NCSG for deactivation-type serving cell measurement

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to NCSG for deactivated serving cell measurements. Apparatuses, systems, and methods are provided for NCSG based measurements of deactivated serving cells. In a wireless communication system, a wireless device can acquire a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations based on network control small gaps (NCSGs) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and perform the measurement operations based on the network control small gaps (NCSGs) according to the measurement gap configuration.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including deactivation-type serving cell measurements in wireless communication systems.

[0002] BACKGROUND

[0003] Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (such as 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (such as 5G), and IEEE 802.11 standards (commonly referred to as Wi-Fi® within the industry organization) for wireless local area networks (WLANs).

[0004] As contemplated by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) to enable base stations of the RAN (which can also be referred to at times as a RAN node, network node, or simply a node) to communicate with wireless communication devices referred to as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs can include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0005] Each RAN can use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) for communication between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (which is sometimes referred to simply as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (which is sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or simply NR). In certain deployments, E-UTRAN can also implement NR RAT. In certain deployments, NG-RAN can also implement LTE RAT.

[0006] Base stations used by a RAN can correspond to that RAN. One example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as an Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). One example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also referred to as a gNodeB or gNB).

[0007] ​The RAN, through its connection with a core network (CN), together with the external entities, provides communication services to the users. For example, an E-UTRAN can utilize an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), while a NG-RAN can utilize a 5G Core (5GC).

[0008] The frequency bands of the 5G NR can be split into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, frequency range 1 (FR1) can include frequency bands below 6 GHz, some of which can be used for previous generations of standards, and can potentially be extended to cover 410 MHz to 7125 MHz of new spectrum product. Frequency range 2 (FR2) can include frequency bands between 24.25 GHz and 52.6 GHz. The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 can have a smaller range than the bands in FR1 but potentially a higher available bandwidth. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the frequency ranges provided as examples can vary over time and by region. SUMMARY

[0009] Embodiments relate to improved deactivated serving cell measurements in a wireless communication system, and in particular, to network-controlled small gap (NCSG) based measurements for deactivated serving cells in a wireless communication system.

[0010] According to the techniques described herein, a wireless device in a wireless communication system can acquire a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling network-controlled small gap (NCSG) based measurement operations for at least one deactivated serving cell, and perform the measurement operations based on the network-controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0011] In one aspect, the measurement gap (MG) configuration can include information indicating a measurement periodicity for the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated serving cell. In particular, the measurement periodicity for the NCSG based measurements can refer to a periodicity in which the wireless device turns on and off a frequency band corresponding to the deactivated serving cell via a gap for measurements of the deactivated serving cell, such that the wireless device can perform the measurement operations for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity.

[0012] The techniques described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0013] This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are only examples and should not be employed to limit the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following DETAILED DESCRIPTION, Figures, and Claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] To facilitate an understanding of the discussion, one or more of the highest- order bits of a reference numeral are used to indicate the figure number in which the element is first introduced. For example, 202 is used to indicate an element first introduced in Figure 2.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein is shown;

[0017] Figure 3A A comparison between legacy gap-based measurements and NCSG-based measurements is shown, while Figure 3B Basic concepts of NCSG are shown;

[0018] Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing an exemplary method on the wireless device side in accordance with some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing an exemplary method on the network device side in accordance with some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 6 An exemplary embodiment in which NCSG is used for deactivated serving cell measurements is shown;

[0021] Figure 7 An exemplary embodiment in which NCSG is used for deactivated serving cell measurements is shown; and

[0022] Figure 8 An exemplary embodiment in which NCSG is used for deactivated serving cell measurements is shown.

[0023] While the features described herein can be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the disclosed subject matter to the particular form disclosed but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] the term

[0025] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). TM Based on Android TM Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) TM PlayStation Portable TM Gameboy Advance TM iPhone TM Laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transmitted and capable of wireless communication by a user.

[0026] A wireless device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communication. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0027] A communication device is any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communication, which may be wired or wireless. A communication device may be portable (or mobile), or it may be stationary or fixed in a location. A wireless device is one example of a communication device. A UE is another example of a communication device.

[0028] Base station—The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0029] A network device is any type of computer system or device that performs communication, particularly wireless communication with wireless devices, such as downlink communication to a wireless device relating to downlink transmission. A network device can be portable (or mobile), or it can be stationary or fixed in one location. A base station is an example of a network device.

[0030] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as user equipment or cellular network equipment. A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a single processor, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0031] Various embodiments are described with respect to the UE. However, references to the UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a connection to a network and configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0032] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. The description provided below is for an exemplary wireless communication system 100 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 100 includes UE 102 and UE 104 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 102 and UE 104 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0034] UE 102 and UE 104 can be configured to communicate with RAN 106. In an implementation, RAN 106 can be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 102 and UE 104 utilize connections (or channels) with RAN 106 (shown as connection 108 and connection 110, respectively), where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 106 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 112 and base station 114, that implement connection 108 and connection 110.

[0035] In this example, Connection 108 and Connection 110 are air interfaces that enable this type of communication coupling and can conform to the RAT used by RAN106, such as LTE and / or NR.

[0036] In some embodiments, UEs 102 and 104 can also exchange communication data directly via a sidelink interface 116. UE 104 is shown configured to access an access point (shown as AP 118) via a connection 120. The connection 120 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, Bluetooth connection, etc., for example. The AP 118 can in turn be connected to a wired or wireless network, such as the network 124. The AP 118 can or can not be connected to the CN 124 via the network 124, in this example.

[0037] In embodiments, UEs 102 and 104 can be configured to communicate using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with base stations 112 and / or base stations 114, in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0038] In some embodiments, all or a portion of base station 112 or base station 114 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Additionally or in other embodiments, base station 112 or base station 114 can be configured to communicate with each other via interface 122. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., where CN 124 is an EPC), interface 122 can be an X2 interface. The X2 interface can be defined between two or more base stations, such as two or more eNBs, connected to the EPC, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 100 is a NR system (e.g., where CN 124 is a 5GC), interface 122 can be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations, such as two or more gNBs, connected to the 5GC, between a base station 112 (e.g., gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 124).

[0039] The RAN 106 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a CN 124. The CN 124 can include one or more network elements 126, which are configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UEs 102 and 104) who are connected to the CN 124 via the RAN 106. The components of the CN 124 can be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices, including components to read and execute instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0040] In embodiments, the CN 124 can be an EPC, and the RAN 106 can connect with the CN 124 via an S1 interface 128. In embodiments, the S1 interface 128 can be split into two parts: the S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the base stations 112, 114 and serving gateways (S-GWs); and the S1-MME interface, a signaling interface that is between the base stations 112, 114 and mobility management entities (MMEs).

[0041] In embodiments, the CN 124 can be a 5GC, and the RAN 106 can connect with the CN 124 via an NG interface 128. In embodiments, the NG interface 128 can be split into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the base stations 112, 114 and user plane functions (UPFs); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, a signaling interface that is between the base stations 112, 114 and access and mobility management functions (AMFs).

[0042] Generally, the application server 130 can be an element of an application that offers services using Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources (e.g., packet switched data services) with the CN 124. The application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UEs 102 and 104 via the CN 124. The application server 130 can communicate with the CN 124 over an IP communications interface 132.

[0043] Figure 2 A system 200 for performing signaling 234 between a wireless device 202 and a network device 218 is shown, in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein. The system 200 can be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 202 can be, for example, a UE of the wireless communication system. The network device 218 can be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) of the wireless communication system.

[0044] The wireless device 202 can include one or more processors 204. The processors 204 can execute instructions to perform various operations of the wireless device 202 as described herein. The processors 204 can include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0045] The wireless device 202 can include a memory 206. The memory 206 can be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 208 (which can include, for example, instructions for execution by the processors 204). The instructions 208 can also be referred to as program code or computer programs. The memory 206 can also store data used by the processors 204 and results of operations performed by the processors.

[0046] The wireless device 202 can include one or more transceivers 210, which can include radio-frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses antennas 212 of the wireless device 202 to facilitate transmission and / or reception of signaling (e.g., signaling 234) by the wireless device 202 with other devices (e.g., network devices 218) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0047] The wireless device 202 can include one or more antennas 212 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For embodiments with multiple antennas 212, the wireless device 202 can take advantage of the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 212 to send and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This approach can be referred to as, for example, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) approach (referring to the multiple antennas used in this regard at the transmitting device and the receiving device sides, respectively). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 202 can be implemented according to precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to the wireless device 202 that multiplexes data streams among the antennas 212 such that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to other streams and at a desired location in space (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream) according to known or assumed channel characteristics. Certain embodiments can use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) approach (where data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) approach (where individual data streams can be directed to individual (different) receivers at different locations in space).

[0048] In some implementations with multiple antennas, the wireless device 202 may implement analog beamforming techniques, whereby the phase of the signal transmitted by antenna 212 is relatively adjusted so that the (joint) transmission of antenna 212 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0049] Wireless device 202 may include one or more interfaces 214. Interfaces 214 can be used to provide input to or output to wireless device 202. For example, wireless device 202 as a UE may include interfaces 214, such as microphones, speakers, touchscreens, buttons, etc., to allow users of the UE to input to and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such UEs may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 210 / antenna 212 already described) that allow the UE to communicate with other devices, and may be based on known protocols (e.g., (etc.) to perform the operation.

[0050] Wireless device 202 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, particularly for acquiring measurement gap configurations for measuring deactivated serving cells and / or performing measurements on deactivated serving cells based on NCSG. Such operations / functions can be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, such operations / functions can be performed by specific components incorporated in the wireless device (e.g., processors, circuitry that may be integrated into processor 204 and / or transceiver 210), and / or by software (such as instructions 208 stored in memory 206 and executed by processor 204). Specifically, such operations / functions can be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within processor 204 or transceiver 210. Some embodiments of such operations / functions will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Network device 218 may include one or more processors 220. Processor 220 may execute instructions to perform various operations of network device 218 as described herein. Processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a CPU, DSP, ASIC, controller, FPGA device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0052] Network device 218 may include memory 222. Memory 222 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 224 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by processor 220). Instructions 224 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. Memory 222 may also store data used by processor 220 and results calculated by the processor.

[0053] The network device 218 can include one or more transceivers 226, which can include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry using antennas 228 of the network device 218 to facilitate transmissions by and / or received signaling (e.g., signaling 234) of the network device 218 with other devices (e.g., the wireless device 202) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0054] The network device 218 can include one or more antennas 228 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 228, the network device 218 can perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, and the like, as has been described.

[0055] The network device 218 can include one or more interfaces 230. The interface 230 can be used to provide input to or output from the network device 218. For example, the network device 218 as a base station can include an interface 230 consisting of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceivers 226 / antennas 228 already described) that enable the base station to communicate in a core network with other equipment, and / or that enable the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, and the like, for the purposes of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment with which the base station is operatively connected.

[0056] The network device 218 can be used for various aspects of the disclosure, particularly obtaining a measurement gap configuration for NCSG-based measurements on deactivated serving cells and / or performing data scheduling in accordance with the measurement gap configuration. Such operations / functions can be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, such operations / functions can be performed by specific components (e.g., a processor, circuitry that can be integrated in the processor 220 and / or the transceiver 226) incorporated in the wireless device, and / or can be performed by software (such as instructions 224 stored in the memory 222 and executed by the processor 220). Specifically, such operations / functions can be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the processor 220 or the transceiver 226. Some embodiments of such operations / functions will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] In the following, techniques related to NCGS-based measurements on deactivated cells according to embodiments of the disclosure will be described.

[0058] New cellular communication technologies are continually being developed to increase coverage, better meet various needs and use cases, and for various other reasons. One technology currently being developed can include enhancing measurement operations by measuring gaps. As part of this development, it would be useful to provide improved measurement gap configurations and operations.

[0059] In wireless communications, measurement gaps are utilized when measurement operations need to be performed on certain signals / parameters / indicators that can be, for example, performance related (particularly in cases where such measurement operations should be performed at different frequency points) to handle possible inter-frequency measurements. The concept of measurement gaps is to create small gaps during which neither transmission nor reception occurs, and thus, a wireless device can perform corresponding measurement operations in the measurement gaps and then switch back. Currently, measurement operations can be performed based on measurement gap information, and to further enhance measurement operations, it would be desirable to provide improved measurement gap configurations.

[0060] According to a new Release 17 work item on measurement gap enhancements, RAN4 introduced some improved gap-based measurements. One of the purposes is to introduce network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) to avoid throughput reduction caused by using legacy gaps.

[0061] In legacy gap-based RRM measurements, the whole gap occasion can be used for measurements, but the UE cannot perform data reception and transmission with the serving cell during the whole gap occasion, while in NCSG-based RRM measurements, only the UE is allowed to cause interruption at the beginning and end of the measurement, specifically, the visible interruption length (VIL). The interruption is because the UE needs to turn on and off a spare RF chain for the measurement. During the measurement length (ML), which can be between the beginning VIL and the end VIL, the UE should be able to perform RRM measurements and data reception / transmission with the serving cell simultaneously. A comparison between legacy gaps and NCSGs is shown in Figure 3A The basic concept of NCSGs is that the UE can use a spare RF chain to perform measurements on other inter-frequency layers. For example, as shown in Figure 3B The NCSG can turn on and off the inter-frequency layer via VIL, and during the ML, such as SSB, between the beginning VIL and the end VIL, measurements on the inter-frequency layer can be performed.

[0062] It is also desirable to perform measurements on deactivated cells, particularly deactivated secondary cells (SCells) in a wireless communication system. In a wireless communication system, a secondary cell can be used as an aid to a primary cell (PCell) to support wireless communication, and can be deactivated when it is not in operation to save energy. However, it is also necessary to measure the deactivated SCells in order to facilitate fast activation of the deactivated SCells when they are needed for wireless communication, and to select an appropriate SCell from among a plurality of deactivated SCells for subsequent use when activated. The measurement objects / factors / contents of the deactivated SCells can be those in the measurement of activated SCells, such as power, signal quality, etc. And the measurement of the deactivated SCells can be performed periodically.

[0063] In the existing method of deactivated SCell measurement, the parameter measCycleSCell is used. The parameter measCycleSCell is defined in TS 38.331 and is used only when an SCell is configured on a frequency indicated by measObjectNR and is in a deactivated state, see TS 38.133. The gNB configures the parameter whenever an SCell is configured on a frequency indicated by measObjectNR, but the field can also be signaled when no SCell is configured.

[0064] The parameter measCycleSCell can be set to any appropriate value, for example, its possible values can be any one of the following:

[0065] ENUMERATED{sf160, sf256, sf320, sf512, sf640, sf1024, sf1280}

[0066] wherein the value sf160 corresponds to 160 subframes, the value sf256 corresponds to 256 subframes, and so on. Of course, the parameter measCycleSCell can be represented by other types of values, such as a period duration in time, etc.

[0067] In the existing method of deactivated SCell measurement using the parameter measCycleSCell, if measCycleSCell is less than 640 ms, the UE should not turn off the RF chain, i.e. no interruption, but will result in unnecessary power consumption. And if measCycleSCell is not less than 640 ms, the UE can turn off the RF chain when there is no measurement to save power. The UE should turn on the RF chain immediately before the measurement window, then perform the measurement during the window, and then turn off the RF chain after the measurement.

[0068] Furthermore, corresponding RAN4 requirements can be found in TS 38.133 clause 8, where item 8.2.2.2.3 specifies interruption during measurements for a deactivated SCC, where when measCycleSCell configured is 640 ms or longer, the presence of an interruption on the PCell or an activated SCell due to measurements when an SCell is deactivated is allowed with a probability of missed ACK / NACK of maximum 0.5%. If the PCell or activated SCell is not in the same band as the deactivated SCell, the UE is only allowed to cause an interruption on the PCell or activated SCell immediately before and after SMTC. Each interruption shall not exceed the requirements in Table 8.2.2.2.2-1, which is not shown here. If the PCell or activated SCell is in the same band as the deactivated SCell, the UE is only allowed to cause an interruption on the PCell or activated SCell no earlier than X slots before TSMTC_duration and no later than X slots after TSMTC_duration, provided that the cell-specific reference signals from the activated serving cell and the deactivated SCell are available in the same slots, where X and TSMTC_duration are given by Table 8.2.2.2.3-1 below. The interruption shall not exceed the requirements of Table 8.2.2.2.3-1.

[0069] Table 8.2.2.2.3-1: Interruption duration for measurements of a deactivated SCell for intra-band CA

[0070]

[0071] Therefore, it is still desirable to provide improved measurements for a deactivated serving cell.

[0072] In view of this, the present disclosure proposes an improved measurement gap (MG) configuration for measuring a deactivated serving cell. Specifically, a novel design of utilizing a network-controlled small gap (NCSG) to measure a deactivated serving cell is proposed, specifically, an improved measurement gap configuration based on NCSG can be obtained / determined, so that the measurement operation on the deactivated serving cell can be performed more appropriately and more efficiently using NCSG. The solution of the present disclosure can be applied to any appropriate deactivated serving cell, including at least one of a deactivated SCell and a deactivated PSCell, and can achieve and introduce measurement enhancement into RAN4.

[0073] According to some embodiments, the measurement gap configuration can include information on a network controlled small gap (NCSG) pattern / specification for measurement operation. Specifically, the network controlled small gap (NCSG) can relate to RF adjustment, and can indicate the interruption caused when the wireless device attempts to extend or switch to a certain frequency chain / point to perform intra-frequency measurement for a measurement target, such as a deactivated serving cell, any other measurement target, while subject to the interruption caused by the extension or switching.

[0074] According to the present disclosure, the measurement operation can be performed during any appropriate type of wireless communication operation, including cell handover and / or access, carrier aggregation including at least carrier switching and management, load aggregation, etc., such as during any appropriate period / phase during wireless communication, including such as initialization, state transition, etc., and can be used to measure any desired signal / parameter / indicator that can be, for example, performance related, including such as SSB, PRS, etc.

[0075] According to the present disclosure, the measurement operation can be performed at any appropriate frequency segment that can be used for deactivated serving cell measurement based on the corresponding measurement gap configuration / pattern. Thus, when switching / changing to a certain frequency segment, the measurement operation can be performed, such as based on the NCSG measurement gap configuration.

[0076] According to the present disclosure, the frequency segment can be set according to the operating frequency level of the wireless device. According to some embodiments, the operating frequency of the wireless device can be classified into any number of appropriate levels, and thus, the wireless device can perform the measurement operation at any appropriate level. That is, the wireless device can perform the measurement gap operation in a certain frequency segment in the level, where the frequency segment is separate from the operating frequency in the level. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the level can be selected from a UE level, a frequency range level, a band combination level, a band level, a component carrier (CC) level, a bandwidth part (BWP) level, and the frequency segment for the measurement gap operation can correspond to the entire UE, to a frequency range, to a band combination, to a band, to a component carrier, to a BWP. Thus, the measurement gap operation can be configured for / perform with respect to the selected level of the corresponding frequency segment. According to some embodiments, the measurement pattern can be configured for the operating frequency segment of one level. According to some embodiments, the measurement pattern can be configured in parallel for the operating frequency segments of two or more levels. For example, the same or different patterns can be configured for the operating frequency segments of different levels.

[0077] Figure 4 A signal flow diagram is shown, illustrating an example of such a solution on the wireless device side, at least according to some embodiments. Figure 4Aspects of the methods of FIGS. 1-3 can be implemented by a wireless device such as the UE 106 shown in the various figures herein, and / or more generally can be implemented in connection with any of the computer circuitry, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures, as desired. For example, a processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device can be configured to cause a device to perform any combination of the method elements shown and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown can be performed concurrently, in different orders, or omitted, and additional elements can be performed in some embodiments. Additional elements that are not shown can also be performed as desired.

[0078] At step 402, the wireless device obtains a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling a network control small gap (NCSG) based measurement operation for a deactivated serving cell.

[0079] At step S404, the wireless device performs the measurement operation by utilizing a network control small gap (NCSG) based on the measurement gap configuration.

[0080] According to some embodiments, the obtaining of the measurement gap (MG) configuration can be implemented in various forms. For example, the measurement gap configuration can be generated / created by the wireless device itself, and in other examples, the measurement gap configuration can be generated / created by other devices in the communication system (such as a network device, a control device, etc.) and then transmitted to the wireless device.

[0081] According to some embodiments, the measurement gap configuration can include information indicating characteristics of the NCSG for measuring the deactivated serving cell. In some embodiments, the measurement gap (MG) configuration includes information indicating a measurement periodicity for the NCSG based measurement of the deactivated serving cell, such that the wireless device can perform the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity. Specifically, the measurement periodicity can refer to a periodicity at which the wireless device switches to and turns off the standby frequency band to perform the measurement of the deactivated serving cell. According to some embodiments, the measurement periodicity can refer to a period of small gap / interruption repetition, particularly a period at which the small gap / interruption repetition starts or ends during the NCSG based measurement of the deactivated serving cell. In some embodiments, interruptions corresponding to the measurement periodicity of the NCSG can be allowed, i.e., interruptions of the measurement occasion can be allowed, such that the wireless device can switch to the frequency band for measuring the deactivated serving cell, while any other interruptions are not allowed. For example, if a certain interruption is not allowed according to the adjusted / updated measurement periodicity, even such interruption can not be allowed.

[0082] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the measurement gap configuration can further include at least one of a measurement duration, a deactivated serving cell to be measured, a frequency range in which the measurement of the deactivated cell is to be performed. Specifically, such content can be pre-configured and will not be described in detail here.

[0083] According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the measurement periodicity can be determined based on the base periodicity of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell. In some embodiments, such measurement periodicity can be determined by any appropriate device in the wireless communication system, such as a network device, other control device in the system, and then informed to the wireless device. In some embodiments, the wireless device can be configured to acquire information about the base periodicity of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell, and determine the measurement periodicity based thereon.

[0084] In some embodiments, the base periodicity of the NCSG can be a preset value of the NCSG, such as preset at initialization, configured by the network side such as gNB, and can be any appropriate value, for example, any one of 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, 100ms, 160ms. For example, the base periodicity of the NCSG can correspond to a visible interrupt repetition period (VIRP), which can be introduced in 3GPP to represent the periodicity of the NCSG. In the context of the present disclosure, the base periodicity of the NCSG can refer to the initial periodicity of the NCSG, and the measurement periodicity can be equivalent to the periodicity obtained by adjusting / updating the initial periodicity. In some embodiments, the predefined measurement cycle can refer to a measurement cycle for measuring the deactivated serving cell. For example, the predefined measurement cycle can refer to a desired measurement cycle or an available measurement cycle. For example, the predefined measurement cycle can correspond to measCycleSCell as described above, and can be selected from a set of available measCycleSCell values.

[0085] According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the measurement periodicity can be determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell. Specifically, the measurement periodicity for performing measurements of the deactivated serving cell based on the NCSG will not be greater than the predefined measurement cycle that substantially defines the upper limit of the measurement periodicity. On the other hand, in order to attempt to properly handle the measurements of the respective deactivated cells, the measurement periodicity should be as large as possible, specifically the maximum possible integer multiple of the base periodicity of the NCSG under the limit of the predefined measurement cycle.

[0086] According to embodiments of the disclosure, the measurement periodicity can be based on a relationship between the base periodicity and the predefined measurement cycle. In particular, the relationship can involve a multiple relationship between the base periodicity and the predefined measurement cycle, i.e. whether the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the base periodicity.

[0087] According to some embodiments of the disclosure, when the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the base periodicity, the measurement periodicity can be determined based on a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell.

[0088] In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for the plurality of deactivated serving cells are the same, the measurement periodicity is based on the predefined measurement cycle itself. For example, when the NCSG is configured only by measurements for the deactivated serving cells, the measurement periodicity is equal to the predefined measurement cycle itself. In this case, since all the predefined measurement cycles defined for the plurality of deactivated serving cells are the same, the minimum of these predefined measurement cycles can be the same predefined measurement cycle itself, and thus the measurement periodicity is the predefined measurement cycle itself. In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for the plurality of deactivated serving cells are different, the measurement periodicity is based on a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles. For example, when the NCSG is configured only by measurements for the deactivated serving cells, the measurement periodicity is equal to the minimum.

[0089] According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the base measurement periodicity, the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum multiple of the base periodicity that is less than the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell. For example, when the NCSG is configured only by measurements for the deactivated serving cells, the measurement periodicity is equal to the maximum multiple of the base periodicity that is less than the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell.

[0090] In some embodiments, the measurement periodicity can be selected from a set of measurement cycles including the predefined measurement cycle. That is, in addition to the measurement periodicity being a maximum multiple of the base periodicity of the NCSG, the measurement periodicity should also be the maximum of the measurement cycles in the set that is less than the predefined measurement cycle.

[0091] According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the measurement periodicity is further based on a configuration of the NCSG, such as a measurement mode configuration of the NCSG. For example, the measurement mode configuration of the NCSG can indicate which measurements are to be performed based on the NCSG. For example, in addition to the measurements for the deactivated serving cells, the NCSG can also be used for other types of measurements involving other targets on other frequency bands.

[0092] In some embodiments, in addition to the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated serving cells, the measurement periodicity can be further multiplied by a weight factor that involves other types of NCSG based measurements. Specifically, in addition to the NCSG being configured for measurements for the deactivated serving cells, the NCSG can also be configured for performing other types of measurements on inter-frequency layers where no deactivated cell measurements are performed. In this case, the measurement periodicity should generally be extended so as to have sufficient duration to perform both the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells and the NCSG based inter-frequency measurements.

[0093] In some embodiments, the weight factor is determined based on the number of deactivated serving cells to be measured and the number of frequency segments on which any other types of measurements are to be performed. In some embodiments, the weight factor is a value equal to the sum of the number of deactivated serving cells to be measured and the number of frequency segments on which other types of measurements are to be performed.

[0094] In some embodiments, in operation, the wireless device can be further configured to receive a handover instruction indicating a handover of a deactivated serving cell that can be used for measurement operations, and perform measurements at the handovered deactivated serving cell based on the measurement periodicity associated with the handovered frequency segment. According to some embodiments, the handover of a frequency segment corresponding to a deactivated cell can be indicated by a network device or any other appropriate device in the wireless system. According to some embodiments, such handover indication can be communicated between the network device and the wireless device in any manner, such as via any of the RRC layer, the MAC layer, the physical layer.

[0095] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells of the present disclosure also depend on the support / allowance of the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the wireless device can also be configured to obtain support information indicating whether the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells are allowed / supported / enabled, and when the support information indicates that the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells are allowed / supported / enabled, the wireless device can perform the NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells based on the measurement gap configuration. Otherwise, the wireless device will not perform such NCSG based measurements for the deactivated cells based on the measurement gap configuration, and can perform other types of measurements for the deactivated cells, such as legacy based measurements for the deactivated cells, or even not perform measurements for the deactivated cells at all.

[0096] For example, the support / allow configuration can indicate that NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells can be always supported / allowed, or can be supported / allowed under certain conditions. In some embodiments, NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells of the present disclosure can be always supported when a predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the base periodicity, while NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells of the present disclosure can not be always supported when a predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the base periodicity, e.g., such measurements can be disabled by the wireless device or the network device.

[0097] In some embodiments, the wireless device can automatically disable NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells when a predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the base measurement periodicity, and in addition or alternatively, any other appropriate measurements can be performed, such as legacy gap-based measurements.

[0098] According to some embodiments, the support / allow configuration can be set at the wireless device side, such as a default setting, during initialization, before wireless communication, and such support conditions can be kept persistently, or can be dynamically changed, e.g., periodically changed, or for different wireless communications. In this case, the support information is set by the wireless device itself, and the wireless device can automatically enable / disable NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells, in particular, NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells when a predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the base periodicity.

[0099] According to some embodiments, the support / allow of NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells of the present disclosure is also indicated / set by the network device or any appropriate device in the wireless communication system, and informed to the wireless device, such as during initialization, before wireless communication to be performed, before measurements to be performed. In some embodiments, the support information can be informed to the wireless device upon request. For example, the wireless device can request the support information from the network device, and upon receiving the support information, such as before wireless communication, upon acquiring the measurement gap configuration, or even upon acquiring the base periodicity and the predefined measurement cycle, perform the corresponding operations.

[0100] In some embodiments, the support information can be actively communicated to the wireless device along with the configuration of the underlying periodicity and measurement cycle. In this case, when the support information indicates that such NCSG-based measurement is supported for the deactivated serving cell, the wireless device can automatically determine the measurement periodicity according to such support indication, and can perform NCSG-based measurement for the deactivated serving cell. On the other hand, when such NCSG-based measurement is not supported for the deactivated serving cell, the wireless device will not perform the measurement, or perform the measurement in any other appropriate manner. Furthermore, if the network device indicates that the measurement is supported for the deactivated serving cell, but does not define the wireless measurement behavior, the wireless device can perform the measurement for the deactivated serving cell in an appropriate manner, as described above.

[0101] In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the underlying measurement periodicity, the wireless device is configured to perform either of the following based on the indication from the network device regarding NCSG-based measurement:

[0102] perform NCSG-based measurement for the deactivated serving cell when the information indicates that NCSG-based measurement is allowed;

[0103] perform NCSG-based measurement for the deactivated serving cell when the information indicates that NCSG-based measurement is allowed;

[0104] perform the measurement for the deactivated serving cell in a specific manner when the information indicates that the measurement is allowed for the deactivated serving cell but does not define the measurement behavior.

[0105] In some embodiments, the wireless device can report its capability to the network device to indicate whether NCSG-based measurement for the deactivated serving cell of the present disclosure can be supported, i.e., the measurement periodicity can be adjusted / updated to be an integer multiple of the underlying periodicity, and the wireless device can operate depending on the feedback from the network device. In some embodiments, when the wireless device reports its support capability to the network device and receives the support confirmation from the network device, i.e., the network device allows such measurement, the wireless device can perform measurement operation for the deactivated serving cell based on the NCSG-based measurement periodicity.

[0106] According to some embodiments, the NCSG-based measurement support information and / or measurement gap (MG) configuration can be communicated between the network device and the wireless device in various manners. In one example, such communication can be performed via RRC signaling, e.g., the NCSG-based measurement support information and / or measurement gap (MG) configuration can be communicated via RRC.

[0107] Note that the present patent application can be used for any appropriate deactivated serving cell, including at least one of a primary cell (PCell), a primary SCG cell (PSCell), and a secondary cell (SCell). Moreover, the solution of the present patent application as described above can be used for each of a primary cell (PCell), a primary SCG cell (PSCell), and a secondary cell (SCell), or a combination thereof.

[0108] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the above-described method for a wireless device. The apparatus can be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein).

[0109] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer- readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the above-described method for a wireless device. The non-transitory computer- readable medium can be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as the memory 206 of the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein).

[0110] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry to perform one or more elements of the above-described method for a wireless device. The apparatus can be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein).

[0111] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause the one or more processors, upon execution of the instructions, to perform one or more elements of the above-described method for a wireless device. The apparatus can be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein).

[0112] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the above-described method for a wireless device.

[0113] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, where execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of the above-described method for a wireless device. The processor can be a processor of a UE, such as the processor 204 of the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein. These instructions can be, for example, located in the processor and / or on a memory of the UE, such as the memory 206 of the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein.

[0114] In the following, embodiments relating to network equipment will be described. Figure 5 A signal flow diagram is shown, illustrating an example of such a solution, at least according to some embodiments. Figure 5 Aspects of the method of FIG. 18 can be implemented by network equipment, such as 218 shown in the figures herein, and / or, more generally, can be implemented in connection with any of the computer circuitry, systems, equipment, elements or components, etc. shown in the above figures, as desired. For example, a processor (and / or other hardware) of such equipment can be configured to cause the equipment to perform any combination of the method elements shown and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown can be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, may

[0115] At step 502, the network equipment obtains a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling a network control based small gap (NCSG) based measurement operation for at least one dormant serving cell.

[0116] At step 504, the network equipment provides the measurement gap (MG) configuration to the wireless device.

[0117] According to some embodiments, the network equipment can provide support information regarding NCSG based measurements for dormant cells to the wireless device. In some embodiments, such support information indicates whether NCSG based measurements for dormant cells are allowed at the wireless device. In some embodiments, such support information indicates whether NCSG based measurements for dormant cells are allowed at the wireless device when a predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the base periodicity of the NCSG.

[0118] According to some embodiments, the support information can be provided by the network device automatically with the MG configuration, or can be provided upon request by the wireless device. In some embodiments, the network device can receive a request from the wireless device, and provide the support information according to the request. Such a request can be presented in any manner, e.g., a request whether such NCSG-based measurements are supported, a capability whether such NCSG-based measurements are supported at the wireless device, etc.

[0119] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the above-described network device-side method. The apparatus can be, for example, an apparatus of a base station, such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein.

[0120] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer- readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of the above-described network device-side method. The non-transitory computer- readable medium can be, for example, a memory of a base station, such as memory 222 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein.

[0121] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the above-described network device-side method. The apparatus can be, for example, an apparatus of a base station, such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein.

[0122] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause the one or more processors, upon execution of the instructions, to perform one or more elements of the above-described network device-side method. The apparatus can be, for example, an apparatus of a base station, such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein.

[0123] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or related to one or more elements of the above-described network device-side method.

[0124] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of the above-described network device-side method. The processing element can be a processor of a base station, such as processor 220 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein. The instructions can be, for example, located within the processor and / or on a memory of the UE, such as memory 222 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein.

[0125] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 6 to 8 Some example embodiments of NCSG based measurement gap operation for deactivated cells are described. Figures 6 to 8 Further aspects that can be used in conjunction with the methods of Figure 4 and Figure 5 are shown. It should be noted, however, that the example details shown in Figures 6 to 8 and described with reference to these figures are not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure as a whole: many variations and alternative forms of the details provided below are possible and are to be considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0126] As shown, the wireless device performs measurement gap operation on the radio frequency (RF) layer, please note that such RF layer is merely an example of a working frequency band and other levels of working frequency bands as described above can be similarly utilized. Note that the following description is mainly directed to SCells, but such embodiments can equally apply to PSCells.

[0127] Embodiment 1 shows the case where the pre-defined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the basic measurement periodicity of the NCSG, while the NCSG is only configured for measurements for deactivated serving cells, as shown in Figure 6 . In particular, measCycleSCell is an integer multiple of the VIRP and the measCycleSCell configured for all deactivated SCells is the same.

[0128] In this case, the UE will automatically adjust the periodicity of the NCSG to perform the measurements. In particular, the UE will automatically update the periodicity of the NCSG, NCSG, from the VIRP to measCycleSCell as the measurement periodicity of the NCSG. According to the “new” VIRP, no other interruptions than the VIL are allowed. Note that the most likely longest VIRP will be 160 ms, while the measCycleSCell can be much longer (160 ms to 1280 ms).

[0129] From the network perspective, the network will follow the “new” periodicity for data scheduling, i.e. to determine the VIL locations.

[0130] Embodiment 2 shows the case where the pre-defined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the basic measurement periodicity of the NCSG, while the NCSG is only configured for measurements for deactivated serving cells, as shown in Figure 7 . In particular, measCycleSCell is an integer multiple of the VIRP and the measCycleSCell configured for all deactivated SCells are different from each other.

[0131] In this case, the UE will automatically adjust the periodicity of the NCSG to perform the measurements. Specifically, the UE will automatically update the periodicity of the NCSG from the VIRP to the minimum measCycleSCell configured for all the deactivated SCells, i.e. the measurement periodicity of the NCSG. According to the "new" VIRP, no other interruptions than the VIL are allowed.

[0132] For example, measCycleSCell on SCell 1 is 320ms while measCycleSCell on SCell 2 is 640ms. Therefore, according to RAN4 measurement requirements, the sampling interval is 640ms on SCell 1 and 1280ms on SCell 2, since CSSF = 2. This means that within 1280, the UE needs to take three samples, i.e. two on SCell 1 and one on SCell 2. However, 1280 cannot be divided by three. Conservatively, the UE still requires VIRP = 320ms.

[0133] From the network perspective, the network will follow the "new" periodicity for data scheduling, i.e. to determine the VIL location.

[0134] Embodiment 3 shows the case where the pre-defined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the base measurement periodicity of the NCSG, while the NCSG is configured for measurements for deactivated serving cells and other types of measurements, such as Figure 8 is shown. Specifically, measCycleSCell is an integer multiple of the VIRP and is the same for all the deactivated SCells. The NCSG is configured for both inter-frequency measurements and measurements for deactivated serving cells.

[0135] In this case, the UE will automatically acquire the measurement periodicity of the NCSG to perform measurements for deactivated serving cells. Specifically, the UE will use the NCSG following CSSF*measCycleSCell as the measurement periodicity of the NCSG for measuring the deactivated SCells, where CSSF includes the number of deactivated SCCs and layers for inter-frequency measurements. On the other hand, the UE keeps the VIRP unchanged, and the UE measures other inter-frequency layers at the NCSG occasions that are not used for deactivated SCell measurements, and such measurements are performed according to the VIRP. In operation, no other interruptions than the VIL per VIRP occurrence are allowed.

[0136] From the network perspective, the network will follow the measurement periodicity and the VIRP for data scheduling, i.e. to determine the VIL location.

[0137] Embodiment 4 shows the case where the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the periodicity of the NCSG, while the NCSG is only configured for measurements for deactivated serving cells. In particular, measCycleSCell is not an integer multiple of the VIRP and the same measCycleSCell is configured for all deactivated SCells. For example, measCycleSCell corresponds to sf256, sf512 or sf1024 from the set {sf160, sf256, sf320, sf512, sf640, sf1024, sf1280}, while the VIRP can be any of sf20, sf40, sf60, sf80,..., sf160, and for example in this embodiment is sf160.

[0138] When the wireless device supports this case, the UE will automatically adjust the periodicity of the NCSG to perform the measurements. In particular, the UE will automatically update the periodicity of the NCSG from the VIRP to a new periodicity (e.g., measCycleSCell_new) as the measurement periodicity of the NCSG, which is the largest measCycleSCell value among measCycleSCell that is smaller than the indicated measCycleSCell. According to the “new” VIRP, no other interruptions than the VIL are allowed.

[0139] For example, if measCycleSCell is configured to be sf512, the new periodicity is sf320. The reason is that those values are not integer multiples of the possible SMTC periodicities. Therefore, it cannot be effectively covered by measCycleSCell. However, since the longest SMTC periodicity is 160 ms, the UE can find at least one SMTC during each measCycleSCell window.

[0140] When the wireless device does not support this case, the UE will automatically disable the NCSG for measurements for deactivated SCCs. Instead, the UE uses the traditional interruption-based measurements.

[0141] Furthermore, whether this case is also supported can be indicated / allowed by the network device.

[0142] When the network device does not allow this case, the UE will disable the NCSG for measurements for deactivated SCCs. Instead, the UE uses the traditional interruption-based measurements, or does not perform measurements at all.

[0143] When the network device allows this case but does not define the UE measurement behavior, i.e., does not explicitly define how the UE is to perform the measurements, the UE can perform the measurements in any appropriate way, such as NCSG-based measurements, traditional interruption-based measurements, etc.

[0144] From the network perspective, the network will schedule data according to the measurement periodicity and VIRP, i.e., to determine the VIL location.

[0145] Embodiment 5 shows the case where the pre-defined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the NCSG's basic measurement periodicity, and the NCSG is configured for measurements for deactivated serving cells and other types of measurements. Specifically, measCycleSCell is not an integer multiple of VIRP and is the same measCycleSCell configured for all deactivated SCells. Specifically, the NCSG is configured for both inter-frequency measurements and measurements for deactivated serving cells. The values of measCycleSCell and VIRP can be the values in the previous embodiments.

[0146] When the wireless device supports this case, the UE will acquire the measurement periodicity of the NCSG to perform measurements for the deactivated serving cells. Specifically, the UE uses the NCSG with a measurement periodicity following CSSF*measCycleSCell_new as the measurement periodicity of the NCSG to measure the deactivated SCells, where measCycleSCell_new is the largest measCycleSCell value in measCycleSCell that is smaller than the indicated measCycleSCell, where CSSF includes the number of deactivated SCCs and layers used for inter-frequency measurements, and the UE measures other inter-frequency layers at NCSG occasions that are not used for deactivated SCell measurements. In this case, no other interruptions are allowed in addition to the VIL occurrence per VIRP.

[0147] When the wireless device does not support this case, the UE will automatically disable the NCSG for measurements for the deactivated SCCs. Instead, the UE uses the traditional interruption-based measurements. However, the UE will still use the NCSG to measure other inter-frequency layers.

[0148] Furthermore, whether this case is also supported can be indicated / allowed by the network device.

[0149] When the network device does not allow this case, the UE will disable the NCSG for measurements for the deactivated SCCs. Instead, the UE uses the traditional interruption-based measurements, or does not perform measurements at all.

[0150] When the network device allows this case but does not define the UE measurement behavior, i.e., does not explicitly define how the UE performs measurements, the UE can perform measurements in any appropriate way, such as NCSG-based measurements, traditional interruption-based measurements, etc.

[0151] From the network perspective, the network will schedule data according to the measurement periodicity and VIRP, i.e., to determine the VIL location.

[0152] Embodiment 6 shows a solution to use NCSG for deactivated PSCell measurement. In this case, there can be new signaling to indicate the measurement cycle of deactivated PSCell, such as measCyclePSCell. The candidate values of measCyclePSCell can also be classified into two groups, where one group is integer times of VIRP and the other group is not. Similar approach mentioned for SCell also applies here.

[0153] In the following, further exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0154] A set of embodiments can include a wireless device comprising at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the wireless device is configured to obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling a measurement operation based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and perform the measurement operation based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0155] According to some embodiments, the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information on a measurement periodicity for the NCSG-based measurement of the deactivated serving cell, and wherein the wireless device is configured to perform the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity.

[0156] According to some embodiments, the information comprises information on a base periodicity of the NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for the measurement of the deactivated serving cell, and the measurement periodicity is determined based on the base periodicity of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle.

[0157] According to some embodiments, the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of a base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell.

[0158] According to some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles are integer multiples of the base periodicity, the measurement periodicity is based on a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell.

[0159] According to some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for multiple deactivated serving cells are the same, the measurement periodicity is the predefined measurement cycle itself.

[0160] According to some embodiments, the measurement periodicity is the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles defined for the plurality of deactivated serving cells when the predefined measurement cycles are not the same.

[0161] According to some embodiments, the measurement periodicity is based on a maximum multiple of the base periodicity that is less than the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell when the predefined measurement cycles are not integer multiples of the base measurement periodicity.

[0162] According to some embodiments, the measurement periodicity is a value selected from a set of measurement cycles including the predefined measurement cycles, and the value is the maximum of those values in the set that are less than the minimum.

[0163] According to some embodiments, the measurement periodicity is further multiplied by a weight factor related to other types of measurements when NCSG is used for deactivated serving cell measurements and other types of measurements.

[0164] According to some embodiments, the weight factor is a value equal to the sum of the number of deactivated serving cells to be measured and the number of frequency bands on which other types of measurements are to be performed.

[0165] According to some embodiments, the deactivated serving cells include at least one of a secondary cell, a primary cell, and a primary SCG cell.

[0166] According to some embodiments, the predefined measurement cycles are not integer multiples of the base measurement periodicity, and the wireless device disables measurement operations for the deactivated cells based on the NCSG.

[0167] According to some embodiments, the predefined measurement cycles are not integer multiples of the base measurement periodicity, the wireless device can obtain an indication from a network device regarding measurement based on the NCSG, and the wireless device is configured to perform either:

[0168] perform measurement based on the NCSG for the deactivated serving cells when the information indicates that measurement based on the NCSG is allowed;

[0169] perform measurement based on the NCSG for the deactivated serving cells when the information indicates that measurement based on the NCSG is allowed;

[0170] perform measurement for the deactivated serving cells in a particular manner when the information indicates that measurement for the deactivated serving cells is allowed.

[0171] Another set of embodiments can include a network device comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the network device is configured to obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration scheduling measurement operations based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) for at least one dormant serving cell, and provide the measurement gap (MG) configuration to a wireless device.

[0172] According to some embodiments, the network device is further configured to provide support information to the wireless device regarding NCSG-based measurements for dormant cells.

[0173] According to some embodiments, the network device is further configured to receive a request from the wireless device regarding whether NCSG-based measurements for dormant cells are allowed, and provide support information to the wireless device indicating whether NCSG-based measurements for dormant cells are allowed.

[0174] According to some embodiments, the network device is further configured to provide the measurement gap (MG) configuration via RRC signaling.

[0175] Yet another set of embodiments can include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration scheduling measurement operations based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) for at least one dormant serving cell, and perform the measurement operations based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0176] According to some embodiments, the processor can cause the wireless device to implement any or all of the parts of any of the preceding embodiments / examples.

[0177] Yet another set of embodiments can include an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a network device to: obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration scheduling measurement operations based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) for at least one dormant serving cell, and provide the measurement gap (MG) configuration to a wireless device.

[0178] According to some embodiments, the processor can cause the network device to implement any or all of the parts of any of the preceding embodiments / examples.

[0179] Yet another set of embodiments can include a method for a wireless device comprising: obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration scheduling measurement operations based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) for at least one dormant serving cell, and performing the measurement operations based on network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0180] According to some embodiments, the method can be further performed by a wireless device to implement any or all portions of any of the preceding embodiments / examples.

[0181] Yet another set of embodiments can include a method for a network device comprising: obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling a network control based small gap (NCSG) measurement operation for at least one dormant serving cell, and providing the measurement gap (MG) configuration to a wireless device.

[0182] According to some embodiments, the method can be further performed by a network device to implement any or all portions of any of the preceding embodiments / examples.

[0183] Another example embodiment can include a device comprising: an antenna; a radio coupled to the antenna; and a processing element operably coupled to the radio, wherein the device is configured to implement any or all portions of the preceding examples.

[0184] Yet another example embodiment can include a method comprising: by a device: performing any or all portions of the preceding examples.

[0185] Still another example embodiment can include a non-transitory computer- accessible memory medium comprising program instructions that, when executed at a device, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the preceding examples.

[0186] Yet another example embodiment can include a device comprising: a processor and a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the preceding examples.

[0187] Yet another example embodiment can include a computer program product comprising instructions for implementing any or all portions of any of the preceding examples.

[0188] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in connection with one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples described herein. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures can be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples shown herein.

[0189] Unless specifically stated otherwise, any of the embodiments described above can be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) described above. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides functionality and / or technical advantages and that what may only be all implementations making those advantages accrue. Variations and modifications can occur to those of ordinary skill in the art once advised of the above teachings by this patent document.

[0190] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein can include various operations, which can be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system can include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system can include hardware components, including specific logic for performing the operations, or can include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0191] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations can be combined into a single system, incorporated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. Further, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one implementation can be used in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are only described in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another implementation unless specifically stated otherwise herein.

[0192] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

[0193] While the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the embodiments of the application are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless device comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the wireless device is configured to: obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations based on network control small gaps (NCSGs) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and perform the measurement operations based on the network control small gaps (NCSGs) according to the measurement gap configuration, wherein the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information on a measurement periodicity for NCSG based measurements for deactivated serving cells, and wherein the wireless device is configured to perform the measurement operations for the deactivated serving cells according to the measurement periodicity, wherein the information comprises information on a base periodicity of NCSGs and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements of deactivated serving cells, and, wherein the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein when the predefined measurement cycles are integer multiples of the base periodicity, the measurement periodicity is based on a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

3. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein when the predefined measurement cycles defined for a number of deactivated serving cells are the same, the measurement periodicity is the predefined measurement cycle itself.

4. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein when the predefined measurement cycles defined for a number of deactivated serving cells are different, the measurement periodicity is the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles.

5. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein when the predefined measurement cycles are not integer multiples of a base measurement periodicity, the measurement periodicity is based on a maximum multiple of the base periodicity that is less than a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

6. The wireless device of claim 5, wherein the measurement periodicity is a value selected from a set of measurement cycles including the predefined measurement cycles, the value being a maximum of those measurement cycles in the set of measurement cycles that are less than the minimum.

7. The wireless device of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein when NCSGs are used for deactivated serving cell measurements and other types of measurements, the measurement periodicity is further multiplied by a weight factor related to other types of measurements.

8. The wireless device of claim 7, wherein the weight factor is a value equal to a sum of a number of deactivated serving cells to be measured and a number of frequency bands on which other types of measurements are to be performed.

9. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the deactivated serving cells comprise at least one of secondary cells, primary cells, and primary SCG cells.

10. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of a base measurement periodicity, the wireless device disables measurement operations based on NCSG for the deactivated serving cell.

11. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of a base measurement periodicity, the wireless device is capable of obtaining an indication from a network device regarding measurement based on NCSG, and the wireless device is configured to perform either of: performing the measurement based on NCSG for the deactivated serving cell when the information indicates that the measurement based on NCSG is allowed; not performing the measurement based on NCSG for the deactivated serving cell when the information indicates that the measurement based on NCSG is not allowed; and performing measurement for the deactivated serving cell in a particular manner when the information indicates that measurement for a deactivated serving cell is allowed.

12. A network device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the network device is configured to: obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations based on network controlled small gap (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and provide the measurement gap (MG) configuration to a wireless device, wherein the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information regarding a measurement periodicity for measurement based on NCSG for a deactivated serving cell, such that the wireless device performs the measurement operations for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity, wherein the information comprises information regarding a base periodicity of NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurement for a deactivated serving cell, and, wherein the measurement periodicity is determined based on a largest integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device is further configured to: provide support information to the wireless device regarding measurement based on NCSG for a deactivated serving cell.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device is further configured to: receive a request from the wireless device regarding whether measurement based on NCSG for a deactivated serving cell is allowed, and provide support information to the wireless device indicating whether measurement based on NCSG for a deactivated serving cell is allowed.

15. The network device of claim 12, wherein the network device is further configured to provide the measurement gap (MG) configuration via RRC signaling.

16. An apparatus, comprising: a processor configured to cause a wireless device to: obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations based on network controlled small gap (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ performing the measurement operation based on network controlled small gaps (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration, wherein the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information on a measurement periodicity for NCSG based measurements for deactivated serving cells, and wherein the wireless device performs the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cells according to the measurement periodicity, wherein the information comprises information on a base periodicity for NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements for deactivated serving cells, and, wherein the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

17. An apparatus comprising: a processor configured to cause a network device to: obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operation based on network controlled small gaps (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and provide the measurement gap (MG) configuration to a wireless device, wherein the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information on a measurement periodicity for NCSG based measurements for deactivated serving cells, such that the wireless device performs the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cells according to the measurement periodicity, wherein the information comprises information on a base periodicity for NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements for deactivated serving cells, and, wherein the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

18. A method for a wireless device comprising: obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operation based on network controlled small gaps (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and performing the measurement operation based on network controlled small gaps (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration, wherein the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information on a measurement periodicity for NCSG based measurements for deactivated serving cells, and wherein the wireless device performs the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cells according to the measurement periodicity, wherein the information comprises information on a base periodicity for NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements for deactivated serving cells, and, wherein the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

19. A method for a network device, the method comprising: obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operation based on network controlled small gaps (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell, and providing the measurement gap (MG) configuration to a wireless device, wherein the measurement gap (MG) configuration comprises information on a measurement periodicity for NCSG based measurements of a deactivated serving cell, such that the wireless device performs the measurement operation on the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity, wherein the information comprises information on a base periodicity of NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements of a deactivated serving cell, and, wherein the measurement periodicity is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the base periodicity that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycle for the at least one deactivated serving cell.

20. An apparatus comprising: a processor, and a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 18 or 19.

21. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform the method of claim 18 or 19.

22. A computer program product comprising program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 18 or 19.

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