Optimized Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement relaxation

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for a scheduled entity to communicate within a wireless communication network, including a computer program encoded on a computer storage medium. In one aspect, the scheduled entity receives a plurality of neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity. The scheduled entity determines one or more channel condition parameters and selects one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a plurality of neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on the determined one or more channel condition parameters. The scheduled entity uses the selected one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms to perform measurements on one or more neighboring cells.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 219,466 filed with the U.S. Patent Office on March 31, 2021 and Provisional Application No. 63 / 004,473 filed with the U.S. Patent Office on April 2, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003]

[0013] In general, the techniques discussed below relate to wireless communication systems and to configuration of radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxations in wireless communication networks. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. Such networks, which are typically multiple-access networks, support communication for multiple scheduled entities, such as user equipments (UEs), by sharing the available network resources.

[0005] Radio Resource Management (RRM) techniques and methods have been developed to ensure that scheduled entities can maintain a robust and reliable connection to one or more base stations. RRM techniques implement mobility management, handover, cell quality measurement, and synchronization. For example, a user equipment (UE) can use a reference signal sent in a neighboring cell to measure the signal quality of a neighboring cell. Unlike LTE systems, in which base stations continuously send cell-specific reference signals (CRS) to enable UEs to measure the cell quality of neighboring cells, later generations (e.g., 5G NR) have eliminated the always-on reference signals to reduce inter-cell interference and signaling overhead.

[0006] In situations where a UE is experiencing low mobility conditions or experiencing cell edge effects, improvements are needed to allow the UE to operate efficiently within a wireless network. Summary of the invention

[0007] The systems, methods and devices of the disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0008] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in an apparatus of a scheduled entity within a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: a first interface (e.g., a transceiver) configured to obtain a plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity in the wireless network. The apparatus also includes a processing system configured to: select one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from the plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and perform measurements of one or more neighbor cells using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms. The channel condition parameters may include, but are not limited to, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR) metrics. The relaxation mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, inter-frequency, intra-frequency, or inter-radio access technology (RAT) mechanisms.

[0009] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in a method for a device for a scheduled entity to communicate within a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving a plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity via a first interface (e.g., a transceiver); selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from the plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and performing measurements of one or more neighbor cells using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms. The channel condition parameters may include, but are not limited to, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR metrics. The relaxation mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, inter-frequency, intra-frequency, or inter-RAT mechanisms.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in an apparatus of a scheduled entity within a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: a unit for obtaining a plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity in the wireless network; and a unit for processing. The unit for processing is configured to: select one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from the plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and perform measurements of one or more neighbor cells using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms. The channel condition parameters may include, but are not limited to, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR metrics. The relaxation mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, inter-frequency, intra-frequency, or inter-RAT mechanisms.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a computer-readable medium including program instructions configured to cause a processor system of a scheduled entity to communicate within a wireless network. The storage medium may include: instructions for receiving a plurality of neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity via a first interface; instructions for selecting one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from the plurality of neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and instructions for performing measurements of one or more neighboring cells using the selected one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms. The channel condition parameters may include, but are not limited to, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR metrics. The relaxation mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, inter-frequency, intra-frequency, or inter-RAT mechanisms.

[0012] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. It should be noted that the relative sizes of the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0014] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram of an example of a radio access network (RAN).

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example organization of radio resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating example measurements of signal quality for a UE.

[0017] Figure 5 is a table showing example parameters for measurements on intra-frequency cells for scheduled entities.

[0018] Figure 6 is a table showing example parameters for measurements on inter-frequency cells for scheduled entities.

[0019] Figure 7 is a table showing example parameters for measurements on Inter-RAT E-UTRAN cells for scheduled entities.

[0020] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example of a hardware implementation for a scheduling entity.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example of a hardware implementation for a scheduled entity.

[0022] Fig.10 is an example flow chart for determining channel conditions and performing relaxations on cell radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0023] Fig.11 is another example flow chart for determining channel conditions and performing relaxations on cell radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0024] Fig.12 is yet another example flow chart for determining channel conditions and performing relaxations on cell radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0025] Fig.13 An example flow chart for determining one or more channel condition parameters, selecting one or more cell measurement relaxation mechanisms among a plurality of cell measurement relaxation mechanisms, and measuring one or more neighboring cells using the selected relaxation mechanisms.

[0026] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of the present disclosure, the following description relates to certain implementations. However, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some of the examples in the present disclosure are based on wireless and wired local area network (LAN) communications in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standard, the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, and the IEEE 1901 Power Line Communication (PLC) standard. However, the described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of sending and receiving RF signals in accordance with any wireless communication standard including any of the following: IEEE 802.11 standard, IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, and IEEE 1901 Power Line Communication (PLC) standard. Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals for communicating within a wireless, cellular or Internet of Things (IoT) network (e.g., a system utilizing 3G, 4G or 5G technology, or another implementation thereof).

[0028] The present disclosure describes various systems, devices and methods for providing cell measurement relaxation techniques to scheduled entities such as user equipment (UE). The scheduled entity may be configured to receive a variety of neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station). The scheduled entity may determine one or more channel condition parameters and may select one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a variety of neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on the determined one or more channel condition parameters. The scheduled entity may use the selected one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms to perform measurements of one or more neighboring cells, including but not limited to intra-frequency measurements, inter-frequency measurements, and intra-radio access technology (RAT) measurements on a regular or modified time scale. As discussed in more detail below, channel condition parameters may include one or more combinations of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR).

[0029] Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages: By providing multiple relaxation mechanisms, scheduled entities may achieve better mobility performance, operate more efficiently within the network, and use less power, particularly during idle or inactive states.

[0030] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of an example wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a UE 106 (also referred to herein as a scheduled entity). By means of the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 can be implemented to perform data communication with an external data network 110 (such as (but not limited to) the Internet).

[0031] The RAN 104 may implement any suitable one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to provide radio access to the UE 106. As an example, the RAN 104 may operate according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specification (often referred to as 5G). As another example, the RAN 104 may operate according to a hybrid of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards (often referred to as LTE). 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as the Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. In another example, the RAN 104 may operate according to both LTE and 5G NR standards. Of course, many other examples may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] As shown, RAN 104 includes multiple base stations 108 (also referred to herein as scheduling entities). In a broad sense, a base station is a network unit in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission and reception to or from a UE in one or more cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, those skilled in the art may refer to the base station as a base transceiver (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a node B (NB), an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNodeB, gNB), a transmission and reception point (TRP), or some other suitable term. In some examples, a base station may include two or more TRPs that may be co-located or non-co-located. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies in the same or different frequency bands. In an example in which RAN 104 operates according to both LTE and 5G NR standards, one of the base stations 108 may be an LTE base station, and the other base station may be a 5G NR base station.

[0033] The radio access network 104 is also shown as supporting wireless communications for multiple mobile devices. In the 3GPP standard, a mobile device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) 106, but those skilled in the art may also refer to it as a mobile station (MS), a user station, a mobile unit, a user unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile user station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a mobile phone, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other appropriate term. UE 106 may be a device that provides access to network services. In an example in which RAN 104 operates according to both LTE and 5G NR standards, UE 106 may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network-new radio dual connection (EN-DC) UE capable of simultaneously connecting to an LTE base station and an NR base station to receive data packets from both the LTE base station and the NR base station.

[0034] In this document, a "mobile" device does not necessarily need to have the ability to move, and it can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile device refers broadly to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A UE may include multiple hardware structural components whose size, shape, and arrangement are configured and arranged to facilitate communication; such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc. electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile stations, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablet devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a variety of embedded systems, for example, corresponding to the "Internet of Things" (IoT). In addition, a mobile device may be a car or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio unit, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-rotor helicopter, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer device or wearable device such as glasses, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. In addition, the mobile device may be a digital home or smart home device, such as home audio, video or multimedia equipment, home appliances, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. In addition, the mobile device may be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device that controls power (e.g., smart grid), lighting, water, etc., an industrial automation and enterprise device, a logistics controller, an agricultural device, etc. Further, the mobile device may provide connected medical or telemedicine support (i.e., healthcare at a distance). Telemedicine devices may include telemedicine monitoring devices and telemedicine management devices, whose communications may be given priority or priority access relative to other types of information, for example, in terms of priority access for the transmission of critical service data, or in terms of the associated QoS for the transmission of critical service data.

[0035] Wireless communication between RAN 104 and UE 106 can be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) over the air interface can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating from a scheduling entity (further described below; e.g., base station 108). Another way to describe the scheme can be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink can refer to point-to-point transmissions originating from a scheduled entity (further described below; e.g., UE 106).

[0036] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station 108) allocates resources for communication between some or all devices and apparatuses within its service area or cell. In the present disclosure, as further discussed below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communications, a UE 106 (which may be a scheduled entity) may use resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108.

[0037] Base station 108 is not the only entity that can act as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs).

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown in , the scheduling entity 108 can broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. Broadly speaking, the scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in the wireless communication network, including downlink traffic 112, and in some examples, uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to the scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, the scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114 (including but not limited to scheduling information (e.g., grants), synchronization or timing information, or other control information) from another entity in the wireless communication network (e.g., the scheduling entity 108).

[0039] In addition, uplink or downlink control information or traffic information can be divided into frames, subframes, time slots or symbols in time. As used herein, a symbol can refer to a time unit in which each subcarrier carries a resource element (RE) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A time slot can carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe can refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots can be aggregated together to form a single frame or radio frame. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any appropriate scheme for organizing waveforms can be utilized, and the various time divisions of waveforms can have any appropriate duration.

[0040] Typically, base stations 108 may include a backhaul interface for communicating with a backhaul portion 120 of a wireless communication system. Backhaul 120 may provide a link between base stations 108 and core network 102. Additionally, in some examples, a backhaul network may provide interconnections between respective base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or a backhaul interface using any appropriate transport network.

[0041] The core network 102 may be part of the wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or any other appropriate standard or configuration.

[0042] Figure 2 2 is a conceptual diagram of an example of a radio access network (RAN). A schematic diagram of RAN 200 is provided. In some examples, RAN 200 can be similar to that described above and Figure 1 The geographic area covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a plurality of cellular regions (cells) that a user equipment (UE) may uniquely identify based on an identity broadcast from an access point or base station. Figure 2 Macro cells 202, 204, and 206 and small cells 208 are shown, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors in a cell are served by the same base station. A radio link in a sector can be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to the sector. In a cell divided into multiple sectors, multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by multiple groups of antennas, each of which is responsible for communicating with UEs in a portion of the cell.

[0043] exist Figure 2, two base stations 210 and 212 are shown in cells 202 and 204; and a third base station 214 is shown as being used to control a remote radio head (RRH) 216 in cell 206. That is, the base station may have an integrated antenna or may be connected to an antenna or RRH via a feeder cable. In the example shown, cells 202, 204, and 126 may be referred to as macro cells, since base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells having large sizes. In addition, a base station 218 is shown in a small cell 208 (e.g., a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, a home base station, a home node B, a home eNodeB, etc.), wherein the small cell 208 may overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell, since base station 218 supports a cell having a relatively small size. The cell size setting may be performed according to the system design and component constraints.

[0044] It is to be understood that the radio access network 200 may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. In addition, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. Base stations 210, 212, 214, 218 provide wireless access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, 214, or 218 may be similar to those described above and in Figure 1 The base station / scheduling entity 108 shown in FIG.

[0045] Within the RAN 200, cells may include UEs that may communicate with one or more sectors of each cell. In addition, each base station 210, 212, 214, and 218 may be configured to provide services to the core network 102 (see FIG. 1 ) to all UEs in the corresponding cell. Figure 1 ) access point. For example, UEs 222 and 224 may communicate with base station 210; UEs 226 and 228 may communicate with base station 212; UEs 230 and 232 may communicate with base station 214 by way of RRH 216; and UE 234 may communicate with base station 218. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, 240, or 242 may communicate with the base stations described above and Figure 1 The UE / scheduled entity 106 shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that shown in FIG.

[0046] In some examples, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220 (which may be a drone or a quadcopter) may be a mobile network node and may be configured to act as a UE. For example, UAV 220 may operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

[0047] In other aspects of RAN 200, sidelink signals can be used between UEs without having to depend on scheduling or control information from a base station. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UE 238, 240, and 242) can communicate with each other using sidelink signals 237 without relaying the communication through a base station. In some examples, UE 238, 240, and 242 can each act as a scheduling entity or a sending sidelink device or a scheduled entity or a receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and transmit sidelink signals 237 between them without depending on scheduling or control information from a base station. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UE 226 and 228) within the coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., base station 212) can also transmit sidelink signals 227 via a direct link (sidelink) without transmitting the communication through base station 212. In this example, base station 212 can allocate resources for sidelink communication to UE 226 and 228. In either case, such sidelink signaling 227 and 237 may be implemented in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X), a mesh network, or other suitable direct link network.

[0048] In the radio access network 200, the ability of a UE to communicate while moving (independent of its location) is called mobility. This is usually done in an access and mobility management function (AMF, not shown, Figure 1 The AMF establishes, maintains and releases various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network under the control of the core network 102 (part of the core network 102), and the AMF may include a security context management function (SCMF) that manages security contexts for both control plane and user plane functions and a security anchor function (SEAF) that performs authentication.

[0049] The radio access network 200 may use DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to implement mobility and switching (i.e., the UE's connection is switched from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, the UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Based on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may perform a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, a UE 224 (shown as a vehicle, but any suitable form of UE may be used) may move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from a neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength or quality of its serving cell 202 for a given amount of time, the UE 224 may send a report message to its serving base station 210 indicating the condition. In response, UE 224 may receive a handover command, and the UE may perform a handover to cell 206 .

[0050] In a network configured for UL-based mobility, the network can use the UL reference signal from each UE to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., a unified primary synchronization signal (PSS), a unified secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a unified physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 can receive the unified synchronization signals, derive carrier frequency and slot timing based on these synchronization signals, and send an uplink pilot or reference signal in response to the derived timing. The uplink pilot signal sent by a UE (e.g., UE 224) can be received simultaneously by two or more cells (e.g., base stations 210 and 214 / 216) in the radio access network 200. Each of these cells may measure the strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of base stations 210 and 214 / 216 or a central node within a core network) may determine a serving cell for UE 224. As UE 224 moves through radio access network 200, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signals sent by UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by the neighboring cell exceeds the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, network 200 may handover UE 224 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell with or without notifying UE 224.

[0051] Although the synchronization signals transmitted by base stations 210, 212 and 214 / 216 may be uniform, the synchronization signal may not identify a specific cell, but may identify a region of multiple cells operating on the same frequency or with the same timing. Using regions in a 5G network or other next generation communication network implements an uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, since the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network can be reduced.

[0052] In various implementations, the air interface in the radio access network 200 may utilize a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum typically provides for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum by virtue of a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulator. Unlicensed spectrum provides for shared use of a portion of the spectrum without the need for a government-authorized license. Although compliance with some technical rules is still typically required to access the unlicensed spectrum, generally speaking, any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum, where technical rules or restrictions may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still be shared by multiple operators or multiple RATs. For example, a holder of a license for a portion of the licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share the spectrum with other parties (e.g., with appropriate licensee-determined conditions to obtain access).

[0053] In order to achieve a low block error rate (BLER) for transmissions over the radio access network 200 while still achieving very high data rates, channel coding may be used. That is, wireless communications may typically utilize appropriate error-correcting block codes. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is segmented into code blocks (CBs), and an encoder (e.g., CODEC) at the transmitting device then mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Utilizing this redundancy in the encoded information message may improve the reliability of the message, thereby enabling correction of any bit errors that may occur due to noise.

[0054] In the early 5G NR specifications, quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different basemaps is used to encode user data traffic: one basemap is used for large code blocks or high code rates, and the other basemap is used otherwise. Polar coding is used to encode control information and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for rate matching.

[0055] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented using any suitable channel code. Various implementations of the scheduling entity 108 and the scheduled entity 106 may include appropriate hardware and capabilities (e.g., encoders, decoders, or CODECs) to utilize one or more of these channel codes for wireless communication.

[0056] The air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, the 5G NR specification provides multiple access for UL transmissions from UEs 222 and 224 to the base station 210, and multiplexing of DL transmissions from the base station 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). In addition, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and can be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource extension multiple access (RSMA) or other appropriate multiple access schemes. In addition, multiplexing of DL transmissions from base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224 may be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

[0057] The air interface in the radio access network 200 can also utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link, in which two endpoints can communicate with each other in two directions. Full-duplex means that two endpoints can communicate with each other simultaneously. Half-duplex means that at a certain time, only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint. Half-duplex simulation is frequently implemented for wireless links utilizing time division duplex (TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using time division multiplexing. That is, at certain times, the channel is dedicated to transmission in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmission in the other direction, wherein the direction can change very quickly (e.g., several times per time slot). In wireless links, full-duplex channels are generally dependent on the physical isolation of transmitters and receivers and suitable interference elimination techniques. Full-duplex simulation is frequently implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or space division duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., in paired spectrum). In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). In some other examples, full-duplex communication can be implemented within an unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0058] Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to OFDM waveforms. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described below herein. That is, although some examples of the present disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, it will be appreciated that the same principles may also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0059] Figure 3 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example organization of wireless resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). An expanded view of an example downlink (DL) subframe 302 is shown, illustrating an OFDM resource grid. However, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application may differ from the examples described herein, depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction, in units of OFDM symbols, and frequency is in the vertical direction, in units of subcarriers.

[0060] Resource grid 304 can be used to schematically represent the time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple available antenna ports, corresponding multiple resource grids 304 can be available for communication. Resource grid 304 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 306. RE (which is 1 carrier × 1 symbol) is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation used in a specific implementation, each RE can represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs can be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply a resource block (RB) 308, which contains any appropriate number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB can include 12 subcarriers, regardless of the number scheme used. In some examples, depending on the digital scheme, an RB can include any appropriate number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. In the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (e.g., RB 308) corresponds entirely to a single communication direction (for a given device, a sending or receiving direction).

[0061] A set of resource blocks, whether contiguous or discontinuous, may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), a subband, or a bandwidth part (BWP). A subband or BWP set may span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling a UE for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 406 within one or more subbands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Thus, a UE typically utilizes only a subset of a resource grid 304. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest unit of resources that may be allocated to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE. The RBs may be scheduled by a base station (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) or may be self-scheduled by a UE / sidelink device implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0062] In this diagram, RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 302, with some subcarriers shown above and below RB 308. In a given implementation, subframe 302 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 308. Furthermore, in this diagram, while RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of subframe 302, this is merely one possible example.

[0063] Each 1 millisecond (ms) subframe 302 may be composed of one or more adjacent time slots. Figure 3 In the example shown in , a subframe 302 includes four time slots 310 as an illustrative example. In some examples, the time slot can be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a time slot can include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Other examples may include micro-time slots with shorter durations (e.g., one or two OFDM symbols). In some cases, these micro-time slots may be sent by occupying resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or for different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0064] An expanded view of one of the time slots 310 shows that the time slot 310 includes a control region 312 and a data region 314. In general, the control region 312 may carry control channels, and the data region 314 may carry data channels. Of course, a time slot may contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 3 The structure shown in is merely exemplary in nature, and different slot structures may be utilized and may include one or more regions in each of the control region and the data region.

[0065] Despite Figure 3Although not shown in the figure, various REs 306 within RB 408 may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 306 within RB 408 may also carry pilot or reference signals. These pilot or reference signals may provide a receiving device with channel estimation for the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation / detection of the control or data channels within RB 308.

[0066] In some examples, time slot 310 may be used for broadcast, multicast, groupcast, or unicast communications. For example, broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communications may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions from one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communications are delivered to all devices, while multicast or groupcast communications are delivered to multiple intended recipient devices. Unicast communications may refer to point-to-point transmissions from one device to a single other device.

[0067] In an example of cellular communication on a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within a control region 312) to carry DL control information including one or more DL control channels (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), including, but not limited to, power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, or assignments of REs for DL ​​and UL transmissions. The PDCCH may also carry HARQ feedback transmissions, such as an acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK). HARQ is a technique well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, in which the integrity of a packet transmission may be checked for accuracy at the receiving side, for example, using any appropriate integrity check mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK may be sent, and if the integrity of the transmission is not confirmed, a NACK may be sent. In response to the NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may implement append combining, incremental redundancy, and the like.

[0068] The base station may also allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., in the control region 312 or the data region 314) to carry other DL signals, such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and a synchronization signal block (SSB). The SSB may be broadcast at regular intervals based on a period (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 140 ms). The SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE may utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell.

[0069] The PBCH in the SSB may also include a master information block (MIB) containing various system information and parameters for decoding a system information block (SIB). The SIB may be, for example, a SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1) that may include various additional system information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information sent in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink digital scheme), system frame number, configuration of a PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell barring indicator, cell reselection indicator, grid offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of remaining minimum system information (RMSI) sent in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information.

[0070] In an UL transmission, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) may utilize one or more REs 306 to carry UL control information (UCI) including one or more UL control channels (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)) to a scheduling entity. UCI may include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include sounding reference signals (SRS) and uplink DMRS. In some examples, UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for a scheduling entity to schedule an uplink transmission. Here, in response to the SR sent on the UCI, the scheduling entity may send downlink control information (DCI), which may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UCI may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) (e.g., CSI report), or any other appropriate UCI.

[0071] In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within the data region 314) may also be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels (e.g., for DL ​​transmission, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or for UL transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)). In some examples, one or more REs 306 within the data region 314 may be configured to carry other signals (e.g., one or more SIBs and DMRS).

[0072] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via a proximity service (ProSe) PC5 interface, a control region 312 of a time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) sent by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) toward a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices (e.g., an Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). A data region 314 of the time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic sent by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved on the sidelink carrier by the transmitting sidelink device via the SCI. Other information may also be sent on various REs 306 within the time slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information may be sent from a receiving sidelink device to a transmitting sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the time slot 310.

[0073] These physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of bits of information, may be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission.

[0074] References Figure 2 and 3 The channels or carriers described are not necessarily all channels or carriers that may be used between a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers may be utilized in addition to those shown, e.g., other traffic, control, and feedback channels.

[0075] One such example includes signaling related to RRM. In the example of RRM-related signaling, the scheduled entity (e.g., UE) can measure the signal quality of neighboring cells for various purposes, such as handover or adding component carriers in carrier aggregation. For example, the signal quality can be measured using the reference signal received power (RSRP) or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) metric of the reference signal. In networks such as 5G NR, cell quality and channel condition parameters can be measured by using synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). Each SSB may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Compared with the cell-specific reference signal used for cell quality measurement in LTE, SSBs have a longer transmission period. In some examples, for each cell, the SSB period for 5G NR can be configured within a suitable range (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160ms). However, the UE may not measure the cell quality with the same period as the SSB, and a suitable measurement period can be configured based on the channel condition parameters. Such a configuration can avoid unnecessary measurements and save power.

[0076] Typically, RSRP can be defined as the linear average over the power contribution (in watts) of the resource elements carrying the SSS. The measurement time resources for SS-RSRP can be limited to the SS / PBCH block measurement time configuration (SMTC) window duration. For SS-RSRP determination, in addition to the SSS, the demodulation reference signal for PBCH and the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) can also be used (if indicated by higher layers). SS-RSRP determination using the demodulation reference signal or CSI-RS for PBCH can be measured by linearly averaging the power contribution of the resource elements carrying the corresponding reference signal while taking into account the power scaling for the reference signal. RSRQ can generally be defined as the ratio of N×SS-RSRP / NR carrier RSSI, where N is the number of resource blocks in the NR carrier RSSI measurement bandwidth. The measurements in the numerator and denominator can be performed on the same set of resource blocks.

[0077] Figure 4 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example measurement of signal quality for a UE. The schematic diagram illustrates a signal diagram 400 illustrating RRM measurements made using an SSB-based time configuration window (SMTC), the SMTC indicating the period and timing of the SSBs that a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) should use for cell quality measurements and channel condition parameters. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the signal diagram 400 is simplified for purposes of understanding, and alternative configurations including additional or alternative components are contemplated in the present disclosure.

[0078] In this example, three groups of SSB signals 450, 452, 454, each including a plurality of SSB blocks 402, are being received at a scheduled physical cell along a time scale, as shown in the figure. During RRM measurements, each SSB signal (450-454) may be configured with an SMTC window 404 period, which may be set within the same range as the SSB (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 ms), and the duration of the window may be set to a configured time associated with the number of SSBs transmitted on the cell being measured (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 ms). The measurement gap length (MGL) 406 and the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) 408 may also be configured as shown in the figure.

[0079] via Figure 4 The dashed lines in show a detailed view of the SSB signal 452. It can be seen that multiple SSB blocks (SSB0-SSB3) are bounded by the SMTC window 412 within the actual measurement window 416. In some examples, RF return time blocks (418, 420) can be configured at each end of the actual measurement window 416, where no data transmission occurs. When a node (e.g., a gNB) notifies the scheduled entity of the SMTC window, it can detect and measure the SSBs (e.g., SSB0-SSB3) within the window and report the measurement results back to the scheduling entity (e.g., a serving base station). In some examples, the same interface (e.g., an RF transceiver) used to measure the quality of neighboring cells or other component carriers and to send / receive data in the serving cell can be used.

[0080] In a configuration utilizing LTE, scheduled entity data transmission in the serving cell may be suspended during a measurement gap, providing the scheduled entity with an opportunity to tune its interface to perform neighbor cell quality measurements or measurements of other component carriers at different frequencies. The measurement gap length (MGL) 414 may be fixed so that at least one primary / secondary synchronization signal opportunity may be observed within the gap. In some examples, the primary / secondary synchronization signal may be sent every 5 ms, resulting in a 6 ms MGL, which allows 0.5 ms for RF tuning at the beginning and end of the measurement gap. The scheduled entity may detect the synchronization signal within the MGL 406 and identify the cell ID and receive timing. The scheduled entity may then perform measurements on the cell-specific reference signal (CRS).

[0081] In configurations utilizing 5G NR, measurement gaps may be used where measurements are made on SSB. In such configurations, the duration of the SMTC window 412 may be set to match the SSB transmission. However, a fixed MGL 414 may result in a potential degradation of the serving cell throughput. To minimize this performance degradation, the MGL 414 in 5G NR may be configured with a time period (e.g., 1.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5.5, or 6 milliseconds (ms)) that provides greater flexibility. As in Figure 4 As can be seen in , the measurement gap configuration can be configured where the SMTC window (e.g., 412) is set in a different manner than the MGL (e.g., 414). In such a configuration, the MGRP (e.g., 408) can be more flexibly configured compared to LTE. In some examples, the MGRP can be set to support 20, 40, 80, and 160ms. An interface (e.g., RF transceiver) tuning time can be provided at the beginning and end of the measurement gap (418, 420) during which the scheduled entity does not perform measurements or send / receive data. In some examples, the SMTC window (e.g., 412) and the measurement gap (e.g., 414) can be configured to start at the same time, where the start of the SMTC window can overlap with the RF retuning time (e.g., 418, 420), where the scheduled entity may not be able to perform measurements during this time. In some configurations, by utilizing the measurement gap length (eg, 414) and the measurement gap timing advance function (422), all SSBs available for measurement may be measured within the SMTC window by advancing the start of the RF retuning gap.

[0082] The SMTC window 412 and the measurement gap length 414 can be configured based on the SSB transmission timing for the candidate cell. However, in some cases, the scheduling entity (e.g., the serving base station) may not know the SSB transmission timing when measuring other cells. In such a case, it may be difficult to correctly set the SMTC window and the measurement gap for the scheduled entity. Therefore, a subframe (SFN) and frame timing difference (SFTD) measurement function can be used, wherein the scheduled entity can measure the timing difference of the SFN and frame boundaries between the serving cell and the candidate cell, and report this information to the scheduling entity (e.g., the serving gNB). The scheduling entity can configure SFTD measurements for neighboring cells of the scheduled entity. In order for the scheduled entity to perform SFTD measurements on neighboring cells to which it is not connected, measurement gaps can be used, wherein the scheduling entity can configure measurement gaps with different lengths until the terminal is able to detect the SSB of the neighboring cell. Alternatively or in addition, SFTD measurements of neighboring cells can be performed without using measurement gaps while maintaining the transmission / reception of the scheduled entity in the current cell. Instead of stopping the transmission / reception of data by the RF equipment to perform measurements, carrier aggregation may be used on the RF interface (transceiver), where the scheduled entity may transmit / receive data in the current cell while performing SFTD measurements for neighboring cells.

[0083] When a scheduled entity (e.g., UE) has been turned on and has selected a network (e.g., a public land mobile network), a cell selection process will occur, allowing the scheduled entity to select a suitable cell to reside in order to access available services. In this process, the scheduled entity may use the stored information (stored cell selection information) or not (initial cell selection). During the cell reselection process, the scheduled entity may select a more suitable cell and reside on it. When the scheduled entity is in a normal resident state on a cell or resides in any cell state, the scheduled entity may attempt to detect, synchronize and monitor the intra-frequency, inter-frequency and inter-RAT cells indicated by the serving cell. For intra-frequency and inter-frequency cells, the serving cell may not provide an explicit neighbor list, but may provide carrier frequency information and bandwidth information. The scheduled entity measurement activities may also be controlled by measurement rules, allowing the scheduled entity to limit its measurement activities.

[0084] In some examples, for the purpose of idle mode cell reselection, the scheduled entity is capable of monitoring at least an intra-frequency carrier, an inter-frequency carrier, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) inter-RAT carrier, or an E-UTRA intra-RAT carrier. In addition, a scheduled entity supporting E-UTRA measurements in an idle (e.g., RRC_IDLE) state may be capable of monitoring multiple (e.g., at least 14) carrier frequency layers, including a service layer, which includes any combination of E-UTRA FDD, E-UTRA TDD, and NR layers. For measurement and evaluation of a serving cell, the scheduled entity may measure the SS-RSRP and SS-RSRQ levels of the serving cell, and evaluate the cell selection criterion S for the serving cell for discontinuous reception (DRX) at least once every M1*N1 DRX cycles; wherein:

[0085] If the SMTC period (T SMTC )>20ms and DRX cycle ≤0.64 seconds, then M1=2,

[0086] Otherwise M1=1.

[0087] The scheduled entity may use at least 2 measurements to filter the SS-RSRP and SS-RSRQ measurements of the serving cell. In the measurement set used for filtering, at least two measurements may be spaced apart by at least DRX cycle / 2. If the scheduled entity has evaluated that the serving cell does not meet the cell selection criterion S in consecutive DRX cycles, the scheduled entity initiates measurements of all neighboring cells indicated by the serving cell, regardless of the measurement rules that currently restrict the scheduled entity's measurement activity. A similar configuration may be arranged for inactive mode cell reselection.

[0088] Figure 5 500, which illustrates example parameters for measurements of intra-frequency cells for a scheduled entity. Table 500 illustrates various DRX cycle lengths 502 and scaling factors (N1) 504 for frequency ranges FR1 (e.g., below 6 GHz) and FR2 (e.g., 24.25-52.6 GHz), as shown. For measurements of intra-frequency cells, the scheduled entity may identify new intra-frequency cells and perform SS-RSRP and SS-RSRQ measurements of the identified intra-frequency cells without requiring an explicit intra-frequency neighbor list that includes physical layer cell identifications. The scheduled entity may then evaluate whether the most recently detectable intra-frequency cell is within the detection intra-time interval (T1) shown in 506. detect,NR_Intra) satisfies the reselection criteria within FR1 and FR2, wherein the scaling factor N1 may be defined according to FR1 and FR2 (504), and if the SMTC period within the measured frequency is greater than 20ms, then M2 may be set to 1.5, otherwise M2=1. The intra-frequency cell is considered detectable based on the SSB measurement conditions (e.g., the received (linear) average power of resource elements carrying SSB signals and channels detected in the operating frequency band group (e.g., FDD, TDD)). The scheduled entity may at least perform each time period (T) shown in 508. measure,NR_Intra ) SS-RSRP and SS-RSRQ are measured for cells within the frequency identified and measured according to the configured measurement rules. As with the detection time interval 506, the scaling factor N1 can be defined according to FR1 and FR2 (504), and if the SMTC period within the measured frequency is greater than 20ms, then M2 can be set to 1.5, otherwise M2=1.

[0089] The scheduled entity may use at least two measurements to filter the SS-RSRP and SS-RSRQ measurements of each measured intra-frequency cell. In the measurement set used for filtering, at least two measurements may be spaced apart by at least T measure,NR_Intra / 2. For intra-frequency cells that have been detected but not reselected, filtering can make: Figure 5 T reselection = 0, the UE can evaluate the intra-frequency cell has been in the measurement time period (T evaluate,NR_Intra )510, provided that when rangeToBestCell is not configured, the cell is ranked as being at least a certain amount better in FR1 (e.g., 3dB) or at least a certain amount better in FR2 (e.g., 4.5dB better). When rangeToBestCell is configured, reselection can be based on the cell with the highest number of beams above the threshold absThreshSS-BlocksConsolidation among all detected cells, whose cell ranking criterion R value is within the rangeToBestCell range of the cell ranking criterion R value of the highest ranked cell. If there are multiple such cells, the cell with the highest ranking among them is ranked as being at least a certain amount better in FR1 (e.g., 3dB) or at least a certain amount better in FR2 (e.g., 4.5dB higher). When evaluating cells for reselection, SSB side conditions can apply to both serving intra-frequency cells and non-serving intra-frequency cells. If T reselection The timer has a non-zero value and the intra-frequency cell meets the reselection criteria, then the scheduled entity can reselection If the cell still meets the reselection criteria within the duration, the scheduled entity may reselect the cell.

[0090] Figure 6 6 GHz) and FR2 (e.g., 24.25-52.6 GHz). For measurements on inter-frequency cells, if the serving cell provides carrier frequency information, the scheduled entity is able to identify new inter-frequency cells and perform SS-RSRP or SS-RSRQ measurements on the identified inter-frequency cells, even if no explicit neighbor list with physical layer cell identities is provided. For cell selection RX level value (dB) S rxlev and cell selection quality value (dB)S qual , if S rxlev >S nonIntraSearchP And S qual >S nonIntraSearchQ , then the scheduled entity can be scheduled at least every T higher_priority_search Search for higher priority inter-frequency layers, where S nonIntraSearchP Indicates the current cell S rxlev The threshold for performing inter-frequency or inter-RAT measurements, and S nonIntraSearchQ Indicates the current cell S qual The threshold for performing inter-frequency or inter-RAT measurements. rxlev ≤S nonIntraSearchP or S qual ≤S nonIntraSearchQ , then the scheduled entity shall search and measure higher, equal or lower priority inter-frequency layers in preparation for possible reselection. In this example, the minimum rate at which the scheduled entity is required to search and measure the higher priority layers may be the same. Figure 6 The inter-detection time interval 606 (T detect,NR_Inter ).

[0091] If T reselection = 0, the serving cell provides at least carrier frequency information for the inter-frequency neighboring cells, then the scheduled entity may be able to assess whether the nearest detectable inter-frequency cell is within K carrier *T detect,NR_InterThe reselection criteria are met within 100%, provided that a margin of the amount configured in FR1 (e.g., at least 5 dB) or a margin of the amount configured in FR2 (e.g., 6.5 dB) meets the reselection criteria, or a margin of the amount configured in FR1 (e.g., 6 dB) or a margin of the amount configured in FR2 (e.g., 7.5 dB) for SS-RSRP reselection based on absolute priority meets the reselection criteria, or a margin of the amount configured in FR1 (e.g., 4 dB) and a margin of 4 dB (e.g., 4 dB) in FR2 for SS-RSRQ reselection based on absolute priority meet the reselection criteria. Parameter K carrier Indicates the number of NR inter-frequency carriers indicated by the serving cell.

[0092] When a higher priority cell is found through a higher priority search, the search may be performed at least once every time interval 608 (T measure,NR_Inter ) to measure them, as shown. If, after detecting a cell in a higher priority search, it is determined that reselection has not occurred, the scheduled entity may discontinuously measure the detected cell to assess the ongoing possibility of reselection. However, the scheduled entity may still meet the minimum measurement filtering requirements before the scheduled entity makes any determination that it may stop measuring the cell. The scheduled entity may measure at least every K carrier *T measure,NR_Inter SS-RSRP or SS-RSRQ is measured for the identified lower or equal priority inter-frequency cells (as shown in table 500). The UE may use at least 2 measurements to filter the SS-RSRP or SS-RSRQ measurements of higher, lower, and equal priority inter-frequency cells for each measurement. In the measurement set used for filtering, at least two measurements may be separated by at least T measure,NR_Inter / 2.

[0093] For inter-frequency cells that have been detected but not reselected, filtering can be performed so that: reselection = 0, the scheduled entity can evaluate that the inter-frequency cell is already in K carrier *T evaluate,NR_InterThe reselection criteria may be met within the rangeToBestCell. The reselection criteria may be met under the condition when equal priority reselection is performed and when rangeToBestCell is not configured, where the cell is ranked as being better by a certain amount (e.g., at least 5 dB) in FR1 or better by a certain amount (e.g., 6.5 dB) in FR2. Alternatively, when rangeToBestCell is configured, reselection may be based on the cell with the highest number of beams above a threshold absThreshSS-BlocksConsolidation among all detected cells, whose cell ranking criterion R value is within rangeToBestCell of the cell ranking criterion R value of the highest ranked cell. In some examples, if there are multiple such cells, the cell with the highest ranking among them will include a cell that is ranked as being better by a configured amount (e.g., at least 5 dB) in FR1 or better by a configured amount (e.g., 6.5 dB) in FR2 (if the current serving cell is among them), or is better by a configured amount (e.g., 6 dB) in FR1 or better by a configured amount (e.g., 7.5 dB) in FR2 for SS-RSRP reselection based on absolute priority, or is better by a configured amount (e.g., 4 dB) in FR1 or better by a configured amount (e.g., 4 dB) in FR2 for SS-RSRQ reselection based on absolute priority.

[0094] When evaluating cell reselection, SSB side conditions may apply to both the serving cell and the inter-frequency cell. reselection The timer has a non-zero value and the inter-frequency cell meets the reselection criteria, the scheduled entity may reselection If the cell still meets the reselection criteria within the duration, the scheduled entity may reselect the cell.

[0095] Figure 7 is a table 700 showing example parameters for measurements on an inter-RAT E-UTRAN cell for a scheduled entity. Table 700 shows example parameters for measurements on an inter-RAT E-UTRAN cell for a scheduled entity using various E-UTRAN detection time intervals (T detect,EUTRAN )704, measurement time interval (T measure,EUTRAN )706 and the evaluation time interval (T evaluate,EUTRAN ) 708 to measure various DRX cycle lengths 702 of the inter-RAT E-UTRAN cells. In this example, if the cell selects the RX level value S rxlev >S nonIntraSearchP And the cell selection quality value S qual >S nonIntraSearchQ , then the scheduled entity can be at least every T higher_priority_search (For example, 60*N layers , paging cycle *Nlayers , paging cycle) searches for a higher priority inter-RAT E-UTRAN layer. If S rxlev ≤S nonIntraSearchP or S qual ≤S nonIntraSearchQ , the scheduled entity may search and measure higher and lower priority inter-RAT E-UTRAN layers to prepare for possible reselection. In this example, the minimum rate at which the scheduled entity searches and measures the higher priority inter-RAT E-UTRAN layer may be the same as for the lower priority RAT.

[0096] Similar configuration and measurement rules may be applied to inter-RAT E-UTRAN FDD measurements and E-UTRA TDD measurements. When the measurement rules indicate that inter-RAT E-UTRAN cells are to be measured, the scheduled entity shall measure the RSRP and RSRQ of the E-UTRA cells detected in the neighbor frequency list at the minimum measurement rate configured by the system. Parameter N EUTRA_carrier is the total number of configured E-UTRA carriers in the neighbor frequency list. The scheduled entity may use at least 2 measurements to filter the RSRP and RSRQ measurements of each measured E-UTRA cell. In the measurement set used for filtering, at least two measurements may be separated by at least T measure,EUTRAN / 2.

[0097] An inter-RAT E-UTRA cell is considered detectable under any or all of a number of conditions. In one example, an inter-RAT E-UTRA cell is considered detectable if the same conditions as the inter-frequency RSRP measurement are met for the corresponding frequency band. Another condition is when the same conditions as the inter-frequency RSRQ measurement are met for the corresponding frequency band. Another condition is when the SCH condition is met for the corresponding frequency band. When T reselection = 0, when S rxlev ≤S nonIntraSearchP or S qual ≤S nonIntraSearchQ When the scheduled entity is able to evaluate whether the nearest detectable inter-RAT E-UTRAN cell is within (N EUTRA_carrier )*T detect,EUTRAN The reselection criteria are met within , provided that a margin of an amount configured for RSRP reselection based on absolute priority (e.g., at least 6 dB) or an amount configured for RSRQ reselection based on absolute priority (e.g., 4 dB) meets the reselection criteria.

[0098] When S rxlev ≤S nonIntraSearchP or S qual ≤S nonIntraSearchQ When, at least every (N EUTRA_carrier )*T measure,EUTRANMeasure the cells that have been detected. When a higher priority cell is found through a higher priority search, it can be measured at least every T measure,EUTRAN If it is determined that reselection has not occurred after detecting a cell in a higher priority search, the scheduled entity may not be required to continuously measure the detected cell to assess the ongoing possibility of reselection. However, the scheduled entity should still meet the minimum measurement filtering requirements before the scheduled entity makes any determination that it may stop measuring a cell.

[0099] For cells that have been detected but not reselected, the filtering should be such that: reselection = 0, the scheduled entity can evaluate that the identified inter-RAT E-UTRA cell is already in (N EUTRA_carrier )*T evaluate,EUTRAN If the reselection criteria are met (such as Figure 7 ), provided that the margin of the amount configured for RSRP reselection based on absolute priority (e.g., at least 6 dB) or the amount configured for RSRQ reselection based on absolute priority (e.g., 4 dB) meets the reselection criteria. reselection The timer has a non-zero value and the inter-RAT E-UTRA cell meets the reselection criteria, the scheduled entity can reselection If the cell still meets the reselection criteria within the duration, the scheduled entity may reselect the cell.

[0100] Figure 8 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a scheduling entity 800. The scheduling entity 800 is shown as employing a processing system 814. For example, the scheduling entity 800 may be such as Figure 1 and 2 Any one or more base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), IAB nodes, or other scheduling entities shown in the figure.

[0101] The scheduling entity 800 can be implemented using a processing system 814 including one or more processors 804. Examples of processors 804 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout the present disclosure. In various examples, the scheduling entity 800 can be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 804 as utilized in the scheduling entity 800 can be used to implement any one or more of the processes or procedures described herein.

[0102] In this example, the processing system 814 can be implemented using a bus architecture, which is generally represented by a bus 802. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 814, the bus 802 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus 802 communicatively couples various circuits including one or more processors (which are generally represented by a processor 804), a memory 814, and a computer-readable medium (which are generally represented by a computer-readable medium 806). The bus 802 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and are therefore not further described. The bus interface 808 provides an interface between the bus 802 and the transceiver 810. The transceiver 810 provides a communication interface or unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium (e.g., air). Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 812 (e.g., a keypad, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a joystick, a touch screen) may also be provided. Of course, such a user interface 812 is optional and may be omitted in some examples.

[0103] The processor 804 is responsible for managing the bus 802 and general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium 806 or memory 814. The software, when executed by the processor 804, causes the processing system 814 to perform the various functions described herein for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 806 and memory 814 may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the processor 804 when executing the software.

[0104] One or more processors 804 in the processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc. The software can be located on a computer-readable medium 806.

[0105] The computer readable medium 806 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium. For example, non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer readable medium 806 may be located in the processing system 814, outside the processing system 814, or distributed among multiple entities including the processing system 814. The computer readable medium 806 may be embodied in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer readable medium having packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the functions given throughout the present disclosure according to the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the entire system.

[0106] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 804 may include circuits configured for various functions. For example, the processor 804 may include a channel status and selection circuit 820 and a relaxation mechanism circuit 822, which are configured to manage a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) to communicate within a network. The channel status and selection circuit 820 may be configured to synchronize and establish a connection with the scheduled entity, determine or receive channel status information, or participate in or assist in a cell selection / reselection process. The channel status and selection circuit 820 may also be configured to generate and send a signal for use by the scheduled entity, such as a random access channel (RACH) signal, a synchronization signal (SS) block, a PBCH, or other signals that transmit minimum system information. In some examples, the signal may include a link distance between the scheduling entity and the scheduled entity, the location of the scheduling entity (and possibly the location of the scheduled entity). In some examples, a signal may be sent using a carrier frequency or radio access technology (RAT) different from the transmission of the RACH signal. The channel condition and selection circuit 820 may also be configured to use the channel condition parameters to determine whether the scheduled entity is in a high mobility, medium mobility or low mobility state and whether the scheduled entity is in a cell edge or not in a cell edge condition.

[0107] The relaxation mechanism circuit 822 is configured to store one or more relaxation mechanisms in a plurality of relaxation mechanisms and send them to the scheduled entity. In some illustrative implementations, the relaxation mechanism circuit 822 includes rules or parameters associated with performing specific cell measurements under given specific channel conditions. For example, the relaxation measurement circuit 822 may include associating various channel conditions (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ) with different measurement mechanisms (e.g., intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurements) and different parameters (e.g., time intervals, scaling factors (N1) configured for each relaxation measurement mechanism). During operation, the scheduling entity 800 may send relaxation mechanisms and associated rules to the scheduled entity for execution, as described in more detail below. As shown, during operation, the channel condition and selection circuit 820 and the relaxation mechanism circuit 822 may utilize channel condition and selection data or software 824 and relaxation mechanism software data or software stored on the computer-readable medium 806.

[0108] Fig. 9 900 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a scheduled entity 900. The scheduled entity 900 is shown as employing a processing system 902. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element or any portion of an element or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 902 including one or more processors 904. For example, the scheduled entity 900 may be as in Figure 1 and Figure 2 A user equipment (UE), an IAB node or other type of scheduled entity shown in FIG.

[0109] The processing system 902 may be used with Figure 8 The processing system 814 shown in FIG. 1 is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 1 , including a bus interface 912, a bus 902, a memory 906, a processor 904, and a computer-readable medium 908. In addition, the scheduled entity 900 may include an optional user interface 910 and a transceiver 914, which are substantially similar to those described above in FIG. Figure 8 That is, the processor 904 as utilized in the scheduled entity 900 may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described herein and illustrated in the various figures.

[0110] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 904 may include a channel condition and selection circuit 916 and a relaxation mechanism circuit 918. In some examples, operating data for the channel condition and selection circuit 916 and the relaxation mechanism circuit 918 may be received from a scheduling entity (e.g., scheduling entity 800) via an interface (e.g., transceiver 914) and loaded into a computer-readable medium 908 or memory 906 as operating modules 920-922 and 924-926, respectively. In some examples, operating data for the channel condition and selection circuit 916 and the relaxation mechanism circuit 918 may be preloaded into the computer-readable medium 908 or memory 906. During operation, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 processes signals from the transceiver to determine channel conditions or parameters. In some illustrative implementations, the channel conditions include RSRP and RSRQ measurements made within a configured time period. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other measurements related to channel conditions (e.g., signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR)) and other signal characteristics are contemplated in the present disclosure. SINR may be defined as the linear average of the power contributions (in watts) on resource elements carrying SSS divided by the linear average of the noise and interference power contributions (in watts) on resource elements carrying SSS in the same frequency bandwidth. Channel conditions or parameters may include discrete measurements of channel conditions at a point in time and changes (e.g., rates of change) in channel conditions over a configured period of time.

[0111] Once the channel condition and selection circuit 916 determines the channel condition or parameter, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 detects whether the channel condition or parameter meets one or more characteristics, including but not limited to one or more thresholds or rates of change of the channel condition or parameter. For example, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 can determine that the RSRP or RSRQ measurement is above or below the configured threshold. In another example, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 can determine that the rate of change of the RSRP or RSRQ measurement is above or below the configured threshold. Then, the channel condition can be determined based on the measured and detected characteristics, such as a low mobility condition or not being in a cell edge condition. Depending on the specific configuration, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 uses the detected channel characteristics to implement a relaxation mechanism associated with the characteristics in the relaxation mechanism circuit 918.

[0112] In one example, the relaxation mechanism may include, but is not limited to, performing a neighboring cell (N) at regular time intervals using the interval data provided by the relaxation mechanism data stored in blocks 922 or 926. cellIn another example, the relaxation mechanism may include, but is not limited to, performing a neighbor cell (N ) at a modified time interval (e.g., using a modified time scaling factor N1) using the interval data provided by the relaxation mechanism data stored in block 922 or 926. cell ) intra-frequency, inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements of neighboring cells. In another example, the relaxation mechanism may include, but is not limited to: not performing any intra-frequency, inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements on neighboring cells within a configured time period.

[0113] Fig.10 1000 is an example flow chart for determining channel conditions and performing relaxation on cell radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In block 1002, the scheduled entity (e.g., UE) determines channel conditions by measuring and determining RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell. For example, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 in conjunction with the above Fig. 9 The transceiver 914 described above may provide a unit for measuring and determining the RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell. In block 1004, the scheduled entity determines that the measured RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell are below the configured threshold, which indicates that the scheduled entity is at the cell edge because the RSRP / RSRQ is below the configured threshold. In some examples, the channel condition and selection circuit 916, in conjunction with the above, Fig. 9 The depicted transceiver 914 may together provide means for determining that the measured RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell are below a configured threshold.

[0114] In block 1006, the scheduled entity determines that the measured rate of change for RSRP and RSRQ in the serving cell is above another predetermined threshold, which indicates that the scheduled entity is experiencing high mobility, as the rate of change of the serving cell RSRP / RSRQ over a configured time period is above a configured (e.g., default) threshold. In this example, the channel conditions (cell edge, high mobility) determined in blocks 1004 and 1006 cause the scheduled entity to use regular time intervals defined by the relaxation mechanism data (e.g., stored on the scheduled entity (e.g., via 922)) for neighboring cells (N cell ) to select and perform relaxations based on intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurements. In some examples, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 and the relaxation mechanism circuit 918 are combined with the above Fig. 9 The transceiver 914 described together may provide for determining the measured rate of change of RSRP and RSRQ in the serving cell and using the measured rate of change of RSRP and RSRQ for the neighboring cells (N cell ) to select and execute the relaxed units.

[0115] Fig.11 1100 is another example flow chart for determining channel conditions and performing relaxations on cell radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In block 1102, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) determines channel conditions by measuring and determining RSRP and RSRQ of a serving cell. In block 1104, the scheduled entity determines that the measured RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell are below a configured threshold, which indicates that the scheduled entity is at a cell edge because the RSRP / RSRQ is below the configured threshold. In some examples, the channel condition and selection circuit 916, in conjunction with the above, Fig. 9 The depicted transceiver 914 together may provide means for measuring and determining RSRP and RSRQ and threshold levels for a serving cell.

[0116] In block 1106, the scheduled entity determines that the measured rate of change for RSRP and RSRQ in the serving cell is below another predetermined threshold, which indicates that the scheduled entity is experiencing low (or no) mobility because the rate of change of the serving cell RSRP / RSRQ over the configured time period is below the configured (e.g., default) threshold. In this example, the channel conditions (at the cell edge, low mobility) determined in blocks 1104 and 1106 cause the scheduled entity to use a modified (e.g., longer) time interval defined by the relaxation mechanism data (e.g., stored at the scheduled entity (e.g., via 922)) for neighboring cells (N cell ) to select and perform relaxations based on intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurements. In one example, the time interval is modified by using a scaling factor (N1) or other suitable mechanism. In some examples, the channel condition and selection circuit 916 and the relaxation mechanism circuit 918 are combined with the above Fig. 9 The described transceiver 914 together may provide means for determining measured rates of change for RSRP and RSRQ in a serving cell and selecting and performing relaxations using intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurements for neighboring cells, as described above.

[0117] Fig.12 1200 is another example flow chart for determining channel conditions and performing relaxation on cell radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In block 1202, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) determines channel conditions by measuring and determining RSRP and RSRQ of a serving cell. In block 1204, the scheduled entity determines that the measured RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell are greater than a configured threshold, which indicates that the scheduled entity is not at a cell edge because the RSRP / RSRQ is above the configured threshold. In some examples, the channel condition and selection circuit 916, in conjunction with the above, Fig. 9The depicted transceiver 914 together may provide means for measuring and determining RSRP and RSRQ and threshold levels for a serving cell.

[0118] In block 1206, the scheduled entity determines that the measured rate of change for RSRP and RSRQ in the serving cell is below another predetermined threshold, which indicates that the scheduled entity is experiencing low (or no) mobility because the rate of change of the serving cell RSRP / RSRQ is below a configured (e.g., default) threshold over a configured time period. In this example, the channel conditions (not at the cell edge, low mobility) determined in blocks 1204 and 1206 cause the scheduled entity to not use the relaxation mechanism data (e.g., stored on the scheduled entity (e.g., via 922)) for the configured time interval for the neighboring cell (N cell ) to perform relaxation.

[0119] Fig.13 The present invention is an example flow chart 1300 for determining one or more channel condition parameters, selecting one or more cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a plurality of cell measurement relaxation mechanisms, and measuring one or more neighboring cells using the selected relaxation mechanisms. In block 1302, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) receives a plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity (e.g., 800) via an interface (e.g., 914). In block 1304, the scheduled entity selects one or more cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel system parameters, as described above in conjunction with Figure 10-12 In block 1306, the scheduled entity performs measurements on one or more neighboring cells using the selected one or more cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

[0120] exist Fig.11 , 12 The processes shown in and 13 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below or in combination with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0121] Aspect 1: A method for a device of a scheduled entity to communicate within a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving multiple neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity via a first interface; selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from the multiple neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and performing measurements of one or more neighbor cells using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

[0122] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, wherein the one or more channel condition parameters include a reference signal received power (RSRP), which is one of the following situations: above or below a configured RSRP threshold.

[0123] Aspect 3: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 or 2, wherein the one or more channel condition parameters include a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), which is one of the following situations: higher or lower than a configured RSRQ threshold.

[0124] Aspect 4: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the one or more channel condition parameters include a signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR), which is one of the following situations: above or below a configured SINR threshold.

[0125] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the one or more channel condition parameters include at least one of low mobility or not being in a cell edge condition.

[0126] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the low mobility condition includes a channel quality that does not change by more than a configured amount within a time interval.

[0127] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the not being in the cell edge condition comprises a channel quality equal to or greater than a configured amount.

[0128] Aspect 8: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein the one or more channel condition parameters include one or more combinations of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR).

[0129] Aspect 9: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein the one or more channel condition parameters include one or more channel condition parameters for a serving cell channel.

[0130] Aspect 10: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein the multiple neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, and inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals.

[0131] Aspect 11: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the multiple neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, and inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals.

[0132] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, wherein one of the plurality of neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms comprises not performing measurement on at least one neighbor cell within a configured time period.

[0133] Aspect 13: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein selecting one or more of the multiple neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms includes: selecting one or more of the multiple neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms only when the scheduling entity is in idle or inactive mode.

[0134] Aspect 14: A wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising: a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13.

[0135] Aspect 15: A wireless communication device in a wireless communication network, comprising: at least one unit for executing the method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13.

[0136] Aspect 16: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, comprising: code for causing a wireless communication device to perform a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13.

[0137] Several aspects of wireless communication networks are presented with reference to exemplary implementations.As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

[0138] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0139] The various illustrative logic units, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described and shown in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above in terms of functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0140] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logic units, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuits specific to a given function.

[0141] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or any combination thereof. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing apparatus or for controlling the operation of the data processing apparatus.

[0142] If implemented with software, the function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted through it. The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor executable software module that can be located on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, and the communication media include any media that can be implemented as transmitting a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection can be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. As used herein, disks and optical disks include compact disks (CDs), laser optical disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks and blue-ray disks, wherein disks usually copy data magnetically, while optical disks use lasers to optically copy data. The above combination should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0143] Various modifications to the implementations described in the present disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are intended to be given the broadest scope consistent with the present disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0144] In addition, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the terms "upper" and "lower" are sometimes used for convenience in describing the figures and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the figures on appropriately oriented pages, and may not reflect the correct orientation of the implemented device.

[0145] In addition, certain features described in this specification in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, individual features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations individually or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, while features may be described above as acting in certain combinations, and even initially claimed as such, in some cases, one or more features from a claimed combination may be removed from the combination, and a claimed combination may involve subcombinations or variations of subcombinations.

[0146] Similarly, although the operations are depicted in a specific order in the figure, this should not be understood as requiring to perform or execute such operations in the specific order shown or the order of the sequence, or to perform all the operations shown, to achieve the desired result. In addition, the accompanying drawings can schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted can be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example process. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, at the same time, or between any of the operations shown. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of the various system components in the above implementation should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can usually be integrated together in a single software product, or encapsulated in multiple software products. In addition, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recorded in the claims can be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a scheduled entity in a wireless network, comprising: A first interface configured to obtain a plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity in the wireless network, wherein the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms are associated with time intervals; and A processing system configured to: selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms among the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and Measurements of each of the one or more neighbor cells are performed using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include a reference signal received power (RSRP) that is one of: above or below a configured RSRP threshold.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), which is one of: above or below a configured RSRQ threshold.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include a signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR), which is one of: above or below a configured SINR threshold.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include at least one of low mobility or not being in a cell edge condition.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The low mobility condition includes channel quality not changing by more than a configured amount within a time interval.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The not-at-cell-edge condition includes a channel quality that is equal to or greater than a configured amount.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include one or more combinations of: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR).

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include one or more channel condition parameters for a serving cell channel.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The various neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, performing intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, and Inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements are made on at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The various neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, performing intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, and Inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: One neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanism among the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms includes not performing measurement on at least one neighbor cell within a configured time period.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing system is also configured to: When the scheduling entity is in an idle or inactive mode, one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms are selected from the multiple different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

14. A method for a device of a scheduled entity to communicate within a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving a plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity via a first interface, wherein the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms are associated with time intervals; selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms among the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and Measurements of each of the one or more neighbor cells are performed using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include a reference signal received power (RSRP) that is one of: above or below a configured RSRP threshold.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), which is one of: above or below a configured RSRQ threshold.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include a signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR), which is one of: above or below a configured SINR threshold.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include at least one of low mobility or not being in a cell edge condition.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The low mobility condition includes channel quality not changing by more than a configured amount within a time interval.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The not-at-cell-edge condition includes a channel quality that is equal to or greater than a configured amount.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include one or more combinations of: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR).

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more channel condition parameters include one or more channel condition parameters for a serving cell channel.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The various neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, performing intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, and Inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements are made on at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals.

24. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The various neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, performing intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, and Inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein: One neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanism among the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms includes not performing measurement on at least one neighbor cell within a configured time period.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein: Selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from among the multiple different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms includes: selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from among the multiple neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms only when the scheduling entity is in an idle or inactive mode.

27. An apparatus for a scheduled entity in a wireless network, comprising: means for obtaining a plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity in the wireless network, wherein the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms are associated with time intervals; and A unit for processing, which is configured to: selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms among the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and Measurements of each of the one or more neighbor cells are performed using the selected one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein The various neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, performing intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals, and Inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements are made on at least one neighboring cell at regular time intervals.

29. The device according to claim 27, wherein: The various neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms include: inter-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, performing intra-frequency measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals, and Inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements of at least one neighboring cell at scaled time intervals.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions configured to cause a processor system of a scheduled entity to communicate within a wireless network, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: An instruction for receiving a plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms from a scheduling entity via a first interface, wherein the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms are associated with time intervals; Instructions for selecting one or more neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms of the plurality of different neighbor cell measurement relaxation mechanisms based on one or more channel condition parameters; and Instructions for performing measurements on each of the one or more neighboring cells using the selected one or more neighboring cell measurement relaxation mechanisms.

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