included in each entry in the entry list held by the terminal device as an applicable cell. The physical cell identifier may be included in a specific information element of the conditional RRC reconfiguration information element (for example, the reconfiguration with Sync IE element). The terminal device may evaluate the execution conditions of the entries included in the entry list held by the terminal device. If the entry list held by the terminal device is empty or does not hold an entry list, the evaluation of the execution conditions is not required.

[0112] Conditional resetting may be performed by the terminal device evaluating the execution conditions of entries in the entry list it holds and, if one or more execution conditions for applicable cells are met, applying the conditional RRC resetting information element contained in the entry containing those execution conditions. Applying the conditional RRC resetting information element may be performed by using that conditional RRC resetting information element to execute the RRC resetting procedure. In addition to or instead of this, the terminal device may evaluate the execution conditions of entries in the entry list it holds and, if the execution conditions are met for cells other than those considered applicable cells, not apply the conditional RRC resetting information element contained in the entry containing those execution conditions.

[0113] If there are multiple entries that satisfy the execution conditions, the terminal device may select one entry from among the multiple entries that satisfy the execution conditions and apply the conditional RRC reset information element of the selected entry.

[0114] Next, I will explain some of NTN's downlink coverage extension technologies that are currently being considered for specification by 3GPP.

[0115] At NTN, due to satellite payload constraints, including limited power and feeder link bandwidth, it may not be possible to activate all beams at a "standard" EIRP density at any given time. On the other hand, it is necessary to maximize the number of beams that can be activated simultaneously, ensuring all terminal equipment is serviced across the entire satellite footprint, maximizing overall satellite throughput, and ensuring that all satellite radio cells remain active even in periods of no traffic, allowing new users to join without impacting end-user QoS. Therefore, at the system level, support for efficient, dynamic, and flexible power distribution across beams or different beam patterns / sizes (i.e., wide / narrow) across the entire satellite footprint is being considered. For example, using intermittent cell transmission / reception mechanisms specified for network energy saving, it is being considered to avoid simultaneous downlink transmission on all cells by transmitting and receiving at different times for each group of one or more cells across multiple cells provided by a satellite. In addition to or instead of this, extending the SSB transmission period to a longer period than the existing one is being considered to enable SSB transmission at different times for each group of one or more cells across multiple cells provided by a satellite. However, extending the SSB transmission period will affect the operation (cell detection, cell measurement, etc.) of conventional terminal equipment and terminal equipment that does not support the extended SSB transmission period. For example, currently, terminal equipment performs cell detection and measurement assuming that the SSB of a given cell is transmitted with a transmission period of 20ms. However, if this transmission period becomes longer than 20ms, conventional terminal equipment and terminal equipment that does not support the extended SSB transmission period will not be able to properly detect or measure the cell. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a mechanism that takes into account the impact on these terminal devices.

[0116] Based on the above description, various embodiments will be explained. Note that any processes omitted in the following description may be replaced by the processes described above.

[0117] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device (UE122) in this embodiment. Note that, to avoid complicating the explanation, Figure 4 only shows the main components closely related to this embodiment.

[0118] The UE122 shown in Figure 4 comprises a receiving unit 500 that receives control information (DCI, MAC control elements, RRC signaling, broadcast information, etc.) from a base station device, a processing unit 502 that processes according to the parameters included in the received control information, and a transmitting unit 504 that transmits control information (UCI, MAC control elements, RRC signaling, etc.) to the base station device. This base station device may be a gNB108. Furthermore, the processing unit 502 may include some or all of the functions of various layers (for example, the physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, RRC layer, and NAS layer). That is, the processing unit 502 may include some or all of the physical layer processing unit (PHY processing unit), MAC layer processing unit (MAC processing unit), RLC layer processing unit (RLC processing unit), PDCP layer processing unit (PDCP processing unit), SDAP processing unit (SDAP processing unit), RRC layer processing unit (RRC processing unit), and NAS layer processing unit (NAS processing unit).

[0119] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the base station device in this embodiment. To avoid making the explanation complicated, Figure 5 only shows the main components closely related to this embodiment. This base station device may be a gNB108.

[0120] The base station device shown in Figure 5 consists of a transmitting unit 600 that transmits control information (DCI, RRC signaling, broadcast information, etc.) to the UE 122, a processing unit 602 that creates control information (DCI, RRC signaling including parameters, broadcast information, etc.) and transmits it to the UE 122, causing the processing unit 502 of the UE 122 to perform processing, and a receiving unit 604 that receives control information (UCI, RRC signaling, etc.) from the UE 122. Furthermore, the processing unit 602 may include some or all of the functions of various layers (for example, the physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, RRC layer, and NAS layer). That is, the processing unit 602 may include some or all of the physical layer processing unit, MAC layer processing unit, RLC layer processing unit, PDCP layer processing unit, SDAP layer processing unit, RRC layer processing unit, and NAS layer processing unit.

[0121] An example of the processing of the terminal device in this embodiment will be explained using Figure 6.

[0122] Figure 6 shows an example of processing by the terminal device (UE122) in this embodiment. The processing unit 502 of the terminal device determines whether a candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on whether the candidate target cell satisfies the first condition (step S600). Based on the determination that the second condition has been met for the candidate target cell which the terminal device determined to be an applicable cell, the processing unit 502 of the terminal device applies the settings included in the RRC reset message (step S602).

[0123] In step S600, the first condition may be, for example, that the candidate target cell is in a first state. For example, the first state may be expressed by any of (a) to (d) below, or a combination thereof: (a) The candidate target cell's SSB is being transmitted with an extended SSB transmission period. (b) The candidate target cell's SSB is being transmitted with a transmission period longer than 20ms. (c) Intermittent cell transmission to the common control channel of the candidate target cell is activated. (d) Intermittent cell reception is activated in the candidate target cell.

[0124] The extended SSB transmission period in (a) may be a transmission period that the terminal device can assume is different from the default transmission period (e.g., 20ms).

[0125] The states (a) to (d) described above may be determined by the terminal device from information received from the base station device, or from information broadcast in an adjacent cell (candidate target cell). For example, the information for determining the state may be included in the information regarding conditional resetting. In addition to or instead of this, for example, the information for determining the state may be broadcast as system information. In addition to or instead of this, for example, the information for determining the state may be notified to the terminal device by MAC CE or DCI. In addition to or instead of this, the states (a) to (d) described above may be determined from other information. Also, for example, the information for determining the state may include time information for when the state occurs. For example, the time information may be information indicating the elapsed time starting from 00:00 on January 1, 1900 in the Gregorian calendar.

[0126] In addition to or instead of the above, in step S600, the first condition may be, for example, that the candidate target cell is about to enter a first state.

[0127] The terminal device's processing unit 502 may determine that the candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on its determination that the candidate target cell is not in the first state. Alternatively, the terminal device's processing unit 502 may determine that the candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on its determination that the candidate target cell is in the first state.

[0128] In addition to or instead of the first condition, the first condition may be, for example, that the candidate target cell is a cell included in the first list. The first list may be, for example, a list containing the physical cell identifiers of the candidate target cells. In addition to or instead of the first condition, the first list may be, for example, a list containing the identifiers (condReconfigId) of the conditional reset entries.

[0129] The processing unit 502 of the terminal device may determine that a candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on its determination that the candidate target cell is included in the cells shown in the first list. Alternatively, the processing unit 502 of the terminal device may determine that a candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on its determination that the candidate target cell is not included in the cells shown in the first list. The above process determines that cells included in the first list are applicable cells, but conversely, it may also determine that cells included in the first list are not applicable cells (i.e., cells not included in the first list are applicable cells).

[0130] In addition, information indicating which of the candidate target cells set in the terminal device needs to be determined to satisfy the first condition may be notified to the terminal device. For example, this information may be included in the information regarding conditional resetting and notified to the terminal device. This allows the terminal device to perform efficient processing by determining whether the first condition is satisfied only for the necessary candidate target cells.

[0131] Figure 7 shows an example of processing by the terminal device (UE122) in this embodiment. The terminal device's processing unit 502 determines whether the time information (t-Service) included in the broadcast information indicates the time to stop the current cell service, based on whether or not the first information has been broadcast (step S700). Based on the above determination, the terminal device's processing unit 502 determines whether or not to perform measurements of adjacent cells for cell reselection (step S702).

[0132] In step S700, the first information may be, for example, information indicating that the cell broadcasting the first information is in a first state. For example, the first state may be any of (a) to (d) below, or a combination thereof: (a) The SSB of the cell broadcasting the first information is being transmitted with an extended SSB transmission period. (b) The SSB of the cell broadcasting the first information is being transmitted with a transmission period longer than 20ms. (c) Intermittent cell transmission to the common control channel of the cell broadcasting the first information is activated. (d) Intermittent cell reception is activated in the cell broadcasting the first information.

[0133] The extended SSB transmission period in (a) may be a transmission period that the terminal device may assume is different from the default transmission period (e.g., 20ms).

[0134] Furthermore, the terminal device may determine, based on the fact that the first information has been reported, that the time information (t-Service) indicates the time at which the cell reporting the first information enters the first state. For example, the time information may be information indicating the elapsed time starting from 00:00 on January 1, 1900 in the Gregorian calendar.

[0135] In step S702, for example, if the serving cell's broadcast information includes time information (t-Service), the terminal device may determine, based on the fact that the first information has not been broadcast, that this time information (t-Service) indicates the time to stop the current cell service. In addition to or instead of this, if the serving cell's broadcast information includes time information (t-Service), the terminal device may determine, based on the fact that the first information has been broadcast in the serving cell, that this time information (t-Service) indicates the time when the serving cell enters the first state.

[0136] In addition to or instead of the above, for example, the terminal device may provide the first information by means other than notification.

[0137] In addition to or instead of the above, in step S700, the first information may include a value indicating the transmission period of the SSB and / or a value set for the intermittent cell transmission parameters. The intermittent cell transmission parameters may include parameters relating to intermittent transmission of the common control channel.

[0138] When a cell is moved to the first state, the network can notify terminal devices that do not support the first state of the termination of cell services using the conventional signaling mechanism, and notify terminal devices that support the first state of the transition to the first state using the conventional signaling mechanism in conjunction with the conventional signaling mechanism, enabling efficient notification.

[0139] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the first information may be notified to the terminal device by any or any combination of RRC messages, RRC signaling, messages from the upper layer of the RRC layer, MAC control elements, and DCI of the PHY layer.

[0140] Furthermore, the processes described in each embodiment may be applied to non-terrestrial networks, or in addition to or instead of being applied to terrestrial networks.

[0141] Furthermore, in the above explanation, expressions such as "link to," "corresponding to," and "associate with" can be used interchangeably.

[0142] Furthermore, in the above explanation, expressions such as "confirmed as A," "A is set," and "A is included" can be used interchangeably.

[0143] In the above explanation, "transition from X to Y" can be rephrased as "become X to Y". Also, in the above explanation, "cause a transition" can be rephrased as "determine a transition".

[0144] Furthermore, in the examples of processes or process flows described above, some or all of the steps may not be executed. Also, in the examples of processes or process flows described above, the order of the steps may differ. Also, in the examples of processes or process flows described above, some or all of the processes within each step may not be executed.

[0145] Furthermore, in the above explanation, if it states "C may be D" and "C may be E," it may also include the statement "D may be E." Also, in the above explanation, if it states "F may be G" and "G may be H," it may also include the statement "F may be H."

[0146] The program running in the device according to this embodiment may be a program that controls the Central Processing Unit (CPU), etc., to make the computer function in order to realize the functions of this embodiment. The program or the information handled by the program is temporarily loaded into volatile memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM) during processing, or stored in non-volatile memory such as flash memory or a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and read, modified, and written by the CPU as needed.

[0147] Furthermore, some parts of the apparatus in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a computer. In that case, the program for implementing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" here refers to a computer system built into the apparatus, and includes hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices. The "computer-readable recording medium" may be any of the following: a semiconductor recording medium, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, etc.

[0148] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" may include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, as well as those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases. In addition, the above-mentioned programs may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, and may also be programs that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0149] Furthermore, each functional block or feature of the apparatus used in the embodiments described above may be implemented or executed by an electrical circuit, typically an integrated circuit or a combination of integrated circuits. Electrical circuits designed to perform the functions described herein may include general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or combinations thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or alternatively, the processor may be a conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The general-purpose processor, or each of the aforementioned circuits, may consist of digital or analog circuits. Also, if advances in semiconductor technology lead to the emergence of integrated circuit technologies that replace current integrated circuits, it may be possible to use integrated circuits based on such technologies.

[0150] It should be noted that this embodiment is not limited to the embodiments described above. Although the embodiments describe an example of a device, this embodiment is not limited to this and can be applied to stationary or non-movable electronic devices installed indoors or outdoors, such as terminal devices or communication devices for AV equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning and washing machines, air conditioning equipment, office equipment, vending machines, and other household appliances.

[0151] Although this embodiment has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of this embodiment are also included. Furthermore, this embodiment can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of this embodiment. In addition, configurations in which elements described in the above embodiment that produce similar effects are substituted for each other are also included.

[0152] One aspect of the present invention can be used, for example, in communication systems, communication equipment (e.g., mobile phone devices, base station devices, wireless LAN devices, or sensor devices), integrated circuits (e.g., communication chips), or programs.

[0153] 106 NR 108 gNB 110 5GC 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 124 Interface 122 UE 200, 300 PHY 202, 302 MAC 204, 304 RLC 206, 306 PDCP 208, 308 RRC 310 SDAP 210, 312 NAS 500, 604 Receiver 502, 602 Processing Unit 504, 600 Transmitter

Claims

1. A terminal device that communicates with a base station device, comprising a receiving unit that receives RRC signaling including conditional reset information from the base station device, and a processing unit, wherein the conditional reset information includes one or more entries, each of the entries includes information on an RRC reset message and a condition (first condition) for applying the RRC reset message, the RRC reset message includes the setting of a candidate target cell, the processing unit determines that the candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell does not satisfy a second condition, determines that the candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell satisfies the second condition, and applies the setting included in the RRC reset message to the candidate target cell that has been determined to be an applicable cell based on the determination that the first condition has been met, the second condition being that intermittent cell transmission to a common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated.

2. A method applicable to a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, comprising the steps of: receiving an RRC signaling from the base station device including conditional reset information; determining that a candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell does not satisfy a second condition; determining that a candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell satisfies the second condition; and applying the settings included in the RRC reset message to the candidate target cell that has been determined to be an applicable cell, based on the determination that a first condition has been met, wherein the conditional reset information includes one or more entries, each of the entries includes information on an RRC reset message and the conditions for applying the RRC reset message (the first condition), the RRC reset message includes the settings of the candidate target cell, and the second condition is that intermittent cell transmission to a common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated.

3. An integrated circuit implemented in a terminal device that communicates with a base station device, wherein the terminal device is equipped with the following functions: a function to receive RRC signaling including conditional reset information from the base station device; a function to determine that a candidate target cell is an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell does not satisfy a second condition; a function to determine that a candidate target cell is not an applicable cell based on the fact that the candidate target cell satisfies the second condition; and a function to apply the settings included in the RRC reset message to the candidate target cell that has been determined to be an applicable cell, based on the determination that the first condition has been met, wherein the conditional reset information includes one or more entries, each of the entries includes information on an RRC reset message and the conditions for applying the RRC reset message (the first condition), the RRC reset message includes the settings of the candidate target cell, and the second condition is that intermittent cell transmission to the common control channel in the candidate target cell is activated.

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