EP4677794A1 - Measurement reporting for secondary cell activation - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable medium to perform operations including receiving, from a wireless cellular network, an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); sending, to the wireless cellular network, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

Description

MEASUREMENT REPORTING FOR SECONDARY CELL ACTIVATION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/449,905, filed on March 3, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication networks provide integrated communication platforms and telecommunication services to wireless user devices. Example telecommunication services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and/or video data), messaging, internet-access, and/or other services. The wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with the wireless user devices using wireless network protocols, such as protocols described in various telecommunication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Example wireless communication networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency -division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). The wireless communication networks facilitate mobile broadband service using technologies such as OFDM, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and/or other features.

[0003] In its technical specifications, 3GPP defines two frequency ranges for wireless communications: a sub-6 Gigahertz (GHz) range (e.g., 450 Megahertz (MHz) - 6000 MHz), also called Frequency Range 1 (FR1), and a millimeter wave range (24250 MHz - 52600 MHz), also called FR2. 3GPP introduced millimeter wave in 5G New Radio (NR) to expand the frequency resources available for wireless communications.

SUMMARY

[0004] This disclosure describes solutions for avoiding duplicate measurements and unnecessary delays in FR2 Secondary Cell (SCell) activation procedures. One aspect of the subject matter described in this specification may be embodied in a method that involves receiving, from a wireless cellular network, an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); sending, to the wireless cellular network, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0005] The previously described implementation is implementable using a method; a non- transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to perform the method; one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform the method; a UE including processing circuitry configured to cause the UE to perform the method; a computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardware processor configured to perform the method or the instructions stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable medium. These and other embodiments may each optionally include one or more of the following features.

[0006] In some implementations, the PUSCH message is transmitted using a dynamic uplink grant.

[0007] In some implementations, the method further involves in response to receiving the instruction to activate the SCell, sending to the wireless cellular network a scheduling request (SR) comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

[0008] In some implementations, the method further involves determining that the dynamic uplink grant is received from the wireless cellular network within a predetermined period from sending the SR; and responsively determining to use the dynamic uplink grant for transmitting the PUSCH message.

[0009] In some implementations, the PUSCH message is transmitted using a selected uplink grant of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

[0010] In some implementations, the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0011] In some implementations, the selected uplink grant is any uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell. [0012] In some implementations, the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SC ell.

[0013] In some implementations, the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

[0014] Another aspect of the subject matter described in this specification may be embodied in a method that involves transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); receiving, from the UE, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and in response to receiving the L3 measurement report, determining that the UE is performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0015] The previously described implementation is implementable using a method; a non- transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to perform the method; one or more processors configured to perform the method; a base station including one or more processors configured to cause the base station to perform the method; a computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardware processor configured to perform the method or the instructions stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable medium. These and other embodiments may each optionally include one or more of the following features.

[0016] In some implementations, the method further involves waiting for a predetermined period after sending the instruction to receive a scheduling request (SR) from the UE.

[0017] In some implementations, the method further involves receiving, during the predetermined period, an enhanced SR comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

[0018] In some implementations, the predetermined period is a first predetermined period, and the method further involves sending the dynamic uplink grant to the UE within a second predetermined period.

[0019] In some implementations, the method further involves assigning the enhanced SR a higher priority than a legacy SR.

[0020] In some implementations, the PUSCH message is received in one of a plurality of periodic uplink grants. [0021] In some implementations, receiving the L3 measurement report in a PUSCH message involves checking for the L3 measurement report in a subset of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that is received within a predetermined period after transmitting the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0022] In some implementations, the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

[0023] The details of one or more embodiments of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates an SCell activation procedure.

[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a shortened SCell activation procedure, according to some implementations.

[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a wireless network, according to some implementations.

[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method, according to some implementations.

[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of another example method, according to some implementations.

[0029] FIG. 6 illustrates a UE, according to some implementations.

[0030] FIG. 7 illustrates an access node, according to some implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] To increase network capacity and data rates, wireless communication networks utilize carrier aggregation in which multiple serving cells are aggregated together to serve a UE. When a wireless communication network uses carrier aggregation, the network configures the UE with a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells), for example, via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Once configured, the wireless communication network can dynamically activate or deactivate SCells, perhaps using lower layer signaling, such as medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) commands, to account for changes in network traffic, movement of the UE, or for a number of other reasons. An SCell can be an FR1 SCell that operates on FR1 or an FR2 SCell that operates on FR2. Each SCell type can have a different activation procedure. The FR2 SCell activation procedure, which was introduced in 5GNR, is illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an activation procedure 100 for activating an FR2 SCell. As shown in FIG. 1, the UE initially receives an SCell activation command from the network (e.g., from a base station). In this example, the SCell activation command is a MAC CE command specifying the SCell to be activated (also referred to as the target SCell). Upon receipt of the SCell activation command, the UE acknowledges the command through a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) to the network during a period (THARQ). The duration of the period THARQ is defined by the standards (that is, preconfigured in the UE) or configured by the network. The UE decodes the SCell activation command and initiates the SCell activation operations, which include: cell synchronization, cell measurement and Time/Frequency (T/F) tracking, Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (Ll-RSRP) measurement or beam measurement (BM), Ll-RSRP reporting, Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation and Semi-persistent Reference Signal (SP-RS) activation for Channel State Information (CSI) reporting, and CSI measurement and reporting.

[0033] More recently, to promote efficiency and ensure consistent operation across a wide range of devices, 3 GPP has standardized the operations performed by the UE and network (as well as the resultant delay) during activation of an SCell in various scenarios. In some instances, the operations associated with SCell activation can depend in part on whether the SCell is known or unknown to the UE. In particular, if an SCell is known to the UE, the UE and network can skip certain operations in the SCell activation procedure (e.g., cell synchronization, cell measurement and T/F tracking, Ll-RSRP measurement or beam measurement, and Ll-RSRP reporting), which reduces the SCell activation delay. The shortened SCell activation operations are shown in FIG. 2.

[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates a shortened SCell activation procedure 200, according to some implementations. As shown in FIG. 2, cell synchronization, cell measurement and T/F tracking, Ll-RSRP measurement or beam measurement, and Ll-RSRP reporting are skipped compared to the full SCell activation procedure 100.

[0035] As described in Release 17 of 3GPP TS 38.133, section 8.3.2, for an FR2 SCell to qualify as a known SCell to the UE, the UE must have sent a valid layer-3 (L3) measurement report (e.g., an RSRP report) before receipt of the SCell activation command. Otherwise, the SCell is considered unknown to the UE. However, categorizing SCells as known or unknown in this way can result in inefficiencies and redundant measurements. For example, if a UE has measured an SCell but has not yet reported the measurement to the network, the SCell will be deemed unknown to the UE. Thus, the UE will need to revert to the unknown procedure (i.e., the full SCell activation procedure 100) when activating the UE, resulting in duplicate measurements and longer SCell activation times.

[0036] This disclosure describes solutions for avoiding duplicate measurements and unnecessary delays in FR2 SCell activation procedures. In some implementations, as long as the UE can send the L3 measurement report to the network after the activation command and before the end of the activation procedure, the UE is configured to use the shortened SCell activation procedure instead of the full SCell activation procedure. The UE can transmit the L3 measurement report using a dynamic uplink (UL) grant or a periodic UL grant on Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). In the former case, the UE sends a scheduling request (SR) to the network to ask for the PUSCH grant, but does not need to do so in the latter case. This disclosure also describes details of the L3 measurement reporting both in the dynamic UL grant and periodic UL grant scenarios.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates a wireless network 300, according to some implementations. The wireless network 300 includes a UE 302 and a base station 304 connected via one or more channels 306A, 306B across an air interface 308. The UE 302 and base station 304 communicate using a system that supports controls for managing the access of the UE 302 to a network via the base station 304.

[0038] In some implementations, the wireless network 300 may be a Standalone (SA) network that incorporates Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication standards as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) technical specifications. In other implementations, the wireless network 300 may be a Non- Standalone (NSA) network that incorporates Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G NR communication standards. For example, the wireless network 300 may be a E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) network, or a NR-EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NE-DC) network. Other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)) systems, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technology, or the like. While aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 5GNR, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, such as 4G and/or systems subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0039] In the wireless network 300, the UE 302 and any other UE in the system may be, for example, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, machine-type devices such as smart meters or specialized devices for healthcare, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless devices with or without a user interface. In network 300, the base station 304 provides the UE 302 network connectivity to a broader network (not shown). This UE 302 connectivity is provided via the air interface 308 in a base station service area provided by the base station 304. In some implementations, such a broader network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider or may be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with the base station 304 is supported by antennas integrated with the base station 304. The service areas are divided into a number of sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors may be physically associated with fixed antennas or may be assigned to a physical area with tunable antennas or antenna settings adjustable in a beamforming process used to direct a signal to a particular sector.

[0040] The UE 302 includes control circuitry 310 coupled with transmit circuitry 312 and receive circuitry 314. The transmit circuitry 312 and receive circuitry 314 may each be coupled with one or more antennas. The control circuitry 310 may include various combinations of application-specific circuitry and baseband circuitry. The transmit circuitry 312 and receive circuitry 314 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, and may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry or front-end module (FEM) circuitry.

[0041] In various implementations, aspects of the transmit circuitry 312, receive circuitry 314, and control circuitry 310 may be integrated in various ways to implement the operations described herein. The control circuitry 310 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to a UE.

[0042] Additionally, the transmit circuitry 312 may transmit a plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 312 may be configured to receive block data from the control circuitry 310 for transmission across the air interface 308.

[0043] Additionally, the receive circuitry 314 may receive a plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface 308 and relay the physical channels to the control circuitry 310. The plurality of downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 312 and the receive circuitry 314 may transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) structured within data blocks that are carried by the physical channels.

[0044] FIG. 3 also illustrates the base station 304. In implementations, the base station 304 may be an NG radio access network (RAN) or a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, a non-terrestrial cell, or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN. As used herein, the term “NG RAN” or the like may refer to the base station 304 that operates in an NR or 5G wireless network 300, and the term “E-UTRAN” or the like may refer to a base station 304 that operates in an LTE or 4G wireless network 300. The UE 302 utilizes connections (or channels) 306A, 306B, each of which includes a physical communications interface or layer.

[0045] The base station 304 circuitry may include control circuitry 316 coupled with transmit circuitry 318 and receive circuitry 320. The transmit circuitry 318 and receive circuitry 320 may each be coupled with one or more antennas that may be used to enable communications via the air interface 308. The transmit circuitry 318 and receive circuitry 320 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station 304. The transmit circuitry 318 may transmit downlink physical channels that includes a plurality of downlink subframes. The receive circuitry 320 may receive a plurality of uplink physical channels from various UEs, including the UE 302.

[0046] In FIG. 3, the one or more channels 306 A, 306B are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such a 3 GPP LTE protocol, an Advanced long term evolution (LTE- A) protocol, a LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U), a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, an NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) protocol, and/or any of the other communications protocols discussed herein. In implementations, the UE 302 may directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0047] In some implementations, the wireless network 300 configures the UE 302 to use a second cell (SCell). In one example, the wireless network 300 configures the UE 302 to use carrier aggregation with a primary cell (PCell) and one or more SCell s. An SCell can be an FR1 SCell that operates on FR1 or an FR2 SCell that operates on FR2. In line with the discussion above, the activation procedure for an FR2 SCell depends on whether an SCell is unknown or known to the UE. As also described above, a full SCell activation procedure (shown in FIG. 1) is used for unknown SCells and a shortened SCell activation procedure (shown in FIG. 2) is used for known SCells.

[0048] In some implementations, the UE 302 is configured to use the shortened SCell activation procedure if the UE can send the L3 measurement report to the wireless network 300 after the SCell activation command and before the end of the activation procedure. In some implementations, the UE 302 sends the L3 measurement report using a dynamic UL grant on PUSCH (DG-PUSCH) or using a configured (periodic) UL grant on PUSCH (CG-PUSCH). In some examples, the UE 302 is preconfigured to use one of DG-PUSCH or CG-PUSCH for communicating L3 measurement reports. In other examples, the wireless network 300 configures the UE 302 to use one of DG-PUSCH or CG-PUSCH for communicating the L3 measurement reports.

[0049] In implementations where the UE 302 uses the dynamic UL grant, the UE is configured to send a scheduling request (SR) to the wireless network 300 to request a PUSCH grant that allocates resources (e.g., time/frequency resources) for transmitting an L3 measurement report. The UE 302 then sends the L3 measurement report to the wireless network 300 on the resources allocated by the received dynamic UL grant.

[0050] In some implementations, the UE 302 is configured to use an enhanced SR to request a PUSCH grant. In these implementations, if the UE 302 does not have valid L3 measurement results to report for an SCell, the UE does not send the enhanced SR to the wireless network 300. Conversely, if the UE 302 has valid L3 measurement results to report for an SCell, the UE is configured to send the enhanced SR to the wireless network 300 to request a PUSCH grant for reporting the L3 measurement results. The enhanced SR includes an SCell activation tag, which indicates to the wireless network 300 that the SR is requesting resources for L3 measurement reporting for an FR2 SCell activation. Once the wireless network 300 receives the enhanced SR, the network will responsively treat the enhanced SR with higher priority than legacy SRs. Note that the UE 302 can also use a legacy SR to request a PUSCH grant for the L3 measurement reporting. The legacy SR, however, does not include an indication that the SR is requesting resources for L3 measurement reporting for an FR2 SCell activation.

[0051] In some implementations, during an SCell activation procedure, the wireless network 300 is configured to wait a predefined time period, Tl, for an SR — which can be a legacy or enhanced SR — from the UE 302. The timer Tl, which is controlled by after the wireless network 300, starts after the wireless network 300 sends the SCell activation command for a target SCell to the UE 302. If the UE 302 does not have valid L3 measurement results to report for the target SCell, the UE will not send an SR to the wireless network 300. The UE 302 may nevertheless still send a legacy SR for some other purpose, e.g., UL traffic on a PCell or a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell). If the wireless network 300 does not receive an SR from the UE 302 within Tl, the network assumes that the SCell is unknown to the UE and uses the full SCell activation procedure. Conversely, if the wireless network 300 receives an SR from the UE 302 within Tl, the network assumes that the SCell is known to the UE and uses the shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0052] In some implementations, after the wireless network 300 receives the enhanced SR (e.g., within Tl), the network is configured to send the requested UL grant to the UE 302 within a predefined time period, T2, that starts after the UE sends the SR to the wireless network 302. Specifically, the UE 302 starts a timer set to T2 after sending the SR to the wireless network 300. If the UE 302 does not receive the UL grant before expiration of the timer, the UE assumes that the wireless network 300 does not expect the UE to speed up the SCell activation procedure. Thus, the UE 302 performs the full SCell activation procedure.

[0053] As stated previously, the UE 302 can send a legacy SR to the wireless network 300 for some other purpose (i.e., not for L3 measurement reporting). In this scenario, the wireless network 300 may not be able to differentiate if the SR is for L3 measurement reporting or for the other purpose. The wireless network 300 nevertheless provides the UL grant to the UE 302. In one scenario, the UE 302 determines not to use the UL grant for L3 measurement reporting and instead uses it for the other purpose (e.g., UL traffic). In this scenario, to avoid further delays waiting for an L3 measurement report from the UE 302 that is not going to be sent, the wireless network 300 is configured to check for the L3 measurement report only on UL grants received from the UE 302 within a predefined time period T3, where a timer set to T3 starts after the network provides the UL grant to the UE. If the wireless network 300 does not receive an L3 measurement report from the UE 302 before expiration of the timer T3, the network assumes that the SC ell is unknown to the UE and uses the full SC ell activation procedure.

[0054] As stated previously, the UE 302 can alternatively transmit the L3 measurement report on a periodic UL grant (CG-PUSCH). In these scenarios, the UE 302 does not need to send a SR to the network to ask for the PUSCH grant. Rather, the wireless network 300 pre-configures periodic PUSCH UL grants to the UE 302, and the UE can use these UL grants for UL traffic and/or for L3 measurement reporting.

[0055] In some implementations, the wireless network 300 is configured to check the UL grants within a predefined time period T4 that starts after the network sends the SCell activation command. If the wireless network 300 does not receive an L3 measurement report from the UE 302 within T4, the network assumes that the SCell is unknown to the UE and uses the full SCell activation procedure. Note that if the UE 302 does not have valid L3 measurement results to report, the UE will ignore those UL grants for L3 measurement reporting. If the UE 302 has traffic, however, the UE can still use those UL grants for traffic transmission.

[0056] In some implementations, the UE 302 is configured to use one or more of the following options for L3 measurement reporting on periodic UL grants. In a first option, the UE 302 is configured to report L3 measurements on the closet UL grant after the SCell activation command. In a second option, the UE 302 is configured to report L3 measurements on any UL grant within a predefined time period, T5, after receiving the SCell activation command. In a third option, the UE 302 is configured to report L3 measurements on the closest UL grant after the SCell activation command + a time period, X. In one example, X = THARQ + 3 milliseconds (ms). Thus, in some examples, the wireless network 300 starts T4 from when it sends activation command or from n+Tharq+3ms (n is the slot when it sends activation command, THARQ is the PHY parsing time, and 3 ms is for MAC layer processing time).

[0057] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400, according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the description that follows generally describes method 400 in the context of the other figures in this description. For example, method 400 can be performed by UE 302 of FIG. 3. It will be understood that method 400 can be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps of method 400 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in any order.

[0058] At 402, method 400 involves receiving, from a wireless cellular network, an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell).

[0059] At 404, method 400 involves sending, to the wireless cellular network, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message.

[0060] At 406, method 400 involves performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0061] In some implementations, the PUSCH message is transmitted using a dynamic uplink grant.

[0062] In some implementations, the method further involves in response to receiving the instruction to activate the SCell, sending to the wireless cellular network a scheduling request (SR) comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

[0063] In some implementations, the method further involves determining that the dynamic uplink grant is received from the wireless cellular network within a predetermined period from sending the SR; and responsively determining to use the dynamic uplink grant for transmitting the PUSCH message.

[0064] In some implementations, the PUSCH message is transmitted using a selected uplink grant of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

[0065] In some implementations, the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0066] In some implementations, the selected uplink grant is any uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0067] In some implementations, the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell. [0068] In some implementations, the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

[0069] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500, according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the description that follows generally describes method 500 in the context of the other figures in this description. For example, method 500 can be performed by base station 304 of FIG. 3. It will be understood that method 500 can be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps of method 400 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in any order.

[0070] At 502, method 500 involves transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell).

[0071] At 504, method 500 involves receiving, from the UE, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message.

[0072] At 506, method 500 involves in response to receiving the L3 measurement report, determining that the UE is performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0073] In some implementations, the method further involves waiting for a predetermined period after sending the instruction to receive a scheduling request (SR) from the UE.

[0074] In some implementations, the method further involves receiving, during the predetermined period, an enhanced SR comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

[0075] In some implementations, the predetermined period is a first predetermined period, and the method further involves sending the dynamic uplink grant to the UE within a second predetermined period.

[0076] In some implementations, the method further involves assigning the enhanced SR a higher priority than a legacy SR.

[0077] In some implementations, the PUSCH message is received in one of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

[0078] In some implementations, receiving the L3 measurement report in a PUSCH message involves checking for the L3 measurement report in a subset of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that is received within a predetermined period after transmitting the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0079] In some implementations, the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

[0080] FIG. 6 illustrates a UE 600, according to some implementations. The UE 600 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with UE 302 of FIG. 3.

[0081] The UE 600 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, mobile phones, computers, tablets, industrial wireless sensors (for example, microphones, pressure sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, inventory sensors, electric voltage/current meters, etc.), video devices (for example, cameras, video cameras, etc.), wearable devices (for example, a smart watch), relaxed-IoT devices.

[0082] The UE 600 may include processor 602, RF interface circuitry 604, memory/storage 606, user interface 608, sensors 610, driver circuitry 612, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 614, antenna structure 616, and battery 618. The components of the UE 600 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 6 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 600. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangement of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0083] The components of the UE 600 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 620, which may represent any type of interface, input/output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that allows various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0084] The processor 602 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 622 A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 622B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 622C. The processor 602 may include one or more processors and any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computerexecutable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory/storage 606 to cause the UE 600 to perform operations as described herein. In some implementations, the processor 602, e.g., using the baseband processor circuitry 622A, is configured to perform operations including: interacting with the RF interface circuitry 604 to receive from a wireless cellular network an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); sending, via the RF interface circuitry 604, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0085] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuitry 622A may access a communication protocol stack 624 in the memory/storage 606 to communicate over a 3 GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuitry 622A may access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at a physical (PHY) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and a non-access stratum layer. In some implementations, the PHY layer operations may additionally/altematively be performed by the components of the RF interface circuitry 604. The baseband processor circuitry 622A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in 3GPP-compatible networks. In some implementations, the waveforms for NR may be based cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) “CP-OFDM” in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM “DFT-S-OFDM” in the uplink.

[0086] The memory/storage 606 may include one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media that includes instructions (for example, communication protocol stack 624) that may be executed by one or more of the processor 602 to cause the UE 600 to perform various operations described herein. The memory/storage 606 include any type of volatile or nonvolatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 600. In some implementations, some of the memory/storage 606 may be located on the processor 602 themselves (for example, LI and L2 cache), while other memory/storage 606 is external to the processor 602 but accessible thereto via a memory interface. The memory/storage 606 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology. [0087] The RF interface circuitry 604 may include transceiver circuitry and radio frequency front module (RFEM) that allows the UE 600 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 604 may include various elements arranged in transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

[0088] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive a radiated signal from an air interface via antenna structure 616 and proceed to filter and amplify (with a low -noise amplifier) the signal. The signal may be provided to a receiver of the transceiver that downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processor 602.

[0089] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier prior to the signal being radiated across the air interface via the antenna 616. In various implementations, the RF interface circuitry 604 may be configured to transmit/receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

[0090] The antenna 616 may include antenna elements to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. The antenna 616 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple input, multiple output communications. The antenna 616 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna 616 may have one or more panels designed for specific frequency bands including bands in FR1 or FR2.

[0091] The user interface 608 includes various input/output (I/O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 600. The user interface 608 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting an input including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (for example, a reset button), a physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset, or the like. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other like information. Output device circuitry may include any number or combinations of audio or visual display, including, inter alia, one or more simple visual outputs/indicators (for example, binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes “LEDs” and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (for example, liquid crystal displays “LCDs,” LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), with the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation of the UE 600.

[0092] The sensors 610 may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and send the information (sensor data) about the detected events to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter aha, inertia measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors; temperature sensors (for example, thermistors); pressure sensors; image capture devices (for example, cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (for example, infrared radiation detector and the like); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other like audio capture devices; etc.

[0093] The driver circuitry 612 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices that are embedded in the UE 600, attached to the UE 600, or otherwise communicatively coupled with the UE 600. The driver circuitry 612 may include individual drivers allowing other components to interact with or control various input/output (I/O) devices that may be present within, or connected to, the UE 600. For example, driver circuitry 612 may include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings of sensor circuitry 610 and control and allow access to sensor circuitry 610, drivers to obtain actuator positions of electro-mechanic components or control and allow access to the electro-mechanic components, a camera driver to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

[0094] The PMIC 614 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 600. In particular, with respect to the processor 602, the PMIC 614 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.

[0095] In some implementations, the PMIC 614 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the UE 600. A battery 618 may power the UE 600, although in some examples the UE 600 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location and may have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 618 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery, such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, and the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 618 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0096] FIG. 7 illustrates an access node 700 (e.g., a base station or gNB), according to some implementations. The access node 700 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with base station 304. The access node 700 may include processor 702, RF interface circuitry 704, core network (CN) interface circuitry 706, memory/storage circuitry 708, and antenna structure 710.

[0097] The components of the access node 700 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 712. The processor 702, RF interface circuitry 704, memory/storage circuitry 708 (including communication protocol stack 714), antenna structure 710, and interconnects 712 may be similar to like-named elements shown and described with respect to FIG. 6. For example, the processor 702 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 716A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 716B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 716C. The processor 702 may include one or more processors and any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory/storage 708 to cause the access node 700 to perform operations as described herein. In some implementations, the processor 702 are configured to perform operations including: interfacing with the RF interface circuitry 704 to a user equipment (UE) an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); receiving, from the UE via the RF interface circuitry 704, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and in response to receiving the L3 measurement report, determining that the UE is performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0098] The CN interface circuitry 706 may provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 5th Generation Core network (5GC) using a 5 GC -compatible network interface protocol such as carrier Ethernet protocols, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to/from the access node 700 via a fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 706 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 706 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0099] As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” or the like may describe equipment that provides the radio baseband functions for data and/or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs or TRPs, and so forth, and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the term “NG RAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 700 that operates in an NR or 5G system (for example, a gNB), and the term “E-UTRAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 700 that operates in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB). According to various implementations, the access node 700 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station, and/or a low power (LP) base station for providing femtocells, picocells or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0100] In some implementations, all or parts of the access node 700 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and/or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In V2X scenarios, the access node 700 may be or act as a “Road Side Unit.” The term “Road Side Unit” or “RSU” may refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. An RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a “UE-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU,” and the like.

[0101] Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component.

[0102] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.

[0103] Examples

[0104] Example 1 is a method including: receiving, from a wireless cellular network, an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); sending, to the wireless cellular network, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0105] Example 2 is the method of Example 1, wherein the PUSCH message is transmitted using a dynamic uplink grant.

[0106] Example 3 is the method of Example 1, further including: in response to receiving the instruction to activate the SCell, sending to the wireless cellular network a scheduling request (SR) comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

[0107] Example 4 is the method of Example 3, further including: determining that the dynamic uplink grant is received from the wireless cellular network within a predetermined period from sending the SR; and responsively determining to use the dynamic uplink grant for transmitting the PUSCH message.

[0108] Example 5 is the method of Example 1, where the PUSCH message is transmitted using a selected uplink grant of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

[0109] Example 6 is the method of Example 5, where the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0110] Example 7 is the method of Example 5, where the selected uplink grant is any uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0111] Example 8 is the method of Example 5, where the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell. [0112] Example 9 is the method of Example 1, where the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

[0113] Example 10 is a method including: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); receiving, from the UE, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and in response to receiving the L3 measurement report, determining that the UE is performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

[0114] Example 11 is the method of Example 10, further including: waiting for a predetermined period after sending the instruction to receive a scheduling request (SR) from the UE.

[0115] Example 12 is the method of Example 11, further including: receiving, during the predetermined period, an enhanced SR comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

[0116] Example 13 is the method of Example 12, where the predetermined period is a first predetermined period, and the method further comprising: sending the dynamic uplink grant to the UE within a second predetermined period.

[0117] Example 14 is the method of Example 12, further including: assigning the enhanced SR a higher priority than a legacy SR.

[0118] Example 15 is the method of Example 11, where the PUSCH message is received in one of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

[0119] Example 16 is the method of Example 15, where receiving the L3 measurement report in a PUSCH message comprises: checking for the L3 measurement report in a subset of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that is received within a predetermined period after transmitting the instruction to activate the SCell.

[0120] Example 17 is the method of example 10, where the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

[0121] Example 18 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions to cause an apparatus, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the apparatus, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1-17, or any other method or process described herein.

[0122] Example 19 may include an apparatus including logic, modules, and/or circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry) to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1-17, or any other method or process described herein.

[0123] Example 20 may include a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of Examples 1-17, or portions or parts thereof.

[0124] Example 21 may include an apparatus including: one or more processors configured to perform the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of Examples 1-17, or portions thereof.

[0125] Example 22 may include a computer program including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause the processing element to carry out the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-17, or portions thereof. The operations or actions performed by the instructions executed by the processing element can include the methods of any one of examples 1-17.

[0126] Example 23 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0127] Example 24 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the system can include the methods of any one of examples 1-17.

[0128] Example 25 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the device can include the methods of any one of examples 1-17.

[0129] Example 26 may include a base station configured to perform the method of any one of examples 10-17.

[0130] Example 27 may include a user equipment configured to perform the method of any one of examples 1-9.

[0131] Any of the above-described examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0132] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

[0133] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

CLAIMS We Claim:

1. One or more processors configured to perform operations comprising: receiving, via interface circuitry from a wireless cellular network, an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); sending, via the interface circuitry to the wireless cellular network, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

2. The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the PUSCH message is transmitted using a dynamic uplink grant.

3. The one or more processors of claim 1, the operations further comprising: in response to receiving the instruction to activate the SCell, sending via the interface circuitry to the wireless cellular network a scheduling request (SR) comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

4. The one or more processors of claim 3, the operations further comprising: determining that the dynamic uplink grant is received from the wireless cellular network within a predetermined period from sending the SR; and responsively determining to use the dynamic uplink grant for transmitting the PUSCH message.

5. The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the PUSCH message is transmitted using a selected uplink grant of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

6. The one or more processors of claim 5, wherein the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

7. The one or more processors of claim 5, wherein the selected uplink grant is any uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

8. The one or more processors of claim 5, wherein the selected uplink grant is a first uplink grant of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that occurs within a predetermined time after receiving the instruction to activate the SCell.

9. The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

10. One or more processors configured to perform operations comprising: transmitting, via interface circuitry to a user equipment (UE), an instruction to activate a secondary cell (SCell); receiving, via the interface circuitry from the UE, a layer-3 (L3) measurement report in a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) message; and in response to receiving the L3 measurement report, determining that the UE is performing a shortened SCell activation procedure.

11. The one or more processors of claim 10, the operations further comprising: waiting for a predetermined period after sending the instruction to receive a scheduling request (SR) from the UE.

12. The one or more processors of claim 11, the operations further comprising: receiving, during the predetermined period, an enhanced SR comprising an SCell activation tag and a request for a dynamic uplink grant.

13. The one or more processors of claim 12, wherein the predetermined period is a first predetermined period, and the operations further comprising: sending the dynamic uplink grant via the interface circuitry to the UE within a second predetermined period.

14. The one or more processors of claim 12, the operations further comprising: assigning the enhanced SR a higher priority than a legacy SR.

15. The one or more processors of claim 11, wherein the PUSCH message is received in one of a plurality of periodic uplink grants.

16. The one or more processors of claim 15, wherein receiving the L3 measurement report in a PUSCH message comprises: checking for the L3 measurement report in a subset of the plurality of periodic uplink grants that is received within a predetermined period after transmitting the instruction to activate the SCell.

17. The one or more processors of claim 10, wherein the shortened SCell activation procedure comprises performing a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) activation as a first step.

18. A method of performing the operations of any of claims 1-17.

19. A user equipment comprising the one or more processors of any of claims 1-9.

20. A base station comprising the one or more processors of any of claims 10-17.