EP4690907A1

EP4690907A1 - Apparatus and wireless communication methods of inter-cell mobility

Info

Publication number: EP4690907A1
Application number: EP24784076.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Li Guo
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2023-04-06
Filing date: 2024-03-21
Publication date: 2026-02-11
Also published as: CN120642391A; MX2025011567A; WO2024207991A1

Abstract

A wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility, by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility and identifying a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.

Description

APPARATUS AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHODS OF INTER-CELL MOBILITY

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication systems, and more particularly, to apparatuses and wireless communication methods of inter-cell mobility.

BACKGROUND

The drawback of current inter-cell mobility design in new radio (NR) is undesirable latency and signaling overhead. This impairs a system performance of high mobility user equipments (UEs) . In particular, the method of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states with one additional physical-layer cell identity (PCI) does not work well for inter-cell mobility because it results in large signaling overhead, which degrades first layer/second layer (L1/L2) -based inter-cell mobility performance. One drawback of the current TCI state configuration method is that the system has to configure the TCI states of all the candidate cells in the configuration of every serving cell. This results in a large amount of configuration-signaling overhead, which wastes NR transmission resources.
Therefore, there is a need for apparatuses and wireless communication methods of inter-cell mobility.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to propose apparatuses and wireless communication methods of inter-cell mobility, which can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of inter-cell mobility.
In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility, by a user equipment (UE) , includes receiving, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility and identifying a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a UE includes a receiver and an identifier. The receiver is configured to receive, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the identifier is configured to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a UE includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The UE is configured to perform the above method.
In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility, by a base station, includes transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility and indicating the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a base station includes a transmitter and an indicator. The transmitter is configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the indicator is configured to indicate the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a base station includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The base station is configured to provide the above method.
In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above method.
In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a chip includes a processor, configured to call and run a computer program stored in a memory, to cause a device in which the chip is installed to execute the above method.
In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, causes a computer to execute the above method.
In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product includes a computer program, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the above method.
In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program causes a computer to execute the above method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or related art more clearly, the following figures will be described in the embodiments are briefly introduced. It is obvious that the drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, a person having ordinary skill in this field can obtain other figures according to these figures without paying the premise.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one or more user equipments (UEs) and a base station of communication in a communication network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility performed by a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility performed by a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example of a computing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with the technical matters, structural features, achieved objects, and effects with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows. Specifically, the terminologies in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely for describing the purpose of the certain embodiment, but not to limit the disclosure.
The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems, such as a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS) , a long term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, an advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, a new radio (NR) system, an evolution system of a NR system, a LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, a NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, an universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) , a global interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, wireless local area networks (WLAN) , wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) , a future 5th generation (5G) system (may also be called a new radio (NR) system) or other communication systems, etc.
Optionally, a base station mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can provide a communication coverage for a specific geographic area and can communicate with a user equipment (UE) located in the coverage area. Optionally, the base station may be a gNB, a base transceiver station (BTS) in the GSM or in the CDMA system, or may be a NodeB (NB) in the WCDMA system, or may be an evolutional Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in the LTE system, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) .
A user equipment (UE) may refer to an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The access terminal may be a cellular radio telephone, a cordless telephone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) telephone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a handheld device with wireless communication functions, a computing device, other processing devices coupled with a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network, a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) , etc.
Optionally, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum may also be considered as a shared spectrum; or the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may also be applied to a licensed spectrum, where the licensed spectrum can also be considered an unshared spectrum.
NR/5G system supports the function of radio resource management (RRM) measurements. The NR/5G system can request a UE to measure synchronization signal (SS) /physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSBs) and/or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for inter-cell mobility to neighboring cells, and the UE reports measurement results to the NR/5G system. The reported measurement results are used by the NR/5G system to determine inter-cell mobility, e.g., whether the UE handoffs to a neighboring base station.
The NR/5G system provides a RRM measurement configuration to the UE through a radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The measurement configuration includes a list of measurement objects, reporting configurations, measurement identities, quantity configurations, and a measurement gap configuration. The measurement object configuration provides the configuration of the SSB and/or CSI-RS for the possible mobility to one or multiple cells at one particular frequency point. Considering that the UE does not need to measure all the SSBs of one cell, a configuration of SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) is provided. The UE is only required to measure the SSBs within an SMTC.
Reporting configurations provide the measurement and reporting information the UE is requested to perform. For example, reporting configurations may indicate the reporting quantity, reporting criteria, and even the reporting type that can be used to trigger some reporting. Based on the RRM configuration, the UE can measure a third layer-reference signal received power (L3-RSRP) , L3-reference signal received quality (RSRQ) , or L3-receied signal strength indicator (RSSI) on the SSB and/or CSI-RS for mobility of some target cells which are provided in the RRM configuration. The UE reports the measurement result to the system through RRC signaling.
The existing NR system also supports the function of measuring L1-RSRP of SSBs associated with a physical cell identification (PCI) that is different from that of the serving cell. The gNB can provide a list of SSBs associated with a PCI that is different from that of the serving cell in CSI reporting framework. The UE can be requested to measure the SSBs associated with a neighboring cell’s PCI, and report K=1, 2, 3, or 4 indicators of those SSBs, as well as the corresponding L1-RSRP measurement. The UE can report the measurement results through uplink control information (UCI) . In this function, the NR system requires that the SSB associated with a PCI that is different from that of the serving cell is on same frequency, and uses the same subcarrier spacing, as the SSB of the serving cell. It also assumes that the SSB associated with a different PCI has time synchronization with the serving cell.
The current NR system supports RRC-based handover for inter-cell mobility. In a general gNB-controlled handover procedure, the serving gNB sends a handover command to the UE through RRC signaling. The handover command delivers the RRC reconfiguration information, and also the information of target cell, to the UE. Upon receipt of the handover command, the UE starts a random-access procedure towards the target cell as indicated in the handover command. Through the random-access procedure, the UE can build the connection with the target cell (e.g., a neighboring cell) . When the connection with the new cell is completed, the UE can send the handover complete message to the system, which concludes the handover-procedure.
In current NR system, the UE can be configured with one or more transmission configuration states (TCI) states, which are associated with a non-serving cell PCI. When one TCI state is configured with an additional PCI, that indicates the PCI of the SSBs that is configured in the quasi-co-location (QCL) of the TCI state. This function can be used to provide inter-cell beam management, through which the system can indicate one transmit (Tx) beam of a transmission/reception point (TRP) of a non-serving cell.
The drawback of current inter-cell mobility design in new radio (NR) is undesirable latency and signaling overhead. This impairs a system performance of high mobility user equipments (UEs) . In particular, the method of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states with one additional physical-layer cell identity (PCI) does not work well for inter-cell mobility because it results in large signaling overhead, which degrades first layer/second layer (L1/L2) -based inter-cell mobility performance. One drawback of the current TCI state configuration method is that the system has to configure the TCI states of all the candidate cells in the configuration of every serving cell. This results in a large amount of configuration-signaling overhead, which wastes NR transmission resources.
To overcome these and other challenges, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an exemplary configuration and indication of TCI state of candidate cells for inter-cell mobility.
FIG. 1 illustrates that, in some embodiments, one or more user equipments (UEs) 10 and a base station (e.g., next generation NodeB (gNB) or eNB) 20 of communication in a communication network system 30 (e.g., an NR system) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are provided. The communication network system 30 includes the one or more UEs 10 and the base station 20. The one or more UEs 10 may include a memory 12, a transceiver 13, and a processor 11 coupled to the memory 12 and the transceiver 13. The base station 20 may include a memory 22, a transceiver 23, and a processor 21 coupled to the memory 22 and the transceiver 23. The processor 11 or 21 may be configured to implement proposed functions, procedures and/or methods described in this description. Layers of radio interface protocol may be implemented in the processor 11 or 21. The memory 12 or 22 is operatively coupled with the processor 11 or 21 and stores a variety of information to operate the processor 11 or 21. The transceiver 13 or 23 is operatively coupled with the processor 11 or 21, and the transceiver 13 or 23 transmits and/or receives a radio signal.
The processor 11 or 21 may include application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , other chipset, logic circuit and/or data processing device. The memory 12 or 22 may include read-only memory (ROM) , random access memory (RAM) , flash memory, memory card, storage medium and/or other storage device. The transceiver 13 or 23 may include baseband circuitry to process radio frequency signals. When the embodiments are implemented in software, the techniques described herein can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The modules can be stored in the memory 12 or 22 and executed by the processor 11 or 21. The memory 12 or 22 can be implemented within the processor 11 or 21 or external to the processor 11 or 21 in which case those can be communicatively coupled to the processor 11 or 21 via various means as is known in the art.
In some embodiments, the transceiver 13 is configured to receive, from the base station 20, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the processor 11 is configured to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
In some embodiments, the transceiver 23 is configured to transmit, to the UE 10, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the processor 21 is configured to indicate the UE 10 to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a UE 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The UE 200 is configured to implement some embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented into the UE 200 using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. The UE 200 includes a receiver 201 and and an identifier 202. The receiver 201 is configured to receive, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the identifier 202 is configured to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a UE 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The UE 300 is configured to implement some embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented into the UE 300 using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. The UE 300 may include a memory 301, a transceiver 302, and a processor 303 coupled to the memory 301 and the transceiver 302. The processor 303 may be configured to implement proposed functions, procedures and/or methods described in this description. Layers of radio interface protocol may be implemented in the processor 303. The memory 301 is operatively coupled with the processor 303 and stores a variety of information to operate the processor 303. The transceiver 302 is operatively coupled with the processor 303, and the transceiver 302 transmits and/or receives a radio signal. The processor 303 may include application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , other chipset, logic circuit and/or data processing device. The memory 301 may include read-only memory (ROM) , random access memory (RAM) , flash memory, memory card, storage medium and/or other storage device. The transceiver 302 may include baseband circuitry to process radio frequency signals. When the embodiments are implemented in software, the techniques described herein can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The modules can be stored in the memory 301 and executed by the processor 303. The memory 301 can be implemented within the processor 303 or external to the processor 303 in which case those can be communicatively coupled to the processor 303 via various means as is known in the art.
In some embodiments, the transceiver 302 is configured to receive, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the processor 303 is configured to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
FIG. 4 is an example of a method 400 of inter-cell mobility performed by a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 of inter-cell mobility performed by a UE is configured to implement some embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented into the method 400 of inter-cell mobility performed by a UE using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. In some embodiments, the method 400 of inter-cell mobility performed by a UE includes: an operation 402, receiving, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and an operation 404, identifying a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
In some embodiments, the at least one TCI state includes at least one joint TCI state, at least one downlink (DL) TCI state, and/or at least one uplink (UL) TCI state. In some embodiments, one of the at least one joint TCI state contains one TCI state identification (ID) , one or two quasi co-location (QCL) configurations, one pathloss RS, and power control parameters. In some embodiments, a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one joint TCI state for QCL or the pathloss RS is associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, one of the at least one DL TCI state contains one TCI state and one or two QCL configurations.
In some embodiments, a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one DL TCI state for QCL is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, one of the at least one UL TCI state contains one TCI state ID, one pathloss RS, one RS providing a reference for UL spatial domain transmit (Tx) filter, and UL power control parameters. In some embodiments, a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one UL TCI state for the pathloss RS or the reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
In some embodiments, the method further includes being indicated by the base station through a command to switch to the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, the method further includes being requested by the base station through a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell, and to measure a quality of reference signal (RS) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving, from the base station, a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, the command includes a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) command.
In some embodiments, the MAC CE command includes one or more of following fields: an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell, a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of a first joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state, and a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
In some embodiments, the MAC CE command includes one or more of following fields: an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell, a first indicator used to indicate an ID of a first DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a fourth indicator used to indicate an ID of a first UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a fifth indicator used to indicate an ID of a second UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, and a sixth indicator used to indicate an ID of a third UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
In some embodiments, the MAC CE command includes one or more of following fields: an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell, a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of one joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a second indicator used to indicate an ID of one DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, and a third indicator used to indicate an ID of one UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of base station 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The base station 500 is configured to implement some embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented into the base station 500 using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. The base station 500 includes a transmitter 501 and an indicator 502. The transmitter 501 is configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the indicator 502 is configured to indicate the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a base station 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The base station 600 is configured to implement some embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented into the base station 600 using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. The base station 600 may include a memory 601, a transceiver 602, and a processor 603 coupled to the memory 601 and the transceiver 602. The processor 603 may be configured to implement proposed functions, procedures and/or methods described in this description. Layers of radio interface protocol may be implemented in the processor 603. The memory 601 is operatively coupled with the processor 603 and stores a variety of information to operate the processor 603. The transceiver 602 is operatively coupled with the processor 603, and the transceiver 602 transmits and/or receives a radio signal. The processor 603 may include application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , other chipset, logic circuit and/or data processing device. The memory 601 may include read-only memory (ROM) , random access memory (RAM) , flash memory, memory card, storage medium and/or other storage device. The transceiver 602 may include baseband circuitry to process radio frequency signals. When the embodiments are implemented in software, the techniques described herein can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The modules can be stored in the memory 601 and executed by the processor 603. The memory 601 can be implemented within the processor 603 or external to the processor 603 in which case those can be communicatively coupled to the processor 603 via various means as is known in the art.
In some embodiments, the transceiver 602 is configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and the processir 603 is configured to indicate the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
FIG. 7 is an example of a method 700 of inter-cell mobility performed by a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 700 of inter-cell mobility performed by the base station is configured to implement some embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented into the method 700 of inter-cell mobility performed by the base station using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. In some embodiments, the method 700 of inter-cell mobility performed by the base station includes: an operation 702, transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility, and an operation 704, indicating the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. This can solve issues in the prior art and other issues, reduce signaling overhead, and/or improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility.
In some embodiments, the at least one TCI state includes at least one joint TCI state, at least one downlink (DL) TCI state, and/or at least one uplink (UL) TCI state. In some embodiments, one of the at least one joint TCI state contains one TCI state identification (ID) , one or two quasi co-location (QCL) configurations, one pathloss RS, and power control parameters. In some embodiments, a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one joint TCI state for QCL or the pathloss RS is associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, one of the at least one DL TCI state contains one TCI state and one or two QCL configurations.
In some embodiments, a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one DL TCI state for QCL is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, one of the at least one UL TCI state contains one TCI state ID, one pathloss RS, one RS providing a reference for UL spatial domain transmit (Tx) filter, and UL power control parameters. In some embodiments, a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one UL TCI state for the pathloss RS or the reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
In some embodiments, the method further includes indicating the UE through a command to switch to the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, the method further includes requesting the UE through a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell, and to measure a quality of reference signal (RS) of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the UE, a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell. In some embodiments, the command includes a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) command.
In some embodiments, the MAC CE command includes one or more of following fields: an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell, a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of a first joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state, and a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
In some embodiments, the MAC CE command includes one or more of following fields: an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell, a first indicator used to indicate an ID of a first DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a fourth indicator used to indicate an ID of a first UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a fifth indicator used to indicate an ID of a second UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, and a sixth indicator used to indicate an ID of a third UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
In some embodiments, the MAC CE command includes one or more of following fields: an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell, a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of one joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state, a second indicator used to indicate an ID of one DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state, and a third indicator used to indicate an ID of one UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
Exemplary Technical Solutions:
In some embodiments, a base station can provide a UE with a configuration of a list of candidate cells for L1/L2-based inter-cell mobility. The UE can be indicated to switch to one of the candidate cells. The base station may request the UE to activate one or more TCI states of the one candidate cell, and to measure the quality of reference signals (e.g., SSB, CSI-RS, etc. ) of the one candidate cell. The system can send an activation command to activate one or more TCI states of the one candidate cell by the UE.
In some embodiments, a UE can be provided with one or more candidate cells for L1/L2-based inter-cell mobility. In the configuration of a first candidate cell, the system can provide a list of TCI states to the UE. The TCI states can be a joint TCI state, which can contain one TCI state identification (ID) , one or two QCL configuration, one pathloss RS, and power control parameters. The UE can be requested to assume that the reference signal configured in a joint TCI state for QCL or pathloss RS is associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the first candidate cell. For example, an SSB may be configured in QCL or pathloss RS, and the UE can be requested to assume that this SSB is associated with the PCID of the first candidate cell.
In some embodiments, the TCI state can be a DL TCI state, which can contain one TCI state, and one or two QCL configurations. The UE can be requested to assume that the reference signal configured in a DL TCI state for QCL is associated with the PCID of the first candidate cell. For example, when an SSB is configured in QCL, the UE can be requested to assume that this SSB is associated with the PCID of the first candidate cell.
In some embodiments, the TCI state can be a UL TCI state, which can contain one TCI state identification (ID) , one pathloss RS, one RS providing reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter, and UL power control parameters. The UE can be requested to assume that the reference signal configured in a UL TCI state for pathloss RS or the reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter is associated with the PCID of the first candidate cell. For example, if an SSB is configured as pathloss RS or the reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter, the UE can be requested to assume that this SSB is associated with the PCID of the first candidate cell.
In some embodiments, a UE can be provided with a list of candidate cells for L1/L2-based inter-cell mobility. For example, the UE can be configured with a first candidate cell and a second candidate cell. Under the configuration of the first candidate cell, the UE can be provided with a list of joint TCI states. Under the configuration of the second candidate cell, the UE can be provided with a list of joint TCI states. The system can indicate to the UE that one or more joint TCI states of one of the candidate cells are activated. For example, the system can send a MAC control element (CE) command to the UE and the MAC CE command can include one or more of the following fields: An indicator of one candidate cell. For example, this field can indicate the first candidate cell. For example, this field can indicate the second candidate cell. A first indicator that indicates the ID of one joint TCI state. A second indicator that indicates the ID of one joint TCI state. A third indicator that indicates the ID of one joint TCI state.
In some embodiments, when the UE receives the MAC CE command that indicates the first candidate cell, a first joint TCI state ID, a second joint TCI state ID, and a third joint TCI state ID, the UE can be requested to assume that the joint TCI state corresponding to the first joint TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell, the joint TCI state corresponding to the second joint TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell, and the joint TCI state corresponding to the third joint TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell are activated.
In some embodiments, under the configuration of the first candidate cell, the UE can be provided with a list of DL TCI states and a list of UL TCI states; and under the configuration of the second candidate cell, the UE can be provided with a list of DL TCI states and a list of UL TCI states. The system can indicate that one or more DL TCI states of one candidate cell and one or more UL TCI states of one candidate cell are activated. For example, the system can send a MAC CE command, which includes one or more of the following fields: An indicator of one candidate cell. For example, this field can indicate the first candidate cell. For example, this field can indicate the second candidate cell. A first indicator that indicates the ID of one DL TCI state. A second indicator that indicates the ID of one DL TCI state. A third indicator that indicates the ID of one DL TCI state. A fourth indicator that indicates the ID of one UL TCI state. A fifth indicator that indicates the ID of one UL TCI state. A sixth indicator that indicates the ID of one UL TCI state.
In some embodiments, when the UE receives the MAC CE command, which indicate the first candidate cell, a first DL TCI state ID, a second DL TCI state ID, a third DL TCI state ID, a fourth UL TCI state ID, a fifth UL TCI state ID, and a sixth UL TCI state ID, the UE can be requested to assume that the DL TCI state corresponding to the first DL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell, the DL TCI state corresponding to the second DL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell and the DL TCI state corresponding to the third DL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell are activated. The UE can be requested to assume that the UL TCI state corresponding to the fourth UL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell, the UL TCI state corresponding to the fifth UL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell, and the UL TCI state corresponding to the sixth DL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell are activated.
In some embodiments, the system can send a MAC CE to cause the UE to switch from the serving cell to one candidate cell. In the MAC CE command, the system can indicate one joint TCI state, or one DL TCI state, and/or one UL TCI state. The UE can be requested to assume that the indicated joint TCI state, DL TCI state, and/or UL TCI state are the TCI state configured under the configuration of the candidate cell that is included in the same MAC CE command. In this MAC CE command, the system can provide one or more of the following fields: An indicator of one candidate cell. For example, this field can indicate the first candidate cell. For example, this field can indicate the second candidate cell. A first indicator that indicates the ID of one joint TCI state. A second indicator that indicates the ID of one DL TCI state. A third indicator that indicates the ID of one UL TCI state.
In some embodiments, when the UE receives the MAC CE command that indicate the first candidate cell and a first joint TCI state ID, the UE can be requested to assume that the joint TCI state corresponding to the first joint TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell is indicated. Here, the UE can be requested to apply this TCI state on the reception of downlink channel and/or CSI-RS of the first candidate cell and on the transmission of PUSCH/PUCCH/SRS of the first candidate cell. When the UE receives the MAC CE command that indicates the first candidate cell and a second DL TCI state ID and a third UL TCI state, the UE can be requested to assume that the DL TCI state corresponding to the second DL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell and the UL TCI state corresponding to the third UL TCI state ID configured under the first candidate cell are indicated. Here, the UE can be requested to apply this DL TCI state on the reception of downlink channel and/or CSI-RS of the first candidate cell and apply this UL TCI state on the transmission of PUSCH/PUCCH/SRS of the first candidate cell.
Technical Benefits: In some embodiments, the exemplary configuration and indication of TCI state of candidate cells for inter-cell mobility described herein enable the system to provide the configuration and indication of TCI state of each candidate cell for L1/L2-based inter-cell mobility, and thus, the performance of inter-cell mobility in NR system can be improved.
Commercial interests for some embodiments are as follows. 1. Solve issues in the prior art and other issues. 2. Reduce signaling overhead. 3. Improve a performance of Inter-cell mobility. 4. Provide a good communication performance. 5. Provide high reliability. Some embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in many applications. Some embodiments of the present disclosure are used by chipset vendors, video system development vendors, automakers including cars, trains, trucks, buses, bicycles, moto-bikes, helmets, and etc., drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) , smartphone makers, communication devices for public safety use, AR/VR/MR device maker for example gaming, conference/seminar, education purposes. Some embodiments of the present disclosure are a combination of “techniques/processes” that can be adopted in video standards to create an end product. Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose technical mechanisms. The at least one proposed solution, method, system, and apparatus of some embodiments of the present disclosure may be used for current and/or new/future standards regarding communication systems such as a UE, a base station, and/or a communication system. Compatible products follow at least one proposed solution, method, system, and apparatus of some embodiments of the present disclosure. The proposed solution, method, system, and apparatus are widely used in a UE, a base station, and/or a communication system. With the implementation of the at least one proposed solution, method, system, and apparatus of some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one modification to methods and apparatus of inter-cell mobility are considered for standardizing.
FIG. 8 is an example of a computing device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable computing device can be used for performing the operations described herein. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the computing device 1100 that can implement some embodiments of FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. In some embodiments, the computing device 1100 can include a processor 1112 that is communicatively coupled to a memory 1114 and that executes computer-executable program code and/or accesses information stored in the memory 1114. The processor 1112 may include a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit ( “ASIC” ) , a state machine, or other processing device. The processor 1112 can include any of a number of processing devices, including one. Such a processor can include or may be in communication with a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor 1112, cause the processor to perform the operations described herein.
The memory 1114 can include any suitable non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can include any electronic, optical, magnetic, or other storage device capable of providing a processor with computer-readable instructions or other program code. Non-limiting examples of a computer-readable medium include a magnetic disk, a memory chip, a read-only memory (ROM) , a random access memory (RAM) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a configured processor, optical storage, magnetic tape or other magnetic storage, or any other medium from which a computer processor can read instructions. The instructions may include processor-specific instructions generated by a compiler and/or an interpreter from code written in any suitable computer-programming language, including, for example, C, C++, C#, visual basic, java, python, perl, javascript, and actionscript.
The computing device 1100 can also include a bus 1116. The bus 1116 can communicatively couple one or more components of the computing device 1100. The computing device 1100 can also include a number of external or internal devices such as input or output devices. For example, the computing device 1100 is illustrated with an input/output ( “I/O” ) interface 1118 that can receive input from one or more input devices 1120 or provide output to one or more output devices 1122. The one or more input devices 1120 and one or more output devices 1122 can be communicatively coupled to the I/O interface 1118. The communicative coupling can be implemented via any suitable manner (e.g., a connection via a printed circuit board, connection via a cable, communication via wireless transmissions, etc. ) . Non-limiting examples of input devices 1120 include a touch screen (e g., one or more cameras for imaging a touch area or pressure sensors for detecting pressure changes caused by a touch) , a mouse, a keyboard, or any other device that can be used to generate input events in response to physical actions by a user of a computing device. Non-limiting examples of output devices 1122 include a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, an external monitor, a speaker, or any other device that can be used to display or otherwise present outputs generated by a computing device.
The computing device 1100 can execute program code that configures the processor 1112 to perform one or more of the operations described above with respect to some embodiments of FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. The program code may be resident in the memory 1114 or any suitable computer-readable medium and may be executed by the processor 1112 or any other suitable processor.
The computing device 1100 can also include at least one network interface device 1124. The network interface device 1124 can include any device or group of devices suitable for establishing a wired or wireless data connection to one or more data networks 1128. Non limiting examples of the network interface device 1124 include an Ethernet network adapter, a modem, and/or the like. The computing device 1100 can transmit messages as electronic or optical signals via the network interface device 1124.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example of a communication system 1200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into the communication system 1200 using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. FIG. 9 illustrates the communication system 1200 including a radio frequency (RF) circuitry 1210, a baseband circuitry 1220, an application circuitry 1230, a memory/storage 1240, a display 1250, a camera 1260, a sensor 1270, and an input/output (I/O) interface 1280, coupled with each other at least as illustrated.
The application circuitry 1230 may include a circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors, such as graphics processors, application processors. The processors may be coupled with the memory/storage and configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems running on the system. The communication system 1200 can execute program code that configures the application circuitry 1230 to perform one or more of the operations described above with respect to some embodiments of FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. The program code may be resident in the application circuitry 1230 or any suitable computer-readable medium and may be executed by the application circuitry 1230 or any other suitable processor.
The baseband circuitry 1220 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processors may include a baseband processor. The baseband circuitry may handle various radio control functions that may enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation, encoding, decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN) , a wireless local area network (WLAN) , a wireless personal area network (WPAN) . Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.
In various embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1220 may include circuitry to operate with signals that are not strictly considered as being in a baseband frequency. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry may include circuitry to operate with signals having an intermediate frequency, which is between a baseband frequency and a radio frequency. The RF circuitry 1210 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1210 may include circuitry to operate with signals that are not strictly considered as being in a radio frequency. For example, in some embodiments, RF circuitry may include circuitry to operate with signals having an intermediate frequency, which is between a baseband frequency and a radio frequency.
In various embodiments, the transmitter circuitry, control circuitry, or receiver circuitry discussed above with respect to some embodiments of FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 may be embodied in whole or in part in one or more of the RF circuitry, the baseband circuitry, and/or the application circuitry. As used herein, “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, or include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) , and/or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the electronic device circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry, the application circuitry, and/or the memory/storage may be implemented together on a system on a chip (SOC) . The memory/storage 1240 may be used to load and store data and/or instructions, for example, for system. The memory/storage for one embodiment may include any combination of suitable volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) ) , and/or non-volatile memory, such as flash memory.
In various embodiments, the I/O interface 1280 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with the system and/or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheral component interaction with the system. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to a physical keyboard or keypad, a touchpad, a speaker, a microphone, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, and a power supply interface. In various embodiments, the sensor 1270 may include one or more sensing devices to determine environmental conditions and/or location information related to the system. In some embodiments, the sensors may include, but are not limited to, a gyro sensor, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor, and a positioning unit. The positioning unit may also be part of, or interact with, the baseband circuitry and/or RF circuitry to communicate with components of a positioning network, e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) satellite.
In various embodiments, the display 1250 may include a display, such as a liquid crystal display and a touch screen display. In various embodiments, the communication system 1200 may be a mobile computing device such as, but not limited to, a laptop computing device, a tablet computing device, a netbook, an ultrabook, a smartphone, an AR/VR glasses, etc. In various embodiments, system may have more or less components, and/or different architectures. Where appropriate, methods described herein may be implemented as a computer program. The computer program may be stored on a storage medium, such as a non-transitory storage medium.
A person having ordinary skill in the art understands that each of the units, algorithm, and steps described and disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are realized using electronic hardware or combinations of software for computers and electronic hardware. Whether the functions run in hardware or software depends on the condition of application and design requirement for a technical plan. A person having ordinary skill in the art can use different ways to realize the function for each specific application while such realizations should not go beyond the scope of the present disclosure. It is understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art that he/she can refer to the working processes of the system, device, and unit in the above-mentioned embodiment since the working processes of the above-mentioned system, device, and unit are basically the same. For easy description and simplicity, these working processes will not be detailed.
It is understood that the disclosed system, device, and method in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized with other ways. The above-mentioned embodiments are exemplary only. The division of the units is merely based on logical functions while other divisions exist in realization. It is possible that a plurality of units or components are combined or integrated in another system. It is also possible that some characteristics are omitted or skipped. On the other hand, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communicative coupling operate through some ports, devices, or units whether indirectly or communicatively by ways of electrical, mechanical, or other kinds of forms.
The units as separating components for explanation are or are not physically separated. The units for display are or are not physical units, that is, located in one place or distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units are used according to the purposes of the embodiments. Moreover, each of the functional units in each of the embodiments can be integrated in one processing unit, physically independent, or integrated in one processing unit with two or more than two units.
If the software function unit is realized and used and sold as a product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium in a computer. Based on this understanding, the technical plan proposed by the present disclosure can be essentially or partially realized as the form of a software product. Or, one part of the technical plan beneficial to the conventional technology can be realized as the form of a software product. The software product in the computer is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of commands for a computational device (such as a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to run all or some of the steps disclosed by the embodiments of the present disclosure. The storage medium includes a USB disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM) , a random access memory (RAM) , a floppy disk, or other kinds of media capable of storing program codes.
While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements made without departing from the scope of the broadest interpretation of the appended claims.

Claims

A wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility, by a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

receiving, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility; and

identifying a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one TCI state comprises at least one joint TCI state, at least one downlink (DL) TCI state, and/or at least one uplink (UL) TCI state.
The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one joint TCI state contains one TCI state identification (ID) , one or two quasi co-location (QCL) configurations, one pathloss RS, and power control parameters.
The method of claim 3, wherein a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one joint TCI state for QCL or the pathloss RS is associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one DL TCI state contains one TCI state and one or two QCL configurations.
The method of claim 5, wherein a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one DL TCI state for QCL is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of claim 2, wherein one of the at least one UL TCI state contains one TCI state ID, one pathloss RS, one RS providing a reference for UL spatial domain transmit (Tx) filter, and UL power control parameters.
The method of claim 7, wherein a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one UL TCI state for the pathloss RS or the reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising being indicated by the base station through a command to switch to the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising being requested by the base station through a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell, and to measure a quality of reference signal (RS) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising receiving, from the base station, a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the command comprises a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) command.
The method of claim 12, wherein the MAC CE command comprises one or more of following fields:

an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell;

a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of a first joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state; and

a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
The method of claim 12, wherein the MAC CE command comprises one or more of following fields:

an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell;

a first indicator used to indicate an ID of a first DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a fourth indicator used to indicate an ID of a first UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a fifth indicator used to indicate an ID of a second UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state; and

a sixth indicator used to indicate an ID of a third UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
The method of claim 12, wherein the MAC CE command comprises one or more of following fields:

an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell;

a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of one joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a second indicator used to indicate an ID of one DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state; and

a third indicator used to indicate an ID of one UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
A wireless communication method of inter-cell mobility, by a base station, comprising:

transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility; and indicating the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one TCI state comprises at least one joint TCI state, at least one downlink (DL) TCI state, and/or at least one uplink (UL) TCI state.
The method of claim 17, wherein one of the at least one joint TCI state contains one TCI state identification (ID) , one or two quasi co-location (QCL) configurations, one pathloss RS, and power control parameters.
The method of claim 18, wherein a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one joint TCI state for QCL or the pathloss RS is associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of claim 17, wherein one of the at least one DL TCI state contains one TCI state and one or two QCL configurations.
The method of claim 20, wherein a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one DL TCI state for QCL is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of claim 17, wherein one of the at least one UL TCI state contains one TCI state ID, one pathloss RS, one RS providing a reference for UL spatial domain transmit (Tx) filter, and UL power control parameters.
The method of claim 22, wherein a reference signal configured in the one of the at least one UL TCI state for the pathloss RS or the reference for UL spatial domain Tx filter is associated with a PCID of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 16 to 23, further comprising indicating the UE through a command to switch to the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 16 to 24, further comprising requesting the UE through a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell, and to measure a quality of reference signal (RS) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 16 to 25, further comprising transmitting, to the UE, a command to activate the at least one TCI state of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
The method of any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the command comprises a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) command.
The method of claim 27, wherein the MAC CE command comprises one or more of following fields:

an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell;

a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of a first joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state; and

a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
The method of claim 27, wherein the MAC CE command comprises one or more of following fields:

an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell;

a first indicator used to indicate an ID of a first DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a second indicator used to indicate an ID of a second DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a third indicator used to indicate an ID of a third DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a fourth indicator used to indicate an ID of a first UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a fifth indicator used to indicate an ID of a second UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state; and

a sixth indicator used to indicate an ID of a third UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
The method of claim 27, wherein the MAC CE command comprises one or more of following fields:

an indicator of the one of the at least one candidate cell;

a first indicator used to indicate an identification (ID) of one joint TCI state of the at least one TCI state;

a second indicator used to indicate an ID of one DL TCI state of the at least one TCI state; and

a third indicator used to indicate an ID of one UL TCI state of the at least one TCI state.
A user equipment (UE) , comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, from a base station, a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility; and

an identifier configured to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
A base station, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE) , a configuration of at least one candidate cell for inter-cell mobility; and

an indicator configured to indicate the UE to identify a reference signal configured in at least one transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state of one of the at least one candidate cell associated with a physical cell identifier (PCID) of the one of the at least one candidate cell.
A user equipment (UE) , comprising:

a memory;

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver;

wherein the UE is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.
A base station, comprising:

a memory;

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver;

wherein the base station is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 16 to 30.