Apparatus in a wireless communication system and method performed by the same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G communication system or a 6G communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4G communication system such as long term evolution (LTE). An apparatus in a communication system and a method performed by the same are provided. The method includes: obtaining first information associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state; in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, performing measurement on a secondary cell (SCell) within the first window based on the first information and a first reference signal; reporting a valid measurement result when the measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result; and performing fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received.

Description

APPARATUS IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD PERFORMED BY THE SAME

[0001] The disclosure relates to communication technologies, and more specifically, to an apparatus in a wireless communication system and a method performed by the same.

[0002] Considering the development of wireless communication from generation to generation, the technologies have been developed mainly for services targeting humans, such as voice calls, multimedia services, and data services. Following the commercialization of 5G (5th generation) communication systems, it is expected that the number of connected devices will exponentially grow. Increasingly, these will be connected to communication networks. Examples of connected things may include vehicles, robots, drones, home appliances, displays, smart sensors connected to various infrastructures, construction machines, and factory equipment. Mobile devices are expected to evolve in various form-factors, such as augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and hologram devices. In order to provide various services by connecting hundreds of billions of devices and things in the 6G (6th generation) era, there have been ongoing efforts to develop improved 6G communication systems. For these reasons, 6G communication systems are referred to as beyond-5G systems.

[0003] 6G communication systems, which are expected to be commercialized around 2030, will have a peak data rate of tera (1,000 giga)-level bit per second (bps) and a radio latency less than 100μsec, and thus will be 50 times as fast as 5G communication systems and have the 1 / 10 radio latency thereof.

[0004] In order to accomplish such a high data rate and an ultra-low latency, it has been considered to implement 6G communication systems in a terahertz (THz) band (for example, 95 gigahertz (GHz) to 3THz bands). It is expected that, due to severer path loss and atmospheric absorption in the terahertz bands than those in mmWave bands introduced in 5G, technologies capable of securing the signal transmission distance (that is, coverage) will become more crucial. It is necessary to develop, as major technologies for securing the coverage, Radio Frequency (RF) elements, antennas, novel waveforms having a better coverage than Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), beamforming and massive Multiple-input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, and multiantenna transmission technologies such as large-scale antennas. In addition, there has been ongoing discussion on new technologies for improving the coverage of terahertz-band signals, such as metamaterial-based lenses and antennas, Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS).

[0005] Moreover, in order to improve the spectral efficiency and the overall network performances, the following technologies have been developed for 6G communication systems: a full-duplex technology for enabling an uplink transmission and a downlink transmission to simultaneously use the same frequency resource at the same time; a network technology for utilizing satellites, High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), and the like in an integrated manner; an improved network structure for supporting mobile base stations and the like and enabling network operation optimization and automation and the like; a dynamic spectrum sharing technology via collision avoidance based on a prediction of spectrum usage; an use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in wireless communication for improvement of overall network operation by utilizing AI from a designing phase for developing 6G and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions; and a next-generation distributed computing technology for overcoming the limit of UE computing ability through reachable super-high-performance communication and computing resources (such as Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), clouds, and the like) over the network. In addition, through designing new protocols to be used in 6G communication systems, developing mechanisms for implementing a hardware-based security environment and safe use of data, and developing technologies for maintaining privacy, attempts to strengthen the connectivity between devices, optimize the network, promote softwarization of network entities, and increase the openness of wireless communications are continuing.

[0006] It is expected that research and development of 6G communication systems in hyper-connectivity, including person to machine (P2M) as well as machine to machine (M2M), will allow the next hyper-connected experience. Particularly, it is expected that services such as truly immersive eXtended Reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile hologram, and digital replica could be provided through 6G communication systems. In addition, services such as remote surgery for security and reliability enhancement, industrial automation, and emergency response will be provided through the 6G communication system such that the technologies could be applied in various fields such as industry, medical care, automobiles, and home appliances.

[0007] The present disclosure relates to method and apparatus for window based fast deactivated SCell measurement and fast SCell activation in a wireless communication system.

[0008] According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a communication method in a wireless communication system.

[0009] Aspects of the present disclosure provide efficient communication methods in a wireless communication system.

[0010] In order to illustrate the technical schemes of the embodiments of the disclosure more clearly, the drawings of the embodiments of the disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Apparently, the drawings described below only refer to some embodiments of the disclosure, and do not limit the disclosure. In the drawings:

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network according to embodiments of the disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an example base station according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates an example user equipment according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates an SCell activation process according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of an SCell measurement scheme according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a window-based fast deactivated SCell measurement scheme according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of an SCell measurement scheme according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of an SCell measurement scheme according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a fast SCell activation method according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of a fast SCell activation scheme according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a UE according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a base station according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of a configuration of a first node (e.g., a UE) as a scheduled node according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of a configuration of a second node (e.g., a base station) as a scheduling node according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a terminal or user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a base station (BS) according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a network entity according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0028] According to some aspects of the disclosure, a method performed by user equipment (UE) in a communication system is provided. The method includes: obtaining first information associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state; in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, performing a measurement on a secondary cell (SCell) within the first window based on the first information and a first reference signal; in case that a measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result, reporting the valid measurement result; and performing fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received, wherein the first information is related to at least one of transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0029] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the activation condition includes at least one of: the UE receiving fast measurement indication signaling; the UE receiving on-demand measurement reference signal indication signaling; the UE receiving radio resource control (RRC) measurement object configuration indication signaling; or the measurement result by the UE satisfying a predefined measurement event, where the predefined measurement event includes that the measurement result of the SCell is higher than a measurement result of a primary cell (PCell) or an activated SCell by at least a first threshold.

[0030] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, performing the fast SCell activation for the SCell includes: in case that the SCell activation command is received within a first time after the UE reports the valid measurement result and a first reference signal used for the measurement remains detectable, performing the fast SCell activation for the target SCell.

[0031] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the first time is related to at least one of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or a period of the first reference signal

[0032] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, a length of the first window is based on at least one of: a number of configured reference signal bursts or a timer length; a measurement period for the measurement based on a first reference signal; or a reporting timing of a report of a measurement result based on the first reference signal.

[0033] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the measurement based on the first reference signal includes at least one of: a Layer 1 and / or Layer 3 measurement after entering the connected state; a continued enhanced measurement after entering the connected state; a deactivated SCell measurement; or a Layer 1 and / or Layer 2-triggered mobility (LTM) measurement.

[0034] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the method further includes: in case that the measurement is the continued enhanced measurement, transmitting, before RRC reconfiguration, indication information indicating that an enhanced measurement is being performed on a carrier frequency layer for which the measurement result is valid.

[0035] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, it further includes receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the inactive mode and / or an enhanced measurement in RRC setup.

[0036] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the enhanced measurement includes at least one of: indication information indicating a carrier frequency layer for which a continued enhanced measurement is required; or configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer.

[0037] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer includes at least one of: a cell identifier (ID), object synchronization signal block (SSB) information, or measured frequency priority.

[0038] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the measurement result includes at least one of: a reference signal received power (RSRP); a reference signal received quality (RSRQ); or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0039] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the first reference signal includes at least one of the following: an SSB; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); or a temporary reference signal.

[0040] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the method further includes receiving configuration information for configuring the first window.

[0041] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, performing fast SCell activation on the SCell includes: based on a condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction, completing the fast SCell activation before the UE transmits a valid channel state information (CSI) report.

[0042] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, completing the fast SCell activation before the UE transmits the valid CSI report includes: in case that the condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction is satisfied, performing the fast SCell activation by skipping a CSI reporting delay, wherein the CSI reporting delay includes at least one of a time for a CSI reporting, or an uncertainty time of obtaining a first available CSI reporting resource.

[0043] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, operations related to the fast SCell activation are applied no later than time unit wherein is an index of a time unit where the activation command is received, is a length of the time unit, is a HARQ feedback timing for downlink data, is an SCell activation delay, and is a predefined processing margin.

[0044] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE described above, for example, the condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction includes at least one of: quasi-co-location (QCL) information of an activated TCI state for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) being obtainable based on a configured reference signal; when multiple TCI states are configured, a TCI state related to a PDCCH transmission being obtainable based on a valid measurement result reported by the UE; the UE being configured with a synchronization signal block (SSB)-less SCell and the UE supporting the SSB-less SCell; a receive timing difference (RTD) between the SCell and the activated serving cell being less than a second threshold, wherein the activated serving cell and the SCell are in a same band; or a receive power difference between the SCell and the activated serving cell being less than a third threshold.

[0045] According to some aspects of the disclosure, a method performed by a base station in a communication system is provided. The method includes: receiving a measurement result of a secondary cell (SCell) from a user equipment (UE), wherein the measurement result is a valid measurement result; and transmitting an activation command for the SCell to the UE to perform fast SCell activation for the SCell, wherein the measurement result is obtained by a measurement on the SCell within a first window that is performed, in the connected state of the UE, based on first information and a first reference signal according to an activation condition of the first window, wherein the first information is associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state of the UE, wherein the first information is related to at least one of: transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0046] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station described above, for example, the activation condition includes at least one of: fast measurement indication signaling being received by the UE; on-demand measurement reference signal indication signaling being received by the UE; radio resource control (RRC) measurement object configuration indication signaling being received by the UE; or the measurement result by the UE satisfying a predefined measurement event, wherein the predefined measurement event includes that the measurement result of the SCell is higher than a measurement result of a primary cell (PCell) or an activated SCell by at least a first threshold.

[0047] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station described above, for example, in case that the SCell activation command is received within a first time after the valid measurement result is reported by the UE and a first reference signal used for the measurement remains detectable, the fast SCell activation for the SCell is performed.

[0048] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station described above, for example, the first time is related to at least one of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or a period of the first reference signal.

[0049] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station described above, for example, a length of the first window is based on at least one of: a number of configured reference signal bursts or a timer length; a measurement period for the measurement based on a first reference signal; or a reporting timing of a report of a measurement result based on the first reference signal.

[0050] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the measurement based on the first reference signal includes at least one of: a Layer 1 and / or Layer 3 measurement after entering the connected state; a continued enhanced measurement after entering the connected state; a deactivated SCell measurement; or a Layer 1 and / or Layer 2-triggered mobility (LTM) measurement.

[0051] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the method further includes: in case that the measurement is the continued enhanced measurement, receiving, from the UE and before RRC reconfiguration, indication information indicating that an enhanced measurement is being performed on a carrier frequency layer for which the measurement result is valid.

[0052] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the method further includes: transmitting an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE, where the RRC reconfiguration message includes information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the inactive mode and / or an enhanced measurement in RRC setup.

[0053] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or enhanced measurement includes at least one of the following: indication information indicating the carrier frequency layer for which a continued enhanced measurement is required; and configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer.

[0054] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer includes at least one of: cell identifier (ID), object synchronization signal block (SSB) information, or measured frequency priority.

[0055] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the measurement result includes at least one of: a reference signal received power (RSRP); a reference signal received quality (RSRQ); or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0056] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the first reference signal includes at least one of the following: an SSB; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); or a temporary reference signal.

[0057] In combination with one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above, for example, the method further includes transmitting configuration information for configuring the first window to the UE.

[0058] According to some aspects of the disclosure, there is also provided a user equipment (UE) in a communication system. The UE includes a transceiver, and one or more processors coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE as described above.

[0059] According to some aspects of the disclosure, there is also provided a base station in a communication system. The base station includes a transceiver, and one or more processors coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above.

[0060] According to some aspects of the disclosure, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium having one or more computer programs stored thereon, where when the one or more computer programs are executed by one or more processors, one or more aspects of the method performed by the UE as described above can be implemented.

[0061] According to some aspects of the disclosure, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium having one or more computer programs stored thereon, where when the one or more computer programs are executed by one or more processors, one or more aspects of the method performed by the base station as described above can be implemented.

[0062] Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] In describing the embodiments, while numerous details are set forth for the purpose of illustration, it is understood that some aspects of the disclosure may be practiced with less than all of these details. Numerous variations and alternatives to the details provided herein are possible and are considered within the scope of the disclosure. In some instances, descriptions related to technical contents well-known in the art may be omitted so as to not obscure an understanding of the disclosure, and such omitted descriptions are understood to be within the scope of the disclosure.

[0064] For the same reason, in the accompanying drawings, some elements may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated. Further, the size of each element does not completely reflect the actual size. In the drawings, identical or corresponding elements are provided with identical reference numerals or different reference numerals.

[0065] The advantages and features of the disclosure and ways to achieve them will be apparent by making reference to embodiments as described herein in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but may be implemented in various different forms. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the disclosure. The following embodiments are merely examples to aid in an understanding of the disclosure and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way, but on the contrary, the disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. Throughout the specification, the same or like reference numerals designate the same or like elements. Furthermore, terms which will be described herein are terms defined in consideration of the functions in the disclosure, and may be different according to users, intentions of the operators, or customs. Therefore, the definitions of the terms should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

[0066] Herein, it will be understood that each block of flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, may be performed based on computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded collectively onto at least one processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which perform through any one of, or in any combination of, the at least one processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for performing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s). These computer program instructions may also be stored in a non-transitory computer usable or computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer usable or computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that perform the function specified in the flowchart block(s). The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a computer executed process such that the instructions that perform on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide steps for executing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s).

[0067] Further, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for executing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order. For example, two blocks(or functions) shown in succession may in fact be performed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be performed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.

[0068] As used in embodiments of the disclosure, a “~unit / module” may refer to a software element or a hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which performs a predetermined function. However, the term including the word “~unit / module” does not always have a meaning limited to software or hardware. The “~unit / module” may be constructed either to be stored in an addressable storage medium or to execute one or more processors. Therefore, the “~unit / module” includes, for example, software elements, object-oriented software elements, components such as class elements and task elements, processes, functions, properties, procedures, sub-routines, segments of a program code, drivers, firmware, micro-codes, circuits, data, database, data structures, tables, arrays, and parameters. The components and functions provided by the “~unit / module” may be either combined into a smaller number of components and a “~unit / module,” or divided into additional components and a “~unit / module.” Moreover, the components and “~units / modules” may be implemented to reproduce one or more central processing units (CPUs) within a device or a security multimedia card. Further, in the embodiments, the “~unit / module” may include one or more processors.

[0069] The entirety of the one or more computer programs may be stored in a single memory device or the one or more computer programs may be divided with different portions stored in different multiple memory devices.

[0070] Any of the functions or operations described herein can be processed by one processor or a combination of processors. The one processor or the combination of processors is circuitry performing processing and includes circuitry like an application processor (AP, e.g. a CPU), a communication processor (CP, e.g., a modem), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU) (e.g., an artificial intelligence (AI) chip), a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth® chip, a global positioning system (GPS) chip, a near field communication (NFC) chip, connectivity chips, a sensor controller, a touch controller, a finger-print sensor controller, a display driver integrated circuit (IC), an audio CODEC chip, a universal serial bus (USB) controller, a camera controller, an image processing IC, microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, FPGA, ASIC, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a system on chip (SoC), an IC, or the like. The one processor or the combination of processors executes instructions that can be stored in a memory, such as the operating system, in order to control the overall operation of the device. Also, the one processor or the combination of processors is also capable of executing other processes and programs resident in the memory, such as processes for the disclosure.

[0071] It will be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure according to the claims and description in the specification can be realized in the form of hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software.

[0072] Any such software may be stored in non-transitory computer readable storage media. The non-transitory computer readable storage media store one or more computer programs (software modules), the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to perform a method of the disclosure. Additionally, or alternatively, such software may be a computer program [product] comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to perform a method of the disclosure.

[0073] Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage such as, for example, a storage device like read only memory (ROM), whether erasable or rewritable or not, or in the form of memory such as, for example, random access memory (RAM), memory chips, device or integrated circuits or on an optically or magnetically readable medium such as, for example, a compact disk (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), magnetic disk or magnetic tape or the like. It will be appreciated that the storage devices and storage media are various embodiments of non-transitory machine-readable storage that are suitable for storing a computer program or computer programs comprising instructions that, when executed, implement various embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a program comprising code for implementing apparatus or a method as claimed in any one of the claims of this specification and a non-transitory machine-readable storage storing such a program.

[0074] Hereinafter, the determination of priority between A and B in the present disclosure may refer to various actions such as selecting the one having a higher priority based on a predefined priority rule and performing an operation corresponding thereto, or omitting or dropping an operation corresponding to the one having a lower priority.

[0075] Hereinafter, "A or B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0076] In addition, "at least one of A, B, and C" as described in the present disclosure may be understood to include A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and C.

[0077] In addition, "at least one of A, B, or C" as described in the present disclosure may be understood to include A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and C.

[0078] Furthermore, "A / B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0079] Furthermore, "A, B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0080] Furthermore, "A and B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0081] Furthermore, “if condition A and condition B are satisfied,” as described in the present disclosure, may not be limited to a case where both condition A and condition B are satisfied, but may be understood to include a case where either condition A or condition B is individually satisfied, both condition A and condition B are satisfied, or one or more additional conditions are satisfied in combination.

[0082] Furthermore, throughout this disclosure, ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., (and similar qualifiers) are used merely to distinguish between different instances, occurrences, configurations, messages, stages, elements or aspects of elements, operations, or information as described herein. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the use of such ordinal terms does not itself require that the elements, operations, or information distinguished by these terms be structurally different, numerically distinct, or substantively dissimilar. For example, a "first signal" and a "second signal" may refer to instances of the same signal transmitted at different times or containing the same core information despite minor variations, or they may refer to signals with different content or characteristics, depending on the specific context. Similarly, a "first value" and a "second value" may represent the same magnitude but measured or applied in different circumstances, or they may represent different magnitudes. The interpretation should be guided by the specific technical context, function, and relationship described in the relevant portion of the specification and claims.

[0083] Furthermore, the terms “first ~”, “second ~”, etc., as described in the present disclosure with respect to various elements (e.g., information, objects, operation, sequences, or the like), should not limit those elements. These terms may only be intended to distinguish one element from another, and may not be intended to indicate a specific order. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element.

[0084] Furthermore, even if “first ~” and “second ~” are described in the present disclosure, it may be understood that element(s) referred to by “first ~” and “second ~” may be the same or different. For example, in case of element(s) being information, first information and second information may both be same information and, in some cases, are separate and different information.

[0085] In addition, the terms “if ~” and “in case that ~” as used in the disclosure or claims may be interpreted to include the meanings of “when (or upon) ~,” “in response to ~,” “based on ~,” or “according to ~,” and may be used interchangeably with these expressions. In addition, expressions other than those exemplified herein may also be used, as long as they have substantially the same meaning and do not impair the technical features of the present disclosure. If a method step (e.g. transmit a signal) is performed according to the disclosure of the application in connection with one of the above terms (such as “in case that ~” or the like), it may be interpreted to include the meanings (disclosure) of a prior determination that a feature has a specific state “~” (e.g. a bit length is above X), and then perform the method step in response to said determination.

[0086] For example, the physical layer signaling may be referred to as Layer 1 (L1) signaling and may include downlink control information (DCI). In addition, the higher layer signaling may include a medium access control (MAC) control message, a radio resource control (RRC) signaling message, a non-access stratum (NAS) signaling message, or an application layer message. The RRC signaling message may be referred to as L3 (layer 3) signaling. It should be noted, however, that the higher layer signaling is not limited to the aforementioned examples.

[0087] In addition, the term "not perform" as used in the present disclosure or claims may, in context, be understood to mean that the corresponding step is omitted or skipped. Such a term may be replaced with other terms having the same or substantially equivalent meaning.

[0088] In addition, "transmitting a message including A and B" as described in the present disclosure, may be understood as encompassing both (i) transmitting A and B in a single message, and (ii) transmitting A and B separately via multiple messages (e.g., transmitting a first message including A and a second message including B). This interpretation may also apply to messages that include two or more items (e.g., A, B, C), transmitted either together or separately.

[0089] In addition, "transmitting a message including A and transmitting a message including B" may also be interpreted as transmitting a message including A and B in a single message.

[0090] In the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein, terms or components included in the disclosure may be expressed in singular or plural form depending on the specific embodiments presented. However, such singular or plural expressions are selected appropriately for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to a singular or plural number of components. A component expressed in the plural form may be implemented as a single component, and a component expressed in the singular form may be implemented as multiple components.

[0091] The drawings or flowcharts described herein illustrate example methods that may be implemented according to the principles of the present disclosure, and various modifications may be made to the methods illustrated in the flowcharts of the present disclosure. For example, although illustrated as a series of steps, various steps in each drawing or flowchart may overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or be repeated. In other examples, any step may be omitted or replaced with another step.

[0092] The process of the flowchart may be performed by a device. One or more of the steps of the flowchart can be implemented by one or more processors / computer programs executing instructions to perform the noted functions.

[0093] The methods and apparatuses proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be disclosed in connection with drawings disclosing flowcharts to illustrate example methods that may be implemented according to the principles of the present disclosure. Such flowcharts may contain different branches and / or sub-branches. It is understood that the principles of the present disclosure do not only contain the combination of all branches / sub-branches disclosed in the embodiment, but the present disclosure also contains at least one isolated branch / isolated sub-branch, in particular to a single branch / single sub-branch.

[0094] The methods and apparatuses proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to each embodiment individually, but may also be applied in combination of all or some of the embodiments proposed in the disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified and applied without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0095] In this case, even if certain wordings are described differently across embodiments, they may be used interchangeably or in substitution or in combination if their underlying concepts are equivalent. For example, for the same or equivalent concept, even if one embodiment uses the expression "A" and another embodiment uses the expression "B", such expressions may be understood interchangeably, in substitution, or in combination.

[0096] The terms used in the following description to refer to access nodes, network entities, messages, interfaces between network entities, various types of identification information, and the like, are provided merely for the convenience of explanation by way of example. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms describedherein, and other terms having equivalent technical meanings may also be used. Such terms may also be interchangeable with terms defined in any 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) technical specifications (TS) or similar technical specifications, e.g., from the European telecommunications standards institute (ETSI), where appropriate.

[0097] Hereinafter, a base station (BS) is an entity that allocates resources to terminals, and may be at least one of a gNode B, an eNode B, a Node B, a wireless access unit, a BS controller, or a node on a network.

[0098] Furthermore, the base station of the present disclosure may include a split architecture comprising a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In this structure, the CU is configured to process the higher layers of the control and user planes, while the DU is configured to process lower-layer radio resource functions. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be equally applicable to 5th generation (5G) base station architectures in which such CU and DU functional splits are implemented.

[0099] A terminal may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, a tablet, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or any other device / system capable of performing communication functions.

[0100] In the disclosure, a downlink (DL) refers to a radio link through which a BS transmits a signal to a terminal, and an uplink (UL) refers to a radio link through which a terminal transmits a signal to a BS.

[0101] Furthermore, hereinafter, 5G mobile communication technologies (e.g., 5G new radio (NR)), 6th generation (6G) mobile communication technologies may be described by way of example, but the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems having similar technical backgrounds or channel types. For example, newly evolved mobile communication systems developed after 5G and 6G may be included. Furthermore, based on determinations by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems (e.g., Wi-Fi systems) through some modifications without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure

[0102] In the following description, the terms physical channel and signal may be used interchangeably with data or control signal. For example, the term physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) refers to a physical channel through which data is transmitted, but the term PDSCH may also be used to refer to the data itself. That is, in the present disclosure, the expression "transmit a physical channel" may be interpreted as being equivalent to the expression "transmit data or a signal via a physical channel."

[0103] Hereinafter, in the context of the present disclosure, higher layer signaling may refer to signaling corresponding to at least one or any combination of the following: master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB) or SIB M (M = 1, 2, ...), RRC, or MAC control element (CE), or a non-access stratum (NAS) signaling message, or an application layer message. The RRC signaling message may be referred to as Layer 3 (L3) signaling.

[0104] In addition, L1 signaling may refer to signaling corresponding to at least one or any combination of signaling techniques using the at least one or any combination of the following physical layer channels or signaling: physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), DCI, UE-specific DCI, group-common DCI, common DCI, scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI used for scheduling downlink or uplink data), non-scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI not used for scheduling downlink or uplink data) physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or uplink control information (UCI). The L1 signaling message may be referred to as a physical layer signaling.

[0105] Hereinafter, the expression that information is configured by the BS, as used in the present disclosure or claims, may, in context, be understood to mean that the terminal receives the corresponding information from the BS via a physical layer signaling or a higher layer signaling. Such an expression may be replaced with other terms having the same or substantially equivalent meaning.

[0106] Hereinafter, the operational principle of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0107] Considering the development of wireless communication from generation to generation, the technologies have been developed mainly for services targeting humans, such as voice calls, multimedia services, and data services. Following the commercialization of 5th-generation (5G) communication systems, it is expected that the number of connected devices will exponentially grow. Increasingly, these will be connected to communication networks. Examples of connected things may include vehicles, robots, drones, home appliances, displays, smart sensors connected to various infrastructures, construction machines, and factory equipment. Mobile devices are expected to evolve in various form-factors, such as augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and hologram devices. In order to provide various services by connecting hundreds of billions of devices and things in the 6th-generation (6G) era, there have been ongoing efforts to develop improved 6G communication systems.

[0108] 6G communication systems, which are expected to be commercialized around 2030, have various significantly improved metrics compared to the current 5G communication systems. The peak data rate will reach at least 50 Gbit / s, and the user experienced data rate will reach at least 300 Mbit / s, the air-interface latency will be less than 1 ms, and the air-interface reliability will reach 10-5. In addition to the above basic communication metrics, the 6G communication systems will also have sensing capabilities, AI-related capabilities, better security, better interoperability and better sustainability.

[0109] In order for the 6G communication systems to fulfill the above metrics, more advanced air-interface technologies and network technologies need to be developed. The evolution of extreme Multiple Input Multiple Output (extreme MIMO) has been already under consideration, including the use of ultra-large scale antenna arrays, the development and evolution of distributed antenna systems, and the design of MIMO air-interface algorithms assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI). This technology enables higher spectral efficiency, greater coverage, and precise localization and sensing capabilities. Additionally, technologies that contribute to improve high-frequency band coverage, including metamaterial-based lenses and antennas, new antenna architectures, and reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), etc., need to be better evolved and developed.

[0110] In order to meet some of newly added functions of the 6G communication systems, new technologies need to be developed in the terms of network energy saving, air-interface security, and network security, meanwhile the feasibility of fusion technologies such as Integrated Sensing and Communication, needs to be studied.

[0111] Moreover, in order to improve the spectral efficiency and the overall network performances, the following technologies have been developed for 6G communication systems: a full-duplex technology for enabling an uplink transmission and a downlink transmission to simultaneously use the same frequency resource at the same time; a network technology for utilizing satellites, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and the like in an integrated manner; an improved network structure for supporting mobile base stations and the like and enabling network operation optimization and automation and the like; a dynamic spectrum sharing technology via collision avoidance based on a prediction of spectrum usage; an use of artificial intelligence (AI) in wireless communication for improvement of overall network operation by utilizing AI from a designing phase for developing 6G and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions; and a next-generation distributed computing technology for overcoming the limit of user equipment (UE) computing ability through reachable super-high-performance communication and computing resources (such as mobile edge computing (MEC), clouds, and the like) over the network. In addition, through designing new protocols to be used in 6G communication systems, developing mechanisms for implementing a hardware-based security environment and safe use of data, and developing technologies for maintaining privacy, attempts to strengthen the connectivity between devices, optimize the network, promote softwarization of network entities, and increase the openness of wireless communications are continuing.

[0112] It is expected that research and development of 6G communication systems in hyper-connectivity, including person to machine (P2M) as well as machine to machine (M2M), will allow the next hyper-connected experience. Particularly, it is expected that services such as truly immersive extended reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile hologram, and digital replica could be provided through 6G communication systems. In addition, services such as remote surgery for security and reliability enhancement, industrial automation, and emergency response will be provided through the 6G communication system such that the technologies could be applied in various fields such as industry, medical care, automobiles, and home appliances.

[0113] Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, means to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C. Likewise, the term “set” means one or more. Accordingly, a set of items can be a single item or a collection of two or more items.

[0114] Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer readable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code” includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

[0115] Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

[0116] The figures included herein, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Further, those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless communication system.

[0117] FIGS. 1-3 below describe various embodiments of the present disclosure implemented in wireless communications systems. The descriptions of FIGS. 1-3 are not meant to imply physical or architectural limitations to the manner in which different embodiments may be implemented. Different embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably-arranged communications system.

[0118] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the wireless network shown in FIG. 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 could be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless network includes a base station (next generation nodeB, gNB or gNodeB) 101, a gNB 102, and a gNB 103. The gNB 101 communicates with the gNB 102 and the gNB 103. The gNB 101 also communicates with at least one network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network.

[0120] The gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for a first plurality of user equipments (UEs) within a coverage area 120 of the gNB 102. The first plurality of UEs includes a UE 111, which may be located in a small business; a UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); a UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); a UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R1); a UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R2); and a UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M), such as a cell phone, a wireless laptop, a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like. The gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for a second plurality of UEs within a coverage area 125 of the gNB 103. The second plurality of UEs includes the UE 115 and the UE 116, as well as subscriber stations (SS, for example, UEs) 117, 118 and 119. In some embodiments, one or more of the gNBs 101-103 may communicate with each other and with the UEs 111-116 using existing wireless communication techniques, and one or more of the UE 111-119 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., UEs 117-119) using other existing or proposed wireless communication techniques.

[0121] Depending on the network type, the term “base station” or “BS” can refer to any component (or collection of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as transmit point (TP), transmit-receive point (TRP), an enhanced (or “evolved”) base station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point (AP), or other wirelessly enabled devices. Base stations may provide wireless access in accordance with one or more wireless communication protocols, e.g., 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), high speed packet access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For the sake of convenience, the various names for a base station-type apparatus and functionality are used interchangeably in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Also, depending on the network type, the term “user equipment” (UE) can refer to any component such as a mobile station (MS), subscriber station (SS), remote terminal, wireless terminal, receive point, or user device. For the sake of convenience, the various names for a user equipment-type device and functionality are used interchangeably in this patent document to refer to remote wireless equipment that wirelessly accesses a BS, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile telephone or smartphone) or is normally considered a stationary device (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0122] Dotted lines show the approximate extents of the coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as approximately circular for the purposes of illustration and explanation only. It should be clearly understood that the coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as the coverage areas 120 and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending upon the configuration of the gNBs and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstructions.

[0123] As described in more detail below, one or more of the UEs 111-119 include circuitry, programing, or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, and one or more of the gNBs 101-103 includes circuitry, programing, or a combination thereof.

[0124] Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a wireless network, various changes may be made to FIG. 1. For example, the wireless network could include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Also, the gNB 101 could communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to the network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102-103 could communicate directly with the network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to the network 130. Further, the gNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 could provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0125] FIG. 2 illustrates an example base station according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the gNB 102 illustrated in FIG. 2 is for illustration only, and the gNBs 101 and 103 of FIG. 1 could have the same or similar configuration. However, gNBs come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular implementation of a gNB.

[0126] As shown in FIG 2, the gNB 102 includes multiple antennas 200a-200n, multiple radio frequency (RF) transceivers 201a-201n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 203, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 204. The gNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 205, a memory 206, and a backhaul or network interface 207.

[0127] The RF transceivers 201a-201n receive, from the antennas 200a-200n, incoming RF signals, such as signals transmitted by UEs in the network 100. The RF transceivers 201a-201n down-convert the incoming RF signals to generate intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to the RX processing circuitry 204, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. The RX processing circuitry 204 transmits the processed baseband signals to the controller / processor 205 for further processing.

[0128] The TX processing circuitry 203 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, web data, electronic mail, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 205. The TX processing circuitry 203 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate processed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 201a-201n receive the outgoing processed baseband or IF signals from the TX processing circuitry 203 and up-converts the baseband or IF signals to RF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 201a-201n.

[0129] The controller / processor 205 can include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 205 could control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceivers 201a-201n, the RX processing circuitry 204, and the TX processing circuitry 203 in accordance with well-known principles. The controller / processor 205 could support additional functions as well, such as more advanced wireless communication functions.

[0130] For instance, the controller / processor 205 could support beam forming or directional routing operations in which outgoing signals from multiple antennas 200a-200n are weighted differently to effectively steer the outgoing signals in a desired direction. Any of a wide variety of other functions could be supported in the gNB 102 by the controller / processor 205.

[0131] The controller / processor 205 is also capable of executing programs and other processes resident in the memory 206, such as an operating system (OS). The controller / processor 205 can move data into or out of the memory 206 as required by an executing process.

[0132] The controller / processor 205 is also coupled to the backhaul or network interface 207. The backhaul or network interface 207 allows the gNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems over a backhaul connection or over a network. The interface 207 could support communications over any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as one supporting 5G, LTE, or LTE-A), the interface 207 could allow the gNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs over a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, the interface 207 could allow the gNB 102 to communicate over a wired or wireless local area network or over a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). The interface 207 includes any suitable structure supporting communications over a wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver.

[0133] The memory 206 is coupled to the controller / processor 205. Part of the memory 206 could include a random access memory (RAM), and another part of the memory 206 could include a Flash memory or other read only memory (ROM).

[0134] Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of gNB 102, various changes may be made to FIG. 2. For example, the gNB 102 could include any number of each component shown in FIG. 2. As a particular example, an access point could include a number of interfaces 207, and the controller / processor 205 could support routing functions to route data between different network addresses. As another particular example, while shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry 203 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 204, the gNB 102 could include multiple instances of each (such as one per RF transceiver). Also, various components in FIG. 2 could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be added according to particular needs.

[0135] FIG. 3 illustrates an example user equipment according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the UE 116 illustrated in FIG. 3 is for illustration only, and the UEs 111-115 and 117-119 of FIG. 1 could have the same or similar configuration. However, UEs come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 3 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any particular implementation of a UE.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 3, the UE 116 includes an antenna 301, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 302, TX processing circuitry 303, a microphone 304, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 305. The UE 116 also includes a speaker 306, a controller or processor 307, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 308, an input device 309, a touchscreen display 310, and a memory 311. The memory 311 includes an OS 312 and one or more applications 313.

[0137] The RF transceiver 302 receives, from the antenna 301, an incoming RF signal transmitted by a gNB of the network 100. The RF transceiver 302 down-converts the incoming RF signal to generate an IF or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to the RX processing circuitry 305, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. The RX processing circuitry 305 transmits the processed baseband signal to the speaker 306 (such as for voice data) or to the processor 307 for further processing (such as for web browsing data).

[0138] The TX processing circuitry 303 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 304 or other outgoing baseband data (such as web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the processor 307. The TX processing circuitry 303 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 302 receives the outgoing processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuitry 303 and up-converts the baseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via the antenna 301.

[0139] The processor 307 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute the OS 312 stored in the memory 311 in order to control the overall operation of the UE 116. For example, the processor 307 could control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceiver 302, the RX processing circuitry 305, and the TX processing circuitry 303 in accordance with well-known principles. In some embodiments, the processor 307 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0140] The processor 307 is also capable of executing other processes and programs resident in the memory 311, such as processes for CSI reporting on uplink channel. The processor 307 can move data into or out of the memory 311 as required by an executing process. In some embodiments, the processor 307 is configured to execute the applications 313 based on the OS 312 or in response to signals received from gNBs or an operator. The processor 307 is also coupled to the I / O interface 308, which provides the UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as laptop computers and handheld computers. The I / O interface 308 is the communication path between these accessories and the processor 307.

[0141] The processor 307 is also coupled to the touchscreen display 310. The user of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen display 310 to enter data into the UE 116. The touchscreen display 310 may be a liquid crystal display, light emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics, such as from web sites.

[0142] The memory 311 is coupled to the processor 307. Part of the memory 311 could include RAM, and another part of the memory 311 could include a Flash memory or other ROM.

[0143] Although FIG. 3 illustrates one example of UE 116, various changes may be made to FIG. 3. For example, various components in FIG. 3 could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be added according to particular needs. As a particular example, the processor 307 could be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Also, while FIG. 3 illustrates the UE 116 configured as a mobile telephone or smartphone, UEs could be configured to operate as other types of mobile or stationary devices.

[0144] It should be understood that “first”, “second” and similar words used in the disclosure do not express any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similar words such as singular forms “a”, “an” or “the” do not express a limitation of quantity, but express the existence of at least one of the referenced item, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0145] As used herein, any reference to “an example” or “example”, “an implementation” or “implementation”, “an embodiment” or “embodiment” means that particular elements, features, structures or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The phrases “in one embodiment” or “in one example” appearing in different places in the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0146] As used herein, “a portion of” something means “at least some of” the thing, and as such may mean less than all of, or all of, the thing. As such, “a portion of” a thing includes the entire thing as a special case, i.e., the entire thing is an example of a portion of the thing.

[0147] In the disclosure, to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or fulfilled, expressions, such as “greater than / larger than” or “less than / smaller than” are used by way of example and expressions, such as “greater than or equal to” or “less than or equal to” are also applicable and not excluded. For example, a condition defined with “greater than or equal to” may be replaced by “greater than” (or vice-versa), a condition defined with “less than or equal to” may be replaced by “less than” (or vice-versa), etc.

[0148] It will be further understood that similar words such as the term “include” or “comprise” mean that elements or objects appearing before the word encompass the listed elements or objects appearing after the word and their equivalents, but other elements or objects are not excluded. Similar words such as “connect” or “connected” are not limited to physical or mechanical connection, but can include electrical connection, whether direct or indirect. “Upper”, “lower”, “left” and “right” are only used to express a relative positional relationship, and when an absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may change accordingly.

[0149] It should be noted that multiple methods described in the example embodiments of the disclosure may be combined in any order. In one combination, a method may be performed once or multiple times.

[0150] It should be noted that multiple steps in the methods described in the example embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in any order.

[0151] It should be noted that in the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, “satisfying a predefined condition” can be understood as at least satisfying the predefined condition. For example, “performing operation A in case that a predefined condition is satisfied” may be understood as “performing operation A in case that at least the predefined condition is satisfied”.

[0152] It should be noted that, in the example embodiments of the disclosure, “performing a predefined method (or step) if a predefined condition is satisfied” and “not performing the predefined method (or step) if the predefined condition is not satisfied” may be used interchangeably. “Not performing a predefined method (or step) if a predefined condition is satisfied” and “performing the predefined method (or step) if the predefined condition is not satisfied” may be used interchangeably.

[0153] In the description of example embodiments of the disclosure, a resource, which may also be referred to as a physical resource, may include a time domain resource (or time resource) and / or a frequency domain resource (or frequency resource).

[0154] In the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, the term “time domain resource” or “time resource” may refer to or be used interchangeably with at least one of symbol(s) (e.g., OFDM symbols), slot(s), subslot(s), mini-slot(s), or subframe(s).

[0155] In the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, the term “frequency domain resource” or “frequency resource” may refer to or be used interchangeably with at least one of the following: channel(s), subchannel(s), carrier(s), subcarrier(s), resource block(s) (RB), resource element(s) (RE(s)), physical resource block(s) (PRB(s)), or physical resource block group(s) (RBG(s)).

[0156] In describing a wireless communication system and in the disclosure described below, transferring methods (or configuration methods) of higher layer signaling or higher layer signals may be signal transferring methods for transferring information from a base station to a terminal over a downlink data channel of a physical layer or from a terminal to a base station over an uplink data channel of a physical layer, and examples of the signal transferring methods may include signal transferring methods for transferring information via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) signaling, or a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0157] In the following description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, higher layer signaling may be signaling corresponding to at least one or a combination of one or more of the following signaling.

[0158] - MIB (master information block)

[0159] - SIB (system information block) or SIB X (X = 1,2, ...)

[0160] - RRC signaling, such as RRC release or RRC reconfiguration

[0161] - MAC CE

[0162] Physical layer (Layer 1 (L1)) signaling may be signaling corresponding to at least one or a combination of one or more of the following signaling.

[0163] - PDCCH (physical downlink control channel)

[0164] - DCI (downlink control information)

[0165] - UE-specific DCI

[0166] - group common DCI

[0167] - common DCI (e.g., multicast DCI)

[0168] - scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI for scheduling downlink or uplink data)

[0169] - non-scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI other than DCI for scheduling downlink or uplink data)

[0170] - PUCCH (physical uplink control channel)

[0171] - UCI (uplink control information)

[0172] - paging

[0173] - PRACH (physical random access channel)

[0174] - RAR (random access response)

[0175] In the example embodiments of the disclosure, uplink control signaling may include physical layer signaling and / or higher layer signaling. As described above, the physical layer signaling may include UCI and / or PUCCH, and the higher layer signaling may include RRC signaling and / or a MAC CE.

[0176] In the example embodiments of the disclosure, downlink control signaling may include physical layer signaling and / or higher layer signaling. As mentioned above, the physical layer signaling may include one or more of PDCCH, DCI, UE-specific DCI, group common DCI, common DCI, scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI for scheduling downlink or uplink data), non-scheduling DCI, paging, and RAR, and the higher layer signaling may include one or more of a MIB, a SIB or SIB X (X = 1, 2, ...), RRC signaling or a MAC CE. Therefore, “configuring or indicating Y through downlink control signaling” may be understood as configuring or indicating Y through physical layer signaling, or configuring or indicating Y through higher layer signaling, or configuring or indicating Y through a combination of higher layer signaling and physical layer signaling.

[0177] It should be noted that, in the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, a beam may be understood as a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state / reference signal (RS) / channel / spatial relationship; or a TCI state identifier (ID) / reference signal ID / channel ID / spatial relationship ID; or a spatial domain filter associated with a TCI state / reference signal / channel / spatial relationship; or a spatial domain filter associated with a TCI state ID / reference signal ID / channel ID / spatial relationship ID. In the example embodiments of the disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the following descriptions may be used interchangeably: beam; spatial filter; spatial domain filter; spatial domain transmission filter; spatial setting; Quasi-Co-Location (QCL) assumption; QCL parameter (QCL type (qcl-Type) (e.g., type D (typeD)) parameter / reference signal); TCI state; unified TCI state; spatial relationship; RS; information related to sounding reference signal (SRS) (e.g., SRS resource indication (SRI)).

[0178] In some implementations, the RS may be an RS corresponding to a beam. For example, the RS may be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) or an SSB (synchronization signal block, or synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block).

[0179] In the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, performing a measurement on a cell (e.g., a secondary cell (SCell)) or measuring a cell (e.g., a secondary cell (SCell)) may include measuring the cell (e.g., SCell) based on an RS. By measuring the cell (e.g., SCell), a measurement result may be obtained, which may reflect the cell coverage or quality. For example, the measurement may include measuring at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP); reference signal received quality (RSRQ); signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR); channel quality indicator (CQI); and / or the like. Correspondingly, the measurement result may include at least one of the following: RSRP; RSRQ; SINR; CQI; and / or the like. For example, the RS used for measurement may include CSI-RS or SSB. In some implementations, for the convenience of description, SSB is used as an example of the RS for description.

[0180] In the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, a valid measurement result may be understood as a measurement result that satisfies a predetermined condition (e.g., the measurement result is greater than a predetermined threshold). For example, when a measured RSRP is greater than (or greater than or equal to) a predetermined RSRP threshold, the RSRP is a valid measurement result. The UE may report a measurement result that satisfies the predetermined condition (e.g., the measurement result is greater than (or greater than or equal to) a predetermined threshold) (e.g., a valid measurement result) to the base station.

[0181] In the description of the example embodiments of the disclosure, a previous connected state may refer to or be used interchangeably with a “last connected state” or “latest connected state”.

[0182] In a communication system, system capacity may be increased through carrier aggregation (CA). When using carrier aggregation, the UE may be configured with a set of serving cells. For example, the UE may be configured with a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells). For various reasons (e.g., network traffic change, UE movement, or other reasons), one or more SCells may be dynamically activated (or deactivated). To activate an SCell, the UE performs the corresponding SCell activation process. In scenarios where network data volume surges, by fast SCell activation, user data can be transmitted with lower latency and higher throughput, enhance the network's ability to perform load balancing, and help reduce UE power consumption. Therefore, an enhanced fast SCell activation scheme is needed.

[0183] The following describes an SCell activation process according to some example embodiments of the disclosure with reference to FIG. 4.

[0184] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation S410, a network (NW) (e.g., a base station) transmits an SCell configuration to a UE. For example, the NW may perform SCell configuration through RRC reconfiguration. The SCell configuration may include configuration information for intra-frequency neighbor cell measurement and configuration information for deactivated SCell measurement, including measCycleSCell configuration, where measCycleSCell indicates a measurement period of a deactivated SCell, e.g., with a minimum of 160 ms.

[0185] In operation S420, the UE performs deactivated SCell measurement. For example, under different discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations (configurations related to a DRX cycle), the UE may perform measurement on deactivated SCell(s) based on the SCell configuration transmitted by the NW. Tables 1 and 2 show examples of measurement periods for intra-frequency measurement for frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2) respectively.

[0186]

[0187] In the above table, TSSB_measurement_period_intrais the measurement period for intra-frequency measurement. Kpis a scaling factor for intra-frequency deactivated SCell measurement when an SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) measurement occasion partially overlaps with the gap. CSSFintrais a carrier-specific scaling factor defined because all SCell and PCell share a searcher when the UE is configured to measure multiple frequency layers. Additionally, “Ceil” is a ceiling operation, and “max” is an operation of taking the maximum value.

[0188]

[0189] In the above table, Mmeas_period_w / o_gapsis a total number of samples required for measurement, which is related to, for example, a number of receive (Rx) beam sweepings and an average number of samples. In addition, the meanings of Kp and CSSFintraare as described above.

[0190] In operation S430, the UE reports deactivated SCell measurement result(s). For example, the UE may report the SCell measurement result(s) no later than within the maximum measurement period.

[0191] In operation S440, the NW transmits an SCell activation command to activate an SCell based on the measurement result(s). For example, based on service requirements, the NW may transmit the SCell activation command to activate an SCell based on the measurement result(s) reported by the UE.

[0192] As described above, the measurement period is associated with measCycleSCell. Based on a long measCycleSCell, the NW may take a relative long time (e.g., tens of seconds) to obtain a valid deactivated SCell measurement result before SCell activation.

[0193] In addition, a cell may be determined as a known cell based on a known condition and may be activated within a short time. The activation process starts from fine time / frequency synchronization and / or fine automatic gain control (AGC) tuning, including signaling processing delay and redundancy. For example, the known condition may be defined as: if a valid measurement result is received within a first time (e.g., X seconds (s)) before receiving the SCell activation (for FR2, an SSB index needs to be included) and the measured SSB remains detectable, then the SCell to be activated is a known cell (e.g., timing information of the SCell (e.g., including SFN, frame boundary, slot boundary, symbol boundary), and AGC are all known). The activation process can start from time-frequency tracking or fine AGC tuning. At this time, the SCell may be activated with a short activation delay. The first time (e.g., X) is related to a frequency range (FR). For example, for FR2, the first time may be a fixed value, such as a few seconds (e.g., 4s for UEs supporting power class 1 or 5, and 3s for UEs supporting power class 2, or 3, or 4); for FR1, the first time is related to the measCycleSCell and the DRX cycle configuration. For example, the maximum value of the first time is max(5*measCycleSCell, 　5*DRX cycle).

[0194] If the above known condition is not satisfied (e.g., the UE has not measured the cell for a long time, or there is no valid result reported or the UE does not report the result within the first time (e.g., X s), or the measured SSB no longer satisfies the detectability according to the defined cell identification condition), the SCell is an unknown cell. At this time, to complete the activation of the unknown SCell, the UE needs to perform cell synchronization clock acquisition and / or AGC tuning and / or L1-RSRP measurement and reporting for TCI state selection and time-frequency tracking. Traditionally, all the above processes need to be based on the SMTC period configuration of the SCell. For example, assuming the SMTC period = 80 ms, the activation period is about 325 ms for FR1, and the activation period is about 2088 ms for FR2.

[0195] If the UE can perform fast deactivated cell measurement, and before receiving the SCell activation command, report, within a given time, a valid measurement result of the to-be-activated cell measured, it can be ensured that the measurement result is sufficiently new and the known condition is satisfied. At this time, the SCell can become a known SCell and can be activated in a short time because only time-frequency tracking or fine AGC tuning is required. However, when performing deactivated SCell measurement, UE energy saving may need to be considered, so the UE cannot perform measurements all the time.

[0196] According to some example embodiments of the disclosure, a window-based fast SCell activation scheme is provided. For example, the UE can perform fast SCell measurements within a window (e.g., a time window) (e.g., a predetermined window, a specified window, or a pre-configured window), and determine whether the known condition is satisfied based on the measurement and reported result. If the known condition is satisfied, fast SCell activation is performed based on the known condition. In some embodiments, if the known condition is not satisfied and / or if the window expires (i.e., the time corresponding to the window has elapsed, e.g., the timer corresponding to the window expires), the UE may fall back to the traditional deactivated cell measurement scheme based on DRX and measCycleSCell.

[0197] Consider the following example overall UE-NW communication states: {The UE and the NW are in the connected state (e.g., RRC connected state, e.g., RRC_CONNECTED state)}→{The UE receives a connection release command, releases the connection with the NW (e.g., the PCell), and the UE enters the idle state (e.g., RRC idle state, e.g., RRC_IDLE state) or inactive state (e.g., RRC inactive state, e.g., RRC_INACTIVE state), and performs measurement in the idle mode or inactive state, which may include cell reselection measurement for mobility management and EMR (early measurement report) measurement for fast CA / DC establishment)} →{RRC connection setup (the starting timeline of RRC setup may be when the UE has data in the storage and starts initial access by transmitting MSG1 to the camped cell; at this time, if the UE supports the measurement result evaluation capability, it can perform measurement result evaluation or enhanced measurement in the idle mode after transmitting MSG1)}→{ The UE re-enters the RRC connected state (from the NW transmitting an RRC connection setup request through message 4 (Msg4) of a random access procedure, the UE enters the RRC connected state mode; for a connection starting from the idle state, the NW may transmit a measurement reporting request in a UE information request (e.g., UEinformationRequest) procedure, and the UE transmits a valid L3 measurement result including a SSB index in a UE information response (e.g., UEInformationResponse) procedure)} →{After the UE enters the connected state and establishes a data transmission connection with the PCell, the NW may perform new measurement object (MO) configuration through RRC reconfiguration, and the UE may measure the corresponding inter-frequency SCell, intra-frequency SCell, and / or deactivated SCell according to the configuration}. Therefore, if the UE can obtain some prior information required for measurement from the idle mode or the previous connected state, such as TCI state (transmission (Tx) SSB index information) or receive (Rx) beam information, or has obtained a valid measurement result through the idle mode, the UE can perform, within the defined window, fast measurement (e.g., continued enhanced measurement or fast deactivated SCell measurement) based on the prior information, or directly report a valid result and skip the measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the “performing, within the defined window, fast measurement (e.g., continued enhanced measurement or fast deactivated SCell measurement) based on the prior information, or directly report a valid result and skip the measurement” may be based on at least one of the following assumptions: (1) The cells and SSBs detected by the UE in the connected mode remain detectable until the UE re-connects to the NW; (2) The UE is configured to maintain / save the measurement configuration information of one or more detectable cells after connection release (e.g., RRC release); (3) At least one of the frequency carriers for which RRC setup enhanced measurement or idle mode measurement have been performed overlaps with the frequency carriers configured in the connected mode (or the MOs newly configured in the connected state overlap with at least one of the MOs measured or detected in the enhanced measurement or idle mode, e.g., as shown in FIG. 5).

[0198] A window-based fast deactivated SCell measurement scheme according to some example embodiments of the disclosure will be described below.

[0199] For the convenience of description, it may be assumed that SCell detection is based on SSB. It may be understood that the embodiments of the disclosure are also applicable to SCell detection based on other reference signals.

[0200] In some implementations, the NW (e.g., base station) may configure (e.g., pre-configure) window-related parameters. The window may be used for SCell measurement (which may be referred to as a measurement window or a fast measurement window in the embodiments of the disclosure), for example, fast deactivated SCell measurement. For example, the window-related parameters may be transmitted to the UE through RRC reconfiguration signaling. As an example, the window-related parameters may be represented as a timer in a predefined indication manner (e.g., a timer with a fixed (e.g., predetermined) time length Y, i.e., the window length is Y), or may also be represented as a set of SSB bursts with a maximum number N, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. When the configured window is activated / triggered (e.g., when the timer is activated / started), the UE can perform SCell measurement within the fast measurement window, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. For example, when the UE successfully decodes a triggering condition command, the UE preferentially selects the reference signals related to fast measurement for fast deactivated SCell measurement within the fast measurement window (during the Y time period). Examples of the triggering conditions (or activation conditions) of the fast measurement window will be described below. For example, the triggering conditions (or activation conditions) of the fast measurement window (e.g., the activation / triggering / starting conditions of the timer) may include at least one of the following triggering / activation conditions (activation condition 1 - activation condition 4).

[0201] Activation condition 1: The UE receives a command to trigger RS (e.g., a temporary RS (TRS)) for SCell activation (e.g., fast SCell activation). For example, the command may be DCI or MAC-CE.

[0202] In some embodiments, the NW may transmit to the UE an RS (e.g., TRS) command triggered by DCI or MAC-CE for SCell activation. When the UE receives the command or after the UE receives the command, the fast measurement window is triggered / activated. The TRS may include at least one of semi-persistent (SP) CSI-RS, aperiodic CSI-RS, SP TRS, or aperiodic TRS. For example, the TRS may follow a specific pattern, for example, it may occupy different time resources (e.g., symbol resources). Table 3 below shows an example of the symbol resources occupied by the TRS according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0203]

[0204] Upon receiving the above command, the UE activates the fast measurement window and performs fast measurement using the TRS within the fast measurement window. If the measurement result is valid, the UE may report the valid measurement result.

[0205] Activation condition 2: The UE receives on-demand measurement reference signal indication signaling. For example, the UE receives an indication to use dense periodic SSB (e.g., on-demand SSB) or SMTC.

[0206] In some embodiments, if NW energy saving is considered and the dense periodic SSB or SMTC has been pre-configured (e.g., in RRC reconfiguration), the triggering condition may be an indication to use dense periodic SSB or SMTC, where the indication is transmitted due to NW energy saving. After the UE receives this indication, it can use dense periodic SSB or SMTC for fast measurement. If the measurement accuracy based on the SSB or SMTC measurement satisfies the requirement (e.g., the measurement result is greater than a predetermined threshold), the UE may report a valid measurement result.

[0207] Activation condition 3: The UE receives fast measurement indication signaling. For example, the UE receives a specific MAC-CE or DCI with an n-bit indication to indicate the UE to perform fast measurement, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 1.

[0208] If the NW configures resources of reference signals for fast measurement, such as measurement reference signal resources (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) with a dense periodicity, according to the operator's requirements, data transmission volume, or other reasons, the NW needs to fast activate and schedule a SCell. For example, the NW may transmit a specific MAC-CE or DCI with an n-bit indication (e.g., fast measurement indication) to indicate the UE to perform fast measurement. This indication may be a 1-bit or multi-bit indication. For example, the indication with n (n =1) bit may indicate the UE to select the measurement parameters (e.g., period) of the reference signal configured in the RRC reconfiguration for fast measurement. For example, the indication with n (n > 1) bit may indicate the content of the configuration. For example, the indication with n (n > 1) bit may directly indicate the configuration information of the reference signal for the UE to perform fast measurement, which may include at least one of the following: time-frequency offset, time-frequency position, period, power, SSB pattern, etc. When the UE receives this fast measurement indication, it means that the measurement window starts to be activated, and the UE performs fast measurement within this window based on the configured reference signal. If the measurement accuracy based on the specified reference signal satisfies the requirement (e.g., the measurement result is greater than a predetermined threshold), the UE may report a valid measurement result. Additionally or alternatively, the triggering may be determined in combination with the measurement event of the measurement result by the UE. For example, this measurement event may be an existing event, such as event A3 that the signal quality / strength (e.g., RSRP or RSRQ) of the neighboring cell is higher than that of the current serving cell by a predetermined offset. Specifically, if Event A3 is satisfied, the UE may report Event A3 to the NW. At this time, the quality of the neighboring SCell is better, and the NW may transmit the fast measurement indication to activate the fast measurement window. The UE determines the fast measurement window and performs fast measurement on this SCell within the window.

[0209] Activation condition 4: The UE receives RRC measurement object (MO) configuration indication signaling.

[0210] For example, the triggering indication may be indirectly or directly indicated by RRC MO configuration. The triggering indication may be related to the configuration of the prior idle mode / inactive mode / RRC setup / previous connected mode measurement (when the UE moves from the connected state to the idle mode or inactive mode, it is very likely that the NW has configured a subset of carriers that have been measured in the connected state). For example, for the UE supporting idle state CA / DC inter-frequency measurement, if the NW configures, in the new MO configuration in the connected state, an object frequency layer (referred to as an old object frequency layer in this patent) that has been measured in the idle mode / inactive mode / RRC setup, and the corresponding measurement configuration. Among them, the measurement during RRC setup is an enhanced measurement, which is to evaluate the validity of the measurement results in the idle mode / inactive mode. If the newly configured MO completely overlaps with the old object frequency, the purpose of the new measurement in the connected mode is to focus on the carriers that have been detected and measured in the RRC setup / idle mode / inactive mode measurement. Since the UE has stored the relevant measurement configuration and corresponding measurement results (e.g., RSRP / RSRQ and SSB index), upon the UE receives the RRC MO configuration, the fast measurement window is activated, and the UE can further determine whether the measurement result of the current object frequency layer / carrier is valid within the fast measurement window, that is, further check the quality of the carrier used for fast CA / DC establishment after RRC setup, that is, perform the validity check of the measurement result in the connected mode. If the measurement result is valid (i.e., the measurement result is greater than a predetermined threshold), the valid result is directly reported. If the measurement result is invalid, the UE may continue fast measurement / evaluation according to the measurement configuration to ensure the validity of the measurement result. After the measurement is completed, the UE reports the valid measurement result. In case that the newly configured MO overlaps with at least one of the old object frequency layers, if the NW configures a higher priority measurement indication for the old frequency layers or the object carriers in the RRC setup enhanced measurement / idle mode / inactive mode, the UE may preferentially perform fast measurement or valid result evaluation on a frequency layer / carrier with the higher priority indication according to the stored measurement configuration information and report the valid results. If the UE has the independent beam management (IBM) capability and supports the per-FR gap capability, the UE may support the measurement of FR2-1 carriers without configuring the measurement gap.

[0211] In some examples, the NW may configure a higher priority for carriers configured for idle / inactive mode early measurement reports and / or carriers for cell reselection that go through RRC setup validity check. In this way, it can prevent the UE from not knowing which carrier the NW intends to set as an additional frequency resource after entering the connected state, whether it is for new measurements or to accelerate connected state measurements for overlapping frequency carriers (the UE can obtain the measurement result of this specific frequency layer in advance). For example, if the NW configures a higher priority for the overlapping frequency carrier, the UE knows that the NW intends to continue measuring the overlapping frequency carrier after entering the connected state. In this case, by using the stored measurement configuration and / or prior information to be discussed later, fast measurement of the overlapping carriers can be achieved.

[0212] The following describes a method for determining a measurement window (e.g., the above-mentioned fast measurement window) according to some example embodiments of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, the measurement window may be determined by a starting point, an ending point, and a window length. For example, the window length may have a fixed length (e.g., a predetermined length). As another example, the window length may have a non-fixed length and may be determined by the UE itself. As some examples, the measurement window may be determined by at least one of a measurement period ( ) for the UE to measure based on a measurement reference signal or a time ( ) for reporting a valid Layer 3 measurement result. For example, Here, is an operator, which may be: i.e., taking the maximum value of and or, i.e., taking the minimum value of and After a second time (e.g., time period X1 ms) after the measurement window is activated (e.g., the UE receives a trigger condition instruction) (i.e., after the second time after a time point t0 when the measurement window is activated (e.g., the UE receives the trigger condition instruction), i.e., after time t0 + X1), the UE receives the first available measurement reference signal, and the time when the UE receives the first available measurement reference signal may be regarded as the starting point of the measurement window. The second time (e.g., X1 ms) may include at least one of the following or be determined based on at least one of the following: signaling processing time, signal processing time, RF retuning time, or a time when the first complete SSB burst is received. As some examples, the ending point of the measurement window may be where is an operator, which may be max i.e., taking the maximum value of and or one of, i.e., taking one of and After the measurement window ends, the UE may fall back to the traditional deactivated cell measurement method, e.g., perform measurement based on the DRX configuration and measCycleSCell, and the measurement periods described in Table 1 and Table 2, as described in conjunction with FIG. 4. may be related to at least one of the period of the reference signal for fast measurement, a scaling factor related to a reference signal measurement occasion interrupted by the measurement gap (MG) within the measurement window, and a Rx beam sweeping factor related to fast measurement. Tables 4 and 5 show examples of measurement periods.

[0213]

[0214]

[0215] In the above table, KFMWis the scaling factor. KFMWmay be related to the following two parameters: 1) a total number of all reference signal occasions included in the window; 2) a number of reference signal occasions not overlapping with MG in the window. is the period of the reference signal for fast measurement. CSSFintra_FMWrepresents the carrier measurement scaling factor caused by the limited number of searchers in the measurement window when multi-carrier measurement is required, which may be a value greater than 1, and may be related to the searcher sharing rule and carrier measurement priority.

[0216] In the above table, M1 is the number of measurement samples required to make the measurement reach acceptable performance, that is, to satisfy the accuracy requirement. For example, if an SSB-less measurement reference signal, such as TRS, is used for fast measurement of a deactivated SCell in the measurement window, because TRS is sparser than SSB, theoretically, the same performance as SSB cannot be achieved if the same number of measurement samples as SSB (i.e., 5) is used. At this time, M1>5.

[0217] In the above table, Mmeas_period_w / o_gaps_FMWis related to a number of samples participating in the measurement average and the Rx beam sweeping factor N1 related to fast measurement. The maximum value of N1 may be 8. If there is prior information related to the Rx beam (the details of the prior information may refer to the embodiments to be described below), an integer less than 8 may also be reported through a UE capability. Specifically, for FR2, whether in the connected mode, idle mode, or deactivated mode, the UE performs L3 measurement by Rx beam sweeping as needed. Therefore, if the UE stores valid measurement results and the corresponding SSB index information, and the UE is stationary or moving at a low speed, for the selected carrier that is measured in the idle mode and goes through RRC setup valid result evaluation, the UE may select a subset (e.g., N < 8) of Rx beams to measure the selected carrier. If the selected measurement reference signal has a QCL association with SSB, such as QCL-type D, the UE does not need to perform Rx beam sweeping.

[0218] In the above table, is the reporting time of the valid L3 measurement result, which may be the reporting period configured by the NW. Or, the UE may decide the reporting time by itself. For example, when the measurement result satisfies the accuracy requirement in the connected state, the UE reports the measurement result immediately, and the reporting time when the UE reports the measurement result is

[0219] According to some example embodiments of the disclosure, the UE may receive an SCell activation command from the NW and perform SCell activation based on known conditions. The following describes a fast SCell activation scheme based on new known conditions according to some example embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the new known conditions may include at least one of the following conditions.

[0220] New known condition 1: Within a first time (time period X s) before a SCell activation command is received, the UE reports a valid L3 measurement result measured within a fast measurement window (for example, a time point t1 when the valid L3 measurement result is reported is before a time point t2 when the SCell activation command is received, and the interval between the time point t1 and the time point t2 is less than the first time), and the measured SSB remains detectable within the first time (time period X s) after the UE reports the valid measurement result and / or within a SCell activation delay after receiving the SCell activation command. In particular, for FR2, the UE may need to report the valid L3 measurement result measured within the fast measurement window, along with the SSB index.

[0221] For FR1, the first time (time period X s) may be related to the DRX cycle and / or the cycle of a reference signal used for fast measurement.

[0222] New known condition 2: Within the first time (time period X s) before receiving the SCell activation command, the UE reports a valid measurement result measured within the fast measurement window, and the measurement result satisfies an accuracy requirement (for example, the measured value is greater than a set threshold), where the UE does not use SSB for measurement, that is, the reference signal used for measurement is not SSB. For FR2, new known condition 2 may also include at least one of the following conditions (condition 1- condition 3).

[0223] Condition 1): If, within the first time (time period X s) before receiving the SCell activation command, the UE reports the valid L3 measurement result measured within the fast measurement window, along with the SSB index.

[0224] Condition 2): For TCI states, at least one of the following assumptions may be required:

[0225] - The PDCCH TCI and PDSCH TCI are associated with the triggered reference signal resources for fast measurement;

[0226] - The QCL source of CSI-RS for CQI reporting is the same as the QCL source of the reference signal resource for fast measurement;

[0227] - The TCI state of PDCCH / PDSCH is the same as the TCI state of the reference signal resource for fast measurement, and remains unchanged during SCell activation;

[0228] - If A-TRS fast measurement is considered, one of the candidate TCI states configured in TCI-StatesPDCCH-ToAddList has the same QCL source as the triggered A-TRS;

[0229] - For FR1, for the PDCCH / PDSCH channel estimation and time / frequency tracking of the SCell to be deactivated, the UE needs the TCI state to indicate QCL-TypeA and TypeC.

[0230] Condition 3): The valid L3 measurement result is reported with the Tx beam index indication. In this case, the UE can directly report an RS index, where the RS is an RS that has been measured in the FMW and the measurement result is valid (i.e., the measurement result (e.g., RS-RSRP) is greater than the predefined threshold). Alternatively, the UE can still report the SSB index, where the SSB is QCLed with the RS used for fast measurement.

[0231] Based on the definitions of the above known conditions, a to-be-activated unknown SCell may become a known SCell. For example, in case of satisfying the known conditions, the to-be-activated unknown SCell may become a known SCell. For a known SCell, activation may be completed in a short time (i.e., perform fast SCell activation). For example, the activation process of the SCell may start from fine AGC or time-frequency tracking. The SCell activation time may be based on at least one of TFirstRS, Tgap, or TRS.

[0232] In some examples, for FR1, the SCell activation time may be:

[0233] - TFirstRS+ 5ms, if the measurement period of the SCell being activated is equal to or smaller than X2 ms; or

[0234] - TFirstRS+ Tgap+ TRS+5ms, if the measurement period of the SCell being activated is greater than X2 ms.

[0235] Herein, 5 ms is the processing time of the MAC-CE SCell activation signaling plus a margin of 2 ms.

[0236] In the above description, TFirstRSis the time to the end of the first complete RS burst for SCell activation after slot n + n is the slot index where the MAC-CE SCell activation signaling is received. This RS may be a RS for fast deactivated SCell measurement, or a RS that is QCLed with the RS for fast deactivated SCell measurement. Tgaprepresents a time interval between two consecutive RS bursts, which are used for AGC and fine time / frequency synchronization respectively. TRSrepresents a RS burst for SCell activation. is a HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest) feedback time. X2 is a time for judging whether additional AGC fine tuning is required. For example, X2 has a predetermined value and may be 2400.

[0237] In some examples, for FR2, such as FR2 intra-band CA scenario, if the SCell being activated belongs to FR2 and if there is at least one active serving cell on that FR2 band, the SCell activation time Tactivation_timemay be TFirstRS+ 5ms.

[0238] According to some example embodiments of the disclosure, prior information may be obtained. The prior information may refer to information related to SCell measurement in the idle mode / inactive mode or the previous connected state (e.g., the last connected state). The SCell activation process may be performed based on the obtained prior information. The following describes the prior information acquisition scheme and the SCell activation scheme based on prior information according to some example embodiments of the disclosure with reference to FIG. 9.

[0239] In some embodiments, the prior information may include at least one of the following: TCI state information, Rx beam information, cell synchronization timing information, AGC setting information, or measurement result information.

[0240] For example, the UE may obtain some prior information about beams and reuse previous measurement results to avoid the repeated measurement process or the whole process of a new blind detection. The UE can focus on high-priority carriers.

[0241] For the UE in an RRC connected state, when the UE receives a new MO, theoretically, the UE needs to follow the new MO in the RRC connected state for measurement. However, it does not mean that the UE cannot continue the measurement from the idle mode / inactive mode or continue the enhanced measurement during RRC setup. This measurement problem can be solved from the NW configuration aspect. If the NW provides measurement information for enhanced measurement in the previous RRC connected state or idle mode / inactive mode, and the NW knows that the UE is performing measurement from the RRC idle / inactive state / RRC setup, the NW can configure the MO for the same object frequency that the UE is measuring.

[0242] In some examples, the prior information may include prior information from the idle mode / inactive mode or RRC setup enhanced measurement.

[0243] Referring to FIG. 10, Direction 1: During RRC setup, the evaluation of measurement validity has been completed or all measurements have been completed. At this time, the prior information from the idle mode / inactive mode or the enhanced measurement during RRC connection setup / resume may be used for the fast measurement of the deactivated SCell in the FMW. The prior information may include at least one of the following: Rx beam information of the selected carrier, Tx beam information of the selected carrier (e.g., TCI state); or prior measurement result information.

[0244] [Rx beam information of the selected carrier]

[0245] Through beam sweeping in the idle mode / inactive mode or during RRC setup, the UE can know the rough Rx direction. At this time, if the NW still intends to measure the old object carrier or frequency (the NW still configures the object carrier or frequency in the MO configuration), considering the different accuracies between the connected state and the idle state (e.g., the measurement accuracy in the idle mode / inactive mode is low), although a valid result is generated in the idle mode / inactive mode, in the connected state, the UE still needs to further verify whether the result satisfies the accuracy requirements of the connected mode. That is, it cannot be guaranteed that the Rx beam direction determined by previous measurements remains the same. However, at this time, since some prior Rx beam information has been obtained (i.e., the approximate Rx direction is already known), the UE does not need to sweep with all Rx beams (for example, in FIG. 7, N = 8 Rx beams). At this time, a subset with N < 8 (for example, Rx beams 1-4 in FIG. 7) may be used for sweeping.

[0246] [Tx beam information of the selected carrier]

[0247] Whether it is idle mode / inactive mode measurement, RRC setup enhanced measurement, or connected state measurement, the base station transmitter considers multiple SSBs (for example, 7 SSBs for inter-frequency in FR1 and 10 SSBs for inter-frequency in FR2), as described in Table 6 below.

[0248]

[0249] If for a same measurement object, the UE has measured 7 SSBs (or 10 SSBs) and has obtained the beam quality information (which Tx beams have the best quality), the UE does not need to measure all Tx beams and can only further verify a subset of the Tx beams.

[0250] [Prior measurement result information]

[0251] If the measurement result in the idle mode / inactive mode goes through the RRC setup validity check and the beam quality can also satisfy the accuracy requirements in the connected state, the UE can directly report the valid measurement result.

[0252] Continuing to refer to FIG. 10, Direction 2: In the RRC setup procedure, the evaluation of measurement validity is not completed. At this time, if the UE indicates an on-going measurement, the NW can know that the UE starts the measurement from the RRC idle / inactive state or starts the enhanced measurement from the RRC setup. The NW can configure the same object frequency configuration MO as the one the UE is measuring. More specifically, if the NW expects the UE to continue the enhanced measurement after entering the connected mode, it needs to provide additional information. The additional information may include at least one of a frequency, cell ID, or Tx SSB information required to perform the continuous measurement for a specific carrier. Considering that the UE receiver needs to perform different RF tuning according to the measurement frequency (center frequency) and bandwidth in the idle mode / inactive mode and the connected mode, such as RF tuning / retuning, RF switch on / off, different AGC gain control also needs to be performed according to the received power. At this time, if parallel measurements of the newly configured MO / carrier and the old object frequency / carrier are required, a feasible assumption may be that the UE can support IBM, use an Rx chain to continue the measurement in the idle mode / inactive mode or during the RRC setup, and use another Rx chain to measure the newly configured MO (at this time, the applicable scenario may be the activation of FR1 + FR2 SCell). At the same time, the UE may support per-FR gap and perform the FR2 frequency layer measurement without gap.

[0253] At this time, the UE may perform continuous enhanced measurement within the fast measurement window. Also considering that both the measurement in the idle mode / inactive mode and the L3 measurement in the connected mode are multi-sample measurements (for example, 3 samples are required in the idle mode / inactive mode), for some UEs with slow measurement speed, after entering the RRC reconfiguration, there are still some samples during the RRC setup that have not been measured. In this case, the sample combination criterion may need to be considered to ensure enough samples to guarantee the cell quality level and satisfy the accuracy requirements in the connected mode.

[0254] In some embodiments, the UE may obtain prior information in the connected mode. The obtained prior information in the connected mode may include at least one of L1 beam information, AGC information, or timing information.

[0255] For a cell list of LTM (Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility) and the UE that supports LTM measurement, before receiving the SCell activation command, if the UE has performed the intra-frequency L1 measurement, it can obtain the beam level information. At this time, if the cells in the list have been detected and the NW triggers the reporting of valid L1 measurement values after the SCell activation command, the UE can report the valid L1 measurement values. Through this measurement value, the best Tx-Rx beam pair is known, so the UE does not need to perform the L1-RSRP measurement and L1-RSRP reports again. Meanwhile, since the L1 measurement values are valid (for example, fine beams), the corresponding rough beam determined by the corresponding L3 measurement is valid. At this time, there is no need to perform cell detection and AGC tuning to obtain the cell time information and received power information, as shown in FIG. 8, for example. In this way, a fast measurement result reporting method is provided.

[0256] The following describes the SCell activation process according to some example embodiments of the disclosure with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. Each operation in FIG. 9 may be performed based on the various embodiments described above. Each of the operations described below is optional, at least one operation may be omitted, or at least one additional operation may be added.

[0257] In operating S910, the UE obtains prior information before receiving an SCell activation command.

[0258] For example, the prior information may come from the RRC idle mode / inactive mode, RRC setup, and / or the previous connected state.

[0259] In some implementations, the prior information may include at least one of TCI state information for the selected carrier, Rx beam information for the selected carrier, valid measurement results of idle mode measurements that goes through a validity check during RRC setup, cell synchronization timing information, or AGC setting information. The details about the prior information may refer to FIG. 10 and the description of the previous embodiments.

[0260] In operating S920, after RRC reconfiguration, according to an activation condition of a window, the UE performs fast deactivated SCell measurement within the fast measurement window based on the prior information and a reference signal, and reports a valid L3 measurement result.

[0261] Referring to FIG. 10, the fast measurement window may be determined by a starting point, an ending point, and a dynamic window length. The measurement window may be determined by at least one of a measurement period ( ) for the UE to measure based on the measurement reference signal or a time ( ) for reporting the valid Layer 3 measurement result. For example, Here, is an operator, which may be: i.e., taking the maximum value of and or, i.e., taking the minimum value of and

[0262] For example, the reference signal for fast measurement may be SSB, CSI-RS, or temporary RS (TRS).

[0263] In operating S930, if the UE receives the SCell activation command and a known condition for the new SCell is satisfied, the SCell becomes a known SCell and can be fastly activated according to a short activation delay.

[0264] If the UE does not receive the SCell activation command and / or the known condition for the new SCell is not satisfied, the UE may activate the SCell based on an existing activation delay.

[0265] In operation S940, after the SCell is activated, the base station can perform data scheduling on the SCell.

[0266] Some examples of timeline / timing for applying operations related to the activation command according to some example embodiments of the disclosure are described below. It should be noted that the examples may be combined with various embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the examples may be applied to the SCell activation procedure described in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0267] The UE may receive a SCell activation command. The transmission of a valid CSI report and / or the application of operations related to the activation command may need to satisfy a timeline condition (which may be called SCell activation timeline / timing). For example, in the RRC connected state, for an SCell activation procedure, when the SCell activation command is received in slot n (it should be noted that here “slot” is an example of “time unit”, and the two may be used interchangeably), the time when the UE can transmit a valid CSI report and / or the UE can apply operations related to the activation command to the SCell being activated is no later than slot where:

[0268] is the timing (e.g., time interval, such as time unit interval) between a DL data transmission and a HARQ feedback (e.g., HARQ-ACK).

[0269] is a SCell activation delay. Hereinafter, is used to denote SCell activation delay.

[0270] is a CSI reporting delay. Hereinafter, is used to denote the CSI reporting delay. may include at least one or all of the following: an uncertainty time of obtaining the first available downlink (DL) CSI-reference signal (RS) resource, a time for the UE to process a CSI report, and an uncertainty time of obtaining the first available CSI reporting resource. The first available downlink CSI reference signal resource may refer to a DL CSI-RS resource in which the UE can measure valid CSI (e.g., CQI). The time for the UE to process a CSI report may be a fixed value.

[0271] “ ” is a slot length for NR (it should be noted that “ ” is an example of time unit length (e.g., slot length), and the two may be used interchangeably).

[0272] According to example embodiments of the disclosure, for fast SCell activation, attention may be focused on how to shorten Additionally or alternatively, since the time of is also long and is influenced by the availability of RS for CSI estimation and the reporting opportunity, consideration may be given to reducing For example:

[0273] - For periodic / semi-persistent CSI reporting, NR may support the following periodicities: {5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320} slots.

[0274] - The periodicity of periodic CSI-RS configured for the UE may be: 4 / 5 / 10 / 20 / 40 ms.

[0275] In an implementation, may be 15 ms. Consider the case of intra-band contiguous SCell activation in FR2 as an example. In this case, if the UE is not provided with any SMTC for the target SCell, may be only 3 ms. At this time, When the UE is provided with any SMTC for the target SCell, is TFirstSSB+ 5ms. Assuming SSB periodicity is 20 ms, in this case, the activation delay is at most 25 ms. Accordingly, may also be far less than especially when the CSI reporting period is of 320 slots. Herein, TFirstSSBis the SSB period.

[0276] Therefore, it is required to consider the reduction of In particular, for the intra-band contiguous CA scenario, it is required to consider the reduction of

[0277] In some implementations, based on a condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction / CSI reporting delay enhancement (examples of which will be described below), SCell activation (e.g., fast SCell activation) may be completed before the UE transmits a valid CSI report.

[0278] For example, completing fast SCell activation before the UE transmits a valid CSI report may include: in case that the condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction / CSI reporting delay enhancement is satisfied, performing fast SCell activation by skipping a CSI reporting delay. For example, the CSI reporting delay may include at least one or all of the following: a time for CSI reporting, an uncertainty time of obtaining the first available downlink CSI reference signal resource, a time for the UE to process a CSI report, or an uncertainty time of obtaining a first available CSI reporting resource.

[0279] For example, the time in which operations related to SCell activation are applied may be no later than time unit where n is the index of a time unit (e.g., slot) where the activation command is received, L is the length of the time unit (e.g., slot length), is the HARQ-feedback timing for DL data, is the SCell activation delay, and is a processing margin (e.g., which may have a predefined value).

[0280] For example, the condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction / CSI reporting delay enhancement (which may also be called a first condition) may include at least one of the following:

[0281] - The QCL information of an activated TCI state for a PDCCH can be obtained based on a configured reference signal;

[0282] - When multiple TCI states are configured, the TCI state related to PDCCH transmission can be obtained based on a valid measurement result reported by the UE;

[0283] - SSB-less SCell is configured and the UE supports SCell without SSB (e.g., supports SCellWithoutSSB);

[0284] - The receive timing difference (RTD) between the SCell and the activated serving cell in a same band is less than a second threshold (which may be predefined or configured);

[0285] - The receive power difference between the SCell and the activated serving cell is less than a third threshold (which may be predefined or configured).

[0286] Some example implementations are described below.

[0287] Since all serving cells in a same band (e.g., FR2 band) may be assumed to be quasi-co-located, the timing and / or gain setting of an SCell being activated may be determined from the activated serving cell.

[0288] -When the UE continuously performs CSI measurement on an activated serving cell, the CSI reporting delay (e.g., the time for CSI reporting and / or the uncertainty time of obtaining the first available CSI report resource) may be skipped (e.g., the time is not considered or is ignored). For example, skipping (e.g., not considering or ignoring) the above time may mean that the above time is not considered or is ignored when determining the timeline condition for applying operations related to the activation command.

[0289] a) For the UE, each of the PCell, PSCell and SCells has an associated SSB in the frequency. Meanwhile, the UE may be indicated by the network with a CSI-RS resource configuration. The UE may perform CSI measurement according to the CSI-RS configuration.

[0290] Case i: If no associated SSB is configured for the CSI-RS resource (e.g., the UE is not configured with an associated SSB, or a parameter related to an associated SSB, e.g., associatedSSB), and / or it is SSB-less case, the UE may determine (e.g., derive) the timing of the CSI-RS resource from the timing information of the serving cell. Therefore, it may be assumed that the UE already knows sufficient timing information before performing CSI-RS-based measurement, and the UE may directly measure the CSI-RS resource in a neighboring cell by using the timing of the serving cell.

[0291] -On an activated serving cell, the CSI-RS for CSI is very likely transmitted on the same Tx beam as PDCCH or PDSCH; however, for a to-be-activated SCell, there may be two example cases for TCI configuration:

[0292] --Case 1: The CSI-RS for CSI is configured with one TCI state. In this case, the network knows which Tx beam is used to transmit the CSI-RS for CSI; for example, if the SCell and the PCell are quasi-co-located, the TCI state may indicate an RS on the PCell. Because the PCell is always activated, the measurement result including CSI of the PCell is always be available. Moreover, because for the intra-band contiguous CA quasi-co-located deployment scenario, the RSRP measurement result on each serving-cell frequency layer is extremely similar, in this scenario, for the to-be-activated SCell, the time of CSI reporting and the uncertainty time of obtaining the first available CSI report resource may be omitted / ignored (e.g., not considered). If other configurations of CSI-RS need to be processed, TCSI_reportingmay be determined as TCSI_reporting= Tprocessing time, which, as an optional value, may be 2 ms; otherwise TCSI_reporting=0. Herein, Tprocessing timeis the processing time needed for other CSI-RS(s).

[0293] --Case 2: The CSI-RS for CSI is not configured with a TCI state. In this case, L1-RSRP measurement and reporting may be needed. After the L1-RSRP reporting, the UE may assume that the CSI-RS for CSI is transmitted in the reported Tx beam, i.e., the CSI-RS for CSI is quasi-co-located (QCL-ed) with the reported SSB or CSI-RS, where the SSB or CSI-RS is the measurement reference signal on the activated serving cell, or the CSI-RS for CSI is QCL-ed with the reported A-TRS / TRS. At this time, if TCSI_reportingis omitted, should include one round of L1-RSRP measurement and reporting. Herein, TL1-RSRP,reportmay be regarded as part of TCSI_reporting, i.e., the first available DL CSI-RS resource is the resource in which the UE can measure valid CQI. Herein, TL1-RSRP,reportdenotes the L1-RSRP reporting time.

[0294] In summary, for Case 1, the SCell activation timing may be:

[0295] If the SCell being activated belongs to FR2 (it should be noted that frequency range FR2 is only an example, and “FR2” may be replaced with other frequency ranges or frequency domain resources), and if there is at least one activated serving cell on the FR2 band, and if the UE supporting SCell without SSB (e.g., supporting SCellWithoutSSB) is not provided with any SMTC for the target SCell, then the UE applies operations related to the activation command to the SCell being activated, no later than slot For example, the value of may be predefined (e.g., be a fixed value); for example, Here, is a processing margin (e.g., may have a predefined value).

[0296] The premise of the above SCell activation timing may be that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 or 2 is satisfied (e.g., the above Case-1 SCell activation timing is applied in case that at least one or all of the following Condition 1 or 2 is satisfied) (in example embodiments of the present disclosure, these conditions may be called the condition related to CSI reporting delay enhancement / CSI reporting delay reduction):

[0297] - Condition 1: The RS of the SCell being activated is QCL-ed (with QCL-Type D) with the RS of an activated serving cell in the FR2 band;

[0298] - Condition 2: The CSI-RS for CSI is configured with one TCI state (e.g., is not configured with multiple TCI states).

[0299] If the SCell being activated belongs to FR1, and if there is at least one activated serving cell contiguous with the SCell on the FR1 band, and if the UE is not provided with an SSB configuration (e.g., the UE is not configured with a frequency to be used for the serving cell, e.g., absoluteFrequencySSB) or an SMTC configuration for the target SCell, then the UE supporting SCell without SSB (e.g., supporting SCellWithoutSSB) applies operations related to the activation command to the SCell being activated, no later than slot

[0300] For example, the value of may be a fixed value; for example, and is a processing margin (e.g., may have a predefined value). The meanings of other parameters may refer to the above descriptions.

[0301] The premise of the above SCell activation timing may be that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 to 3 is satisfied (e.g., the above SCell activation timing is applied in case that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 to 3 is satisfied) (in example embodiments of the present disclosure, these conditions may be called the condition related to CSI reporting delay enhancement / CSI reporting delay reduction):

[0302] - Condition 1: The receive timing difference (RTD) between the target SCell and the contiguous activated serving cell is within a predetermined threshold (e.g., ±260 ns);

[0303] - Condition 2: The receive power difference with the contiguous activated serving cell <= a predetermined threshold (e.g., 6 dB);

[0304] - Condition 3: The RS(s) of the SCell being activated are QCL-ed (with QCL-Type A) with the TRS(s) of the SCell being activated, and the TRS(s) are QCL-ed (with QCL-Type C) with the SSB(s) of any activated serving cell, where the serving cell is adjacent / contiguous to the SCell being activated in the FR1 band.

[0305] For Case 2, the SCell activation timing may be:

[0306] If the SCell being activated belongs to FR2, and if there is at least one activated serving cell on the FR2 band, and if the UE supporting SCell without SSB (e.g., supporting SCellWithoutSSB) is not provided with any SMTC for the target SCell, the UE may apply operations related to the activation command to the SCell being activated, no later than slot .

[0307] may include at least the SCell activation delay. For example, may include the SCell activation delay (e.g., having a fixed value, such as 3 ms) and the time for L1-RSRP measurement and / or reporting. For example,

[0308] Herein, denotes the L1-RSRP measurement period, and denotes the L1-RSRP reporting time. Periodic and / or semi-persistent CSI-RS may be used for L1-RSRP measurement. is a processing margin (e.g., may have a predefined value). For example, may include at least the feedback for periodically configured CSI-RS resource transmission based on RRC configuration. The meanings of other parameters may refer to the above descriptions.

[0309] The premise may be that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 to 3 is satisfied (e.g., the above SCell activation timing is applied in case that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 to 3 is satisfied) (in example embodiments of the present disclosure, these conditions may be called the condition related to CSI reporting delay enhancement / CSI reporting delay reduction):

[0310] - Condition 1: The RS of the SCell being activated is QCL-ed (with QCL-Type D) with the RS of an activated serving cell in the FR2 band;

[0311] - Condition 2: The CSI-RS for L1-RSRP measurement should be the RS that provides QCL information for the activated TCI state of PDCCH;

[0312] - Condition 3: The reported CSI-RS-based L1-RSRP measurement meets the accuracy performance requirements specified for FR2.

[0313] If the SCell being activated belongs to FR1, and if there is at least one activated serving cell contiguous with the SCell on the FR1 band, and if the UE is not provided with an SSB configuration (absoluteFrequencySSB) or an SMTC configuration for the target SCell, then the UE supporting SCell without SSB (e.g., supporting SCellWithoutSSB) applies operations related to the activation command to the SCell being activated, no later than slot .

[0314] may include at least the SCell activation delay (e.g., having a fixed value, such as 3 ms). For example, may include the SCell activation delay (e.g., having a fixed value, such as 3 ms) and the time for L1-RSRP measurement and / or reporting. For example, Periodic and / or semi-persistent CSI-RS may be used for L1-RSRP measurement. is a processing margin (e.g., may have a predefined value). For example, may include at least the feedback for periodically configured CSI-RS resource transmission based on RRC configuration. The meanings of other parameters may refer to the above descriptions.

[0315] In some examples, in addition to the above Conditions 1 to 3, it may be further required to satisfy the condition that the CSI-RS for L1-RSRP measurement should be the RS that provides QCL information for the activated TCI state of PDCCH.

[0316] Case ii: If the non-SSB-less case of intra-band CA is considered, i.e., the target SCell is provided with an SMTC, and / or CSI-RS-based measurement is accompanied by an associated SSB (e.g., for the CSI-RS, the UE is configured with an associated SSB, or parameters related to an associated SSB, e.g., associatedSSB).

[0317] -It may be assumed that the UE has already detected the related SSB given by the CSI-RS resource configuration. Therefore, the UE already knows the timing information of the related SCell. The UE may derive the timing of the CSI-RS resource from the timing information of the related cell. Meanwhile, because the existing includes TFirstSSBto acquire fine timing, the network may obtain some information about the Tx beam from the SSB-based L1-RSRP measurement report; at this time, if L1-RSRP measurement is considered, it is SSB-based L1-RSRP measurement. Meanwhile, if intra-band contiguous quasi-co-located deployment is considered, the CSI-RS that provides QCL information for the activated TCI state of PDCCH should be QCL-ed with the SSB with which L1-RSRP measurement is performed for any serving cell.

[0318] In case of Case ii, example embodiments of the activation timing are described below.

[0319] For Case 2, the SCell activation timing may be:

[0320] If the SCell being activated belongs to FR2, and there is at least one activated serving cell on the FR2 band, then the UE applies operations related to the activation command to the SCell being activated, no later than slot .

[0321] may include at least the SCell activation delay (e.g., having a fixed value such as 3 ms). For example, may include the SCell activation delay (e.g., having a fixed value, such as 3 ms) and the time for L1-RSRP measurement and / or reporting. For example, is a processing margin (e.g., may have a predefined value). For example, may include the post-processing time for the SSB resource.

[0322] The premise may be that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 to 6 is satisfied (e.g., the above SCell activation timing for Case-2 may be applied in case that at least one or all of the following Conditions 1 to 6 is satisfied) (in example embodiments of the disclosure, the conditions may be called the condition related to CSI reporting delay enhancement / CSI reporting delay reduction):

[0323] - Condition 1: The UE is provided with an SMTC for the target SCell;

[0324] - Condition 2: SSB time-domain-position-related parameter (e.g., parameter ssb-PositionsInBurst) is the same for the serving cell and the SCell;

[0325] - Condition 3: The SSB of the SCell and the SSB of the contiguous activated serving cell for FR2 are in a same half-frame;

[0326] - Condition 4: The SSB of the SCell and the SSB of the contiguous activated serving cell for FR2 are in a same half-frame;

[0327] - Condition 5: The SSB of the serving cell and the SSB of the SCell have the same downlink spatial domain transmission filter;

[0328] - Condition 6: The CSI-RS that provides QCL information for the activated TCI state of PDCCH is QCL-ed with the SSB in which L1-RSRP measurement is performed for any serving cell.

[0329] In some implementations, the UE may report the capability of supporting CSI reporting delay enhancement (in example embodiments of the disclosure, also called CSI reporting delay reduction or similar terms). For example, for both Case i and Case ii, as an optional implementation, the UE may need to report the capability of supporting CSI reporting delay enhancement. Moreover, because CSI-RS is a reference signal configured specifically for the UE, it may need to be assumed that the UE does not perform measurement outside its activated BWP.

[0330] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1100 performed by a UE according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0331] Referring to FIG. 11, in operation S1110, the UE obtains first information associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state.

[0332] In operation S1120, in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, the UE performs measurements on an SCell within the first window based on the first information and the first reference signal. The first information is related to at least one of transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0333] In operation S1130, in case that a measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result, the UE reports the valid measurement result.

[0334] In operation S1140, the UE performs fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received.

[0335] In some embodiments, one or more of operations S1110 to S1140 may be performed based on the methods described according to various embodiments of the disclosure (e.g., the embodiments described in connection with the above figures).

[0336] In some embodiments, method 1100 may omit one or more of operations S1110 to S1140, or may include additional operations, for example, operations that can be performed by the UE as described according to various embodiments of the disclosure (e.g., the embodiments described in connection with the above figures).

[0337] FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1200 performed by a base station according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0338] Referring to FIG. 12, in operation S1210, the base station receives a measurement result of an SCell from the UE, where the measurement result is a valid measurement result. The measurement result is obtained by a measurement on the SCell within a first window that is performed, in the connected state of the UE, based on first information and a first reference signal according to an activation condition of the first window, wherein the first information is associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state of the UE. The first information is related to at least one of: transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0339] Next, in operation S1220, the based station transmits an activation command for the SCell to the UE to perform fast SCell activation for the SCell.

[0340] In some embodiments, one or more of operations S1210 to S1220 may be performed based on the methods described according to various embodiments of the disclosure (e.g., the embodiments described in connection with the above figures).

[0341] In some embodiments, method 1200 may omit one or more of operations S1210 to S1220, or may include additional operations, for example, operations that can be performed by the base station as described according to various embodiments of the disclosure (e.g., the embodiments described in connection with the above figures).

[0342] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of the configuration of a first node (e.g., a UE) as a scheduled node according to some example embodiments of the disclosure.

[0343] Referring to FIG. 13, the first node includes a transceiver 1310, a controller 1320, and a memory 1330. The controller 1320 may refer to a circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or at least one processor. The transceiver 1310, the controller 1320, and the memory 1330 are configured to perform the operations described above (e.g., described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-12) that can be performed by a terminal or a UE. Although the transceiver 1310, the controller 1320, and the memory 1330 are shown as separate entities, they may be implemented as a single entity, such as a single chip. Alternatively, the transceiver 1310, the controller 1320, and the memory 1330 may be electrically connected or coupled to each other.

[0344] The transceiver 1310 can transmit signals to other network entities (e.g., a base station) and receive signals from other network entities.

[0345] The controller 1320 can control the first node to perform functions according to one of the various example embodiments described above, for example, at least one of the operations that can be performed by a UE.

[0346] In some example embodiments, the operations of the first node can be implemented using the memory 1330 that stores the corresponding program code. Specifically, the first node can be equipped with a memory 1330 to store the program code for implementing the desired operations. To perform the desired operations, the controller 1320 can read and execute the program code stored in the memory 1330 by using at least one processor or a central processing unit (CPU).

[0347] FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of the configuration of a second node (e.g., a base station) as a scheduling node according to some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0348] Referring to FIG. 14, the second node includes a transceiver 1410, a controller 1420, and a memory 1430. The controller 1420 may refer to a circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or at least one processor. The transceiver 1410, the controller 1420, and the memory 1430 are configured to perform the operations described above (e.g., described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-12) that can be performed by a base station. Although the transceiver 1410, the controller 1420, and the memory 1430 are shown as separate entities, they may be implemented as a single entity, such as a single chip. Alternatively, the transceiver 1410, the controller 1420, and the memory 1430 may be electrically connected or coupled to each other.

[0349] The transceiver 1410 can transmit signals to other network entities (e.g., terminals) and receive signals from other network entities.

[0350] The controller 1420 can control the second node to perform functions according to one of the various example embodiments described above, for example, at least one of the operations that can be performed by a base station.

[0351] In some example embodiments, the operations of the second node can be implemented using the memory 1430 that stores the corresponding program code. Specifically, the second node can be equipped with the memory 1430 to store the program code for implementing the desired operations. To perform the desired operations, the controller 1420 can read and execute the program code stored in the memory 1430 by using at least one processor or central processing unit (CPU).

[0352] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a terminal or user equipment (UE) 1500 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 15 corresponds to the example of the terminal or UE of FIG. 3.

[0353] The terminal is an electronic device capable of wireless communication and having various form factors, examples of the terminal may include a UE, a mobile station (MS), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, a tablet, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or any other device / system capable of performing wireless communication with a base station (BS) and / or another terminal through a wireless channel.

[0354] Referring to FIG. 15, the UE 1500 may include at least one transceiver (hereinafter, referred to as simply “transceiver”) 1501, at least one processor (hereinafter, referred to as simply “processor”) 1502, and at least one memory (hereinafter, referred to as simply “memory”) 1503. According to at least one or a combination of methods corresponding to the embodiments described in the present disclosure, the transceiver 1501, the processor 1502, and the memory 1503 of the UE 1500 may operate. However, components of the UE 1500 are not limited to the example components illustrated in FIG. 15. In another embodiment, the UE 1500 may further include additional components in addition to the above-mentioned components, or some components may be omitted. Further, in some embodiments, any combination of the transceiver 1501, the processor 1502, or the memory 1503 may be integrated in the form of one component.

[0355] The transceiver 1501 may be a communication circuit or communication circuitry that enables the UE 1500 to perform wireless communication with a node or an entity of a network. For example, the transceiver 1501 may enable the UE 1500 to transmit or receive a signal to or from a BS through cellular communication, or to transmit or receive a signal to or from another UE through cellular communication. For example, the transceiver 1501 may support at least one of various cellular communication technologies including 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G), long term evolution (LTE), 5th generation (5G) NR, 6th generation (6G), and various cellular wireless communication technologies supported by the transceiver (1501) may include all subsequent generations of evolved wireless communications.

[0356] According to an embodiment, the UE 1500 may include a plurality of transceivers. For example, in the case of supporting evolved-universal terrestrial radio access-new radio (E-UTRA-NR) dual connectivity (EN-DC), the UE 1500 may include a first transceiver supporting the 4G LTE wireless communication and a second transceiver supporting the 5G NR wireless communication. According to another embodiment, in the case of supporting NR-dual connectivity (NR-DC), the UE 1500 may include a plurality of transceivers supporting the 5G NR wireless communication. According to still another embodiment, in the case of supporting near field wireless communication, the UE 1500 may separately include a transceiver supporting at least one standard in the group of wireless communication protocol standards as defined in the protocol standards for Bluetooth®, wireless local area network (WLAN) network (including institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11-2016 standard or its amendments, e.g., 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be, without being limited thereto).

[0357] According to an embodiment, the transceiver 1501 may include various circuit structures used to transmit or receive signals to or from a BS through a wireless channel. The signals may include control information and data. For example, the transceiver 1501 may include a radio frequency (RF) transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of a transmitted signal and an RF receiver for low-noise-amplifying a received signal and down-converting the frequency thereof. The transceiver 1501 may output a signal received through a wireless channel to the processor 1502 and may transmit, through a wireless channel, a signal output from the processor 1502.

[0358] The processor 1502 may control general operations of the UE 1500 according to embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 1502 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuit (or circuitry) (IC) chips and may execute various data processing operations. The processor 1502 may include at least one electric circuit, and may execute instructions (or a program, codes, data, etc.) stored in the memory 1503, individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. Further, the processor 1502 may include a single-core processor or multi-core processor, and may include a processor assembly including a plurality of processing circuits (circuitry) according to a specific implementation scheme.

[0359] The processor 1502 may be electrically, operatively, and / or communicatively coupled to the transceiver 1501 to control the transceiver 1501.

[0360] The processor 1502 may include at least one processor (or processing circuitry), and the at least one processor may perform the following operations individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. For example, the processor 1502 may include a communication processor (CP) configured to control communication operations and an application processor (AP) configured to control execution of an upper layer (for example, an application layer). In a specific embodiment, at least a part of the processor 1502 may be included in one chip (or IC) and the other part of the processor 1502 may be included in another chip (or IC). Otherwise, at least one processor may be included in another component, for example, the transceiver 1501 or the memory 1503.

[0361] The processor 1502 may perform or control or cause an operation of the UE 1500 for executing at least one or a combination of methods according to embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the processor 1502 may control operations of the UE 1500 for processing a downlink signal received from a BS or generating and transmitting an uplink signal to a BS. To this end, the processor 1502 may execute a computer program, codes, or instructions stored in the memory 1503, so as to control other components of the UE 1500 to enable execution of various operations.

[0362] The memory 1503 corresponds to a hardware storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing information and may include one or more storage media. For example, the memory 1503 may include a memory assembly including one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include permanent memory, such as a hard drive, flash memory, or read-only memory (ROM), semipermanent memory, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, or a combination thereof.

[0363] The memory 1503 may be electrically, operatively, and / or communicatively coupled to the processor 1502 and may be accessed by the processor 1502.

[0364] The memory 1503 may store a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 1502. According to an embodiment, a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 1502 may be either stored in a single memory device or separated and distributedly stored in two or more memory devices. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 1503, the processor 1502 may perform various functions according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0365] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, operations of the UE 1500 may be caused to be performed based on execution of instructions (or a computer program or codes) stored in the memory 1503 by at least one processor (or processing circuitry) configured to execute the same individually, collectively, or in any combination thereof, based on processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions, and / or based on components of processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions.

[0366] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a base station (BS) 1600 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 16 corresponds to the example of the RAN node of FIG. 2.

[0367] The BS 1600 may perform wireless communication with at least one user equipment (UE) located within the area of the BS 1600 through a wireless channel. The BS 1600 may perform communication with a node or an entity of a network through wired or wireless communication.

[0368] Referring to FIG. 16, the BS 1600 may include at least one transceiver (hereinafter, referred to as simply “transceiver”) 1601, at least one processor (hereinafter, referred to as simply “processor”) 1602, and at least one memory (hereinafter, referred to as simply “memory”) 1603. According to at least one or a combination of methods corresponding to the embodiments described in the present disclosure, the transceiver 1601, the processor 1602, and the memory 1603 of the BS 1600 may operate. However, components of the BS 1600 are not limited to the example components illustrated in FIG. 16. In another embodiment, the BS 1600 may further include additional components in addition to the above-mentioned components, or some components may be omitted. Further, in some embodiments, any combination of the transceiver 1601, the processor 1602, or the memory 1603 may be integrated in the form of one component.

[0369] The transceiver 1601 may be a communication circuit or communication circuitry that enables the BS 1600 to perform wireless communication with a node or an entity of a network. For example, the transceiver 1601 may enable the BS 1600 to transmit or receive a signal to or from the UE X00 through cellular communication, or to transmit or receive a signal to or from another network entity through wireless communication. For example, the transceiver 1601 may support various cellular communication technologies including 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G), long term evolution (LTE), 5th generation (5G) NR, 6th generation (6G), and various cellular wireless communication technologies supported by the transceiver (1601) may include all subsequent generations of evolved wireless communications. According to an embodiment, the transceiver 1601 may include various circuit structures used to transmit or receive signals to or from a UE through a wireless channel. The signals may include control information and data. For example, the transceiver 1601 may include a radio frequency (RF) transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of a transmitted signal and an RF receiver for low-noise-amplifying a received signal and down-converting the frequency thereof. The transceiver 1601 may output a signal received through a wireless channel to the processor 1602 and may transmit, through a wireless channel, a signal output from the processor 1602.

[0370] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the BS 1600 may perform communication with a node or an entity of a network through wired or wireless communication. For example, the BS 1600 may perform wired or wireless communication with an adjacent BS, or a node or an entity of a core network through a backhaul network. Although not illustrated in FIG. 16, when the BS 1600 performs wired communication, the BS 1600 may further include a separate network interface for wired communication in addition to the transceiver 1601. The network interface may be referred to as network interface circuitry or communication interface circuitry.

[0371] The processor 1602 may control general operations of the BS 1600 according to embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 1602 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuit (or circuitry) (IC) chips and may execute various data processing operations. The processor 1602 may include at least one electric circuit, and may execute instructions (or a program, codes, data, etc.) stored in the memory 1603, individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. Further, the processor 1602 may include a single-core processor or multi-core processor, and may include a processor assembly including a plurality of processing circuits (circuitry) according to a specific implementation scheme.

[0372] The processor 1602 may be electrically, operatively, and / or communicatively coupled to the transceiver 1601 to control the transceiver 1601.

[0373] The processor 1602 may include at least one processor (or processing circuitry), and the at least one processor may perform the following operations individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, at least a part of the processor 1602 may be included in one chip (or IC) and the other part of the processor 1602 may be included in another chip (or IC). Otherwise, at least one processor may be included in another component, for example, the transceiver 1601 or the memory 1603.

[0374] The processor 1602 may perform or control or cause an operation of the BS 1600 for executing at least one or a combination of methods according to embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the processor 1602 may control operations of the BS 1600 for generating and transmitting a downlink signal to a UE or processing an uplink signal received from a UE. Otherwise, the BS 1600 may transmit or receive a signal to or from a neighboring BS, transfer a signal received from a UE to an upper node of the network, or transmit a signal transferred from an upper node of the network to a UE. To this end, the processor 1602 may execute a computer program, codes, or instructions stored in the memory 1603, so as to control other components of the BS 1600 to enable execution of various operations.

[0375] The memory 1603 corresponds to a hardware storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing information and may include one or more storage media. For example, the memory 1603 may include a memory assembly including one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include permanent memory, such as a hard drive, flash memory, or read-only memory (ROM), semipermanent memory, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, or a combination thereof.

[0376] The memory 1603 may be electrically, operatively, and / or communicatively coupled to the processor 1602 and may be accessed by the processor 1602.

[0377] The memory 1603 may store a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 1602. According to an embodiment, a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 1602 may be either stored in a single memory device or separated and distributedly stored in two or more memory devices. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 1603, the processor 1602 may perform various functions according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0378] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, operations of the BS 1600 may be caused to be performed based on execution of instructions (or a computer program or codes) stored in the memory 1603 by at least one processor (or processing circuitry) configured to execute the same individually, collectively, or in any combination thereof, based on processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions, and / or based on components of processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions.

[0379] The UE or the base station may perform various communication procedures related to the control plane or the user plane by cooperating with one or more network entities based on wireless communication. For example, the UE may communicate with a network entity (for example, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a Session Management Function (SMF), rtc.) via the base station, or the base station may perform at least one communication procedure by directly transmitting and receiving signals to / from, or relaying signals between, the network entities.

[0380] The structure of the above-described network entity will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0381] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a network entity 1700 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0382] The network entity 1700 may include an entity (apparatus, device, or server, etc.) that performs one or more network functions (NFs) or a part of a network function constituting a core network (e.g., a 5th generation (5G) core (5GC)) in a communication system. In this case, multiple NFs may be implemented within a single network entity, or a single NF may be distributed and implemented across a plurality of network entities. In addition, when an NF is implemented within the network entity, the NF may be implemented in the form of software, and in such a case, a program for operating the NF may be stored in memory of the network entity 1700.

[0383] A single NF may be implemented by one or more instances, which may be deployed on the same network entity or distributed across multiple network entities to operate. The instance may be a software unit that logically executes a specific network function, and may be implemented in a form that is decoupled from physical hardware resources. Further, one or more NFs may be implemented in the form of one network slice to operate to satisfy specifications required by a particular service.

[0384] The NF may include at least one of an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a local session management function (L-SMF), a user plane function (UPF), a local user plane function (L-UPF), a policy control function (PCF), a unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), a network exposure function (NEF), a network repository function (NRF), an application function (AF), a network slice selection function (NSSF), a network data analytics function (NWDAF), a network slice admission control function (NSACF), an authentication server function (AUSF), or a data network (DN), etc.

[0385] Referring to FIG. 17, the network entity 1700 may include at least one network interface 1701, at least one processor 1702 (hereinafter, “processor”), and at least one memory 1703 (hereinafter, “memory”). As described above, a NF may be implemented in the form of a physical device such as the network entity 1700, or may be virtualized and executed in the form of an instance. When implemented as an instance, the NF need not necessarily include physical components as illustrated in FIG. 17. In such a case, the instance may be logically represented as comprising one or more logical functional elements.

[0386] According to at least one or a combination of methods corresponding to the embodiments described in the present disclosure, the network interface 1701, the processor 1702, and the memory 1703 of the network entity 1700 may operate. However, components of the network entity 1700 are not limited to the example components illustrated in FIG. 17. In another embodiment, the network entity 1700 may further include additional components in addition to the above-mentioned components, or some components may be omitted. Further, in an embodiment, the network interface 1701, the processor 1702, or the memory 1703 may be integrated in the form of one component.

[0387] The network interface 1701 is a collective term for a transmitter part of the network entity 1700 and a receiver part of the network entity 1700, and may be a communication circuit for transmitting or receiving a signal to or from a user equipment (UE), a base station (BS), or another network entity. Here, the communication circuit may include both a communication circuit for wireless communication and a communication circuit for a wired communication. For example, the network interface 1701 may include a circuit, logic, hardware, etc., configured to exchange a control plane message or a user plane message with a UE, a BS, or other core network entities through wireless communication or wired communication. The network interface 1701 may operate using various protocols (e.g., non-access stratum (NAS) protocol). The network interface 1701 may also be referred to, for convenience of description or depending on implementation, as communication circuitry, network interface circuitry, or a communication interface circuitry.

[0388] The processor 1702 may control general operations of the network entity 1700 according to embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 1702 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuit (or circuitry) (IC) chips and may execute various data processing operations. The processor 1702 may include at least one electric circuit, and may execute instructions (or a program, codes, data, etc.) stored in the memory 1703, individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. Further, the processor 1702 may include a single-core processor or multi-core processor, and may include a processor assembly including a plurality of processing circuits (circuitry) according to a specific implementation scheme. Further, it should be noted that, according to another embodiment, in a case where NF is implemented in the form of an instance, the network function may be not necessarily configured by physical hardware.

[0389] According to an embodiment, the processor 1702 may be electrically, operatively, and / or communicatively coupled to the network interface 1701 to control the network interface 1701.

[0390] The processor 1702 may include at least one processor (or processing circuitry), and the at least one processor may perform the following operations individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, at least a part of the processor 1702 may be included in one chip (or IC) and the other part of the processor 1702 may be included in another chip (or IC). Otherwise, at least one processor may be included in another component, for example, the network interface 1701 or the memory 1703.

[0391] The processor 1702 may perform or control or cause an operation of the network entity 1700 for executing at least one or a combination of methods according to embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the processor 1702 may control operations of the network entity 1700 for exchanging a control plane message or a user plane message with a UE, a BS, or other core network entities through wireless or wired communication, using various protocols (e.g., NAS protocol). To this end, the processor 1702 may execute a computer program, codes, or instructions stored in the memory 1703, so as to control other components of the network entity 1700 to enable execution of various operations.

[0392] The memory 1703 corresponds to a hardware storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing information and may include one or more storage media. For example, the memory 1703 may include a memory assembly including one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include permanent memory, such as a hard drive, flash memory, or read-only memory (ROM), semipermanent memory, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, or a combination thereof.

[0393] The memory 1703 may be electrically, operatively, and / or communicatively coupled to the processor 1702 and may be accessed by the processor 1702.

[0394] The memory 1703 may store a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 1702. According to an embodiment, a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 1702 may be either stored in a single memory device or separated and distributedly stored in two or more memory devices. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 1703, the processor 1702 may perform various functions according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0395] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, operations of the network entity 1700 may be caused to be performed based on execution of instructions (or a computer program or codes) stored in the memory 1703 by at least one processor (or processing circuitry) configured to execute the same individually, collectively, or in any combination thereof, based on processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions, and / or based on components of processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions.

[0396] In one embodiment, a method performed by a user eqiupment in a wireless communication system is provided. The method comprises: obtaining first information associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state; in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, performing a measurement on a secondary cell (SCell) within the first window based on the first information and a first reference signal; in case that a measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result, reporting the valid measurement result; and performing fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received, wherein the first information is related to at least one of transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0397] In another embodiment, the activation condition includes at least one of: the UE receiving fast measurement indication signaling; the UE receiving on-demand measurement reference signal indication signaling; the UE receiving radio resource control (RRC) measurement object configuration indication signaling; or the measurement result by the UE satisfying a predefined measurement event, wherein the predefined measurement event includes that the measurement result of the SCell is higher than a measurement result of a primary cell (PCell) or an activated SCell by at least a first threshold.

[0398] In another embodiment, performing the fast SCell activation for the SCell includes: in case that the SCell activation command is received within a first time after the UE reports the valid measurement result and a first reference signal used for the measurement remains detectable, performing the fast SCell activation for the target SCell.

[0399] In another embodiment, the first time is related to at least one of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or a period of the first reference signal.

[0400] In another embodiment, a length of the first window is based on at least one of: a number of configured reference signal bursts or a timer length; a measurement period for the measurement based on a first reference signal; or a reporting timing of a report of a measurement result based on the first reference signal.

[0401] In another embodiment, the measurement based on the first reference signal includes at least one of: a Layer 1 and / or Layer 3 measurement after entering the connected state; a continued enhanced measurement after entering the connected state; a deactivated SCell measurement; or a Layer 1 and / or Layer 2-triggered mobility (LTM) measurement.

[0402] In another embodiment, the method further comprises: in case that the measurement is the continued enhanced measurement, transmitting, before RRC reconfiguration, indication information indicating that an enhanced measurement is being performed on a carrier frequency layer for which the measurement result is valid.

[0403] In another embodiment, the method further comprises receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the inactive mode and / or an enhanced measurement in RRC setup.

[0404] In another embodiment, the information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the enhanced measurement includes at least one of: indication information indicating a carrier frequency layer for which a continued enhanced measurement is required; or configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer.

[0405] In another embodiment, the configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer includes at least one of: a cell identifier (ID), object synchronization signal block (SSB) information, or measured frequency priority.

[0406] In another embodiment, the measurement result includes at least one of: a reference signal received power (RSRP); a reference signal received quality (RSRQ); or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0407] In another embodiment, the first reference signal includes at least one of the following: an SSB; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); or a temporary reference signal.

[0408] In another embodiment, the method further comprises receiving configuration information for configuring the first window.

[0409] In one embodiment, a method performed by a base station in a communication system is provided. The method comprises: receiving a measurement result of a secondary cell (SCell) from a user equipment (UE), wherein the measurement result is a valid measurement result; and transmitting an activation command for the SCell to the UE to perform fast SCell activation for the SCell, wherein the measurement result is obtained by a measurement on the SCell within a first window that is performed, in the connected state of the UE, based on first information and a first reference signal according to an activation condition of the first window, wherein the first information is associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state of the UE, wherein the first information is related to at least one of: transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0410] In another embodiment, the activation condition includes at least one of the: fast measurement indication signaling being received by the UE; on-demand measurement reference signal indication signaling being received by the UE; radio resource control (RRC) measurement object configuration indication signaling being received by the UE; or the measurement result by the UE satisfying a predefined measurement event, wherein the predefined measurement event includes that the measurement result of the SCell is higher than a measurement result of a primary cell (PCell) or an activated SCell by at least a first threshold.

[0411] In another embodiment, in case that the SCell activation command is received within a first time after the valid measurement result is reported by the UE and a first reference signal used for the measurement remains detectable, the fast SCell activation for the SCell is performed.

[0412] In another embodiment, the first time is related to at least one of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or a period of the first reference signal.

[0413] In another embodiment, a length of the first window is based on at least one of: a number of configured reference signal bursts or a timer length; a measurement period for the measurement based on a first reference signal; or a reporting timing of a report of a measurement result based on the first reference signal.

[0414] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The UE comprises a transceiver; and one or more processors, coupled to the transceiver and configured to obtain first information associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state; in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, perform a measurement on a secondary cell (SCell) within the first window based on the first information and a first reference signal; in case that a measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result, report the valid measurement result; and perform fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received, wherein the first information is related to at least one of transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0415] In one embodiment, a base station in a wireless communication system is provided. The base station comprises a transceiver; and one or more processors, coupled to the transceiver and configured to receive a measurement result of a secondary cell (SCell) from a user equipment (UE), wherein the measurement result is a valid measurement result; and transmit an activation command for the SCell to the UE to perform fast SCell activation for the SCell, wherein the measurement result is obtained by a measurement on the SCell within a first window that is performed, in the connected state of the UE, based on first information and a first reference signal according to an activation condition of the first window, wherein the first information is associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state of the UE, wherein the first information is related to at least one of: transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

[0416] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above illustrative embodiments are described herein and are not intended to be limiting. It should be understood that any two or more of the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any combination. Furthermore, other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that aspects of the invention of the disclosure as generally described herein and shown in the drawings may be arranged, replaced, combined, separated and designed in various different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0417] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described in this application may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above in the form of their functional sets. Whether such function sets are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians may implement the described function sets in different ways for each specific application, but such design decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this application.

[0418] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in this application may be implemented or performed by a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logics, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0419] The steps of the method or algorithm described in this application may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination thereof. The software module may reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor to enable the processor to read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a communication apparatus (e.g., a terminal or a base station). In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in a communication apparatus (e.g., a terminal or a base station) as discrete components.

[0420] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, each function may be stored as one or more pieces of instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or delivered through it. The computer-readable medium includes both a computer storage medium and a communication medium, the latter including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

[0421] The above description is only example embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

[0422] Meanwhile, although specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system, comprising:obtaining first information associated with an idle state or a previous connected state;in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, performing a measurement on a secondary cell (SCell) within the first window based on the first information and a first reference signal;in case that a measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result, reporting the valid measurement result; andperforming fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received,wherein the first information is related to at least one of transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.The method of claim 1, wherein the activation condition includes at least one of:the UE receiving fast measurement indication signaling;the UE receiving on-demand measurement reference signal indication signaling;the UE receiving radio resource control (RRC) measurement object configuration indication signaling; orthe measurement result by the UE satisfying a predefined measurement event, wherein the predefined measurement event includes that the measurement result of the SCell is higher than a measurement result of a primary cell (PCell) or an activated SCell by at least a first threshold.The method of claim 1, wherein performing the fast SCell activation for the SCell includes:in case that the SCell activation command is received within a first time after the UE reports the valid measurement result and a first reference signal used for the measurement remains detectable, performing the fast SCell activation for the target SCell.The method of claim 3, wherein the first time is related to at least one of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle or a period of the first reference signal.The method of claim 1, wherein a length of the first window is based on at least one of: a number of configured reference signal bursts or a timer length; a measurement period for the measurement based on a first reference signal; or a reporting timing of a report of a measurement result based on the first reference signal.The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement based on the first reference signal includes at least one of: a Layer 1 and / or Layer 3 measurement after entering the connected state; a continued enhanced measurement after entering the connected state; a deactivated SCell measurement; or a Layer 1 and / or Layer 2-triggered mobility (LTM) measurement.The method of claim 6, further comprising: in case that the measurement is the continued enhanced measurement, transmitting, before RRC reconfiguration, indication information indicating that an enhanced measurement is being performed on a carrier frequency layer for which the measurement result is valid.The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message includes information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the inactive mode and / or an enhanced measurement in RRC setup.The method of claim 8, wherein the information associated with at least one measurement object configured for the idle mode and / or the enhanced measurement includes at least one of: indication information indicating a carrier frequency layer for which a continued enhanced measurement is required; or configuration information corresponding to the carrier frequency layer.The method of claim 1, wherein performing fast SCell activation for the SCell includes:based on a condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction, completing the fast SCell activation before the UE transmits a valid channel state information (CSI) report.The method of claim 10, wherein completing the fast SCell activation before the UE transmits the valid CSI report includes:in case that the condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction is satisfied, performing the fast SCell activation by skipping a CSI reporting delay, wherein the CSI reporting delay includes at least one of a time for CSI reporting, or an uncertainty time of obtaining a first available CSI reporting resource.The method of claim 10, wherein operations related to the fast SCell activation are applied no later than time unitwhereinis an index of a time unit where the activation command is received,is a length of the time unit,is a HARQ feedback timing for downlink data,is an SCell activation delay, andis a predefined processing margin.The method of claim 10, wherein the condition related to CSI reporting delay reduction includes at least one of:quasi-co-location (QCL) information of an activated TCI state for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) being obtainable based on a configured reference signal;when a plurality of TCI states are configured, a TCI state related to a PDCCH transmission being obtainable based on a valid measurement result reported by the UE;the UE being configured with a synchronization signal block (SSB)-less SCell and the UE supporting the SSB-less SCell;a receive timing difference (RTD) between the SCell and the activated serving cell being less than a second threshold, wherein the activated serving cell and the SCell are in a same band; ora receive power difference between the SCell and the activated serving cell being less than a third threshold.A method performed by a base station in a communication system, comprising:receiving a measurement result of a secondary cell (SCell) from a user equipment (UE), wherein the measurement result is a valid measurement result; andtransmitting an activation command for the SCell to the UE to perform fast SCell activation for the SCell,wherein the measurement result is obtained by a measurement on the SCell within a first window that is performed, in the connected state of the UE, based on first information and a first reference signal according to an activation condition of the first window, wherein the first information is associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state of the UE,wherein the first information is related to at least one of: transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising:at least one transceiver;at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver; andat least one memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, storing instructions executable by the at least one processor individually or in any combination to cause the UE to:obtain first information associated with an idle state and / or a previous connected state;in a connected state, based on an activation condition of a first window, perform a measurement on a secondary cell (SCell) within the first window based on the first information and a first reference signal;in case that a measurement result of the SCell is a valid measurement result, report the valid measurement result; andperform fast SCell activation for the SCell when an activation command for the SCell is received,wherein the first information is related to at least one of transmission configuration indication (TCI) state information, receive (Rx) beam information, cell synchronization timing information, automatic gain control (AGC) setting information, or measurement result information.

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