System and method for measurement solution for inter-rat mo according to lte mn in en-dc

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure enable a user equipment (UE) to perform inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements. The UE determines whether one or more inter-RAT measurement objects (MOs) are configured with or without a measurement gap (MG). When the one or more inter-RAT MOs are on a NR serving component carrier (CC) with the MG, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the NR serving CC based on whether the MG completely overlaps or partially overlaps with a synchronization signal block (SSB) of a target MO of the one or more inter-RAT MOs. When the one or more inter-RAT MOs are on the NR serving CC without the MG, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurements on the NR serving CC based on whether a target SSB of the target MO is inside or outside an active bandwidth part (BWP) of the NR serving CC.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates in general to wireless communication systems, including the performance of measurements between radio access technologies (RATs). Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly referred to by the industry organization as WiMAX; and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), commonly referred to by the industry organization as Wi-Fi. In the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include RAN nodes such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with wireless communication equipment called User Equipment (UE). In the fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, RAN nodes may include 5G nodes and NR nodes (also known as next-generation node B or g NodeB (gNB)).

[0003] The RAN uses Radio Access Technology (RAT) to communicate between RAN nodes and UEs. RANs can include Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and / or E-UTRAN, which provide access to communication services through a core network such as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Each RAN operates according to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example, GERAN implements the GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements the Universal System for Mobile Communications (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements the LTE RAT, and NG-RAN implements the 5G RAT. In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement the 5G RAT.

[0004] 5G NR frequency bands can be divided into two distinct frequency ranges. Frequency range 1 (FR1) may include bands operating below 6 GHz, some of which are available for previous standards and can potentially be extended to cover new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency range 2 (FR2) may include bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have a smaller range than those in FR1 but potentially higher available bandwidth. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these frequency ranges, presented by way of example, may vary over time or in different regions. Attached Figure Description

[0005] To facilitate identification of any particular element or action being discussed, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the drawing number in which the element was first introduced.

[0006] Figure 1 The EN-DC architecture according to the implementation scheme of this document is shown.

[0007] Figure 2 A first exemplary scenario is shown, according to an embodiment of this document, having an LTE PCC in frequency layer 1 and an NR PSCC in frequency layer 2.

[0008] Figure 3A The diagram illustrates a complete overlap according to certain implementation schemes, and Figure 3B This illustrates a situation where there is partial overlap according to certain implementation schemes.

[0009] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a method for a UE according to an implementation plan.

[0010] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for a UE according to an implementation plan.

[0011] Figure 6 An infrastructure setup according to one implementation scheme is shown.

[0012] Figure 7 An apparatus according to one embodiment is shown.

[0013] Figure 8 The components according to one implementation are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0014] 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.

[0015] The wireless network can configure a connected UE to perform measurements and report the results based on a measurement configuration. The measurement configuration can be provided by dedicated signaling. The measurement configuration can define parameters such as measurement objects, reporting configurations, measurement intervals, and other parameters. For each measurement type (e.g., intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT), the measurement configuration can define one or more measurement objects (MOs). In NR, each MO can indicate the frequency, timing, and subcarrier spacing of the reference signal to be measured. MOs can be configured for synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), or both.

[0016] When a UE cannot simultaneously transmit / receive on the serving cell to measure the target carrier frequency, it can use measurement gaps to perform measurements. In LTE, UEs use measurement gaps to perform inter-frequency and inter-RAT measurements. In NR, the need for measurement gaps may depend on the UE's capabilities, the UE's active bandwidth portion (BWP), and / or the current operating frequency. Measurement gaps may be required for intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurements. Unlike intra-frequency measurements in LTE, intra-frequency measurements in NR may require measurement gaps (MGs), for example, if the intra-frequency measurement will be performed outside the active BWP.

[0017] During measurement intervals, measurements can be performed on the SSBs of neighboring cells. The network uses the Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) to provide timing for neighboring cell SSBs. The MG and SMTC durations are configured to enable the UE to identify and measure SSBs within the SMTC window (i.e., the SMTC duration is sufficient to accommodate the SSBs being transmitted).

[0018] Based on the UE's ability to support independent frequency range measurements and network preferences, per-UE or per-FR measurement gaps are defined in the NR. Within each FR MG, independent gap patterns can be defined for FR1 and FR2 (e.g., FR1 MG and FR2 MG). The per-UE MG applies to both FR1 (E-UTRA and NR) and FR2 (NR) frequencies.

[0019] Multiple Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) is a generalization of E-UTRA Intra-Connectivity (DC), in which a UE with multiple receive (Rx) / transmit (Tx) capabilities can be configured to utilize resources provided by two different nodes via a non-ideal backhaul connection, one node providing NR access and the other providing E-UTRA or NR access. One node can act as the primary node (MN), and the other node can act as the secondary node (SN). The MN and SN can be connected via a network interface, and at least the MN is connected to the core network. The MN and / or SN can operate using shared spectrum channel access.

[0020] One type of MR-DC deployment is E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC). For example, Figure 1 An EN-DC architecture 100 according to an embodiment of this document is illustrated. This EN-DC architecture 100 includes an E-UTRAN 124 and an EPC 122. The E-UTRAN 124 supports MR-DC via the EN-DC, where the UE connects to an eNB acting as an MN and an en-gNB acting as an SN. The en-gNB may be a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE, and may also act as the SN in the EN-DC. Figure 1 In this configuration, EPC 122 may include one or more Mobility Management Entities / Serving Gateways (MME / S-GW), such as MME / S-GW 104 and MME / S-GW 102. By way of example, E-UTRAN 124 may include eNB 110, eNB 112, en-gNB 108, and en-gNB 106. Each of eNB 110 and eNB 112 may be connected to EPC 122 via one or more S1 interfaces 114 and to one or more en-gNBs via one or more X2 interfaces 118. Each of en-gNB 108 and en-gNB 106 may be connected to EPC 122 via one or more S1-U interfaces 116. en-gNB 108 and en-gNB 106 may be connected to each other via X2-U interfaces 120.

[0021] In an LTE MN with an NR SN in an EN-DC deployment, both the LTE MN and NR SN can configure one or more Measurement Objects (MOs) to the UE via, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In EN-DC, only per FR1 MG or per UE MG can be configured from the LTE MN, and only per FR2 MG can be configured from the NR SN. Therefore, certain operational scenarios can introduce uncertainty regarding whether inter-RAT measurements will be performed within or outside the MG.

[0022] In the first exemplary scenario, when the UE only has per-UE MG capability, the LTE MN is configured on the RAT inter-MO on the NR serving component carrier (CC) (e.g., NR primary and secondary CC (PSCC) or secondary CC (SCC)) in FR1 or FR2. For example, Figure 2 A first exemplary scenario 200 is illustrated, showing an LTE primary cell (PCC) (shown as LTE PCC 202) in frequency layer 1 and an NR PSCC 204 in frequency layer 2. In the illustrated example, the primary cell (PCell) (i.e., the LTE MN) is configured with an inter-RAT NR MO in the presence of an MG. However, the LTE MN is unaware of the current active BWP 206 of the NR serving cell on the NR serving CC (e.g., Figure 2 (See NR PSCC 204 shown). This may occur because, for example, the communication between the MN and SN in the active BWP 206 is switched or configured more dynamically compared to that in the MR-DC. Therefore, even if the LTE MN knows that the configured NR MO is on the serving CC, whether the target SSB 208 on the NR PSCC 204 is within or outside the active BWP 206 will also determine whether the MG is needed.

[0023] like Figure 2 As illustrated in the example, when the LTE MN is configured with an inter-RAT MO with or without an MG, if the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO, and the UE determines that the target SSB is within the active BWP of its NR serving CC, the UE may not be able to determine whether to perform the inter-RAT measurement within or outside the MG.

[0024] For example, Figure 3A Case 300a, showing complete overlap according to certain embodiments, is illustrated, and Figure 3B The case of partial overlap 300b is shown. In the case of complete overlap 300a, the SMTC duration / period and measurement interval repetition period (MGRP) are configured such that the SSB of the target MO is in the MG timing.

[0025] In the case of partial overlap 300b, some SSBs of the target MO are located within the MG timing, while others are located outside the MG timing. Figure 3B An example is shown where the periodicity of the SMTC (shown as 20 ms) is half the duration of the MGRP (shown as 40 ms), making one of the two SMTCs unusable for measuring the SSB of the target MO.

[0026] In other cases of the first exemplary scenario, the LTE MN configures inter-RAT MO without an MG. However, if the target SSB is not within the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE requires an MG to perform inter-RAT measurements. If an MG is not configured in such cases, the UE does not know how to perform measurements.

[0027] In the second exemplary scenario, when the UE only has per-UE MG capability, the LTE MN is configured with an inter-AT MO on a non-serving NR CC (e.g., an NR CC other than the NR PSCC or SCC) in FR1 or FR2. However, the LTE MN is unaware of the current active BWP of the NR serving cell on any NR serving CC. Therefore, even if the LTE MN knows that the configured NR MO is on a non-serving CC, whether the target SSB is within the active BWP of a particular NR CC will determine whether an MG is needed. When the LTE MN configures an inter-AT MO on a non-serving NR CC with or without an MG, if the MG and the target MO's SSB partially overlap (e.g., MGRP = 40ms and the SSB's SMTC = 20ms), and if the UE determines that the target SSB is within the active BWP of one of its NR serving CCs, the UE may not be able to determine whether to perform the inter-AT measurement within or outside the MG.

[0028] In the third exemplary scenario, the LTE MN is configured with an inter-AT MO on the NR serving CC in FR2, and the UE supports per FR MG. In this scenario, the active BWP on the NR serving cell is unknown or not updated to the LTE MN in a timely manner. However, if the LTE MN is configured with this inter-AT MO without an MG, the SN can decide whether FR2MG is needed because the SN knows the active BWP.

[0029] In the fourth exemplary scenario, the LTE MN is configured with an inter-AT MO on the NR non-serving CC in FR2, and the UE supports per FR MG. In this scenario, the active BWP on the NR serving cell is unknown or not updated to the LTE MN in a timely manner. However, if the LTE MN is configured with this inter-AT MO without an MG, the SN can decide whether FR2MG is needed because the SN knows the active BWP.

[0030] Therefore, some implementations of this paper provide solutions for a first exemplary scenario and a second exemplary scenario for performing RAT measurements.

[0031] In some implementations of the first exemplary scenario, the UE determines whether the LTE MN configures one or more inter-RAT MOs with or without an MG. When the LTE MN configures one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC with an MG, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the NR serving CC based on whether the MG completely or partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO in the one or more inter-RAT MOs. When the LTE MN configures one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC without an MG, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the NR serving CC based on whether the target SSB of the target MO is within or outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC.

[0032] As described above, in the first exemplary scenario, when the UE only has per-UE MG capability, the LTE MN is configured with an inter-AT MO on the NR serving CC (e.g., NR PSCC or SCC) in FR1 or FR2. However, the LTE MN is unaware of the current active BWP of the NR serving cell on the NR serving CC (e.g., the active BWP is more dynamically switched or configured compared to communication between the MN and SN in MR-DC). In some implementations, when the LTE MN configures an inter-AT MO with or without an MG, if the SSBs of the MG and the target MO completely overlap (i.e., all SSBs of the target MO are present in the MG), the UE performs an inter-AT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, regardless of whether the active BWP can contain the target SSB of the target MO.

[0033] In one implementation of the first exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN is configured with an inter-RAT MO with an MG (or always has an MG), if the MG and the target MO's SSBs partially overlap (i.e., some SSBs of the target MO are in the MG timing while others are outside the MG timing), the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR service CC, regardless of whether the active BWP can contain the target MO's target SSBs.

[0034] In another implementation of the first exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN configures an inter-RAT MO with an MG (or always has an MG), if the SSB of the MG and the target MO partially overlap, the network (e.g., the LTE MN) sends an instruction to the UE to perform an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, or causes the UE to determine whether to perform an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC. If the instruction from the network is for the UE to perform an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, regardless of whether the active BWP can contain the target SSB of the target MO. However, if the instruction from the network is for the UE to determine whether to perform an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, then if the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, and if the target SSB of the target MO is inside the active BWP of the serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement outside the MG on the NR serving CC.

[0035] In another implementation of the first exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN is configured with an inter-RAT MO with an MG (or always has an MG), if the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the serving CC, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, and if the target SSB of the target MO is inside the active BWP of the serving CC, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement outside the MG on the NR serving CC.

[0036] In some implementations of the first exemplary scenario, the network avoids the situation where the SSBs of the MG and the target MO do not overlap at all (i.e., no SSB of the target MO is located in the MG timing).

[0037] In some implementations of the first exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN configures one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC without an MG, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the NR serving CC based on whether the target SSB of the target MO is within or outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC. If the active BWP of the serving CC can contain the target SSB, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements directly on that NR serving CC. However, if the target SSB is outside the active BWP of the serving CC, the UE requests MG configuration from the LTE MN (PCell). For example, the UE can send RRC, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, or Physical (PHY) layer signaling or indication to the LTE PCell to request MG configuration. The signaling or indication from the UE can indicate the MO index to the LTE PCell that requires MG configuration. After receiving the request from the UE, the network can configure the MG for the UE. Then, when the LTE MN configures the inter-RAT MO with an MG, the UE can perform inter-RAT measurements using one of the implementations discussed above for the first exemplary scenario.

[0038] As described above, in the second exemplary scenario, when the UE only has per-UE MG capability, the LTE MN is configured with an inter-AT MO on an NR non-serving CC (an NR CC other than the NR PSCC or SCC) in FR1 or FR2. However, the LTE MN is unaware of the current active BWP of the NR serving cell on any NR serving CC. In some implementations, when the LTE MN configures an inter-AT MO on a non-serving NR CC with an MG (or always having an MG), if the MG and the target MO's SSB completely overlap (i.e., all SSBs of the target MO are present in the MG), the UE performs an inter-AT measurement within the MG on that non-serving NR CC, regardless of whether an active BWP on a NR serving CC can contain the target SSB of the target MO.

[0039] In one implementation of the second exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN is configured with an inter-RAT MO with an MG (or always has an MG), if the MG and the target MO's SSBs partially overlap (i.e., some SSBs of the target MO are in the MG timing while others are outside the MG timing), the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active BWP can contain the target MO's target SSBs.

[0040] In another implementation of the second exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN configures an inter-RAT MO with an MG (or always has an MG), if the SSB of the MG and the target MO partially overlap, the network (e.g., the LTE MN) sends an instruction to the UE to perform an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within the MG, or causes the UE to determine whether to perform an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within the MG. If the instruction from the network is for the UE to perform an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within the MG, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, regardless of whether an active BWP on a serving NR CC may contain the target SSB of the target MO. However, if the instruction from the network is for the UE to determine whether to perform an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within the MG, then if the target SSB of the target MO is not within an active BWP of any serving NR CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, and if the target SSB of the target MO is within an active BWP of a serving NR CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC outside the MG.

[0041] In another implementation of the second exemplary scenario, when the LTE MN is configured with an inter-RAT MO with an MG (or always has an MG), if the target SSB of the target MO is not within the active BWP of any NR serving CC, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within the MG, and if the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of an NR serving CC, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC outside the MG.

[0042] In some implementations of the second exemplary scenario, the network avoids the situation where the SSBs of the MG and the target MO do not overlap at all (i.e., no SSB of the target MO is located in the MG timing).

[0043] Figure 4This is a flowchart of a method 400 for a UE according to one embodiment. Method 400 may be performed, for example, by the UE described herein or a component of the UE (e.g., one or more baseband processors). In block 402, the UE connects to the master node (MN) in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-New Radio Interface (NR) Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) mode. In block 404, the UE processes a message from the MN to configure one or more inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) Measurement Objects (MOs) on the NR Serving Component Carrier (CC). In block 406, the UE determines whether the message configures one or more inter-RAT MOs with or without a Measurement Gaps (MG). In block 408, when the message configures one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR Serving CC with an MG, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the NR Serving CC based on whether the MG fully or partially overlaps with the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) of the target MO in one or more inter-RAT MOs. In box 410, when a message is configured on one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC without having an MG, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the NR serving CC based on whether the target SSB of the target MO is within or outside the active bandwidth portion (BWP) of the NR serving CC.

[0044] In one implementation of method 400, when the MG and the SSB of the target MO completely overlap, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active BWP contains the SSB of the target MO.

[0045] In one implementation of method 400, when the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active BWP contains the target SSB of the target MO.

[0046] In one embodiment of method 400, when the SSB of the MG partially overlaps with that of the target MO, the UE receives an instruction from the MN to perform an inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within the MG. In response to the instruction, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active BWP contains the target SSB of the target MO.

[0047] In one embodiment of method 400, when the SSB of the MG and the target MO partially overlap, the UE receives an indication from the MN to determine whether to perform an inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within or outside the MG. In response to this indication, when the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC within the MG; and when the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the NR serving CC outside the MG.

[0048] In one embodiment of method 400, when the SSB of the MG partially overlaps with that of the target MO, when the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR serving CC, and when the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement outside the MG on the NR serving CC.

[0049] In one implementation of method 400, when a message is configured on one or more RAT-to-MOs on the NR serving CC without an MG, and when the target SSB is within the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE performs the RAT-to-MO directly on the NR serving CC.

[0050] In one implementation of method 400, when a message is configured on one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC without an MG, and when the target SSB is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, the UE sends an indication to the E-UTRA primary cell (PCell) to request MG configuration, the indication including the MO index corresponding to the target MO to be configured in the presence of an MG.

[0051] Figure 5This is a flowchart of a method 500 for a UE according to one embodiment. Method 500 may be performed, for example, by the UE described herein or a component of the UE (e.g., one or more baseband processors). In block 502, the UE connects to the master node (MN) in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-New Radio Interface (NR) Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) mode. In block 504, the UE processes messages from the MN to configure inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurement objects (MOs) on one or more radio access technologies (RATs) on a non-serving NR component carrier (CC) with a measurement gap (MG). In block 506, the UE determines whether the MG completely or partially overlaps with the synchronization signal block (SSB) of the target MO in one or more inter-RAT MOs on the non-serving NR CC. In block 508, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC based on whether the MG completely or partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO.

[0052] In one implementation of method 500, when the SSB of the MG and the target MO completely overlap, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active bandwidth portion (BWP) on a serving NR CC contains the SSB of the target MO.

[0053] In one implementation of method 500, when the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO, the UE performs an inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active bandwidth portion (BWP) contains the target SSB of the target MO.

[0054] In one embodiment of method 500, when the SSB of the MG and the target MO partially overlap, the UE receives an instruction from the MN to perform an inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG. In response to the instruction, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, regardless of whether the active bandwidth portion (BWP) on a serving NR CC contains the target SSB of the target MO.

[0055] In one embodiment of method 500, when the SSB of the MG and the target MO partially overlap, the UE receives an indication from the MN to determine whether to perform an inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within or outside the MG. In response to this indication, if the target SSB of the target MO is not within the active bandwidth portion (BWP) of any NR serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC within the MG; and if the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of an NR serving CC, the UE performs the inter-RAT measurement on a non-serving NR CC outside the MG.

[0056] In one embodiment of method 500, when the SSB of the MG and the target MO partially overlap, when the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active bandwidth portion (BWP) of the non-serving NR CC, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the non-serving NR CC within the MG, and when the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the non-serving NR CC, the UE performs inter-RAT measurements on the non-serving NR CC outside the MG.

[0057] Figure 6 Examples of infrastructure equipment 600 according to various implementation schemes are shown. Infrastructure equipment 600 may be implemented as a base station, radio head unit, RAN node, AN, application server, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, infrastructure equipment 600 may be in or implemented by a UE.

[0058] Infrastructure equipment 600 includes application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, one or more radio front-end modules 606 (RFEM), memory circuitry 608, a power management integrated circuit (shown as PMIC 610), a power tee circuitry 612, network controller circuitry 614, a network interface connector 620, satellite positioning circuitry 616, and user interface circuitry 618. In some embodiments, infrastructure equipment 600 may include additional components such as memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, these components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, or other similar specific implementations. Application circuitry 602 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: low-dropout regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I... 2The application circuit 602 may include a C or general-purpose programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter including an interval timer and a watchdog timer, general-purpose input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a Secure Digital (SD) Multimedia Card (MMC) or similar, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interface, and a Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 602 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the infrastructure apparatus 600. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be on-chip memory circuitry that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0059] The processor of application circuit 602 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC machine (ARM) processors, one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuit 602 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to the various embodiments described herein. As an example, the processor of application circuit 602 may include one or more Intel processors. or Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processors; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium™, Inc. MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some implementations, the infrastructure equipment 600 may not utilize the application circuitry 602 and may instead include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from the EPC or 5GC.

[0060] In some embodiments, application circuitry 602 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. These hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, programmable processing devices may be one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs), such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and so on. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 602 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, and other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as procedures, methods, functions, etc., of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 602 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), fuses, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc., in lookup tables (LUTs). Baseband circuitry 604 may be implemented, for example, as a soldered substrate comprising one or more integrated circuits, a single-package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0061] User interface circuitry 618 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with infrastructure equipment 600 or peripheral component interfaces, wherein the peripheral component interfaces are designed to enable peripheral components to interact with infrastructure equipment 600. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, universal serial bus (USB) ports, audio jacks, power interfaces, etc.

[0062] Radio front-end module 606 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) radio front-end module (RFEM) and one or more sub-millimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some embodiments, the one or more sub-millimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may include connectors to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In another embodiment, both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functions may be implemented in the same physical radio front-end module 606 that combines both millimeter-wave antennas and sub-millimeter-wave components.

[0063] The memory circuit 608 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); non-volatile memory (NVM) including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "flash memory"); phase-change random access memory (PRAM); magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM); and may be combined with and A three-dimensional (3D) XPOINT memory. The memory circuit 608 can be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and an insertable memory card.

[0064] The PMIC 610 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as batteries or capacitors. The power alarm detection circuit can detect one or more of a power outage (undervoltage) and a power surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 612 can provide power drawn from the network cable to provide both power and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 600 using a single cable.

[0065] Network controller circuitry 614 may provide connectivity to a network using standard network interface protocols such as Ethernet, GRE-tunneled Ethernet, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based Ethernet, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from infrastructure equipment 600 via a physical connection via network interface connector 620; this physical connection may be an electrical connection (typically referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. Network controller circuitry 614 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, network controller circuitry 614 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0066] Positioning circuit 616 includes circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcast by a positioning network of a global navigation satellite system (or GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's GLONASS, the European Union's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation NAVIC, Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler orbit chart and satellite integrated radio positioning (DORIS), etc.). Positioning circuit 616 includes various hardware components (e.g., hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc., for facilitating OTA communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, positioning circuit 616 may include a micro-technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing, which performs position tracking / estimation using a master timing clock in the absence of GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 616 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 604 and / or the radio front-end module 606 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 616 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 602, which can use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures, etc. Figure 6 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuitry, which may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended (PCix), PCI Express (PCie), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems, such as I... 2 Interfaces include C-type interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface, and power bus, etc.

[0067] Figure 7Example components of device 700 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, device 700 may include at least application circuitry 706, baseband circuitry 704, radio frequency (RF) circuitry (shown as RF circuitry 702), front-end module (FEM) circuitry (shown as FEM circuitry 732), one or more antennas 730, and power management circuitry (PMC) (shown as PMC 734) coupled together as shown. Components of the illustrated device 700 may be included in a UE or RAN node. In some embodiments, device 700 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 706, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 700 may include additional components such as memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0068] Application circuitry 706 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 706 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). These processors may be coupled to or may include memory / storage devices and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 700. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 706 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0069] Baseband circuitry 704 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 704 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 702 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 702. Baseband circuitry 704 may interact with application circuitry 706 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 702. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 704 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor (3G baseband processor 708), a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor (4G baseband processor 710), a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor (5G baseband processor 712), or other existing, under development, or future generations (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.) baseband processor 714. Baseband circuitry 704 (e.g., one or more processors in the baseband processor suite) may handle various radio control functions capable of communicating with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 702. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the illustrated baseband processor may be included in modules stored in memory 720 and executed via a central processing unit (CPU 716). Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 704 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 704 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Implementations of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0070] In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 704 may include a digital signal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSPs 718. The audio DSP 718 may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuit may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all components of the baseband circuit 704 and the application circuit 706 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0071] In some implementations, baseband circuit 704 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 704 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 704 is configured to support radio communication with more than one radio protocol may be referred to as multimode baseband circuits.

[0072] RF circuit 702 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 702 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 702 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 732 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 704. RF circuit 702 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 704 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 732.

[0073] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 702 may include mixer circuit 722, amplifier circuit 724, and filter circuit 726. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 702 may include filter circuit 726 and mixer circuit 722. RF circuit 702 may also include synthesizer circuit 728 for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 722 for the receive signal path and / or transmit signal path. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 722 of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 732 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 728. Amplifier circuit 724 may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 726 may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 704 for further processing. In some embodiments, although not required, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 722 for receiving the signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0074] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 722 of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 728 to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 732. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 704 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 726.

[0075] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 722 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 722 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 722 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 722 for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 722 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 722 may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 722 for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 722 for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0076] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 702 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuit 704 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with RF circuit 702.

[0077] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits can be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0078] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 728 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 728 may be a Δ-∑ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0079] The synthesizer circuit 728 can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 722 of the RF circuit 702. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 728 may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0080] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not mandatory. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuitry 704 or the application circuitry 706 (such as an application processor) according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuitry 706.

[0081] The synthesizer circuit 728 of the RF circuit 702 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0082] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 728 may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and may be used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at that carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 702 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0083] FEM circuit 732 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 730, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 702 for further processing. FEM circuit 732 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 702 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 730. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 702, only in FEM circuit 732, or in both RF circuit 702 and FEM circuit 732.

[0084] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 732 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. FEM circuit 732 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 732 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., provided to RF circuit 702). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 732 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify the input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 702), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 730).

[0085] In some implementations, the PMC 734 can manage the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 704. Specifically, the PMC 734 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 734 is typically included when the device 700 can be powered by a battery, for example, when the device 700 is included in a UE. The PMC 734 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0086] Figure 7 The PMC 734 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 704. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 734 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 706, the RF circuit 702, or the FEM circuit 732) and perform similar power management operations for those components.

[0087] In some implementations, the PMC 734 may control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the device 700. For example, if the device 700 is in the RRC_Connected state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, it may enter a state called Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 700 may be powered down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0088] If there is no data traffic activity during the extended period, device 700 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 700 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network, and then powers off again. Device 700 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, the device must transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0089] An additional power-saving mode allows the device to be unavailable from the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (ranging from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0090] The processors of application circuitry 706 and baseband circuitry 704 are elements that can be used to execute one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuitry 704 can be used alone or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of application circuitry 706 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0091] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a component 800, according to some exemplary embodiments, capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and capable of executing any or more of the methods discussed herein. Specifically, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of hardware resource 802 is shown, which includes one or more processors 806 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 814, and one or more communication resources 824, each of which is communicatively connected via bus 816. In an implementation utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 822 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices utilizing hardware resource 802.

[0092] Processor 806 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 808 and processor 810.

[0093] The memory / storage device 814 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 814 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0094] Communication resource 824 may include interconnection devices or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 804 or one or more databases 820 via network 818. For example, communication resource 824 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, etc. Components (e.g.) (low power consumption) Components and other communication components.

[0095] Instruction 812 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least one processor in processor 806 to perform any or more of the methods discussed herein. Instruction 812 may be wholly or partially pre-occupied within processor 806 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), memory / storage device 814, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instruction 812 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 804 or database 820 to hardware resource 802. Therefore, the memory of processor 806, memory / storage device 814, peripheral device 804, and database 820 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0096] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods described in the Embodiments section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples below. As another example, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the Examples section below.

[0097] The following examples relate to other implementation schemes.

[0098] Example 1 may include an apparatus comprising one or more elements for performing any of the above embodiments or the methods or any other methods or processes described herein.

[0099] Embodiment 2 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the method or any other method or process described herein, as described in any of the above embodiments or associated with it.

[0100] Example 3 may include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the methods described or associated with any of the above embodiments or any other methods or processes described herein.

[0101] Example 4 may include any method, technique, or process, or part or component thereof, that is described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0102] Example 5 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process or part thereof as described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0103] Example 6 may include any signal or part or component thereof that is described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0104] Embodiment 7 may include datagrams, packets, frames, segments, protocol data units (PDUs) or messages or parts or components thereof as described in or associated with any of the above embodiments, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0105] Embodiment 8 may include a data-encoded signal or part or component thereof that is in or associated with any of the above embodiments, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0106] Embodiment 9 may include signals or portions or components thereof encoded as datagrams, packets, frames, segments, PDUs or messages in any of the above embodiments or in connection with them, or otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0107] Example 10 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform any of the above embodiments or related methods, techniques or processes or portions thereof.

[0108] Example 11 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, as described or associated with any of the above embodiments.

[0109] Example 12 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0110] Example 13 may include methods for communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0111] Example 14 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0112] Example 15 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0113] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0114] Implementations and specific embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components, including specific logical components for performing the operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0115] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of another implementation.

[0116] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0117] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: processor; and The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the UE to: Connect to the master node MN in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA-New Radio) dual-connectivity EN-DC mode; The UE processes messages from the MN to configure one or more Radio Access Technology (RAT) inter-measurement objects (MOs) on the NR serving component carrier CC. Determine whether the message configures the one or more RAT intervals MO with or without a measurement gap MG; When the message is configured on the NR service CC with the MG, the inter-RAT measurement is performed on the NR service CC based on whether the MG completely or partially overlaps with the synchronization signal block SSB of the target MO in the one or more inter-RAT MOs; When the message is configured with one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR service CC without the MG, the inter-RAT measurement is performed on the NR service CC based on whether the target SSB of the target MO is within or outside the active bandwidth portion (BWP) of the NR service CC; and When the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO: When the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC; and When the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT inter-measurement is performed outside the MG on the NR service CC.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein when the MG and the SSB of the target MO completely overlap, the inter-RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC, regardless of whether the active BWP includes the SSB of the target MO.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein when the MG and the SSB of the target MO partially overlap: Receive an instruction from the MN for the UE to perform the inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR service CC; and In response to the instruction, the RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC, regardless of whether the active BWP includes the target SSB of the target MO.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein when the MG and the SSB of the target MO partially overlap: The UE receives an instruction from the MN to determine whether to perform the inter-RAT measurement on the NR service CC within or outside the MG; and In response to the instruction: When the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC; and When the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT inter-measurement is performed outside the MG on the NR service CC.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein when the message is configured in the one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR service CC without the MG, and when the target SSB is within the active BWP of the NR service CC, the inter-RAT measurement is performed directly on the NR service CC without the MG.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein when the message is configured for one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC without the MG, and when the target SSB is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, an indication is sent to the E-UTRA primary cell PCel to request MG configuration, the indication including an MO index corresponding to the target MO to be configured in the presence of the MG.

7. A method for user equipment (UE), comprising: Connect to the master node MN in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA-New Radio) dual-connectivity EN-DC mode; The UE processes messages from the MN to configure one or more Radio Access Technology (RAT) inter-measurement objects (MOs) on the NR serving component carrier CC. Determine whether the message configures the one or more RAT intervals MO with or without a measurement gap MG; When the message is configured on the NR service CC with the MG, the inter-RAT measurement is performed on the NR service CC based on whether the MG completely or partially overlaps with the synchronization signal block SSB of the target MO in the one or more inter-RAT MOs; When the message is configured with one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR service CC without the MG, the inter-RAT measurement is performed on the NR service CC based on whether the target SSB of the target MO is within or outside the active bandwidth portion (BWP) of the NR service CC; and When the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO: When the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC; and When the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT inter-measurement is performed outside the MG on the NR service CC.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein when the MG completely overlaps with the SSB of the target MO, the inter-RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC, regardless of whether the active BWP includes the SSB of the target MO.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein when the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO: Receive an instruction from the MN for the UE to perform the inter-RAT measurement within the MG on the NR service CC; and In response to the instruction, the RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC, regardless of whether the active BWP includes the target SSB of the target MO.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein when the MG partially overlaps with the SSB of the target MO: The UE receives an instruction from the MN to determine whether to perform the inter-RAT measurement on the NR service CC within or outside the MG; and In response to the instruction: When the target SSB of the target MO is outside the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT measurement is performed within the MG on the NR service CC; and When the target SSB of the target MO is within the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT inter-measurement is performed outside the MG on the NR service CC.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein when the message is configured in the one or more RAT-to-MO on the NR service CC without the MG, and when the target SSB is within the active BWP of the NR service CC, the RAT-to-MO measurement is performed directly on the NR service CC without the MG.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein when the message is configured for the one or more inter-RAT MOs on the NR serving CC without the MG, and when the target SSB is outside the active BWP of the NR serving CC, an indication is sent to the E-UTRA primary cell PCell to request MG configuration, the indication including an MO index corresponding to the target MO to be configured with the MG.

13. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network device, cause the processor to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

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