Method and apparatus for supporting conditional mandatory measurement gap mode

Abstract

A method for measurement gap configuration, comprising: sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration based on a new measurement gap capability of the UE (10) from a first network device (20) to a UE (10); detecting at the first network device (20) whether the UE (10) requires a conventional gap assisted measurement; in response to requiring conventional gap assisted measurement, sending a second message including a second measurement gap configuration based on the conventional measurement gap capability of the UE (10) from the first network device (20) to the UE (10); and sending a third message instructing the UE (10) to fall back to the conventional measurement gap capability from the first network device (20) to a second network device (30) communicating with the UE (10).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate generally to communication techniques, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for supporting a conditionally forced measurement gap pattern. Background Art

[0002] Certain abbreviations that may be found in the description and / or figures are defined herein as follows:

[0003] eNB Evolved Node B

[0004] EN-DC E-UTRA NR Dual Connectivity

[0005] E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

[0006] FR1 First frequency range

[0007] FR2 Second frequency range

[0008] gNB 5G Node B

[0009] GP Gap Mode

[0010] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0011] MCG Master Cell Group

[0012] MG Measuring gap

[0013] MN Master Node

[0014] MO measurement object

[0015] MR-DC Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity

[0016] NE-DC NR E-UTRA Dual Connectivity

[0017] NGEN-DC Next Generation E-UTRA NR Dual Connectivity

[0018] NR-DC NR NR Dual Connectivity

[0019] NSA Non-Independent

[0020] NR New Radio

[0021] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0022] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0023] SN Secondary Node

[0024] UE User Equipment

[0025] Like 4G LTE, 5G New Radio (NR) also performs various measurements to detect channel quality for purposes such as cell selection, cell reselection, and handover. Measurement gaps (MGs) are designed for user equipment (UE) to perform such measurements, during which the UE cannot transmit or receive data to or from the network. The network can configure per-UE gaps or per-frequency range (per-FR) gaps for the UE. The per-UE gap is applicable to both the first frequency range (FR1) and the second frequency range (FR2), and each FR gap includes two independent gaps, namely, the FR1 gap and the FR2 gap applicable to FR1 and FR2, respectively. The first frequency range (FR1) generally includes various frequency bands from 450MHz to 6,000MHz, which are generally referred to as NR sub-6GHz, but have been extended to cover potential new spectrum products from 410MHz to 7,125MHz. The second frequency range (FR2) includes frequency bands from 24.25GHz to 52.60GHz, which are generally referred to as millimeter waves, although strictly speaking millimeter wave frequencies may start at 30GHz. It should be understood that the per-UE gap and per-FRFR1 gap can also be used for measurements on LTE frequencies because NR FR1 overlaps and extends 4G LTE frequencies.

[0026] In some scenarios related to dual connectivity (DC) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), different nodes are responsible for the configuration of per-UE gaps and per-FR gaps, and the gap configuration information is exchanged between the nodes via inter-node messages. For example, 3GPP Release 15 (Rel-15) stipulates that: in (NG) EN-DC, NR RRC cannot set per-FR FR1 gaps (i.e., only LTE RRC can configure FR1 gaps); in NE-DC, per-FR FR1 gaps can only be set by NR RRC (i.e., LTE RRC cannot configure FR1 gaps); in NR-DC, per-FR FR1 gaps can only be set in the measConfig information element (IE) associated with the master cell group (MCG). For per-FR FR2 gaps, in (NG) EN-DC or NE-DC, they can only be set by NR RRC (i.e., LTE RRC cannot configure per-FR FR2 gaps); in NR-DC, per-FR FR2 gaps can only be set in the measConfig IE associated with the MCG. For per-UE gap, in (NG)EN-DC, it cannot be set by NR RRC (i.e., only LTE RRC can configure per-UE gap); in NE-DC, per-UE gap can only be set by NR RRC (i.e., LTE RRC cannot configure per-UE gap); in NR-DC, per-UE gap can only be set in measConfig IE associated with MCG. The above MR-DC measurement gap configuration mechanism is summarized in Table 1 below.

[0027] Table 1: MR-DC measurement gap configuration mechanism in 3GPP Rel-15

[0028]

[0029] Summary of the invention

[0030] A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify the key features of the essential elements or to limit the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a preface to provide a more detailed description below.

[0031] In a first aspect, exemplary embodiments of a method for measurement gap configuration are provided. The method may include sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration from a first network device to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a new measurement gap capability of the UE. The method may also include detecting at the first network device whether the UE requires legacy gap assisted measurement. If it is determined that the UE requires legacy gap assisted measurement, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration based on the legacy measurement gap capability of the UE may be sent from the first network device to the UE. The method may also include sending a third message indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability from the first network device to a second network device communicating with the UE.

[0032] In some embodiments, the method may further include: after sending the second message, receiving, at the first network device, a fifth message from the UE, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

[0033] In some embodiments, the method may further include detecting at the first network device whether there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE. If it is determined that there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE, a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability may be sent from the first network device to the second network device.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method may further include receiving, at the first network device, a sixth message from the UE, the sixth message indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device.

[0035] In some embodiments, the third message may include an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by legacy gap assisted measurements to indicate fallback, and the fourth message may include an explicit indicator or an empty list of frequencies measured by legacy gap assisted measurements to indicate restoration.

[0036] In some embodiments, a first network device may act as a master node (MN) for a master cell group (MCG) operating in a first frequency range (FRl), and a second network device may act as a secondary node (SN) for a secondary cell group (SCG) operating in a second frequency range (FR2).

[0037] In some embodiments, the UE may operate in a dual connectivity mode, such as EN-DC, NGEN-DC, or NR-DC mode, to communicate with both a first network device and a second network device and may be independently configured with corresponding measurement gap configurations from the first network device and the second network device.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first measurement gap configuration and the second measurement gap configuration may be per frequency range (per FR) configurations.

[0039] In some embodiments, legacy gap assisted measurements may include measurements on LTE frequencies.

[0040] In some embodiments, the UE legacy measurement gap capability may include a static gap capability, and the UE new measurement gap capability may include a conditional mandatory gap capability that is applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement.

[0041] In some embodiments, the UE legacy measurement gap capability may include a gap capability defined in 3GPP Release 15, and the UE new measurement gap capability may include a conditional mandatory gap capability introduced in 3GPP Release 16 or higher.

[0042] In a second aspect, an exemplary embodiment of a method for measurement gap configuration is provided. The method may include: sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration based on a new measurement gap capability of a user equipment (UE) from a second network device to a UE, and receiving, at the second network device, a second message from the first network device or from the UE indicating a fallback to a legacy measurement gap capability of the UE. In response to the second message, a third message including a second measurement gap configuration based on the legacy measurement gap capability of the UE may be sent from the second network device to the UE.

[0043] In some embodiments, the method may further include receiving, at the second network device, from the first network device or from the UE, a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability. In response to the fourth message, a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration based on the UE's new measurement gap capability may be sent from the second network device to the UE.

[0044] In a third aspect, exemplary embodiments of a method for measurement gap configuration are provided. The method may include receiving, at a user equipment UE, from a first network device, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration based on a legacy measurement gap capability of the UE. In response to the first message, a second message indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability may be sent to a second network device communicating with the UE, and / or in the case where the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the new measurement gap capability of the UE, a third message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the new measurement gap capability of the UE may be sent to the first network device.

[0045] In some embodiments, the method may further include detecting at the UE whether the UE does not have a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device. If so, a fourth message indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device may be sent to the first network device, and / or a fifth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability may be sent to the second network device.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, exemplary embodiments of a network device are provided. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to use the at least one processor to cause the network device to at least perform: sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on the UE's new measurement gap capability; detecting whether the UE requires a traditional gap assisted measurement; in response to requiring a traditional gap assisted measurement, sending a second message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the UE's traditional measurement gap capability; and sending a third message to another network device communicating with the UE, indicating that the UE falls back to the traditional measurement gap capability.

[0047] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, using the at least one processor, cause the network device to, after sending the second message, at least perform: receiving a fifth message from the UE, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with another network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0048] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to use at least one processor to cause the network device to at least perform: detecting whether there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE; and in response to the absence of legacy gap assisted measurement, sending a fourth message to another network device indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0049] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least perform: receiving a sixth message from the UE indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with another network device.

[0050] In some embodiments, the third message may include an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by legacy gap assisted measurements to indicate fallback. The fourth message may include an explicit indicator or an empty list of frequencies measured by legacy gap assisted measurements to indicate restoration.

[0051] In some embodiments, a network device may act as a master node (MN) for a master cell group (MCG) operating in a first frequency range (FRl), and another network device may act as a secondary node (SN) for a secondary cell group (SCG) operating in a second frequency range (FR2).

[0052] In some embodiments, the UE may operate in a dual connectivity mode, such as EN-DC, NGEN-DC, or NR-DC mode, to communicate with both a network device and another network device, and the UE may be independently configured with corresponding measurement gap configurations from the network device and the other network device.

[0053] In some embodiments, the first measurement gap configuration and the second measurement gap configuration may be per frequency range (per FR) configurations.

[0054] In some embodiments, legacy gap assisted measurements may include measurements on LTE frequencies.

[0055] In some embodiments, the UE legacy measurement gap capability may include a static gap capability, and the UE new measurement gap capability may include a conditional mandatory gap capability that is applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement.

[0056] In some embodiments, the UE legacy measurement gap capability may include a gap capability defined in 3GPP Release 15, and the UE new measurement gap capability may include a conditional mandatory gap capability introduced in 3GPP Release 16 or later.

[0057] In a fifth aspect, exemplary embodiments of a network device are provided. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to use the at least one processor to cause the network device to at least perform: sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on the UE new measurement gap capability; receiving a second message indicating a fallback to the UE traditional measurement gap capability from another network device or from the UE; and in response to the second message, sending a third message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the UE traditional measurement gap capability.

[0058] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to use the at least one processor to cause the network device to at least perform: receiving a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability from the other network device or the UE; and sending a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration to the UE in response to the fourth message, the third measurement gap configuration being based on the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, exemplary embodiments of a user equipment UE are provided. The UE may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to use the at least one processor to cause the UE to at least perform: receiving a first message including a first measurement gap configuration from a first network device, the first measurement gap being based on the configuration of the UE's legacy measurement gap capability; and in response to the first message, sending a second message to a second network device UE communicating with the UE indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, and / or providing a third message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability, in the case where the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0060] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, using the at least one processor, cause the UE to at least perform: detecting whether the UE does not have a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device, but still has a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device; if so, sending a fourth message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, and / or sending a fifth message to the second network device indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0061] In a seventh aspect, an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for measurement gap configuration is provided. The apparatus may include: a device for sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on the UE new measurement gap capability; a device for detecting whether the UE requires a traditional gap assisted measurement; a device for sending a second message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE in response to requiring traditional gap assisted measurement, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the UE traditional measurement gap capability; and a device for sending a third message to another network device communicating with the UE, indicating that the UE falls back to the traditional measurement gap capability.

[0062] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving a fifth message from the UE after sending the second message, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

[0063] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for detecting whether there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE; and means for sending a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability to another network device in response to the absence of the legacy gap assisted measurement.

[0064] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving a sixth message from the UE, the sixth message indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with another network device.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, exemplary embodiments of an apparatus for measurement gap configuration are provided. The apparatus may include: a device for sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a new measurement gap capability of the UE; a device for receiving a second message from another network device or from the UE indicating that the UE falls back to a traditional measurement gap capability of the UE; and a device for sending a third message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE in response to the second message, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the traditional measurement gap capability of the UE.

[0066] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving a fourth message from the first network device or from the UE indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability, and means for sending a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration to the UE in response to the fourth message, the third measurement gap configuration being based on the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0067] In a ninth aspect, exemplary embodiments of an apparatus for measurement gap configuration are provided. The apparatus may include: a device for receiving, at a user equipment UE, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration from a first network device, the first measurement gap configuration being based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability; and a device for sending, in response to the first message, a second message to a second network device communicating with the UE indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, and / or, if the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability, sending a third message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

[0068] In some embodiments, the device may further include: a device for detecting at the UE whether the UE does not have a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the second network; and a device for sending a fourth message to the first network device and / or sending a fifth message to the second network device if the UE does not have a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has a traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, the fourth message indicating that the UE still has the traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, and the fifth message indicating the restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0069] In a tenth aspect, exemplary embodiments of a computer-readable medium are provided. The computer-readable medium may have instructions stored thereon, and the instructions, when executed by at least one processor of a device, may cause the device to perform any of the above methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070] Some example embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] Figure 1 A simplified diagram of a MR-DC architecture according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated.

[0072] Figure 2 A flow chart of a signaling procedure for supporting a new conditionally mandatory gap pattern (GP) in an MR-DC architecture is illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0073] Figure 3 A block diagram of a network device according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated.

[0074] Figure 4 A block diagram of a user equipment according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated.

[0075] Figure 5 A block diagram of a device according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0076] Figure 6 A block diagram of a device according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0077] Figure 7 A block diagram of a device according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0078] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements, and repeated description of the same elements will be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] Hereinafter, some example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to provide a thorough understanding of various concepts, the following description includes specific details. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known circuits, techniques, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obfuscation of the concepts and features described.

[0080] Gap patterns are defined for each UE and each FR gap configuration. In general, a GP may be defined using a gap duration and a gap repetition period. For example, 3GPP Rel-15 has defined GPs#0-23, of which GPs#0-11 are applicable to both FR1 and FR2 gap assisted measurements, and GPs#12-23 are applicable only to FR2 gap assisted measurements. It should be understood that GP#0-23 is described only as an example in the present disclosure, and other GPs, such as non-uniform GPs, may also be defined for FR1 and / or FR2 measurements. Among GP#0-23, currently only GP#0-1 is mandatory. The gap lengths of GP#0 and GP#1 are both 6 ms, and the repetition periods are 40 ms and 80 ms, respectively.

[0081] For various deployment scenarios of 5G NR networks, a new (or additional) mandatory GP would be desirable. A new mandatory GP with shorter gap length would benefit system efficiency, and a flexible repetition period of the mandatory GP would meet different requirements for measurement delay and gap overhead in various scenarios. Given the potential benefits, 3GPP is expected to introduce a new mandatory GP in Release 16 (Rel-16) specifications. However, there is still a need for solutions for applying the new mandatory GP, especially in MR-DC deployments of 5G NR, without affecting legacy implementations.

[0082] The exemplary embodiments described herein provide methods and apparatus for supporting new (or additional) mandatory GPs in the MR-DC architecture. In an exemplary embodiment, the new mandatory GP is only mandatory for NR measurements under certain conditions and does not affect traditional implementations. For example, in the case of LTE measurements, the new mandatory GP should not be applied. New signaling is also proposed to introduce new mandatory GPs and UE new measurement gap capabilities. In exemplary embodiments, the new mandatory GPs may also be referred to as conditional / dynamic mandatory GPs because they are only mandatory under certain specific conditions. In some examples, the new conditionally mandatory GP may include a conditionally mandatory GP introduced in the 3GPP Rel-16 or higher version specifications. The new conditionally mandatory GP may be selected from the existing GP#2-23, preferably from GP#2-11, because GP#12-23 is only applicable to FR2 gap assisted measurements, or from new GPs designed in the future.

[0083] On the other hand, the UE legacy measurement gap capability refers to the static capability of the UE to support GP since the UE attaches to the network, which static capability may also be referred to as static GP in the present disclosure. Unlike the conditional / dynamic mandatory GP that can only be enabled for NR measurements under certain specific conditions, the UE supports static GP for LTE measurements and NR measurements at any time since the UE is attached to the network. In some examples, the legacy / static GP may include GPs defined in 3GPP Rel-15, including, for example, mandatory GP#0-1 and non-mandatory GP#2-23. It should also be understood that the legacy / static GP is not limited to GPs#0-23 currently defined in 3GPP Rel-15, and if GPs introduced in the future are designed to be statically supported by the UE and used for both LTE measurements and NR measurements, such as the existing GP#0-23, they may also be regarded as legacy / static GPs.

[0084] Figure 1 FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified diagram of an MR-DC architecture according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 In the MR-DC architecture, the UE 10 is connected to two base stations 20 and 30. The first base station 20 may act as a master node (MN) including a group of service cells (MCG) operating in a first frequency range (FR1), and the second base station 30 may act as a secondary node (SN) including a group of service cells (SCG) operating in a second frequency range (FR2).

[0085] In some examples, MN 20 may be an E-UTRA base station (MeNB), and SN 30 may be an NR base station (SgNB). When MeNB 20 is connected to a 4G core network, namely an evolved packet core (EPC) (not shown), UE 10 may operate in EN-DC mode. When MeNB 20 is connected to a 5G core network (5GC) (not shown), UE 10 may operate in NGEN-DC mode. In (NG) EN-DC mode, MeNB 20 is responsible for the per-UE and per-FR FR1 gap configuration of UE 10, and SgNB 30 is responsible for the per-FR FR2 gap configuration of UE 10. That is, UE 10 may be independently configured with respective measurement gap configurations from MN 20 and SN 30.

[0086] In some examples, MN 20 may be an NR base station (MgNB) and it may be connected to a 5GC. In such a case, UE 10 may operate in NR-DC mode. It should be noted that in NR-DC mode, MgNB 20 is responsible for the per-UE and per-FR FR1 gap configuration of UE 10, and SgNB 30 is responsible for the per-FR FR2 gap configuration of UE 10. That is, UE 10 may be independently configured with corresponding measurement gap configurations from MN 20 and SN 30. In some other examples, alternatively, per-FR FR2 gap configuration may be the responsibility of MgNB 20, as defined in 3GPP Rel-15.

[0087] Figure 2 A flow chart of a signaling process 100 for supporting a new conditional mandatory GP in an MR-DC architecture according to an exemplary embodiment is illustrated. In an exemplary embodiment, when no legacy gap assisted measurements (or measurement objects MO), such as measurements in LTE frequencies, are configured by the network to the UE, the new conditional mandatory GP may be enabled in a network including both MN and SN. On the other hand, if legacy gap assisted measurements (or measurement objects MO), such as LTE measurements, are configured by the network to the UE, the UE cannot apply the new mandatory GP, and the new mandatory GP should be disabled in a network including both MN and SN.

[0088] refer to Figure 2At 110, the UE 10 may report its measurement gap capability to the MN 20. In some embodiments, the reported UE measurement gap capability may include both the legacy gap capability and the UE new mandatory gap capability. In some embodiments, the reported UE measurement gap capability may only explicitly include the non-mandatory gap capability because the MN 20 knows that the UE 10 must support the legacy mandatory gap and the new conditional mandatory gap. The UE legacy gap capability and the new conditional gap capability mandatory gap capability may be reported to the MN 20 in one message or in separate messages. For example, the measurement gap capability of the UE 10 may be included in a UECapabilityInformation message sent to the MN 20. The UECapabilityInformation message may include multiple information elements, such as shortMeasurementGap-r14 and meanGapPatterns-r15 in the UE-EUTRA-Capability container and supportedGapPattern in the UE-NR-Capability container, to indicate the gap capability of the UE. The UE 10 may actively report its gap capability to the MN 20 when it initially attaches to the network or when it performs a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure. In some examples, UE 10 may also report its gap capability to MN 20 in response to a capability query, such as a UECapabilityEnquiry message from MN 20. Through step 110, MN 20 will know the GPs supported by UE 10.

[0089] At 120, MN 20 may send a message including a measurement gap configuration to UE 10. In the case where no legacy gap assisted measurements are performed, e.g., LTE measurements are configured for UE 10, the measurement gap configuration may be based on the new mandatory gap capability of UE 10. In some embodiments, MN 20 may send the new mandatory gap configuration to UE 10 in, for example, a MeasConfig message. Figure 1 As mentioned, the new mandatory gap configured by the MN 20 may be a FR1 gap per FR.

[0090] Similarly, SN 30 may configure new mandatory FR2 gaps for UE 10 by sending a message including the new mandatory FR2 gap configuration to UE 10 at step 130. For example, SN 30 may encode the new mandatory FR2 gap configuration in a MeasConfig message sent to UE 10. Through steps 120 and 130, new conditionally mandatory FR1 and FR2 gaps are independently configured for UE 10, and thus UE 10 may perform measurements based on its new gap capabilities. Although Figure 2Although not shown in the figure, the MN 20 and the SN 30 may exchange their measurement and gap configuration information for the UE 10 through inter-node messages. The UE 10 may perform FR1 and FR2 measurements and send respective measurement reports to the MN 20 and the SN 30, respectively.

[0091] Next, at 140, MN 20 may detect whether UE 10 requires legacy gap assisted measurements, such as LTE measurements. For example, when MN 20 determines that A or B type events need to be measured with respect to cells operating in LTE frequencies, MN 20 may decide that UE 10 requires legacy gap assisted measurements.

[0092] When MN 20 determines in step 140 that UE 10 needs legacy gap assisted measurement, MN 20 will configure legacy FR1 gap for UE 10 in step 150. For example, MN 20 may send a message including measurement gap configuration based on UE legacy measurement gap capability to UE 10. For example, existing mandatory GP or UE legacy GP capability may be reported via IEs shortMeasurementGap-r14 and measGapPatterns-r15 in UE-EUTRA-Capability container and supportedGapPattern in UE-NR-Capability. If UE 10 currently has a new mandatory gap assisted measurement associated with MN 20, such as the new mandatory FR1 gap configured in step 120, the message sent from MN 20 to UE 10 in step 150 may also include an instruction to release the new mandatory FR1 gap.

[0093] Then, at 160, MN 20 may notify SN 30 to fall back to the UE legacy measurement gap capability. For example, MN 20 may send a message including an explicit indicator for fallback to SN 30. In some other examples, the message may include a list of frequencies measured by the MN, and if the frequency list includes, for example, LTE frequencies, SN 30 may know from the frequency list that UE 10 needs to fall back to the legacy gap capability.

[0094] In some embodiments, optionally, in response to receiving the legacy FR1 gap configuration from MN 20 at step 150, UE 10 may send a gap configuration response message to MN 20 at step 161. In the gap configuration response message, UE 10 may indicate to MN 20 that it still has new FR2 gap assisted measurements associated with SN 30, such as the FR2 gap configured in step 130. If MN 20 receives the gap configuration response message before sending message 160 from UE 10 to SN 30, the gap configuration response message will trigger MN 20 to send message 160 to SN 30, which will ensure that MN 20 will inform SN 30 to fall back to the UE legacy gap capability. If MN 20 receives the gap configuration response message from UE 10 after sending message 160 to SN 30, MN 20 may ignore the gap configuration response message.

[0095] In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, UE 10 may directly send a message indicating fallback to legacy gap capability to SN 30 at step 162 in response to the legacy FR1 gap configuration received at step 150. This is particularly beneficial in the case where MN 20 fails to send message 160 or SN 30 fails to receive or decode message 160. Through message 162, SN 30 may know that UE 10 needs to fall back to legacy gap capability.

[0096] Then, at 170, the SN 30 may configure the legacy FR2 gaps for the UE 10. For example, the SN 30 may send a message including the measurement gap configuration to the UE 10 based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability. If the UE 10 currently has new mandatory gap assisted measurements associated with the SN 30, such as the new mandatory FR2 gaps configured in step 130, the message sent from the SN 30 to the UE 10 in step 170 may also include an instruction to release the new mandatory FR2 gaps. Through steps 150 and 170, the new mandatory FR1 and FR2 gaps may be released, and the legacy FR1 and FR2 gaps may be configured. Thus, the UE 10 falls back from its new gap capability to the legacy gap capability. With the legacy gap capability, the UE 10 may perform legacy measurements, such as the LTE measurements determined in step 140.

[0097] although Figure 2 Although not shown, when the conventional gap assisted measurement configured in step 150 has been performed and is no longer needed, MN 20 may instruct UE 10 to release the measurement. For example, MN 20 may send a message including a measurement configuration indicating a measurement object (MO) to the released UE 10.

[0098] Next, at 180, MN 20 may detect whether there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for UE 10. If MN 20 determines at step 180 that it does not have any legacy gap assisted measurement for UE 10, MN 20 may notify SN 30 of the restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability at step 190. For example, MN 20 may send a message including an explicit indicator for restoration to SN 30. In some other examples, the message may include an empty frequency list measured by the MN, and SN 30 may know from the empty list that UE 10 can now be restored to the new measurement gap capability. Although not shown, MN 20 may also configure a new conditional mandatory measurement gap for UE 10 if necessary.

[0099] In some embodiments, optionally, when UE 10 receives an instruction to release the legacy gap assisted measurement from MN 20, UE 10 may check in step 181 whether the UE does not have the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with MN 20 but still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with SN 30. If so, UE 10 may send a message to MN 20 indicating that it still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with SN 30 in step 182. If MN 20 receives message 182 from UE 10 before sending message 190 to SN 30, message 182 will trigger MN 20 to send message 190 to SN 30, which will ensure that MN 20 will notify SN 30 of the restoration of the UE new gap capability. If MN 20 receives message 182 from UE 10 after sending message 190 to SN 30, MN 20 may ignore message 182.

[0100] In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, when UE 10 determines in step 181 that it does not have legacy gap assisted measurements associated with MN 20 but still has legacy gap assisted measurements related to SN 30, UE 10 may directly send a message indicating UE new gap capability restoration to SN 30 in step 183. This is particularly beneficial when MN 20 fails to send message 190 or SN 30 fails to receive or decode message 190. Through either of messages 183 and 190, SN 30 may know that UE 10 may be restored to new gap capability.

[0101] At 192, SN 30 may send a message to UE 10 to release the legacy FR2 gap and establish a new mandatory FR2 gap. For example, SN 30 may send a MeasGapConfig message including a measurement gap configuration based on the UE's new gap capability to UE 10. UE 10 will then release the legacy FR2 gap and establish a new mandatory FR2 gap instead.

[0102] In the above signaling process 100, the new mandatory gap capability can be applied in the MR-DC architecture without any impact on the traditional implementation. In particular, it does not affect LTE measurements in (NG) EN-DC and NR-DC deployments. By introducing new conditional mandatory gaps, measurement delay and gap overhead can be improved, and measurement efficiency can be improved.

[0103] In the above description, signaling messages are described sequentially in multiple discrete operations in a manner that is most helpful for understanding the exemplary embodiments detailed herein. However, it should be understood that the order of description should not be interpreted as implying that these signaling messages / operations must be limited to the order described. The described signaling messages / operations may be performed in an order different from the described embodiments. In additional embodiments, various additional signaling / operations may be performed and / or the described signaling / operations may be omitted.

[0104] Figure 3 1 is a block diagram of a network device according to an exemplary embodiment. The network device 200 is a base station that provides access to a wireless network such as a 5G NR network for a wireless device such as a UE 10. The base station 200 may be a 5G NR Node-B (gNB) or a 4G LTE Node-B (eNB). In the MR-DC architecture, the network device 200 may be implemented as described above with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 MN 20 or SN 30 as described.

[0105] refer to Figure 3, the network device 200 includes one or more processors 210, one or more memories 220, one or more network interfaces 230, and one or more transceivers 240 interconnected by one or more buses 250. One or more processors 210 can execute computer program codes stored in one or more memories 220 coupled thereto, and control the network device 200 to implement various operations described herein. Each of the one or more transceivers 240 may include a receiver and a transmitter, and the one or more transceivers 240 may be connected to one or more antennas 244. One or more network interfaces 230 may communicate with other network devices such as another base station communication station or a core network such as EPC or 5GC. One or more buses 250 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, etc. For example, when the network device 200 is implemented as a gNB, one or more transceivers 240 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) or a distribution unit (DU), other elements of the gNB 200 are physically located at a different location from the RRH, such as in a central unit (CU), and one or more buses 250 may be partially implemented as optical fiber cables to connect the other elements of the gNB 200 to the RRH / DU.

[0106] It should be understood that when the network device 200 is implemented as a gNB or an eNB, the network device 200 may act as a master node (MN) in a (NG)EN-DC or NR-DC architecture, and the one or more memories 220 and the computer program codes stored therein may be configured to, using the one or more processors 210, enable the network device 200 to execute the above-mentioned reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The operations described above are related to the MN 20. When the network device 200 is implemented as a gNB, the network device 200 may act as a secondary node (SN) in the (NG) EN-DC or NR-DC architecture and one or more memories 220 and the computer program code stored therein may be configured to use one or more processors 210 to cause the network device 200 to perform the operations described above with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The operations described are related to SN30.

[0107] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) according to an exemplary embodiment. UE 300 may be a Figure 3 The network device 200 in the embodiment is a wireless, usually mobile device that performs wireless communication, and it can be implemented as the above reference Figure 1-2 The UE 10 is described.

[0108] refer to Figure 4 , UE 300 includes one or more processors 310, one or more memories 320, and one or more transceivers 340 interconnected by one or more buses 350. Each of the one or more transceivers 340 may include a receiver and a transmitter, and the one or more transceivers 340 may be connected to one or more antennas 344. The one or more buses 350 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, etc. The one or more memories 320 may include computer program code stored therein. The one or more memories 320 and the computer program code may be configured to use the one or more processors 310 to cause the UE 300 to perform the same operations as those described above with reference to FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The operations related to the UE 10 are described.

[0109] The one or more processors 210, 310 discussed above may be any suitable type for use in a local technology network, and may include a general purpose processor, a dedicated processor, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), one or more processors in a processor-based multi-core processor architecture, and one or more of a dedicated processor such as one developed based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The one or more processors 210, 310 may be configured to control other elements of the network device / user device and operate in cooperation with them to implement the above process.

[0110] The one or more memories 220, 320 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM) or cache. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. In addition, the one or more memories 220, 320 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment or any combination thereof.

[0111] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an apparatus 400 according to an exemplary embodiment. It is understood that the apparatus 400 may be implemented in Figure 3 In the network device 200 as the master node, to execute Figure 2 The operations related to the MN 20 in the signaling process 100 are described above, but are not limited thereto.

[0112] refer to Figure 5 , the device 400 may include a device for performing Figure 2The first unit 410, the second unit 420, the third unit 430 and the fourth unit 440 of operations 120, 140, 150 and 160 in the embodiment of the present invention are configured to transmit a first message including a first measurement gap configuration from a first network device to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on the UE new measurement gap capability. The second unit 420 may be configured to detect at the first network device whether the UE needs a legacy gap assisted measurement. The third unit 430 may be configured to transmit, in response to the need for legacy gap assisted measurement, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration from the first network device to the UE, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability. The fourth unit 440 may be configured to transmit a third message indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability from the first network device to a second network device communicating with the UE.

[0113] In some embodiments, the apparatus 400 may optionally include a method for performing Figure 2 The fifth unit 450, the sixth unit 460, the seventh unit 470 and the eighth unit 480 of operations 161, 180, 182 and 192 in the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the fifth unit 450 may be configured to, after sending the second message, receive a fifth message from the UE at the first network device, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability; the sixth unit 460 may be configured to detect at the first network device whether there is no traditional gap assisted measurement for the UE; the seventh unit 470 may be configured to send, in response to the absence of the traditional gap assisted measurement, a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability from the first network device to the second network device; and the eighth unit 480 may be configured to receive, at the first network device, a sixth message from the UE indicating that the UE still has traditional gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device.

[0114] Figure 6 FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus 500 according to an exemplary embodiment. It is understood that the apparatus 500 may be configured in a Figure 3 The network device 200 that acts as an auxiliary node is implemented to perform Figure 2 The operations related to SN 30 in the signaling process 100 are described above, but are not limited thereto.

[0115] refer to Figure 6 , the apparatus 500 may include two parts for executing Figure 2The first unit 510, the second unit 520 and the third unit 530 of operations 130, 160 or 162 and 170 in the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the first unit 510 may be configured to send a first message including a first measurement gap configuration from the second network device to the user equipment UE, where the first measurement gap configuration is based on the UE new measurement gap capability; the second unit 520 may be configured to receive, at the second network device, a second message from the first network device or from the UE indicating to fall back to the UE traditional measurement gap capability; the third unit 530 may be configured to send, in response to the second message, a third message including a second measurement gap configuration from the second network device to the UE, where the second measurement gap configuration is based on the UE traditional measurement gap capability.

[0116] In some embodiments, the apparatus 500 may optionally include a method for performing Figure 2 The fifth unit 550 and the sixth unit 560 of operation 183 or 190 and operation 192 in the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the fifth unit 550 may be configured to receive, at the second network device, a fourth message from the first network device or from the UE, the fourth message indicating restoration of the new measurement gap capability of the UE; and the sixth unit 560 may be configured to send, in response to the fourth message, a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration from the second network device to the UE, the third measurement gap configuration being based on the new measurement gap capability of the UE.

[0117] Figure 7 FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an apparatus 600 according to an exemplary embodiment. It is understood that the apparatus 600 may be implemented in Figure 4 The user equipment 300 executes Figure 2 The operations related to UE 10 in the signaling process 100 are described above, but are not limited to these.

[0118] refer to Figure 7 , the device 600 may include two parts for executing Figure 2 The first unit 610 and the second unit 620 of operation 150 and operation 161 and / or 162 in the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the first unit 610 may be configured to receive, at the user equipment UE, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration from the first network device, the first measurement gap configuration being based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability; and the second unit 620 may be configured to send, in response to the first message, to a second network device communicating with the UE, a second message indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, and / or, if the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability, a third message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

[0119] In some embodiments, the apparatus 600 may optionally include a method for performing Figure 2The third unit 630 and the fourth unit 640 of operation 181 and operation 182 and / or 183 in the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the third unit 630 may be configured to detect at the UE whether the UE does not have the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device; and the fourth unit 640 may be configured to, if the UE does not have the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, transmit a fourth message to the first network device and / or transmit a fifth message to the second network device, the fourth message indicating that the UE still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, and the fifth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

[0120] It should be understood that each unit in the apparatus 400, 500 and 600 corresponds to the reference Figure 1-2 The various steps in the process 100 described above. Figure 1 and 2 The described operations and features are also applicable to devices 400, 500, 600 and the units included therein, and have the same effects, and the details thereof are not repeated here.

[0121] The units included in the devices 400, 500, 600 may be implemented in various ways including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware, such as machine executable instructions stored in a storage medium. In addition to or in lieu of machine executable instructions, some or all of the units in the devices 400, 500, 600 may be implemented at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, illustrative types of hardware logic components that may be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), system on chip systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0122] Some exemplary embodiments also provide computer program codes or instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, can cause the apparatus to perform the above-mentioned processes. Some exemplary embodiments also provide computer program products or computer-readable media having computer program codes or instructions stored therein.

[0123] In general, various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by one or more processors, controllers, microprocessors, or other computing devices. Although various aspects of the exemplary embodiments are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that the block diagrams, devices, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0124] For example, exemplary embodiments may be described in the general context of machine executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules may be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0125] The computer program code for executing the process of the exemplary embodiment can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The computer program code can be provided to one or more processors or controllers of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that when the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram are implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a separate software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0126] In the context of exemplary embodiments, a machine-readable medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. A machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0127] In addition, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or performing all of the operations shown to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0128] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a gap configuration, comprising: Sending, from a first network device, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, wherein the first measurement gap configuration is based on a UE new measurement gap capability, wherein the UE new measurement gap capability includes a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement; Detecting, at the first network device, whether the UE needs the traditional gap assisted measurement; In response to requiring the legacy gap assisted measurement, sending, from the first network device to the UE, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration, the second measurement gap configuration being based on a UE legacy measurement gap capability, the UE legacy measurement gap capability including a static gap capability; as well as sending a third message from the first network device to a second network device in communication with the UE indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, wherein the third message includes an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; After sending the second message: receiving, at the first network device, a fifth message from the UE, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on a new measurement gap capability of the UE; The method further comprises: detecting, at the first network device, whether there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE; In response to the absence of legacy gap assisted measurement, sending a fourth message from the first network device to the second network device indicating restoration of the new measurement gap capability of the UE, the fourth message including an explicit indicator or an empty frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the restoration; A sixth message is received at the first network device from the UE, the sixth message indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The first network device acts as a master node (MN) of a master cell group (MCG) operating in a first frequency range (FR1), and The second network device acts as a secondary node (SN) of a secondary cell group (SCG) operating in a second frequency range (FR2).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The UE operates in a dual connectivity mode of EN-DC, NGEN-DC or NR-DC mode to communicate with both the first network device and the second network device, and is independently configured with corresponding measurement gap configurations from the first network device and the second network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: The first measurement gap configuration and the second measurement gap configuration are per-frequency range (per-FR) configurations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein: The conventional gap assisted measurements include measurements on LTE frequencies.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein: The UE legacy measurement gap capability also includes the gap capability defined in 3GPP Release 15, and The UE new measurement gap capability also includes a conditional mandatory gap capability introduced in 3GPP Release 16 or higher.

7. A method for measuring a gap configuration, comprising: Sending, from the second network device, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, where the first measurement gap configuration is based on a UE new measurement gap capability, where the UE new measurement gap capability includes a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement; receiving, at the second network device, from the first network device or from the UE, a second message indicating a fallback to UE legacy measurement gap capabilities, the UE legacy measurement gap capabilities comprising static gap capabilities, wherein the second message is received from the first network device in response to the first network device detecting that the UE requires the legacy gap assisted measurement, wherein the second message includes an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; In response to the second message, sending a third message including a second measurement gap configuration from the second network device to the UE, where the second measurement gap configuration is based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability; receiving, at the second network device, from the first network device or from the UE, a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability, wherein the fourth message is received from the first network device in response to the first network device detecting that there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE, wherein the fourth message includes an explicit indicator or an empty frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the restoration; as well as In response to the fourth message, a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration is sent from the second network device to the UE, where the third measurement gap configuration is based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

8. A method for measuring a gap configuration, comprising: Reporting, at a user equipment UE, a measurement gap capability of the UE to a first network device, the measurement gap capability comprising a UE new measurement gap capability and a UE legacy gap capability, wherein the UE new measurement gap capability comprises a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement, and the UE legacy measurement gap capability comprises a static gap capability; receiving, at the UE from a first network device, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a UE new measurement gap capability; In response to the first network device detecting that the UE needs the legacy gap assisted measurement, receiving, at the UE from the first network device, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration, where the second measurement gap configuration is based on a legacy measurement gap capability of the UE; In response to receiving the second message, sending a third message to a second network device in communication with the UE, indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, wherein the third message includes an explicit indicator or a frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; In a case where the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the new measurement gap capability of the UE, sending a fourth message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the new measurement gap capability; as well as detecting, at the UE, whether the UE does not have a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device; If so, a sixth message is sent to the first network device indicating that the UE still has legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, and a fifth message is sent to the second network device indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

9. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least perform: Sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, where the first measurement gap configuration is based on a UE new measurement gap capability, where the UE new measurement gap capability includes a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement; Detecting whether the UE needs conventional gap assisted measurement; In response to the need for the legacy gap assisted measurement, sending a second message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability, the UE legacy measurement gap capability including a static gap capability; and sending a third message to another network device communicating with the UE, instructing the UE to fall back to the legacy measurement gap capability, wherein the third message includes an explicit indicator or a frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; After sending the second message: receiving, at the network device, a fifth message from the UE, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the other network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability; detecting, at the network device, whether there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE; In response to the absence of legacy gap assisted measurement, sending a fourth message from the network device to the other network device indicating restoration of the new measurement gap capability of the UE, the fourth message including an explicit indicator or an empty frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the restoration; A sixth message is received at the network device from the UE, the sixth message indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the another network device.

10. The network device according to claim 9, wherein: The network device acts as a master node (MN) of a master cell group (MCG) operating in a first frequency range (FR1), and The other network device acts as a secondary node (SN) of a secondary cell group (SCG) operating in a second frequency range (FR2).

11. The network device according to claim 10, wherein: The UE operates in a dual connectivity mode of EN-DC, NGEN-DC or NR-DC mode to communicate with both the network device and the other network device, and is independently configured with corresponding measurement gap configurations from the network device and the other network device.

12. The network device according to claim 9, wherein: The first measurement gap configuration and the second measurement gap configuration are per-frequency range (per-FR) configurations.

13. The network device according to claim 9, wherein: The conventional gap assisted measurements include measurements on LTE frequencies.

14. The network device according to claim 9, wherein: The UE legacy measurement gap capability includes the gap capability defined in 3GPP Release 15, and The UE new measurement gap capability includes a conditional mandatory gap capability introduced in 3GPP Release 16 or later.

15. A network device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least perform: Sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, where the first measurement gap configuration is based on a UE new measurement gap capability, where the UE new measurement gap capability includes a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement; receiving, from another network device or from the UE, a second message indicating a fallback to a UE legacy measurement gap capability, the UE legacy measurement gap capability comprising a static gap capability, wherein the second message is received from the another network device in response to the another network device detecting that the UE requires the legacy gap assisted measurement, wherein the second message comprises an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; In response to the second message, sending a third message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE, where the second measurement gap configuration is based on a legacy measurement gap capability of the UE; receiving, at the network device, from the other network device or from the UE, a fourth message indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability, wherein the fourth message is received from the other network device in response to the other network device detecting that there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE, wherein the fourth message includes an explicit indicator or an empty frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the restoration; as well as In response to the fourth message, a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration is sent from the network device to the UE, where the third measurement gap configuration is based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

16. A user equipment UE, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the UE to at least execute: Reporting the measurement gap capability of the UE to the first network device, the measurement gap capability including the UE new measurement gap capability and the UE legacy gap capability, wherein the UE new measurement gap capability includes a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement, and the UE legacy measurement gap capability includes a static gap capability; receiving, from a first network device, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a UE new measurement gap capability; In response to the first network device detecting that the UE requires the legacy gap assisted measurement, receiving, at the UE from the first network device, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration, the second measurement gap configuration being based on a UE legacy measurement gap capability; and In response to receiving the second message, sending a third message to a second network device in communication with the UE, indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, wherein the third message includes an explicit indicator or a frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; In a case where the UE still has the measurement associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability, sending a fourth message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has the measurement associated with the second network device based on the UE new measurement gap capability; as well as detecting whether the UE has no legacy gap assisted measurements associated with the first network device but still has legacy gap assisted measurements associated with the second network device; If so, a sixth message is sent to the first network device indicating that the UE still has legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, and a fifth message is sent to the second network device indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

17. An apparatus for measuring gap configuration, comprising: means for sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a UE new measurement gap capability, the UE new measurement gap capability including a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement; means for detecting whether the UE requires conventional gap assisted measurement; means for sending, in response to requiring the legacy gap assisted measurement, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration to the UE, the second measurement gap configuration being based on UE legacy measurement gap capabilities, the UE legacy measurement gap capabilities including static gap capabilities; means for sending a third message to another network device in communication with the UE indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, wherein the third message includes an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; for receiving, after sending the second message, a fifth message from the UE, the fifth message indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the other network device based on the new measurement gap capability of the UE; means for detecting whether there are no legacy gap assisted measurements for the UE; means for sending, in response to the absence of legacy gap assisted measurements, a fourth message to the other network device indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability, the fourth message including an explicit indicator or an empty frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurements to indicate the restoration; as well as means for receiving a sixth message from the UE, the sixth message indicating that the UE still has a legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the another network device.

18. An apparatus for measuring gap configuration, comprising: means for sending a first message including a first measurement gap configuration to a user equipment UE, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a UE new measurement gap capability, the UE new measurement gap capability including a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement; means for receiving a second message from another network device or from the UE, the second message indicating a fallback to UE legacy measurement gap capabilities, the UE legacy measurement gap capabilities comprising static gap capabilities, wherein the second message is received from the another network device in response to the another network device detecting that the UE requires the legacy gap assisted measurement, wherein the second message includes an explicit indicator or a list of frequencies measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback; means for sending, in response to the second message, a third message comprising a second measurement gap configuration to the UE, the second measurement gap configuration being based on the UE legacy measurement gap capability; means for receiving a fourth message from the other network device or from the UE, the fourth message indicating restoration of new measurement gap capability of the UE, wherein the fourth message is received from the other network device in response to the other network device detecting that there is no legacy gap assisted measurement for the UE, wherein the fourth message includes an explicit indicator or an empty frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the restoration; as well as means for sending a fifth message including a third measurement gap configuration to the UE in response to the fourth message, the third measurement gap configuration being based on the UE new measurement gap capability.

19. An apparatus for measuring gap configuration, comprising: A device for reporting, at a user equipment UE, a measurement gap capability of the UE to a first network device, the measurement gap capability comprising a UE new measurement gap capability and a UE legacy gap capability, wherein the UE new measurement gap capability comprises a conditional mandatory gap capability applied when there is no legacy gap assisted measurement, and the UE legacy measurement gap capability comprises a static gap capability; means for receiving, at the UE, from a first network device, a first message including a first measurement gap configuration, the first measurement gap configuration being based on a UE new measurement gap capability; means for receiving, at the UE from the first network device, a second message including a second measurement gap configuration in response to the first network device detecting that the UE requires the legacy gap assisted measurement, the second measurement gap configuration being based on a UE legacy measurement gap capability; means for, in response to receiving the second message, sending a third message to a second network device in communication with the UE indicating that the UE falls back to the legacy measurement gap capability, wherein the third message includes an explicit indicator or a frequency list measured by the legacy gap assisted measurement to indicate the fallback, and means for sending a fourth message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability, if the UE still has measurements associated with the second network device based on the UE's new measurement gap capability; means for detecting at the UE whether the UE has no legacy gap assisted measurements associated with the first network device but still has legacy gap assisted measurements associated with the second network device; and An apparatus for sending a sixth message to the first network device indicating that the UE still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, if the UE does not have the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the first network device but still has the legacy gap assisted measurement associated with the second network device, and sending a fifth message to the second network device indicating restoration of the UE's new measurement gap capability.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-6.

21. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of claim 7.

22. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of claim 8.

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