Mechanisms for sharing and limiting measurements of CSI-RS and SSB based on UE activity in NR

Abstract

Measurement resources are often limited in 5G and 4G‑LTE communications. As a result, SMTC and CSI‑RS measurement windows are occasionally assigned to the same resource elements of a signal frame. This results in conflicts that must be resolved because the two measurements cannot be performed simultaneously. The conflict can be resolved using restrictions, where overlapping resource elements are assigned to either the SMTC measurement or the CSI‑RS measurement, or using measurement sharing, where overlapping resource elements are divided between the two measurements according to a measurement sharing factor. Various factors can be taken into account by deciding the measurement rules for conflict resolution, including priority or window periodicity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments may generally relate to the field of wireless communications. Summary of the invention

[0002] In one embodiment, a method for resolving measurement conflicts in a wireless communication system. The method includes identifying an overlapping period in which a synchronization signal block SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) measurement window overlaps with a CSI-RS measurement window. A set of overlapping rules is stored, which control the transmission of measurement signals during the overlapping period. During the overlapping period, it is determined based on a set of stored overlapping rules whether to transmit an SMTC measurement signal, a CSI-RS measurement signal, or a portion of both the SMTC measurement signal and the CSI-RS measurement signal. Based on the determination, at least one of the SMTC measurement signal and the CSI-RS measurement is assigned to a conflicting resource element corresponding to the overlapping period. Then, based on the assignment, at least one of the SMTC measurement signal and the CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted to the UE.

[0003] In another embodiment, a method for resolving measurement conflicts in a wireless communication system. The method includes receiving an SMTC measurement allocation corresponding to an SMTC measurement, and also receiving a CSI-RS measurement allocation corresponding to a CSI-RS measurement. Based on the measurement allocation, at least one conflicting resource element is identified. In response to the identification, a conflict rule is obtained, and at least one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal is assigned to the at least one conflicting resource element based on the conflict rule. A signal frame is then transmitted, the signal frame including the assigned measurement signal.

[0004] In another embodiment, a base station for resolving measurement conflicts in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The base station includes a transceiver configured to receive an SMTC measurement window and a CSI-RS measurement window, a memory storing conflict rules for controlling the assignment of conflict measurement signals, and one or more processors. The processor is configured to perform several functions associated with conflict resolution. That is, a conflict period is identified in which the SMTC measurement window overlaps with the CSI-RS measurement window. During the conflict period, it is determined based on the stored conflict rules whether to transmit an SMTC measurement signal, a CSI-RS measurement signal, or both an SMTC measurement signal and a CSI-RS measurement signal. Based on the determination, at least one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement is assigned to a resource element within the conflict period to generate a measurement signal frame. The transceiver then transmits the measurement signal frame to the UE.

[0005] In an embodiment, the assigning includes assigning SMTC measurement signals to a subset of the conflicting resource elements and assigning CSI-RS measurement signals to the remainder of the conflicting resource elements, depending on the measurement sharing factor.

[0006] In an embodiment, the measured sharing factor MSF is a percentage in the range of 0 to 100.

[0007] In an embodiment, the subset of conflicting resource elements corresponds to the first MSF % of the conflicting resource elements, and the remainder of the conflicting resource elements corresponds to the last (100-MSF) % of the conflicting resource elements.

[0008] In an embodiment, the method further comprises comparing the periodicity of the SMTC measurement window with the periodicity of the CSI-RS measurement window.

[0009] In an embodiment, the method also includes identifying a shorter measurement signal as one of an SMTC measurement signal or a CSI-RS measurement signal, the shorter measurement signal having a periodicity shorter than the other of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal, wherein the assignment includes assigning the shorter measurement signal to a non-overlapping period.

[0010] In an embodiment, the method further includes storing the measurement sharing factor MSF as a percentage in the range of 0 to 100, and identifying the shorter measurement signal as one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal, the shorter measurement signal having a shorter periodicity than the longer measurement signal as the other of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal. In an embodiment, the assignment includes assigning the shorter measurement signal to occur during the first MSF% of the overlap period, and assigning the longer measurement signal to occur during the last (100-MSF)% of the overlap period. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure and enable those skilled in the relevant art to make and use the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1 shows an exemplary measurement signal transmission according to one embodiment;

[0013] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary base station according to one embodiment;

[0014] Figure 3 A functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary conflict resolution function that may be performed by a processor;

[0015] Figure 4shows an exemplary measurement window according to one embodiment;

[0016] Figure 5 illustrates conflict resolution of multiple measurement windows according to one embodiment;

[0017] Figure 6 illustrates conflict resolution of multiple measurement windows according to one embodiment;

[0018] Figure 7 illustrates conflict resolution of multiple measurement windows according to one embodiment;

[0019] Figure 8 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 800 for resolving conflicts between measurement configurations;

[0020] Fig. 9 A method 900 for resolving measurement conflicts through measurement gaps is shown;

[0021] Fig.10 An exemplary system for implementing measurement conflict resolution according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0022] Fig.11 is an exemplary computer system for implementing some embodiments or one or more portions of embodiments.

[0023] The present disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, generally, the same reference numerals represent the same or functionally similar elements. In addition, generally, the leftmost digit of a reference numeral identifies the drawing in which the reference numeral first appears. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In the 4G-LTE and 5G specifications, 3GPP defines a variety of different measurements for the purpose of analyzing channel conditions, beam management (BM), synchronization, tracking, mobility monitoring, etc. These measurements rely on predetermined sequences known to both the base station (BS) and the user equipment (UE) to evaluate the communication conditions and establish a connection. For example, the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) may contain a predetermined sequence transmitted by the BS and received by the UE. Since the UE knows the sequence, the UE compares the received sequence with the transmitted sequence to evaluate the distortion introduced by the channel, thereby estimating the channel quality from the BS to the UE.

[0025] These measurements are useful for improving the efficiency, correctness and robustness of the wireless link. However, since the measurement results share radio resources with data transmission (when transmitted from the BS, the UE is unaware of this situation), there is a trade-off between measurement and data transmission. For example, when more radio resources are assigned to measurements, a more reliable and efficient communication link can be established at the expense of a lower data rate. On the contrary, when seeking to increase the data rate, it may be difficult to assign each measurement to a dedicated radio resource. Therefore, the measurements may conflict with each other (e.g., time and channel overlap). When such a conflict occurs, the measurements of the conflicting signals cannot be performed simultaneously.

[0026] For example, in Releases 15 and 16 of the 3GPP specification, CSI-RS based L3 measurements and L3 SSB measurements occasionally conflict with each other. However, a solution for resolving this conflict has not yet been defined. The present disclosure describes a solution for resolving this conflict that allows a UE to efficiently perform CSI-RS and SSB measurements even when overlap occurs.

[0027] Figure 1 An exemplary measurement signal configuration according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the SMTC measurement configuration 110 includes a plurality of SMTC measurement windows 120a / 120b. The SMTC measurement window 120 has a periodicity 130. In addition, a CSI-RS measurement configuration 140 is also shown. The CSI-RS measurement configuration 140 includes a plurality of CSI-RS measurement windows 150a-150d with a periodicity 160.

[0028] As background, each measurement signal is assigned to certain resource blocks (eg, time-frequency units) within the signal frame. The network will set these assignments and then inform the base station.

[0029] For ease of understanding, the SMTC measurement configuration 110 and the CSI-RS measurement configuration 140 are shown as time aligned. However, it should be understood that each of the measurement configurations corresponds to an assignment of resources in the same frequency channel (e.g., row) of a signal frame. Therefore, any overlap in the measurement windows of these measurement configurations indicates a conflict in the signal frame - where two measurement signals are assigned to the same resource element.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, the CSI-RS measurement window 150a overlaps with a portion of the SMTC measurement window 120a (based on the measurement timing configuration of the synchronization signal block [SSB]), and the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) measurement window 150c overlaps with a portion of the SMTC measurement window 120b. At the same time, the CSI-RS measurement windows 150b and 150d do not overlap with any SMTC measurement windows. Because multiple measurements cannot be performed simultaneously, the resulting measurement signal transmission 170 includes transmission windows 172, 174, 176, and 178. Transmission windows 174 and 178 can directly correspond to CSI-RS measurement windows 150b and 150d (because those transmission windows do not conflict with the SMTC measurement windows). At the same time, for transmission windows 172 and 176, decisions must be made on how to re-coordinate the conflicts between the CSI-RS measurement windows and the SMTC measurement windows within those time periods. The following disclosure describes exemplary coordination according to various embodiments.

[0031] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary wireless system 200 of an electronic device implementing measurement signal conflict resolution according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless system 200 can be any electronic device (e.g., AP 1010, STA) of the system 1000. The wireless system 200 includes a processor 210, a transceiver 220, buffers 230a and 230b, a communication infrastructure 240, a memory 250, an operating system 252, an application 254, and an antenna 260. The system shown is provided as an exemplary portion of the wireless system 200, and the wireless system 200 may include other circuits and subsystems. In addition, although the system of the wireless system 200 is shown as a separate component, the embodiments of the present disclosure may include any combination of these components, fewer components, or more components.

[0032] The memory 250 may include random access memory (RAM) and / or cache, and may include control logic components (e.g., computer software) and / or data. The memory 250 may include other storage devices or memories, such as, but not limited to, a hard drive and / or a removable storage device / unit. According to some examples, an operating system 252 may be stored in the memory 250. The operating system 252 may manage data transmission from the memory 250 and / or one or more application programs 254 to the processor 210 and / or the transceiver 220. In some examples, the operating system 252 maintains one or more network protocol stacks (e.g., an Internet protocol stack, a cellular protocol stack, etc.) that may include multiple logical layers. At the corresponding layer of the protocol stack, the operating system 252 includes a control mechanism and a data structure to perform the functions associated with the layer.

[0033] According to some examples, applications 254 may be stored in memory 250. Applications 254 may include applications used by wireless system 200 and / or a user of wireless system 200 (e.g., user applications). Applications in applications 254 may include applications such as, but not limited to, Siri, TM , FaceTime TM , radio streaming, video streaming, remote control, measurement conflict resolution, and / or other user applications.

[0034] As an alternative or in addition to the operating system, the wireless system 200 may include a communication infrastructure 240. The communication infrastructure 240 provides, for example, communication between the processor 210, the transceiver 220, and the memory 250. In some implementations, the communication infrastructure 240 may be a bus. The processor 210, together with instructions stored in the memory 250, executes operations that enable the wireless system 200 of the system 1000 to implement measurement conflict resolution as described herein. In addition or alternatively, the transceiver 220 performs operations that enable the wireless system 200 of the system 1000 to implement measurement conflict resolution as described herein.

[0035] According to some embodiments, the transceiver 220 transmits and receives communication signals that support measurement conflict resolution and may be coupled to the antenna 260. The antenna 260 may include one or more antennas that may be of the same or different types. The transceiver 220 allows the wireless system 200 to communicate with other devices, which may be wired and / or wireless. The transceiver 220 may include a processor, a controller, a radio component, a socket, a plug, a buffer, and similar circuits / devices for connecting to a network and communicating on a network. According to some examples, the transceiver 220 may include one or more circuits for connecting to a wired network and / or a wireless network and communicating on a wired network and / or a wireless network. The transceiver 220 may include a cellular subsystem, a WLAN subsystem, and / or a Bluetooth subsystem. TM Subsystems, each of which includes its own radio transceiver and protocol, as will be understood by those skilled in the art based on the discussion provided herein. In some implementations, transceiver 220 can include more or fewer systems for communicating with other devices.

[0036] The cellular subsystem (not shown) may include one or more circuits (including a cellular transceiver) for connecting to and communicating on a cellular network. The cellular network may include, but is not limited to, 3G / 4G / 5G networks such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Bluetooth TM The subsystem (not shown) may include one or more circuits (including Bluetooth TMtransceiver) to enable the implementation of Bluetooth-based TM Protocol, Bluetooth TM Low power protocol, or Bluetooth TM The WLAN subsystem (not shown) may include one or more circuits (including a WLAN transceiver) to enable connection and communication over a WLAN network, such as, but not limited to, a network based on the standards described in IEEE 802.11 (such as, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11bc, IEEE 802.11bd, IEEE 802.11be, etc.).

[0037] According to some embodiments, processor 210 alone or in combination with memory 250 and / or transceiver 220 implements measurement conflict resolution. For example, wireless system 200 is configured to analyze measurement configurations and generate measurement signals according to one or more measurement rules, as will be discussed in further detail below.

[0038] According to some embodiments, the processor 210 alone or in combination with the transceiver 220 and / or the memory 205 may receive rules and / or parameters associated with measurement conflict resolution. The processor 210 alone or in combination with the transceiver 220 and / or the memory 205 may determine, generate, and transmit measurement signals based on the received rules and / or parameters.

[0039] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary conflict resolution function that may be performed by processor 300. In one embodiment, processor 300 represents an exemplary embodiment of processor 210 that performs Figure 3 function.

[0040] like Figure 3 As shown, the processor 300 includes a symbol receiving block 302. The measurement symbols (for SSB and CSI-RS) are usually preset by the standard or OEM and stored in a table in the memory of the base station (e.g., the memory 250 of the base system). The symbol receiving block 302 reads these measurement symbols from the memory.

[0041] The processor 300 also includes a collision detection block 304. The collision detection block 304 analyzes the SMTC and CSI-RS measurement windows to determine whether a collision will occur between measurement symbols. Specifically, the collision detection block checks the radio resources assigned to the SMTC and CSI-RS measurement windows. If any radio resources are assigned to two measurements, the collision detection block 304 determines whether any measurement windows of the received measurement symbols overlap in time.

[0042] The processor 300 also includes a rule lookup 306. The rule lookup 306 retrieves an overlap rule from a memory in response to the collision detection block 304 detecting a collision between received measurement symbols. In one embodiment, the overlap rule defines how the resource elements of the collision measurement window should be filled. In other words, the overlap rule defines which measurement symbols should be used to fill the resource elements that are subject to collision. The overlap rule is stored in a memory of the base station.

[0043] Rule selection 308 selects an appropriate rule based on the detected conflict situation. For example, in one embodiment, multiple rules corresponding to various different conflict situations can be stored. For example, different rules can control the scenario where the periodicity of the SSB measurement window is shorter than the periodicity of the CSI-RS measurement window, and the scenario where the periodicity of the CSI-RS measurement window is shorter than the periodicity of the SSB measurement window. In addition, in different situations, SSB measurements may be more important than CSI-RS measurements, or vice versa. Therefore, the rule may indicate that measurements with higher importance occupy a larger portion of overlapping resource elements. Other scenarios are also discussed in further detail below. Therefore, rule selection 308 selects an appropriate rule for a given situation.

[0044] Signal generator 310 generates appropriate measurement signals based on the conflict rule selected by rule selection 308. These measurement signals are then transmitted by measurement signal transmission 312 using, for example, transceiver 220. Appropriate rules and signal generation are described in further detail with respect to the following figures.

[0045] In one embodiment, the base station forwards the measurement window received from the network to the user equipment before or after performing conflict resolution. If sent to the UE after conflict resolution, the function is used to inform the UE when and where the measurement window should be expected. On the other hand, if sent to the UE before the conflict is resolved, the UE can perform at least some of the above-mentioned conflict resolution functions. For example, the UE can determine that the measurement windows overlap. When performing certain measurements, the UE can also make decisions based on the overlap determination. In one embodiment, the UE can determine that the SMTC measurement window and the CSI-RS measurement window partially overlap. Therefore, the UE can decide to measure the CSI-RS outside the SMTC measurement window. Although the embodiments of the present disclosure assume that the base station performs conflict resolution, it should be understood that the conflict resolution of those embodiments can also be performed by the UE.

[0046] Figure 4 An exemplary measurement window according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 4As shown, SMTC measurement configuration 410 includes SMTC measurement windows 412a and 412b with periodicity 415. Similarly, CSI-RS measurement window configuration includes CSI-RS measurement windows 422a-422d with window periodicity 425. Figure 4 As shown, when the measurement window configurations 410 and 420 are configured in this manner, the CSI-RS measurement window 422a completely overlaps a portion of the SMTC measurement window 412a, and the CSI-RS measurement window 422c overlaps the SMTC measurement window 412b. At the same time, the CSI-RS measurement windows 422b and 422d do not conflict with any other measurement windows.

[0047] exist Figure 4 In an embodiment of the present invention, the conflict rule is a restriction rule that determines that the CSI-RS measurement signal (which is transmitted during the CSI-RS measurement window) shall be transmitted only during non-overlapping periods, and the SMTC measurement signal shall be transmitted during overlapping periods. In one embodiment, this rule is based on the SMTC measurement signal generally taking precedence over the CSI-RS measurement signal. In another embodiment, the priority produces a difference in the periodicity of the SMTC and CSI-RS measurement windows. Specifically, since the CSI-RS measurement window occurs more frequently than the SMTC measurement window (for example, the CSI-RS measurement window has a smaller periodicity than the SMTC measurement window), the SMTC window is given priority during the conflict. In this embodiment, rule selection 308 determines which measurement window has a smaller periodicity based on the received measurement window in order to select an appropriate rule.

[0048] The resulting measurement signal is shown in measurement transmission 450. Measurement transmission 450 includes four signal transmissions. As defined by the rules (discussed above), the SSB measurement signal is transmitted during the SMTC measurement window, regardless of overlap. At the same time, the CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted only during non-overlapping CSI-RS measurement windows. Therefore, measurement transmission 450 includes SSB measurement signals transmitted within transmission periods 452a and 452c (corresponding to SMTC measurement windows 412a and 412b) and CSI-RS measurement signals transmitted within transmission periods 452b and 452d (corresponding to CSI-RS measurement windows 422b and 422d).

[0049] Figure 5 Conflict resolution of multiple measurement windows according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 5 As shown, SMTC measurement configuration 510 includes SMTC measurement windows 512a and 512b with periodicity 515. Meanwhile, CSI-RS measurement configuration 520 includes CSI-RS measurement windows 522a-d with periodicity 525. Figure 5As can be seen, the periodicity 525 of the CSI-RS measurement window is smaller than the periodicity 515 of the SMTC measurement window.

[0050] like Figure 5 As shown, these configurations result in CSI-RS measurement windows 522a and 522c overlapping (eg, colliding) with portions of SMTC measurement windows 512a and 512b, respectively. Meanwhile, CSI-RS measurement windows 522b and 522d do not overlap with any other measurement windows.

[0051] In this embodiment, a measurement restriction rule is implemented in which the CSI-RS measurement signal takes precedence over the SMTC measurement signal. Therefore, the rule determines that during the overlapping period between the CSI-RS measurement window 522 and the SMTC measurement window 512, the CSI-RS signal is transmitted and the SSB measurement signal (transmitted during the SMTC measurement window) is discarded.

[0052] The measurement signal transmission 550 shows the resulting measurement signal transmission. As shown, during the first transmission window 552, the CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted during the first part 522a corresponding to the CSI-RS measurement window 522, taking precedence over the overlapping portion of the SMTC measurement window 512a. The SSB measurement signal is transmitted during the second part 552b of the first transmission window 552 corresponding to the non-overlapping portion of the SMTC measurement window 512a. Similarly, the third transmission window 556 is also parsed into two parts 556a and 556b. The CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted during the first part 556a corresponding to the CSI-RS measurement window 522c, and the SSB measurement signal is transmitted during the second part 556b corresponding to the non-overlapping portion of the SMTC measurement window 512b.

[0053] No contention resolution is required during the second transmission window 554 and the fourth transmission window 558. Therefore, CSI-RS measurement signals are transmitted corresponding to the CSI-RS measurement windows 522b and 522d, respectively.

[0054] Figure 6 Conflict resolution of multiple measurement windows according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 6 As shown, SMTC measurement configuration 610 includes SMTC measurement windows 612a and 612b with periodicity 615. Meanwhile, CSI-RS measurement configuration 620 includes CSI-RS measurement windows 622a-d with periodicity 625. Figure 6 As can be seen, the periodicity 625 of the CSI-RS measurement window is smaller than the periodicity 615 of the SMTC measurement window.

[0055] like Figure 6As shown, these configurations result in CSI-RS measurement windows 622a and 622c overlapping (eg, colliding) with portions of SMTC measurement windows 612a and 612b, respectively. Meanwhile, CSI-RS measurement windows 622b and 622d do not overlap with any other measurement windows.

[0056] In this embodiment, a measurement sharing rule is implemented in which the CSI-RS measurement signal and the SMTC measurement signal share the overlapping measurement period according to a measurement sharing factor X%, where 0≤X≤100. Therefore, the rule determines that, during the overlapping period between the CSI-RS measurement window 622 and the SMTC measurement window 612, the CSI-RS signal is transmitted only during the first X% of the overlapping period, and the SSB measurement signal (transmitted during the SMTC measurement window) is transmitted only during the last 100-X% of the overlapping period. In this scenario, the measurement period or delay is extended by 1 / X%.

[0057] Measurement signal transmission 650 shows the measurement signal transmission generated by the specific implementation of the rule. As shown, the first transmission window 652 includes a first part 652a corresponding to the overlapping period between the CSI-RS measurement window 622a and the SMTC measurement window 612a. As determined by the rule, the CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted during the first sub-part 652a-1 of the first part 652a, and the length of the first sub-part is X% of the first part 652a. During the second sub-part 652a-2, the SSB measurement signal is transmitted, and the length of the second sub-part is 100-X% of the first part 652a. During the second part 652b of the transmission window 652, because there is no overlap, the SSB measurement signal is transmitted corresponding to the non-overlapping part of the SMTC measurement window 612a.

[0058] The transmission window 656 is configured similarly to the transmission window 652. That is, the first part 656a of the transmission window 656 corresponds to the overlapping period between the CSI-RS measurement window 622c and the SMTC measurement window 612b. Therefore, during this first part 656a, the rule determines measurement sharing. Therefore, a CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted during the first sub-part 656a-1, and the length of the first sub-part is equal to X% of the first part 656. An SSB measurement signal is transmitted during the second sub-part 656a-2, and the length of the second sub-part is equal to 100-X% of the first part 656a. The SSB measurement signal is further transmitted during the second part 656b of the transmission window 656, which corresponds to the non-overlapping part of the SMTC measurement window 612b. In the measurement sharing period, the measurement period or delay can be extended by 1 / X%.

[0059] No contention resolution is required during the second transmission window 654 and the fourth transmission window 658. Therefore, CSI-RS measurement signals are transmitted corresponding to the CSI-RS measurement windows 622b and 622d, respectively.

[0060] In various implementations, the measurement sharing factor X is preset by a standard, selected based on the relative periodicity of CSI-RS and SMTC measurement windows, or selected based on the relative priority of CSI-RS and SMTC measurements.

[0061] Figure 7 Conflict resolution of multiple measurement windows according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 7 As shown, SMTC measurement configuration 710 includes SMTC measurement windows 712a and 712b with periodicity 715. Meanwhile, CSI-RS measurement configuration 720 includes CSI-RS measurement windows 722a-722d with periodicity 725. Figure 7 As can be seen, the periodicity 725 of the CSI-RS measurement window is smaller than the periodicity 715 of the SMTC measurement window.

[0062] like Figure 7 As shown, these configurations result in CSI-RS measurement windows 722a and 722c overlapping (eg, colliding) with portions of SMTC measurement windows 712a and 712b, respectively. Meanwhile, CSI-RS measurement windows 722b and 722d do not overlap with any other measurement windows.

[0063] exist Figure 7 In the implementation scheme of, a randomized measurement rule is implemented. Specifically, in each period of overlap, the measurement rule randomly selects one of the CSI-RS measurement signal or the SSB measurement signal. Measurement signal transmission 750 shows an exemplary result of a random measurement rule. For example, the first transmission window 752 includes a first part 752a corresponding to the overlap between the CSI-RS measurement window 722a and a portion of the SMTC measurement window 712a. During this first part 752a, the measurement rule randomly selects to transmit the SSB measurement signal. Therefore, the SSB measurement signal is transmitted during the first part 752a and during the second part 752b corresponding to the non-overlapping part of the SMTC measurement window 712a.

[0064] A similar configuration occurs with respect to transmission window 756, which also includes an overlapping portion 756a. In this example, the measurement rule randomly selects to transmit the CSI-RS measurement signal during the overlapping portion 756a. Thus, the CSI-RS measurement signal is transmitted during a first portion 756a of the transmission window 756, which corresponds to the overlapping portion of the CSI-RS measurement window 722c and the SMTC measurement window 712b. At the same time, the SSB measurement signal is transmitted during a second portion 756b corresponding to the non-overlapping portion of the SMTC measurement window 712b.

[0065] No contention resolution is required during the second transmission window 754 and the fourth transmission window 758. Therefore, CSI-RS measurement signals are transmitted corresponding to the CSI-RS measurement windows 722b and 722d, respectively.

[0066] Figure 8 8 is a flow chart showing an exemplary method 800 for resolving conflicts between measurement configurations. Figure 8 As shown, method 800 begins by receiving measurement configurations for SMTC and CSI-RS (810). Once received, the measurement configurations are analyzed (820) to determine the resource elements to which their respective measurement windows are assigned. Based on the analysis, overlapping (e.g., conflicting) periods are detected (830). If there is no conflict (835-N), a CSI-RS measurement signal and an SSB measurement signal are transmitted according to the CSI-RS and SMTC measurement configurations, respectively (860).

[0067] Alternatively, if one or more conflicts are detected (835-Y), a conflict rule is obtained (840). As discussed above, the conflict rule determines which measurement signal is to be transmitted during the overlapping period, or determines a method for determining which measurement signal is to be transmitted during the overlapping period. Based on the conflict rule, the measurement transmission is configured (850). Specifically, as discussed above, the measurement rule can establish one of the measurement signals as having priority over another, can determine the priority based on the respective periodicity of the measurement signals, can establish measurement sharing based on a measurement sharing factor, or can establish a random selection. Based on the measurement rule, the measurement transmission is configured to include measurement signals resulting from the measurement window and conflict resolution. These measurement signals are then transmitted to the UE (860).

[0068] although Figure 4-Figure 8 The above-described embodiments provide a solution for performing measurement when no measurement gap is provided, but Fig. 9 A method 900 for resolving measurement conflicts through measurement gaps is shown.

[0069] The method starts with measurements in a measurement gap (910), during which the UE determines the resource sharing to be performed. Then, it is determined whether the measurement is intra-frequency (in the same frequency layer) or inter-frequency (in different frequency layers) (915). At this time, measurement gap usage sharing between inter-frequency and intra-frequency measurements is also performed. If it is determined that the measurement is intra-frequency (Intra), the measurement resources are shared (920) between the intra-frequency CSI-RSL3 measurement and the intra-frequency SSB L3 measurement. The UE then completes the measurement through the measurement gap, and the method ends (950).

[0070] Alternatively, if the measurement is determined to be inter-frequency, each frequency layer also shares the measurement resources (930). Subsequently, on one frequency layer, the UE further performs measurement sharing between the inter-frequency CSI-RS L3 measurement and the inter-frequency SSB L3 measurement on the same layer (940). Then, the UE completes the measurement through the measurement gap, and the method ends (950).

[0071] Fig.10 An exemplary system 1000 for implementing measurement signal conflict resolution according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The exemplary system 1000 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments. The system 1000 may include, but is not limited to, an access point (AP) 1010, a station (STA) 1020a-1020c, and a network 1030. The stations 1020a-1020c may include, but are not limited to, wireless local area network (WLAN) stations, such as wireless communication devices, smart phones, laptops, desktop computers, tablet computers, personal assistants, monitors, televisions, wearable devices, etc. The access point (AP) 1010 may include, but is not limited to, WLAN electronic devices, such as wireless routers, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches), wireless communication devices (e.g., smart phones), or combinations thereof. The network 1030 may be the Internet and / or WLAN. The communication of the stations 1020a-1020c is shown as wireless communication 1040a-1040c. The communication between AP 1010 and STA may be performed using wireless communication 1040a-1040c. Wireless communication 1040a-1040c may be based on a variety of wireless communication technologies. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, technologies based on IEEE 802.11 (such as, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ax, IEEE 802.11bc, IEEE802.11bd, IEEE 802.11be, IEEE 802.11v, etc.).

[0072] Various embodiments may be implemented, for example, using one or more computer systems such as Fig.11The computer system 1100 shown in the figure is implemented. The computer system 1100 can be any well-known computer capable of performing the functions described herein, such as Fig.10 Devices 1010, 1020a-1020c, or Figure 2 The wireless system 200 of the present invention. The computer system 1100 includes one or more processors (also referred to as central processing units or CPUs), such as a processor 1104. The processor 1104 is connected to a communication infrastructure 1106 (e.g., a bus). The computer system 1100 also includes a user input / output device 1103, such as a monitor, keyboard, pointing device, etc., which communicates with the communication infrastructure 1106 through a user input / output interface 1102. The computer system 1100 also includes a main memory or primary storage 1108, such as a random access memory (RAM). The main memory 1108 may include one or more levels of cache. The main memory 1108 has control logic components (e.g., computer software) and / or data stored therein.

[0073] The computer system 1100 may also include one or more secondary storage devices or memories 1110. The secondary storage 1110 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 1112 and / or a removable storage device or removable storage drive 1114. The removable storage drive 1114 may be a floppy disk drive, a tape drive, an optical drive, an optical storage device, a tape backup device, and / or any other storage device / drive.

[0074] The removable storage drive 1114 can interact with a removable storage unit 1118. The removable storage unit 1118 includes a computer usable or readable storage device having computer software (control logic components) and / or data stored thereon. The removable storage unit 1118 can be a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a DVD, an optical storage disk, and / or any other computer data storage device. The removable storage drive 1114 reads and / or writes to the removable storage unit 1118 in a well-known manner.

[0075] According to some embodiments, secondary storage 1110 may include other devices, means, or other methods for allowing computer system 1100 to access computer programs and / or other instructions and / or data. Such devices, means, or other methods may include, for example, a removable storage unit 1122 and an interface 1120. Examples of removable storage unit 1122 and interface 1120 may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as found in a video game device), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated socket, a memory stick and USB port, a memory card and associated memory card slot, and / or any other removable storage unit and associated interface.

[0076] The computer system 1100 may also include a communication interface 1124 or a network interface. The communication interface 1124 enables the computer system 1100 to communicate and interact with any combination of remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, etc. (individually and collectively referenced by reference numeral 1128). For example, the communication interface 1124 may allow the computer system 1100 to communicate with the remote device 1128 via a communication path 1126, which may be wired and / or wireless and may include any combination of a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, etc. Control logic components and / or data may be transmitted to and from the computer system 1100 via the communication path 1126.

[0077] The operations in the foregoing embodiments can be implemented with various configurations and architectures. Thus, some or all of the operations in the foregoing embodiments can be performed in hardware, software, or in both hardware and software. In some embodiments, a tangible, non-transient device or article includes a tangible, non-transient computer-available or readable medium, on which a control logic component (software) is stored, also referred to herein as a computer program product or a program storage device. This includes but is not limited to computer systems 1100, main memory 1108, auxiliary memory 1110, and removable storage units 1118 and 1122, as well as tangible articles embodying any combination of the foregoing. When executed by one or more data processing devices (such as, computer system 1100), such control logic components cause such data processing devices to operate as described herein.

[0078] Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art how to use the Fig.11 The embodiments of the present disclosure may be made and used with data processing devices, computer systems, and / or computer architectures other than those shown. In particular, the embodiments may operate with software, hardware, and / or operating system implementations other than those described herein.

[0079] It should be understood that the Detailed Description section, rather than the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as contemplated by the inventors, and thus, are not intended to limit the present disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

[0080] The present disclosure has been described above with the aid of functional building blocks, which illustrate the implementation of specified functions and their relationships. For ease of description, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein. As long as the specified functions and their relationships are properly performed, alternative boundaries may be defined.

[0081] The above description of specific embodiments will fully demonstrate the general nature of the present disclosure, so that others can easily modify and / or adjust the various applications of such specific embodiments by applying knowledge within the technical scope of the art without excessive experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, based on the teachings and guidance presented herein, such adjustments and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that the wording or terminology herein is for the purpose of illustration, not for limitation, so the terms or wording of this specification will be interpreted by the technician according to the teachings and guidance.

[0082] The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

[0083] As described above, various aspects of the present technology may include collecting and using data available from various sources, thereby (for example) improving or enhancing functionality. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying information or personal information. The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit users.

[0084] The present disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for the legitimate and reasonable purposes of the entity and not shared or sold outside of these legitimate uses. In addition, such collection / sharing should only be done after receiving the user's informed consent. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to defend and safeguard access to such personal information data and ensure that others who have access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and processes. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate their compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards that include specific considerations of jurisdiction. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained in each country for different types of personal data.

[0085] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates providing hardware elements and / or software elements to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology may be configured to allow users to selectively participate in "opt-in" or "opt-out" of collecting personal information data at any time during (for example) registration for a service or thereafter. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0086] In addition, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risks can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than at the address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data between users), and / or other methods when appropriate.

[0087] Thus, while the present disclosure may broadly cover the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may also be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

Claims

1. A method for resolving measurement conflicts in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Identifying an overlapping period in which a measurement window of a SMTC measurement based on a synchronization signal block SSB overlaps with a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS measurement window; storing a set of overlap rules that control measurement signal transmission during the overlap period; determining, based on a set of stored overlapping rules, whether to transmit an SMTC measurement signal, a CSI-RS measurement signal, or both the SMTC measurement signal and the CSI-RS measurement signal for the overlapping period; Based on the determination, assigning at least one of the SMTC measurement signal and the CSI-RS measurement signal to a conflicting resource element corresponding to the overlapping period; as well as Based on the assignment, transmitting the at least one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal to a user equipment UE, Wherein, the method further comprises: Comparing the periodicity of the SMTC measurement window with the periodicity of the CSI-RS measurement window; identifying a shorter measurement window as one of the SMTC measurement window or the CSI-RS measurement window, the one having a shorter periodicity than the other of the SMTC measurement window or the CSI-RS measurement window, Wherein the assigning comprises assigning the shorter measurement windows to non-overlapping periods.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning comprises assigning the SMTC measurement signal to a subset of the conflicting resource elements and assigning the CSI-RS measurement signal to a remaining portion of the conflicting resource elements according to a measurement sharing factor. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the measurement sharing factor MSF is a percentage in the range of 0 to 100.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the subset of the conflicting resource elements corresponds to the top MSF% of the conflicting resource elements, and The remaining portion of the conflicting resource elements corresponds to the last (100-MSF) % of the conflicting resource elements.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The measured sharing factor MSF is stored as a percentage in the range of 0 to 100; identifying a shorter measurement signal as one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal, the one having a shorter periodicity than a longer measurement signal as the other of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal, wherein the assigning comprises: assigning the shorter measurement signal to occur during a first MSF % of the overlap period; and The longer measurement signal is assigned to occur during the latter (100-MSF)% of the overlap period.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Based on the assignment, configuring at least one of the SMTC measurement window or the CSI-RS measurement window to the UE; as well as An indication of the SMTC measurement window or the CSI-RS measurement window is transmitted to the UE.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: Determining, by the UE, that the SMTC measurement window and the CSI-RS measurement window partially overlap; as well as The UE decides to measure the CSI-RS outside the SMTC measurement window.

8. A method for resolving measurement conflicts in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Receiving a measurement timing configuration SMTC measurement allocation based on a synchronization signal block SSB corresponding to the SMTC measurement; receiving a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) measurement allocation corresponding to a CSI-RS measurement; identifying at least one conflicting resource element based on the SMTC measurement allocation and the CSI-RS measurement allocation; obtaining conflicting rules in response to the identifying; Based on the conflict rule, assigning at least one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal to the at least one conflicting resource element; as well as transmitting a signal frame including the assigned measurement signal, Wherein, the method further comprises: Compare the periodicity of the SMTC measurement window with the periodicity of the CSI-RS measurement window; The measured sharing factor MSF is stored as a percentage in the range of 0 to 100; identifying a shorter measurement signal as one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal, the one having a shorter periodicity than a longer measurement signal as the other of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal, wherein the assigning comprises: assigning the shorter measurement signal to occur during the first MSF % of the overlap period; and The longer measurement signal is assigned to occur during the latter (100-MSF)% of the overlap period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the SMTC measurement allocation identifies a resource element in the signal frame to which the SMTC measurement signal should be assigned, and The CSI-RS measurement allocation identifies a resource element in the signal frame to which the CSI-RS measurement signal should be assigned.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the SMTC measurement allocation and the CSI-RS measurement allocation are received from a network.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one conflicting resource element corresponds to at least one resource element of the signal frame, the SMTC measurement allocation has been assigned to the at least one resource element for use by the SMTC measurement signal, and the CSI-RS measurement allocation has been assigned to the at least one resource element for use by the CSI-RS measurement signal.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the collision rule comprises a measurement sharing factor that defines a percentage of the collision resource elements to be assigned for one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the conflict rule comprises a priority for determining whether to allocate conflicting resource elements with the SMTC measurement signal or with the CSI-RS measurement signal.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the conflict rules identify variables and formulas used to calculate the conflicting resource element assignments.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the SMTC measurement assignment and the CSI-RS measurement assignment to a user equipment (UE).

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: Determining, by the UE, that the SMTC measurement allocation and the CSI-RS measurement allocation partially overlap; as well as The UE decides to measure the CSI-RS outside the SMTC measurement allocation.

17. A base station for resolving measurement conflicts in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a transceiver configured to perform wireless communications; a memory storing conflict rules controlling assignment of conflicting measurement signals; as well as One or more processors configured to: Identifying a conflict period, in which a measurement window of a SMTC measurement based on a synchronization signal block SSB overlaps with a measurement window of a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS; determining whether to transmit an SMTC measurement signal, a CSI-RS measurement signal, or both the SMTC measurement signal and the CSI-RS measurement signal for the conflict period based on the stored conflict rule; and Based on the determination, assigning at least one of the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement to a conflicting resource element within the conflict period to generate a measurement signal frame, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the measurement signal frame to a user equipment (UE), wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Comparing the periodicity of the SMTC measurement window with the periodicity of the CSI-RS measurement window; identifying a shorter measurement window as one of the SMTC measurement window or the CSI-RS measurement window, the one having a shorter periodicity than the other of the SMTC measurement window or the CSI-RS measurement window, Wherein the assigning comprises assigning the shorter measurement windows to non-overlapping periods.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein the overlap between the SMTC measurement window and the CSI-RS measurement window occurs in both frequency and time.

19. The base station of claim 17, wherein the assigning comprises assigning the SMTC measurement signal to a subset of the conflicting resource elements, and assigning the CSI-RS measurement signal to the remaining portion of the conflicting resource elements according to a measurement sharing factor MSF defined by the conflict rule. 20 . The base station of claim 19 , wherein the measurement sharing factor MSF is a percentage in the range of 0 to 100.

21. The base station of claim 20, wherein the SMTC measurement signal is assigned to the first MSF% of the resource elements within the conflict period, and The CSI-RS measurement signal is assigned to the last (100-MSF)% of the resource elements within the contention period.

22. The base station of claim 17, wherein the collision rule determines to randomly select the SMTC measurement signal or the CSI-RS measurement signal for assignment to the collision period.

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