Network operation for independent measurement gap configuration

Abstract

A network cell is connected to a user equipment (UE) supporting independent measurement gap configuration. The cell establishes a connection with the UE, receives an indication that the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for new radio interface (NR-U) in unlicensed spectrum, and transmits measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap pattern based on the measurement gap configuration information.

Description

Background Art

[0001] A user equipment (UE) may camp on a cell of a corresponding network to establish a network connection. When camping, the UE may be configured with a measurement gap pattern including a measurement gap and a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP). A measurement gap may represent a time window during which the UE may collect measurement data corresponding to a cell other than a currently configured serving cell. An MGRP may represent the duration between two consecutive measurement gaps.

[0002] Fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) coverage may be extended to unlicensed spectrum (5G NR-U). A UE with 5G NR-U capability may be configured with one or more measurement gap patterns. In some scenarios, measurement gaps may be configured for a variety of different types of measurements, such as inter-frequency, inter-radio access technology (inter-RAT), licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, etc. For example, a UE may be configured with measurement gaps for both 5G NR cells and 5G NR-U cells. In other scenarios, measurement gaps may be configured for specific types of measurements. For example, a UE may be configured with independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U cells. Summary of the invention

[0003] Some example aspects relate to a method performed by a cell of a network. The method includes establishing a connection with a user equipment (UE), receiving an indication that the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for a new radio interface (NR-U) in an unlicensed spectrum, and transmitting measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap pattern based on the measurement gap configuration information.

[0004] Other exemplary aspects relate to a cell having a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver is configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE). The processor is configured to perform operations including: establishing a connection with the UE, receiving an indication that the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for a new radio interface (NR-U) in an unlicensed spectrum, and transmitting measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap pattern based on the measurement gap configuration information.

[0005] Other exemplary aspects relate to an integrated circuit for use in a cell. The integrated circuit then includes: circuitry configured to establish a connection with a user equipment (UE), circuitry configured to receive an indication that the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for a new radio interface (NR-U) in an unlicensed spectrum, and circuitry configured to transmit measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap pattern based on the measurement gap configuration information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0007] Figure 2 A table describing various exemplary scenarios for deploying a system including 5G New Radio (5G NR-U) in unlicensed spectrum is shown.

[0008] Figure 3 An exemplary user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 4 A signaling diagram for independent measurement gap configuration for 5G NR-U according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the associated drawings, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to implementing independent measurement gap configuration for fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) in user equipment (UE) with unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) capability. The exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism for the network and UE to handle situations related to measurement gaps for 5G NR-U.

[0011] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to UE. However, reference to UE is provided for illustration purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0012] When camping on a cell of a network, the UE may be configured with a measurement gap pattern including a measurement gap and a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "measurement gap" generally refers to a time period during which the UE may collect measurement data corresponding to cells other than the currently configured serving cell. For example, when camping on a first cell of a first network, the UE may be configured with a measurement gap during which the UE may scan various frequencies for signals broadcast by other cells (e.g., a second cell of the first network, a first cell of the second network, etc.). The UE may collect measurement data based on signals received during the measurement gap. The measurement data collected by the UE may then be used by the UE and / or the network for a variety of different purposes, including but not limited to cell selection, cell reselection, handover, carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, radio resource management, and the like.

[0013] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the term "MGRP" may generally refer to the duration between two consecutive measurement gaps. For example, consider a scenario where a measurement gap pattern is configured with a measurement gap length of (Y) seconds and an MGRP of (X) seconds. First, a first measurement gap is triggered. The UE may then tune its transceiver to one or more frequencies to scan for signals broadcast by one or more different types of target cells for (Y) seconds. After the measurement gap expires, the UE may return the tuning to its serving cell. After the first measurement gap (X) seconds, a second measurement gap may be triggered. The UE may again tune its transceiver to one or more frequencies to scan for signals broadcast by one or more different types of target cells for (Y) seconds. The above examples are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments in any way. Instead, the above examples are provided merely as general examples of the relationship between measurement gaps and MGRP.

[0014] The UE is capable of supporting multiple concurrent independent measurement gap modes. In some scenarios, measurement gaps can be configured for multiple different types of measurements, such as inter-frequency, inter-radio access technology (inter-RAT), licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, etc. For example, the UE may be configured with measurement gaps for both 5G NR cells and 5G NR-U cells. In other scenarios, measurement gaps may be configured for specific types of measurements. For example, the UE may be configured with independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U cells. The exemplary embodiment provides a mechanism for the network and the UE to handle situations related to measurement gaps configured for 5G NR-U.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be appreciated that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, for purposes of illustration, only an example with a single UE 110 is provided.

[0016] UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the networks with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate are 5G NR radio access network (RAN) 120, long term evolution (LTE) RAN 122, and WLAN 124. However, it should be understood that UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, traditional cellular network, etc.), and UE 110 may also communicate with the network via a wired connection. With regard to the exemplary embodiment, UE 110 may establish a connection with 5G NRRAN 120, LTE RAN 122, and / or WLAN 124. Therefore, UE 110 may have a 5G NR chipset communicating with NR RAN 120, an LTE chipset communicating with LTE-RAN 122, and an ISM chipset communicating with WLAN 124.

[0017] The 5G NR RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network operator (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc.). The RAN 120, 122 may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node B, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. The WLAN 124 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0018] In the network arrangement 100, the 5G NR RAN 120 includes a first 5G NR cell 120A, a second 5G NR cell 120B, a first 5G NR-U cell 120C, and a second 5G NR-U cell 120D. In addition, the LTE-RAN 120 includes a first LTE cell 122A and a second LTE cell 122B. However, the actual network arrangement may include any number of cells deployed by any number of RANs. Therefore, the examples of two 5G NR cells 120A, 120B, two 5G NR-U cells 120C, 120D, and two LTE cells 122A, 122B are provided for illustration purposes only.

[0019] The cell (e.g., 120A-120D, 122A, 122B) may include one or more communication interfaces to exchange data and / or information with the UE, the corresponding RAN, the cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, etc. In addition, the cell may include a processor configured to perform various operations. For example, the processor of the cell may be configured to perform operations related to the following operations: configuring a measurement gap for the currently occupied UE, and transmitting a signal that the UE can use to derive measurement data during the configured measurement gap. However, reference to the processor is for illustrative purposes only. The operation of the cell may also be represented as an independent combined component of the base station, or may be a modular component coupled to the base station, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing the signal and other information. In addition, in some base stations, the functionality of the processor is shared between two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiment may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the base station.

[0020] As follows, Figure 2Described in more detail, the exemplary embodiments relate to scenarios that may include carrier aggregation (CA) and / or dual connectivity (DC). Therefore, in some embodiments, UE 110 may be connected to both 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122. However, the references to independent 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 are provided only for illustrative purposes. The actual network arrangement may include a radio access network that includes an architecture capable of providing both 5G NR RAT and LTE RAT services. For example, a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) (not shown) may include a next-generation Node B (gNB) providing 5G NR services and a next-generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB) providing LTE services. NG-RAN may be connected to at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC). Therefore, in an exemplary configuration, UE 110 may achieve DC by establishing a connection with at least one cell corresponding to the same 5G NR-RAN 120 and at least one cell corresponding to the same LTE-RAN 122. In another exemplary configuration, UE 110 may implement DC by establishing connections to at least two cells corresponding to the same NG-RAN or other types of similar RANs. In addition, 5G NR-RAN 120 is shown as supporting 5G NR cells and 5G NR-U cells. Although these cells are shown as being connected to the same RAN, this is for illustrative purposes only. In actual network arrangements, 5G NR cells and 5G NR-U cells may each correspond to different RANs. Therefore, the examples of 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 are provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0021] Returning to the exemplary network arrangement 100, the UE 110 may be connected to the 5G NR-RAN 120 via at least one of the cells 120A-120D. The UE 110 may be connected to the LTE-RAN 122 via at least one of the cells 122A-122B. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant process may be performed to connect the UE 110 to the 5G NR-RAN 120 or the LTE-RAN 122. For example, as described above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider, where the UE 110 and / or its user has a protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information in order to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a particular cell (e.g., cells 120A-120D). Similarly, to access LTE services, UE 110 may associate with cell 122 A. However, as noted above, reference to 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 is for illustration purposes only, and any suitable type of RAN may be used.

[0022] In addition to the networks 120-124, the network arrangement 100 includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 can be viewed as an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 can be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 can communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 can be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0023] As described above, the exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism for the network and UE to handle situations related to measurement gaps for 5G NR-U. Figure 2 Table 200 is shown describing various exemplary scenarios for deploying a system including 5G NR-U. Figure 1 Table 200 is described with reference to network arrangement 100. Throughout the specification, some exemplary embodiments may refer to exemplary scenarios of table 200.

[0024] Scenario A of Table 200 involves CA with one or more 5G NR cells and one or more 5G NR-U cells. CA may include a primary component carrier (PCC) and at least one secondary component carrier (SCC), the PCC and the at least one SCC being used to facilitate communication with the network. The PCC may be used in part for control information, such as scheduling requests, uplink grants, downlink grants, and the like. The CA functionality enables the network to combine bandwidth using the PCC and at least one SCC to exchange data with the UE 110. Thus, with CA, the PCC may provide a first portion of the total bandwidth for the data to be exchanged, while the SCC may provide a second portion of the total bandwidth. The combination of the PCC and a single SCC may be characterized as a CC combination including two carriers. In order to further increase the total available bandwidth for data to be exchanged with the UE 110, additional SCCs may be incorporated. For example, there may be CC combinations including, but not limited to, two carriers, five carriers, ten carriers, twelve carriers, sixteen carriers, twenty carriers, twenty-five carriers, thirty-two carriers, sixty-four carriers, and the like.

[0025] To provide an example of scenario A in the context of the network arrangement 100, the UE 110 may be configured with a PCC and an SCC to communicate with a primary cell (PCell) operating in a licensed spectrum (e.g., 5G NR cell 120A or 5G NR cell 120B) and a secondary cell (SCell) operating in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5G NR-U cell 122A or 5G NR-U cell 122B), respectively. In this example, the 5G NR-U cell operating as a SCell may be used for uplink and downlink communications or only for downlink communications. This example is not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments, but is intended to illustrate a general example in which 5G NR-U and 5G NR may be used to provide CA.

[0026] Scenario B of Table 200 involves DC with one or more LTE cells and one or more 5G NR-U cells. Throughout this specification, DC may generally refer to a UE 110 configured to transmit and receive on multiple CCs corresponding to cells associated with different RATs (e.g., 5G NR, 5G NR-U, LTE, etc.). The UE may implement DC via one or more cells of a primary cell group (MCG) and one or more cells of a secondary cell group (SCG). Similar to CA, DC may include various different types of CC combinations.

[0027] To provide an example of scenario B in the context of the network arrangement 100, the UE 110 may be configured with an MCG including one or more LTE cells (e.g., LTE cells 122A, 122B) and an SCG including one or more 5G NR-U cells (e.g., 5G NR-U cells 120C, 120D). From a protocol stack perspective, in some embodiments, the UE 110 may have a control plane and a user plane with the LTE-RAN 122 via the MCG, and a control plane and a user plane with the 5G NR-RAN 120 via the SCG. In other embodiments, the UE 110 has a control plane with the LTE-RAN 122 via the MCG and a user plane with the 5G NR-RAN 120 via the SCG (or vice versa). This example is not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments, but is used to illustrate a general example in which LTE and 5G NR-U can be used to provide DC.

[0028] Scenario C of Table 200 involves standalone 5G NR-U. In this scenario, UE 110 can access network services from a 5G NR-U cell (e.g., 5G NR-U cells 120C, 120D) without using any licensed carrier. UE 110 can communicate with the 5G NR-U cell in uplink and downlink. Standalone 5G NR-U can also include a CA scenario including multiple 5G NR-U cells.

[0029] Scenario D of Table 200 involves a standalone 5G NR-U with an uplink in a licensed spectrum. In this scenario, UE 110 can access network services from a 5G NR-U cell (e.g., 5G NR-U cell 120C, 120D). UE 110 can also be configured to transmit information and / or data to the network using an uplink to a cell operating in a licensed spectrum (e.g., 5G NR cell 120A, 5G NR cell 120B, LTE cell 122A, LTE cell 122B). The scope of exemplary scenario D may overlap with the scope of exemplary scenarios A and B.

[0030] Scenario E of Table 200 involves a DC having one or more 5G NR cells and one or more 5G NR-U cells. For example, UE 110 may be configured with an MCG including one or more 5G NR cells (e.g., 5G NR cells 120A, 120B) and an SCG including one or more 5G NR-U cells (e.g., 5G NR-U cells 120C, 120d). From a protocol stack perspective, in some embodiments, UE 110 may have a control plane and a user plane via an MCG and a control plane and a user plane via an SCG. In other embodiments, UE 110 has a control plane via an MCG and a user plane via an SCG (or vice versa). This example is not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments, but rather to illustrate a general example in which 5G NR and 5G NR-U may be used to provide DC.

[0031] Figure 3 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 100 is used to describe the UE 110. The UE 110 may represent any electronic device and may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, a display device 315, an input / output (I / O) device 320, a transceiver 325, and other components 330. The other components 330 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery providing a limited power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0032] The processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engines may include a measurement gap configuration engine 335. The measurement gap configuration engine 335 may perform operations associated with configuring measurement gaps and collecting measurement data according to a corresponding measurement gap pattern.

[0033] The above-described engine as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 305 is merely exemplary. The functions associated with the engine may also be represented as an independently integrated component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing the signal and other information. The engine may also be embodied as an application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 305 is shared between two or more processors (such as a baseband processor and an application processor). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0034] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 315 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 320 may be a hardware component that enables a user to input. The display device 315 and the I / O device 320 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 325 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, LTE-RAN 122, WLAN 124, etc. Therefore, the transceiver 325 may operate on multiple different frequencies or channels (e.g., a continuous set of frequencies).

[0035] UE 110 may be equipped with multiple radio frequency (RF) chains. For example, transceiver 325 may include one or more RF chains that can be used to receive and / or transmit over-the-air (OTA) signals. In some embodiments, to facilitate concurrent independent measurement gap patterns, a first RF chain may be used for operations corresponding to a first measurement gap pattern, and a second RF chain may be used for operations corresponding to a second measurement gap pattern. Those skilled in the art will understand the types of hardware, software, and / or firmware components that can be used to operate the RF chains. The exemplary embodiments may be applied to RF chains implemented using any suitable set of components. In addition, the use of one or two RF chains is merely exemplary, and UE 110 may have any number of RF chains.

[0036] Figure 4 A signaling diagram 400 for independent measurement gap configuration for 5G NR-U according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Figure 1 The network layout of 100 and Figure 2 The signaling diagram 400 is described with reference to the UE 110 of FIG.

[0037] Signaling diagram 400 includes UE 110, first cell 402, and second cell 404. In this example, first cell 402 represents a currently camped cell, and second cell 404 represents any type of neighboring cell, such as inter-frequency, inter-RAT, licensed access, unlicensed access, etc. Signaling diagram 400 provides a general overview of the types of signaling that may occur before and after configuring a measurement gap. However, throughout the description of signaling diagram 400, specific examples may refer to the scenario of Table 200. Therefore, in some examples, first cell 402 and / or second cell 404 may be characterized by specific attributes.

[0038] In 410, UE 110 camps on first cell 402. To provide some examples, in the context of scenarios A and E of table 200, first cell 402 may be a 5G NR cell (e.g., 5G NR cells 120A, 120B). In the context of scenario B of table 200, first cell 402 may be an LTE cell (e.g., LTE cells 122A, 122B). In the context of scenarios AE of table 200, first cell 402 may be a 5G NR-U cell (e.g., 5G NR-U cells 120C, 120D). Thus, first cell 402 may be a 5G NR-U cell or a cell of a different RAT. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to first cell 402 being any particular type of cell, and may be applicable to UE 110 camping on any appropriate type of cell in 410.

[0039] In 415, UE 110 may transmit an indication of one or more capabilities associated with independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U. For example, the capability information may be transmitted to the first cell 402 in response to a capability query during radio resource control (RRC) signaling. However, this example is provided for illustration purposes only, and exemplary embodiments may transmit the indication at any appropriate time using any appropriate mechanism. In addition, as will be described in more detail below, the network may configure UE 110 to have one or more measurement gaps based on the indication transmitted in 415.

[0040] In some embodiments, the capability information may include an information element (IE) that can be used to indicate one or more UE 110 capabilities related to independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U. In this example, the IE (or field) may be referred to as "independentGapConfigCCA", where CCA stands for clear channel assessment. The independentGapConfigCCA IE may indicate whether the UE 110 supports two independent measurement gaps, one of which is used for licensed band cell measurement and the other is used for NR-U cell measurement. When the UE 110 is configured with only a 5G NR-U serving cell, the independentGapConfigCCA IE may also indicate whether the UE 110 supports gapless licensed band cell measurement. When the UE 10 is configured with only a licensed band serving cell, the independentGapConfigCCA IE may also indicate whether the UE 110 supports gapless 5G NR-U cell measurement. Thus, using one or more bits, the UE 110 may implicitly indicate to the network one or more capabilities related to independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U.

[0041] As described above, UE 110 may be equipped with multiple RF chains. The RF chain may enable UE 110 to support two or more independent measurement gaps and gapless measurements. For example, a first RF chain may be used to collect measurement data according to one of the independent measurement gap configurations, and a second RF chain may be used to collect measurement data according to another independent measurement gap configuration. In addition, since one RF chain may be used for licensed band cells and one RF chain may be used for 5G NR-U cells, UE 110 may support gapless measurements. For example, when UE 110 is configured with only a 5G NR-U serving cell, UE 110 may implement measurement gaps to measure other 5G NR-U cells. However, since UE 110 is not configured with any licensed band serving cells, no licensed band serving cells are tuned away during the measurement gap. Therefore, when only a 5G NR-U serving cell is configured, UE 110 may support gapless measurements for licensed band cells, and vice versa.

[0042] For CA and DC, UE 110 may be configured to advertise supported frequency band combinations. In some embodiments, UE 110 may include an indication dedicated to one or more specific frequency band combinations. Thus, the indication in 415 may represent one or more indications, each indication dedicated to one or more specific frequency band combinations.

[0043] In 420, the network configures one or more measurement gaps for the UE 110. Although the operations are shown in the signaling diagram 400 as being dedicated to the first cell 402, the operations may be performed by any suitable set of one or more network components (e.g., the first cell 402, the corresponding RAN, the core network 130, a network function, a primary node, a secondary node, an SCell, a PSCell, etc.).

[0044] If UE 110 indicates in 415 that UE 110 does not support independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U, the network may configure legacy measurement gaps that may be used for both licensed band cell measurement and 5G NR-U cell measurement. Alternatively, if UE 110 indicates in 415 that UE 110 is capable of supporting independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U, the network may configure i) legacy measurement gaps that may be used for both licensed band cell measurement and 5G NR-U cell measurement, or ii) legacy measurement gaps that may be used for licensed band cell measurement and independent measurement gaps for 5G NR-U cell measurement.

[0045] In the context of scenarios B and E of Table 200, in some embodiments, the primary node may configure one or more measurement gaps for both licensed band cell measurements and 5G NR-U cell measurements. In other embodiments, the primary node may configure measurement gaps for licensed band cell measurements, and the secondary node may configure measurement gaps for 5G NR-U cell measurements.

[0046] In 425, first cell 402 may transmit measurement gap configuration information to UE 110. The measurement gap configuration information may be transmitted during RRC signaling, similar to the indication transmitted in 415. However, this example is provided for illustration purposes only, and exemplary embodiments may transmit the indication at any suitable time using any suitable mechanism.

[0047] The measurement gap configuration information may include information such as, but not limited to, measurement gap length, MGRP, timing offset, gap pattern ID, subframe information, related CCs, related target cells, etc. If the measurement gap configuration information is used for both licensed band cell measurement and 5G NR-U cell measurement, the measurement gap configuration information will include an explicit or implicit indication. Similarly, if the measurement gap configuration information is used only for licensed band cell measurement or only for 5G NR-U cell measurement, the measurement gap configuration information will include an explicit or implicit indication. Based on the measurement gap configuration information, UE 110 is able to determine the timing of the assigned measurement gap pattern. At this point, both UE 110 and the network are synchronized with respect to the measurement gap pattern, for example, UE 110 knows when to monitor signals that can be used to derive measurement data for cells other than cell 402.

[0048] In 430, a measurement gap is arranged to occur. In 435, the second cell 404 transmits a signal during the measurement gap in 430. For example, in 435, the second cell 404 may transmit a reference signal or any other appropriate signal. In response, the UE 110 may derive measurement data such as reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), etc. As described above, the measurement data collected by the UE 110 may then be used by the UE and / or the network for a variety of different purposes, including but not limited to cell selection, cell reselection, handover, carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, radio resource management, etc. Therefore, the measurement data may trigger subsequent operations on the UE 110 side and / or may be transmitted to the network for subsequent processing. However, the types of measurement data collected and the types of behaviors that may be triggered by the measurement data are beyond the scope of the exemplary embodiment. Instead, the exemplary embodiment is directed to UE 110 and network behavior that involves configuring and implementing measurement gaps that can be used for 5G NR-U. Specific examples of UE 110 and network behavior during measurement gaps will be described in more detail below.

[0049] Initially, consider a scenario where UE 110 is currently configured with only one or more licensed band serving cells. For example, cell 402 may be one of 5G NR cells 120A, 120B or LTE cells 122A, 122B. If the measurement gap configuration information in network indication 425 is applied to both licensed band cell measurements and unlicensed band cell measurements, the measurement gap of 430 may be used for both licensed band cell measurements and unlicensed band cell measurements. In another example, if the measurement gap configuration information in network indication 425 is applied only to licensed band cell measurements, the measurement gap of 430 may be used for licensed band cell measurements. UE 110 may then perform 5G NR-U cell measurements based on the effective MGRP of (X). For example, X may be equal to 40 milliseconds (ms) or any other appropriate duration. Since there is no 5G NR-U serving cell, the corresponding RF chain does not need to tune away from the 5G NR-U serving cell. Therefore, UE 110 may attempt to collect measurement data from the 5G NR-U cell based on the effective MGRP of (X), however, since it is not tuned away from the serving cell, the measurement gaps may not be utilized.

[0050] Next, consider a scenario where UE 110 is currently configured with both one or more licensed band serving cells and one or more 5G NR-U serving cells. If the measurement gap configuration information in the network indication 425 is applied to both licensed band cell measurement and unlicensed band cell measurement, the measurement gap of 430 can be used for both licensed band cell measurement and unlicensed band cell measurement.

[0051] In addition, consider a scenario where UE 110 is currently configured with one or more 5G NR-U serving cells and has no currently configured licensed band serving cells. In some embodiments, regardless of whether explicit legacy measurement gaps are configured for licensed band 5G NR cells, the pre-configured effective MGRP may be used to collect measurement data corresponding to licensed band 5G NR cells.

[0052] For example, UE 110 may implement a 20 ms effective MGRP for frequency range 2 (FR2) 5G NR measurements, a 40 ms effective MGRP for frequency range 1 (FR1) 5G NR measurements, a 40 ms effective MGRP for LTE measurements, and / or a 40 ms effective MGRP for FR1 5G NR measurements and LTE measurements. As described above, since there are no licensed band serving cells, actual measurement gaps may not be utilized since there are no serving cells to tune away from. Furthermore, references to 20 ms and 40 ms are provided for illustrative purposes only, and exemplary embodiments may be applicable to any suitable duration of the effective MGRP.

[0053] The following example describes the behavior of the UE 110 during the measurement gap 430 in the context of the exemplary scenario of Table 200 when the measurement gap 430 is dedicated to 5G NR-U cell measurement. In the context of scenario A of Table 200, during the measurement gap dedicated to 5G NR-U, the UE 110 may not need to perform reception from or transmission to the 5G NR-U serving SCell, except for receiving signals for radio resource management measurements and signals for random access procedures. In other words, the UE 110 may tune away from the 5G NR-U serving SCell for receiving signals from the 5G NR-U neighboring cell during the measurement gap. However, during the measurement gap for radio resource management or for the random access procedure corresponding to the 5G NR-U serving SCell, the UE 110 may omit tuning away or tuning back to the 5G NR-U serving SCell.

[0054] In the context of scenarios B and E of Table 200, in addition to receiving signals for radio resource management measurements and signals for random access procedures, during the measurement gap dedicated to 5G NR-U, UE 110 may not need to perform reception from or transmission to a 5G NR-U cell of the SCG (e.g., a primary secondary cell (PSCell), one or more SCells, etc.). In other words, UE 110 may tune away from a 5G NR-U cell of the SCG for receiving signals from 5G NR-U neighboring cells during the measurement gap. However, during the measurement gap for radio resource management or for a random access procedure for a 5G NR-U cell corresponding to the SCG, UE 110 may omit tuning away from or tuning back to the 5G NR-U cell of the SCG.

[0055] In the context of scenarios C and D of Table 200, UE 110 may not need to perform reception from or transmission to the 5G NR-U serving cell during the measurement gap dedicated to 5G NR-U, except for receiving signals for radio resource management measurements and signals for the random access procedure. In other words, UE 110 may tune away from the 5G NR-U serving cell for receiving signals from the 5G NR-U neighboring cell during the measurement gap. However, during the measurement gap for radio resource management or for the random access procedure corresponding to the 5G NR-U serving cell, UE 110 may omit tuning away from or tuning back to the 5G NR-U serving S cell.

[0056] The following examples describe situations related to 5G NR-U measurements during which an interruption to a licensed band cell or one of the 5G NR-U cells may occur. Generally, in this context, an interruption may refer to an interruption to a data or control channel connection or an interruption to reference signal transmission / reception.

[0057] In a first example, consider a scenario where UE 110 does not support independent measurement gap configuration for 5G NR-U. In this example, the interruption to the licensed band serving cell may be caused by activities of UE 110 on its 5G NR-U cell, such as but not limited to 5G NR-U SCell addition, 5G NR-U SCell release, 5G NR-U SCell activation, 5G NR-USCell deactivation, and 5G NR-U bandwidth part (BWP) switching.

[0058] In a second example, consider a scenario where UE 110 is not configured with an independent measurement gap configuration for 5G NR-U. In this example, the interruption of the 5G NR-U serving cell may be caused by the activities of UE 110 on its licensed band cell, such as but not limited to 5G NR SCell addition, 5G NR SCell release, 5G NR SCell activation, 5G NR SCell deactivation, and 5G NR BWP switching.

[0059] In a third example, consider a scenario where UE 110 supports independent measurement gap configuration for 5G NR-U. In this example, the interruption to the licensed band serving cell may only be caused by the activities of UE 110 on its licensed band serving cell, such as but not limited to 5G NR SCell addition, 5G NR SCell release, 5G NR SCell activation, 5G NR SCell deactivation, and 5G NR BWP switching.

[0060] In a fourth example, consider a scenario where UE 110 supports independent measurement gap configuration for 5G NR-U. In this example, the interruption to the 5G NR-U serving cell may only be caused by the activities of UE 110 on its 5G NR-U serving cell, such as but not limited to 5G NR-U SCell addition, 5G NR-U SCell release, 5G NR-U SCell activation, 5G NR-U SCell deactivation, and 5G NR-U BWP switching.

[0061] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0062] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments each having different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of an embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner not publicly denied or with features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or function of the device of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention.

[0063] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0064] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed at a cell of a network, comprising: Establishing a connection with a user equipment (UE); receiving an indication that the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for new radio interface (NR-U) in unlicensed spectrum; transmitting measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap mode based on the measurement gap configuration information; as well as A signal corresponding to a random access procedure is received from the UE during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap is dedicated for NR-U cell measurement, and wherein the cell operates in a licensed band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is included in an information element (IE), the information element indicating whether the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for licensed band cells and independent measurement gap configuration for NR-U cells. The method of claim 2 , wherein the IE is associated with an advertised frequency band combination.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cell indicates that the measurement gap is to be used for i) only NR-U cell measurement, ii) only licensed band cell measurement, or iii) both licensed band cell measurement and NR-U cell measurement.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cell is a master node of the UE configured with dual connectivity including a licensed band cell and an NR-U cell, and wherein the cell configures the measurement gap for both licensed band cell measurement and NR-U cell measurement.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cell is a master node of the UE configured with dual connectivity including a licensed band cell and an NR-U cell, and a first measurement gap for licensed band cell measurement is configured, and wherein the secondary node configures a second measurement gap for NR-U cell measurement.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A signal corresponding to radio resource management is transmitted to the UE during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap is dedicated to NR-U cell measurement, and wherein the cell operates in a licensed band.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell operates in a licensed frequency band, and The measurement gap configuration information indicates that the measurement gap will be used for licensed band cell measurement and NR-U cell measurement.

9. A cell, comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); as well as A processor configured to perform operations comprising: Establishing a connection with the UE; receiving an indication that the UE supports an independent measurement gap configuration for a new radio interface (NR-U) in an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the indication is included in an information element (IE), the information element indicating that the UE supports an independent measurement gap configuration for a licensed band cell and an independent measurement gap configuration for an NR-U cell, and wherein the UE supports i) licensed band cell measurement without gaps when the UE is configured with only one or more NR-U serving cells, and ii) NR-U cell measurement without gaps when the UE is configured with only one or more licensed band serving cells; and Transmitting measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap pattern based on the measurement gap configuration information.

10. The cell of claim 9, wherein the cell indicates that the measurement gap is to be used for i) only NR-U cell measurement, ii) only licensed band cell measurement, or iii) both licensed band cell measurement and NR-U cell measurement.

11. The cell according to claim 9, the operations further comprising: A signal corresponding to radio resource management is transmitted to the UE during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap is dedicated to NR-U cell measurement, and wherein the cell operates in a licensed band.

12. The cell according to claim 9, the operations further comprising: A signal corresponding to a random access procedure is received from the UE during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap is dedicated for NR-U cell measurement, and wherein the cell operates in a licensed band.

13. The cell of claim 9, wherein the cell operates in a licensed frequency band, and The measurement gap configuration information indicates that the measurement gap will be used for licensed band cell measurement and NR-U cell measurement.

14. An integrated circuit for use in a cell, comprising: Circuitry configured to establish a connection with a user equipment (UE); circuitry configured to receive an indication that the UE supports an independent measurement gap configuration for a New Radio Interface (NR-U) in an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the indication is included in an information element (IE), the information element indicating that the UE supports independent measurement gap configuration for licensed band cells and independent measurement gap configuration for NR-U cells, and wherein the UE supports i) licensed band cell measurement without gaps when the UE is configured with only one or more NR-U serving cells, and ii) NR-U cell measurement without gaps when the UE is configured with only one or more licensed band serving cells; as well as The circuit is configured to transmit measurement gap configuration information to the UE, wherein the UE configures a measurement gap pattern based on the measurement gap configuration information.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14, wherein the cell indicates that the measurement gap is to be used for i) only NR-U cell measurement, ii) only licensed band cell measurement, or iii) both licensed band cell measurement and NR-U cell measurement.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 14, further comprising: Circuitry configured to transmit a signal corresponding to radio resource management to the UE during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap is dedicated to NR-U cell measurement, and wherein the cell operates in a licensed band.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 14, further comprising: A circuit configured to receive a signal corresponding to a random access procedure from the UE during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap is dedicated to NR-U cell measurement, and wherein the cell operates in a licensed band.

Images