Apparatus, method for a user equipment, user equipment and method for a network element

Abstract

An apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a processor circuit configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to encode a message for transmission to a network (NW), the message including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of whether the UE supports concurrent measurement gap (MG) patterns, and transmit the message to the NW.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatus, methods for user equipment, user equipment, and methods for network elements. Background Technology

[0002] To facilitate a smooth network transition with high Quality of Experience (QoE) (e.g., cell handover, redirection, reselection, etc.), user equipment (UE) must have the ability to measure surrounding cells and provide relevant data to the network (NW). When the UE cannot simultaneously transmit / receive on the serving cell to measure the target frequency, the UE may require a measurement gap (MG) to perform the measurement. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One aspect of this disclosure relates primarily to apparatus, methods for user equipment, user equipment, and methods for network elements.

[0004] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus may include processor circuitry configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to: encode a message for transmission to a network (NW), the message including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of whether the UE supports concurrent measurement gap (MG) mode; and transmit the message to the NW.

[0005] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a method for a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method may include: encoding a message for transmission to a network (NW), the message including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of concurrent first measurement gap (MG) mode and second MG mode supported by the UE, wherein the first MG mode is independent of the second MG mode; and transmitting the message to the NW.

[0006] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE may include processor circuitry configured to cause the UE to perform any of the methods described above.

[0007] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, an apparatus for operating user equipment (UE) is provided. The apparatus may include processor circuitry configured to cause the UE to perform any of the methods described above.

[0008] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a method for a network element is provided. The method may include: receiving from a user equipment (UE) a message including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of concurrent measurement gap (MG) modes; determining an associated MG mode from these concurrent MG modes for each measurement target among the UE's measurement targets; encoding a message for transmission to the UE, the message including measurement target information including indications of these measurement targets and associated MG modes; and transmitting the message to the UE.

[0009] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. This non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can store program instructions, which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform any of the methods described above.

[0010] According to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product may include program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the methods described above. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The above and other aspects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of this disclosure by way of example. Note that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0012] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 A base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE) device according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a BS according to some implementation schemes is shown;

[0016] Figure 5 An exemplary block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments is shown;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for a UE according to some implementation schemes;

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for a UE according to some implementation schemes;

[0019] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for an NW element according to some implementation schemes;

[0020] Figure 9 The standard MG mode schemes for different measurement types are shown;

[0021] Figure 10 One aspect of an exemplary possible concurrent MG mode scheme for different measurement types is shown according to some implementation schemes;

[0022] Figure 11 The following are examples of standard MG mode schemes with different configurations for the same measurement type.

[0023] Figure 12 An exemplary aspect of a possible concurrent MG mode scheme with different configurations for the same measurement type according to some implementations is shown;

[0024] Figure 13 This illustrates one aspect of an exemplary possible concurrent MG mode scheme according to some implementations for different measurement types and different configurations for the same measurement type; and

[0025] Figure 14 An exemplary possible concurrent MG pattern scheme is shown according to some implementations, which has a concurrent MG pattern that conflicts with another concurrent MG pattern.

[0026] While the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but rather are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Exemplary terms

[0028] For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply to the examples and implementations discussed herein, but are not intended to be restrictive.

[0029] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes the following: hardware components such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and / or memories (shared, dedicated, or grouped), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, or programmable SoCs), digital signal processors (DSPs), etc. In some embodiments, a circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the said functions. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and program code for performing the functions (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0030] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" means, is part of, or includes the following: a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, and / or transmitting digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, and / or functional procedures). The terms "application circuit" and / or "baseband circuit" may be considered synonymous with "processor circuit" and may be referred to as "processor circuit".

[0031] As used herein, the term "User Equipment" (UE) (or "UE device") means, is a part of, or includes any of the following: mobile or portable computer systems or devices that 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), personal digital assistants, 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 as any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is portable to the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0032] The term "base station" has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0033] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment and / or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with and / or referred to as network equipment, networked computers, network hardware, network gear, network nodes, routers, switches, hubs, bridges, radio network controllers, RAN equipment, RAN nodes, gateways, servers, virtualized VNFs, NFVIs, etc. The term "base station" may be considered synonymous with "network element" and may be referred to as such.

[0034] As used herein, the term "computer system" means any type of interconnected electronic device, computer device, or component thereof. Additionally, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to the various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0035] The term “band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0036] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having" a "structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can also be a broad expression generally meaning a structure that "has" a "circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0037] The phrases “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” etc., may refer to the same or different embodiments. Unless the context otherwise specifies, the terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous. The phrase “A and / or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). The phrases “A / B” and “A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B), similar to the phrase “A and / or B.” For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “at least one of A and B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). The description may use the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and / or “in various embodiments,” all of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” etc., used with respect to embodiments of this disclosure are synonymous.

[0038] In the following detailed description, several specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the described exemplary embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments can be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other exemplary embodiments, well-known structural or process steps have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of this disclosure.

[0039] Communication system

[0040] Figure 1 A simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0041] As shown in the figure, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N, etc., via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0042] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”) and may include hardware for implementing wireless communication with UE 106A to UE 106N.

[0043] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-A Advanced, 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE environment, its alternative location can be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, its alternative location can be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0044] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A can facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various communication capabilities such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0045] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0046] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1 The diagram shows the "serving cell" of UEs 106A-N, but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing service area size. For example, in Figure 1 Base stations 102A-B shown can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0047] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, the gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating under 5G NR conditions may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. For example, base station 102A and one or more other base stations 102 may support joint transmission, enabling UE 106 to receive transmissions from multiple base stations (and / or multiple TRPs provided by the same base station).

[0048] It should be noted that UE 106 can communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.), UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., Advanced Television Systems Committee—Mobile / Handheld (ATSC-M / H)) and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0049] Figure 2 User equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 is shown according to some embodiments. UE 106 can be a cellular communication-capable device, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer, laptop, tablet, smartwatch, or other wearable device, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0050] UE 106 may include a processor (processing element) configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments of the present invention by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include any of the programmable hardware elements, such as any of the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), integrated circuits, and / or various other possible hardware components configured to perform (e.g., individually or in combination) any of or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0051] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, NR or LTE using at least some shared radio components. As an additional possibility, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Typically, the radio components may include any combination of baseband processors, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio components may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains.

[0052] For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among various wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0053] In some implementations, UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or, in various possibilities, either LTE or 1xRTT, or either LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0054] UE block diagram

[0055] Figure 3 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to the implementation, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. This set of components 300 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.

[0056] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with or external to communication device 106, and wireless communication circuitry 330 (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, NR, UMTS, GSM, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.). In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card for Ethernet, for example.

[0057] The wireless communication circuit 330 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as one or more antennas 335 as shown in the figure. The wireless communication circuit 330 may include cellular communication circuitry and / or medium-to-short-range wireless communication circuitry, and may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0058] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more receive chains of multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communication ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT (e.g., LTE) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with a second radio component. A second radio component may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0059] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include any of a variety of components such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other components capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0060] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (one or more general purpose integrated circuit cards) 345.

[0061] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor executes program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuit performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310), and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices, such as the display circuit 304, wireless communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0062] As described above, communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 302 of communication device 106, in conjunction with one or more of other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 330, 340, 345, 350, and 360, may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0063] Furthermore, as described in this invention, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 302.

[0064] Furthermore, as described herein, the wireless communication circuit 330 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the wireless communication circuit 330. Therefore, the wireless communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the wireless communication circuit 330. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the wireless communication circuit 330.

[0065] Block diagram of a base station

[0066] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 4 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include a processor 404 capable of executing program instructions specific to base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 or other circuitry or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450).

[0067] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access rights as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The telephone network described herein includes multiple devices such as UE device 106.

[0068] Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide the telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0069] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0070] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434 and possibly multiple antennas. At least one antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a radio transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0071] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some cases, base station 102 may include multiple radios that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and LTE, 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0072] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, and 470, the processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the implementations of the features described herein.

[0073] Furthermore, as described in this invention, one or more processors 404 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of one or more processors 404.

[0074] Furthermore, as described in this invention, the radio component 430 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, the radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 430. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the radio component 430.

[0075] Block diagram of cellular communication circuit

[0076] Figure 5 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit according to some embodiments is shown. It should be noted that... Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of possible cellular communication circuits; other circuits, such as those including or coupled to sufficient antennas for different RATs to perform uplink activities using independent antennas, or those including or coupled to fewer antennas, such as those that can be shared among multiple RATs, are also possible. According to some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As mentioned above, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of these devices.

[0077] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335a-b and 336 as shown in the figure. In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to dedicated processors and / or radio components (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a first modem 510 and a second modem 520. The first modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the second modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0078] As shown, the first modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 communicating with the processors 512. The modem 510 may communicate with a radio frequency (RF) front-end 530. The RF front-end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front-end 530 may include a receiver circuit (RX) 532 and a transmitter circuit (TX) 534. In some embodiments, the receiver circuitry 532 may communicate with a downlink (DL) front-end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via an antenna 335a.

[0079] Similarly, the second modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 communicating with the processors 522. The modem 520 may communicate with an RF front-end 540. The RF front-end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front-end 540 may include receiving circuitry 542 and transmitting circuitry 544. In some embodiments, the receiving circuitry 542 may communicate with a DL front-end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via an antenna 335b.

[0080] In some implementations, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front-end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 544 to UL front-end 572. UL front-end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by a first modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state allowing the first modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 534 and UL front-end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by a second modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state allowing the second modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 544 and UL front-end 572).

[0081] As described herein, the first modem 510 and / or the second modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing any of the various features and techniques described herein. For example, processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processors 512, 522 may be configured as programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). Alternatively (or in addition), processors 512, 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining with one or more of other components 530, 532, 534, 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336.

[0082] Furthermore, as described herein, processors 512 and 522 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processors 512 and 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processors 512 and 522. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 512 and 522.

[0083] In some implementations, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include only one transmit / receive chain. For example, the cellular communication circuit 330 may not include modem 520, RF front-end 540, DL front-end 560, and / or antenna 335b. As another example, the cellular communication circuit 330 may not include modem 510, RF front-end 530, DL front-end 550, and / or antenna 335a. In some implementations, the cellular communication circuit 330 may also not include switch 570, and RF front-end 530 or RF front-end 540 may communicate with UL front-end 572, for example, through direct communication.

[0084] Exemplary possible concurrent MG pattern scheme

[0085] In other respects, the embodiments described herein relate to measurement gaps for New Radio (NR) systems. Embodiments of this disclosure can be used in conjunction with measurements performed by the UE, including intra-frequency and inter-frequency radio resource management (RRM) measurements. Embodiments of this disclosure can be utilized in conjunction with messages transmitted and / or received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling between the UE and network elements (e.g., BS).

[0086] According to embodiments of this disclosure, concurrent MG modes can be configured by the NW for the UE in response to the UE supporting concurrent MG modes. As used herein, the term "concurrent MG mode" refers to multiple MG modes configured for a UE to perform one or more measurements within the same time period. The UE is configured with multiple concurrent MG modes within the same time period, and these MG modes are independent of each other. Any two concurrent MG modes among the multiple concurrent MG modes may have different mode configurations or have the same mode configuration, including measurement gap length (MGL), measurement gap repetition period (MGRP), measurement gap timing lead (MGTA), gap offset configuration, etc. The UE may use one of the concurrent MG modes to perform one measurement and another of the concurrent MG modes to perform another measurement, or it may use one or more of the concurrent MG modes to perform a single measurement, or it may use one of the concurrent MG modes to perform one or more measurements.

[0087] Figure 9A typical MG mode scheme for different measurement types is illustrated. The UE operates on carrier f0, or more specifically, on the Active Bandwidth Part (BWP). The UE is configured with three measurement targets, including L3 measurements based on the Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) block (SSB) on carrier f1, L3 measurements based on the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) on carrier f2, and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements for positioning purposes on carrier f3. Because the frequencies of carriers f1, f2, or f3 are different from the frequency of carrier f0, which is where the UE is operating, the UE may require MG to perform measurements on the target carriers f1, f2, and f3, and data transmission and reception on carrier f0 will be suspended during MG.

[0088] Since only one MG mode is configured within a given time period, the UE will use the MG within the same MG mode to measure the three measurement targets. To facilitate measurements performed by the UE, the NW can arrange the measurement targets in the time domain to align them temporally, such as... Figure 9 As shown. The SSB transmission period is TP1 and the duration is TL1, the CSI-RS transmission period is TP2 and the duration is TL2, and the PRS transmission period is TP3 and the duration is TL3. In order to cover all these measurement targets with MGs from a single MG mode, the gap mode for these MGs may need to match the longest transmission period and the shortest duration among these measurement targets. That is, the MG mode configuration may have a relatively long MGL and a relatively short MGRP, which may mean a relatively high MG overhead.

[0089] In the example shown, transmission periodicity TP2 equals TP3 and is three times the transmission periodicity TP1. Within time windows TW1 to TW4, the SSB timing on carrier f1, the CSI-RS timing on carrier f2, and the PRS timing on carrier f3 at least partially overlap within either time window TW1 or TW4. The UE can select a measurement target from SSB, CSI-RS, and PRS to perform measurements within these conflicting time windows. For example, the UE can perform a CSI-RS-based measurement on carrier f2 within TW1 and a PRS measurement on carrier f3 within TW4. For another example, the UE can perform an SSB-based measurement on carrier f1 within TW1, a CSI-RS-based measurement on carrier f2 within TW4, and a PRS measurement on carrier f3 within the next conflicting time window. That is, it may take three times the longest transmission periodicity (i.e., within the time window) before the UE can complete measurements for all three measurement targets. Figure 9(TP2 or TP3 in the example shown). Since only the SSB timing on carrier f1 occurs within the time window TW2 or TW3, the UE can perform SSB-based measurements within TW2 or TW3.

[0090] Figure 10 An example of possible concurrent MG mode schemes for different measurement types is shown according to some implementations. The term "measurement type" or "type of measurement" as used herein may refer to the term "measurement category" as defined in 3GPP specifications (e.g., Table 9.1.4.2-1 in TS 38.133 in some implementations), or may refer to measurements of different signals (including SSB, CSI-RS, PRS, SRS, GNSS, PSBCH, PSSCH, PSCCH for 5G NR, and CRS for LTE). The UE can be configured with different concurrent measurement gap modes to perform different types of measurements. In the example shown, similar to... Figure 9 In the example shown, the UE is operating on carrier f0 and is configured with three measurement targets: SSB-based L3 measurement on carrier f1, CSI-RS-based L3 measurement on carrier f2, and PRS measurement for positioning purposes on carrier f3. Figure 9 Descriptions of identical or similar elements are omitted.

[0091] and Figure 9 The example shown differs; three concurrent and independent MG modes are configured for the UE. The MG from the three concurrent MG modes with a first gap mode is labeled MG1 in the figures. Since the MG labeled MG1 (hereinafter referred to as "MG1" for simplicity) is used for SSB-based measurements, as shown in the figures, the gap mode configuration of MG1 matches the SSB configuration. That is, the MGL of MG1 will cover the SSB duration TL1 (as used herein, "cover" includes the meaning that the reference signal (RS) duration falls entirely within the MG, and the length of the MG is greater than this duration to tune the RF for operation at the target frequency), and the MGRP will correspond to the SSB transmission periodicity TP1. The MG from the three concurrent MG modes labeled MG2 with a second gap mode (hereinafter referred to as "MG2" for simplicity) is used for CSI-RS-based measurements, and subsequently, the MGL of MG2 will cover the CSI-RS duration TL2, and the MGRP of MG2 will correspond to the CSI-RS transmission periodicity TP2. The MG with a third gap mode, labeled MG0, from the three concurrent MG modes (hereinafter referred to as "MG0"), is used for PRS measurement, and subsequently the MGL of MG0 will cover the PRS duration TL3 and the MGRP of MG0 will correspond to the PRS transmission periodicity TP3.

[0092] The corresponding RSs for the three measurement targets can be arranged in the time domain by the NW such that they do not overlap with each other in time. For example, between two RSs with the same transmission periodicity (TP2 equals TP3), the CSI-RS on carrier f2 has a time offset TO2 relative to the PRS on carrier f3. Therefore, the UE can be configured by the NW, for example via RRC signaling, with MG2 having a time offset TO2 relative to MG0. Furthermore, since the SSB on carrier f1 is arranged with a time offset TO1 relative to the PRS on carrier f3, MG1 is configured with a corresponding time offset TO1 relative to MG0. The time offsets TO1 and TO2 can be appropriately configured such that there is a reasonable time interval between any two adjacent signals in the time domain. In the example shown, it will take no significantly longer than the sum of the durations of the SSB, CSI-RS, and PRS to complete the measurement of all three measurement targets within the time window TW1 or TW3. Since only the SSB on carrier f1 exists and there is no CSI-RS or PRS, the MG overhead is lower within the time window TW2.

[0093] Figure 11 A conventional MG mode scheme with different configurations for the same measurement type is illustrated. The UE operates on carrier f0 and is configured with two measurement targets: an SSB-based L3 measurement on carrier f1 and an SSB-based L3 measurement on carrier f2. The SSB on carrier f1 has a periodicity of 40 ms, and the SSB on carrier f2 has a periodicity of 80 ms. There is a 20 ms time offset between the SSB on carrier f1 and the SSB on carrier f2. In this example, a single MG mode with a 20 ms periodicity is configured to cover both the SSB on carrier f1 and the SSB on carrier f2. In this configuration, the gray MG is redundant because the gap does not cover any RS on any carrier. Since the NW does not transmit data to the UE during the MG, the UE cannot communicate data with the NW even if it does not switch to another carrier during this MG but is still operating on carrier f0. Therefore, the time period for the gray MG is neither used for performing measurements nor for communicating data, resulting in waste.

[0094] Figure 12 An exemplary possible concurrent MG mode scheme for different configurations of the same measurement type according to some implementations is shown. Different configurations of the same measurement type can refer to RSs of the same type with different time offsets and / or different periodicities, for example, SSBs in the illustrated example. It should be understood that an RS can be considered as having the same measurement type with different configurations as long as either its time offset or periodicity differs from that of another RS. The UE's operating carrier and the configured measurement target are... Figure 11The same applies to the example shown. The UE can be configured with different concurrent measurement gap modes to perform the same type of measurement, i.e., SSB-based measurements with different configurations in the example shown. For this example, the NW can configure two concurrent MG modes (MG1 with a 40ms period and MG2 with an 80ms period) to cover measurements on both carriers f1 and f2, respectively. It can be seen that this avoids... Figure 11 The wasted time caused by the medium gray MG.

[0095] Figure 13 This illustration shows one aspect of an exemplary possible concurrent MG mode scheme for different measurement types and different configurations of the same measurement type, according to some implementations. The UE can be configured with different concurrent measurement gap modes MG1, MG2, and MG0 to perform measurements, wherein some of these measurements may be of different types and some of these measurements may be of the same type but with different configurations. In the example shown, the UE is operating on carrier f0 and is configured with three measurement targets: SSB-based L3 measurement on carrier f1, SSB-based L3 measurement on carrier f2, and PRS measurement for positioning on carrier f3. The SSB on carrier f1 has a periodicity of 40 ms, and the SSB on carrier f2 has a periodicity of 80 ms. There is a 20 ms time offset between the SSB on carrier f1 and the SSB on carrier f2. MG1, MG2, and MG0 from the three concurrent MG modes can be used to perform measurements on carriers f1, f2, and f3, respectively.

[0096] Although not shown in the figure, it should be understood that multiple measurement targets can be configured on a single carrier. In this case, multiple concurrent MG modes can be configured to perform measurements for different measurement targets using MGs with different gap modes.

[0097] According to embodiments of this disclosure, different MGs from concurrent MG modes may have the same or different configurations, i.e., the same or different time offsets, the same or different MGLs, and the same or different MGRPs. The NW may appropriately determine these configurations to attempt to avoid MG conflicts. However, in some cases, MG conflicts are unavoidable. Figure 14 An exemplary possible concurrent MG mode scheme with a conflicting concurrent MG mode according to some embodiments is shown. In the illustrated example, since the PRS timing on carrier f2 partially overlaps with the SSB timing on carrier f1, the corresponding gray MG1 conflicts with gray MG2 in the time domain. The UE may perform a measurement only once during the time period of the conflicting MG. The length of the time period typically depends on the longer MGL, i.e., MG2 in the illustrated example.

[0098] In the event of a MG conflict, if the NW knows which target the UE is measuring during the MG (i.e., the NW and the UE agree on the selection of the measurement target), then the NW can accurately know the UE's measurement cycle (i.e., the time the UE takes to complete all measurement targets). Several options are described below and presented in this disclosure.

[0099] Option 1 - Allows the UE to perform measurements on which carrier(s).

[0100] The 3GPP specification does not define UE behavior. RRM requirements are either not defined or are assumed to be defined by the UE measuring only one carrier. During a conflicting MG, the UE can autonomously choose its measurement target. NW may assume the UE measures a target in a conflicting MG and another target in the next conflicting MG. This will result in a longer measurement delay as defined in the specification, which may be undesirable.

[0101] Option 2 - Prioritize specific measurement types in the specification.

[0102] Priorities for different measurement types can be defined in the specification. For example, mobility-oriented measurements might be considered more important than location-based measurements. Therefore, the specification could define higher priority for SSB-based measurements and lower priority for PRS measurements. In this example, if the MG for SSB-based measurements conflicts with the MG for PRS measurements, such as... Figure 14 As shown, the UE can use SSB-based measurements on carrier f1 and discard PRS measurements on carrier f2.

[0103] Option 3 - Until NW control.

[0104] NW can indicate to the UE that measurements are prioritized on it. For example, new indications (or priority information) can be added to the measurement target section or measurement gap configuration section of a message (e.g., RRC signaling). Once a conflict MG occurs, the UE follows the indication or priority information to perform the measurement.

[0105] Option 4 - Introduce UE capabilities that allow concurrent processing.

[0106] The UE may have a greater ability to support concurrent processing during overlapping MG timings. New UE capabilities can be reported to the NW using enumerated variables (such as {support, do not support}) to indicate whether the UE supports concurrent processing, or using integer variables (such as {1, 2, 3, ...}) to indicate the number of carriers that can be measured simultaneously by the UE.

[0107] Exemplary operation of UE

[0108] Figure 6This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 600 for a UE according to some embodiments. Aspects of method 600 may be implemented by a wireless device such as UE 106 shown in the various figures herein, and / or more generally, may be implemented as needed in combination with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements.

[0109] In various implementation schemes, some elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in a different order than shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, method 600 can operate as follows.

[0110] At 602, the wireless device (hereinafter also referred to as "UE") may encode a message for transmission to the NW, the message including UE capability information, which includes an indication of whether the UE supports concurrent MG modes. At 604, the wireless device may transmit the message to the NW. According to some embodiments, the indication of whether the UE supports concurrent MG modes may include enumeration variables, such as {supported, not supported}, to indicate whether the UE supports concurrent MG modes. If the UE does not support concurrent MG modes, only a single MG mode can be configured for one or more measurements within a single time period. If the UE supports concurrent MG modes, multiple concurrent MG modes can be configured for one or more measurements within a single time period. In these embodiments, the UE only reports to the NW that it supports concurrent MG modes, without reporting the number of supported concurrent MG modes. The specification may specify the number of concurrent MG modes that the UE can support, for example, 2 or 3 concurrent MG modes. If the UE can support the specified number of concurrent MG modes, an indication as "supported" may be included in the UE capability information; otherwise, an indication as "not supported" may be included in the UE capability information. In response to the UE supporting concurrent MG mode, NW can configure the concurrent MG mode for the UE according to the number specified in the specification.

[0111] According to some implementations, the UE capability information may also include an indication of the number of concurrent MG modes supported by the UE in response to the UE supporting concurrent MG modes. In these implementations, the indication of the number of supported concurrent MG modes may include an integer variable, such as {2, 3, ...}, to indicate the number of supported concurrent MG modes. The NW may configure the concurrent MG modes for the UE based on the indication of the number of supported concurrent MG modes included in the UE capability information.

[0112] According to some implementations, the indication of whether the UE supports concurrent MG mode may include an integer variable, such as {1, 2, 3, ...}. If the integer variable is equal to 1, it may include an indication that the UE does not support concurrent MG mode. If the integer variable is greater than 1, it may include an indication that the UE supports concurrent MG mode and an indication of the number of supported concurrent MG modes.

[0113] These specifications may specify that one or more gap mode configurations are mandatory. For example, according to 3GPP specification version 15, configurations with gap mode IDs 0, 1, 13, and 14 as defined in Table 9.1.2-1 of TS38.133 are mandatory. The NW may configure concurrent MG modes for the UE based on the number indicated from the UE or the number specified in the specification, and the mandatory supported MG modes specified in the specification. According to some implementations, the UE capability information may also include an indication of one or more MG mode configurations supported by the UE in response to the UE supporting concurrent MG modes. It should be understood that the number of concurrent MG modes supported by the UE may be the same as or different from the number of MG mode configurations supported by the UE. In one implementation, the UE may support two concurrent MG modes referred to as MG0 and MG1, and may support two MG mode configurations referred to as CONF0 and CONF1. The NW may configure the UE with MG0 having CONF0 and MG1 having CONF1, each of MG0 and MG1 having CONF0, or each of MG0 and MG1 having CONF1. In another implementation, the UE may support two concurrent MG modes referred to as MG0 and MG1, and may support one MG mode configuration referred to as CONF0. The NW may configure the UE with each of MG0 and MG1 having CONF0. In another implementation, the UE may support two concurrent MG modes referred to as MG0 and MG1, and may support three MG mode configurations referred to as CONF0, CONF1, and CONF2. The NW may assign one or two configurations from CONF0, CONF1, and CONF2 to MG0 and MG1 as needed.

[0114] According to some implementations, an indication of one or more MG mode configurations supported by the UE includes a bitmap string, where each bit corresponds to an MG mode defined in the 3GPP specification. In these implementations, support for multiple concurrent and independent MG modes can be indicated as a bitmap string. Each bit may correspond to a corresponding gap mode defined in Table 9.1.2-1 of TS38.133. For example, if the UE indicates the bitmap string as {1,1,0,0,…,0,0}, then the NW can configure MG mode configuration IDs 0 and 1 for concurrent and independent MG modes for the UE.

[0115] According to some implementation schemes, the above-mentioned UE capability information can be specified as one of the following options.

[0116] Option 1: Per UE

[0117] UE capability information can be specified for the UE. In this case, the UE can support a common set of concurrent MG modes in any operating mode, such as carrier aggregation (CA) mode, dual connectivity (DC) mode, millimeter wave band mode, or common operating band mode.

[0118] Option 2: Each frequency range (FR)

[0119] UE capability information can be specified for each of the FRs supported by the UE. As described in Clause 5.1 of TS 38.104, the FRs (FR1 and FR2) in which the NR can operate according to the current version of the specification are identified in the following table (Table 1).

[0120] Table 1: Definition of Frequency Range

[0121] FR1 410MHz to 7125MHz FR2 24250MHz to 52600MHz

[0122] When operating in FR1, the UE can support a first set of concurrent MG modes, and when operating in FR2, the UE can support a second set of concurrent MG modes. Either the first set of concurrent MG modes or the second set of concurrent MG modes can include one or more MG modes. As shown in Table 1, FR1 includes a common operating band, and FR2 includes a millimeter-wave band. Due to the higher mobility requirements of the UE operating in FR1, the UE can support two concurrent MG modes in FR1, making it easier to measure more RS. However, the mobility requirements of the UE operating in FR2 are relatively lower, so the UE can support only a single MG mode in FR2.

[0123] Option 3: Each feature set (each frequency band and each frequency band combination)

[0124] UE capability information can be specified for each feature set supported by the UE. The UE can support a first set of concurrent MG modes for a first feature set and a second set of concurrent MG modes for a second feature set. Either the first set of concurrent MG modes or the second set of concurrent MG modes can include one or more MG modes.

[0125] Option 4: Each frequency band or a combination of frequency bands

[0126] UE capability information can be specified for each frequency band supported by the UE or for each combination of frequency bands supported by the UE. The UE can support a first set of concurrent MG modes for a first frequency band (or combination of frequency bands) and a second set of concurrent MG modes for a second frequency band (or combination of frequency bands). Either the first set of concurrent MG modes or the second set of concurrent MG modes can include one or more MG modes.

[0127] Option 4 can be considered to partially overlap with Option 3. A UE with CA capability or a UE with multi-radio DC (dual connectivity between E-UTRA and NR nodes or between two NR nodes) capability can operate simultaneously in multiple frequency bands. Such a UE can have multiple RFs, with each RF operating within a frequency band. For example, when operating in band A, the UE can support two concurrent MG modes, and when operating in band B, the UE can support a single MG mode. For another example, a first frequency band combination, band A+B, can be used for frequency division duplex (FDD) transmission and reception, and a second frequency band combination, band C+D, can be used for time division duplex (TDD) transmission and reception. When operating in band A+B, the UE can support only one single MG mode because a large amount of data is transmitted simultaneously on both the uplink and downlink, and when operating in band C+D, the UE can support two or more concurrent MG modes because MG can only affect data transmission on either the uplink or downlink.

[0128] Option 5: Per Component Carrier (CC)

[0129] UE capability information can be specified for each CC in the CCs supported by the UE. A UE with CA capability can support multiple CCs within the frequency band to be aggregated. For example, when performing adjacent frequency measurements, if the target carrier f1 is close to the current carrier f0, the UE can widen the bandwidth of the currently operating RF and use the RF operating at carrier f0 (instead of the RF tuned to carrier f1) to measure the RS on carrier f1. In this way, the operating frequencies of the RFs can operate simultaneously, which can result in different concurrent MG modes required for different CCs. Therefore, the UE can support a first set of concurrent MG modes for a first CC (or a first group of CCs) and a second set of concurrent MG modes for a second CC (or a second group of CCs). Either the first concurrent MG mode or the second set of concurrent MG modes can include one or more MG modes.

[0130] Option 6: Per Bandwidth Part (BWP)

[0131] UE capability information can be specified for each carrier BWP supported by the UE. As specified in 3GPP Release 15, a CC with a 100MHz bandwidth can have up to four BWPs, each with a 25MHz bandwidth. For example, if the active BWP on carrier f0 is closest to carrier f1, the RF bandwidth can be widened to measure the RS on carrier f1. Therefore, different BWPs may require different concurrent MG modes. Thus, the UE can support a first set of concurrent MG modes for a first BWP (or a first group of BWPs) and a second set of concurrent MG modes for a second BWP (or a second group of BWPs). Either the first concurrent MG mode or the second set of concurrent MG modes can include one or more MG modes.

[0132] According to some implementations, the UE capability information may also include an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous measurement of multiple frequencies or an indication of the number of frequencies that can be measured simultaneously by the UE. In one implementation, the indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous measurement of multiple frequencies may include an enumeration variable, such as {supported, not supported}, to indicate whether the UE supports simultaneous measurement of multiple frequencies. In one implementation, the indication of the number of frequencies that can be measured simultaneously by the UE may include an integer variable, such as {2, 3…}, to indicate the number of supported frequencies that can be measured simultaneously. In one implementation, the indication of whether simultaneous measurement of multiple frequencies is supported may include an integer variable, such as {1, 2, 3…}, to indicate “not supported” when the integer variable equals 1, and to indicate the number of supported frequencies that can be measured simultaneously when the integer variable is greater than 1. When the UE supports simultaneous measurement of multiple frequencies, the NW may configure the UE in the time domain to have overlapping MG timings.

[0133] In response to UE capabilities including an indication that the UE supports concurrent MG modes, the NW can configure the UE to have multiple concurrent MG modes. According to some implementations, the UE is free to select a first MG mode from the configured multiple concurrent MG modes to perform a first measurement, and select a second MG mode from the configured multiple concurrent MG modes to perform a second measurement.

[0134] As specified in version 15 or 16, the MG is configured in the measGapConfig section, outside the measObjectToAddModList section used to configure the measurement target, within the MeasConfig information element of the RRC signaling. According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the UE is configured with multiple concurrent gap modes, the NW can indicate which MG mode will be used for measurement on each target carrier. That is, for example, by configuring the MG in the measObjectToAddModList section of the MeasConfig information element, each MG mode is linked to each individual measurement target.

[0135] According to some implementations, the wireless device can receive from the NW a message including measurement target information, which includes an indication of the MG mode associated with the measurement target; and the application of the MG mode associated with the measurement target to the measurement of the measurement target. For example, the UE is configured with three measurement targets on carriers f1, f2, and f3 respectively. The NW also configures three MG modes MG1, MG2, and MG3 for the UE. In the measObjectToAddModList section of the MeasConfig information element, the NW can indicate that MG1 is used only for measurements on carrier f1, MG2 is used only for measurements on carrier f2, and MG0 is used only for measurements on carrier f3.

[0136] According to some embodiments, the measurement target information may include an indication of a first MG mode associated with a first measurement target and an indication of a second MG mode associated with a second measurement target. In these embodiments, the wireless device may apply the first MG mode to the measurement of the first measurement target and apply the second MG mode to the measurement of the second measurement target. In response to a conflict between an MG mode according to the first MG mode and an MG mode according to the second MG mode in a first time window, and a conflict between an MG mode according to the first MG mode and an MG mode according to the second MG mode in a second time window, the wireless device may perform a measurement of the first measurement target at the first time window and a measurement of the second measurement target at the second time window.

[0137] According to some implementations, the measurement target information may include an indication of a first MG mode associated with a first measurement target and an indication of a second MG mode associated with a second measurement target. In these implementations, the wireless device may apply the first MG mode to the measurement of the first measurement target and apply the second MG mode to the measurement of the second measurement target. In response to a conflict in the time domain between an MG according to the first MG mode and an MG according to the second MG mode, the wireless device may prioritize the measurement of the first measurement target and the measurement of the second measurement target based on information in the 3GPP specification (as described in Option 2 for MG conflict situations) or indications from the NW (e.g., priority information for the respective measurement target or conflict indication for the respective MG mode, as described below); and perform the measurement according to the priority between the measurement of the first measurement target and the measurement of the second measurement target.

[0138] Figure 7This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 700 for a UE according to some embodiments. Aspects of method 700 may be implemented by a wireless device such as UE 106 shown in the various figures herein, and / or more generally, may be implemented as needed in combination with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements.

[0139] In various implementation schemes, some elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in a different order than shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, method 700 can operate as follows.

[0140] At 702, the wireless device (hereinafter also referred to as "UE") may encode a message for transmission to the network (NW), the message including UE capability information, which includes an indication of concurrent first measurement gap (MG) mode and second MG mode supported by the UE, wherein the first MG mode is independent of the second MG mode. At 704, the wireless device may transmit the message to the NW. The wireless device may then receive from the NW a message including measurement target information, which includes indications of a first measurement target and a second measurement target respectively associated with the first MG mode and the second MG mode, and apply the first MG mode and the second MG mode to the corresponding measurements of the first measurement target and the second measurement target. In some embodiments, the first MG mode and the second MG mode have different mode configurations. In some embodiments, the first MG mode and the second MG mode have the same mode configuration.

[0141] According to some implementation schemes, the wireless device can determine the measurement requirements for each of the first and second measurement targets based on the configuration of a corresponding one of the first and second MG modes; and perform measurements for the first and second measurement targets according to the corresponding measurement requirements. Measurement requirements include requirements for PSS / SSS detection, time index detection, and measurement cycles. When multiple concurrent MG modes are supported, these measurement requirements should follow the corresponding MG mode configuration. For example, the measurement cycle in FR1 for inter-frequency cases is identified in the following table (Table 2), as described in Clause 9.3.5 of TS 38.133.

[0142] Table 2: Measurement period (frequency FR1) for frequency measurements with gaps

[0143]

[0144]

[0145] According to some implementation schemes, MGRP in Table 1 can be replaced by MGRPi, where MGRPi is the i-th MG mode indicated for, for example, the i-th measurement target on target carrier i. For example, MGRP1 = 40ms for the first MG mode and MGRP2 = 80ms for the second MG mode will be used to determine the measurement period on carriers f1 and f2, respectively. Therefore, the measurement period in FR1 used for inter-frequency measurements can be defined in the following table (Table 3):

[0146] Table 3: Measurement period (frequency FR1) for frequency measurements with gaps

[0147]

[0148] Exemplary operating method of NW element

[0149] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 800 for an NW element according to some embodiments. Aspects of method 800 may be implemented by a base station such as BS 102 shown in the various figures herein, and / or more generally, may be implemented as needed in combination with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements.

[0150] In various implementation schemes, some elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in a different order than shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, method 800 can operate as follows.

[0151] At 802, the radio device (hereinafter referred to as "NW" for simplicity) receives a message from the user equipment (UE) including UE capability information, which includes an indication of concurrent measurement gap (MG) modes. At 804, the radio device determines the associated MG mode from the concurrent MG modes for each measurement target among the UE's measurement targets. At 806, the radio device encodes a message for transmission to the UE, which includes measurement target information including indications of these measurement targets and associated MG modes. At 808, the radio device transmits the message to the UE.

[0152] The measurement targets configured to the UE by the NW may include a first measurement target and a second measurement target. According to some implementations, the measurement type of the first measurement target differs from the measurement type of the second measurement target, which is consistent with the above... Figure 10The situation is similar. In these implementations, the NW can determine the associated MG pattern from the concurrent MG patterns for each measurement type. According to some implementations, the measurement type of the first measurement target is the same as that of the second measurement target, but the configuration of the first measurement target is different from that of the second measurement target, which is consistent with the above. Figure 11 The situation is similar. In these implementations, the NW can determine the associated MG mode from the concurrent MG modes for each configuration for the same measurement type. It should be understood that the frequency corresponding to the first measurement target may be different from or the same as the frequency corresponding to the second measurement target.

[0153] According to some implementations, the indication of the measurement target and the associated MG mode may include a time offset for the corresponding MG mode, and therefore the MGs configured for the UE according to the concurrent MG modes may not be time-aligned. It should be understood that the MG mode will match the mode of the RS used for the measurement target. According to some implementations, the NW may set the timing for the RS such that there is a time offset between the first RS and the second RS in the RS, and therefore the RS of the measurement target configured for the UE may also not be time-aligned. The NW may appropriately configure the time offset for each RS and for each MG mode to reduce / avoid MG conflicts. As mentioned above, if the UE has a greater capacity to support concurrent processing in overlapping MG timings, for example, if the UE can measure multiple carriers simultaneously, then the NW may configure overlapping RS timings and / or overlapping MG timings for the UE.

[0154] According to some implementation schemes, the indication of the measurement target and associated MG mode may include priority information for the corresponding measurement target or a conflict indication for the corresponding MG mode. The UE may prioritize measurements of the measurement target based on the priority information for the corresponding measurement target or the conflict indication for the corresponding MG mode from the NW, and perform measurements according to the priority among the measurements. The priority information for the corresponding measurement target can be used to indicate which measurement target has a higher priority and which has a lower priority. Once a conflicting MG occurs, the UE follows the priority information to perform the measurement with the higher priority and discards the measurement with the lower priority. The conflict indication for the corresponding MG mode can be used to indicate whether the MG according to the MG mode will be discarded when a conflicting MG occurs. The UE may follow the conflict indication to perform the corresponding measurement.

[0155] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a portion of a module, segment, or code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may not be performed in the order shown in the drawings. For example, two blocks shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or these blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions that performs the specified function or action.

[0156] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand from the above embodiments that this disclosure can be implemented by software with the necessary hardware, or by hardware, firmware, etc. Based on this understanding, embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in part in software form. Computer software can be stored on a readable storage medium (such as a computer's floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, or flash memory). The computer software includes a series of instructions to cause a computer (e.g., a personal computer, service station, or network terminal) to perform methods or portions thereof according to corresponding embodiments of this disclosure.

[0157] As will be apparent from the description herein, many ways may be made to this disclosure. Such changes should not be considered as departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and all such modifications, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: Processor circuitry, the processor circuitry being configured to enable the user equipment (UE): The message for transmission to the network NW is encoded, the message including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of whether the UE supports concurrent measurement gap (MG) mode, wherein the UE capability information further indicates one or more MG mode configurations by including a bitmap string, each bit in the bitmap string corresponding to an MG mode; and The message is transmitted to the NW.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE capability information further includes an indication of the number of concurrent MG modes supported by the UE in response to the UE supporting concurrent MG modes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE capability information further includes an indication of the configuration of one or more MG modes supported by the UE in response to the UE supporting concurrent MG modes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the indication for configuring the one or more MG modes supported by the UE includes the bitmap string, wherein each bit corresponds to an MG mode defined in the 3GPP specification.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the UE capability information is designated for: The UE; Each frequency range supported by the UE; Each feature set in the feature set supported by the UE; Each frequency band supported by the UE; Each of the frequency band combinations supported by the UE; Each of the component carriers (CCs) supported by the UE; or Each BWP in the carrier bandwidth portion BWP supported by the UE.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: Receive a message from the NW including measurement target information, the measurement target information including an indication of a first MG mode associated with a first measurement target; and The first MG mode is applied to the measurement of the first measurement target.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the measurement target information further includes an indication of a second MG mode associated with the second measurement target, and the processor circuitry is further configured to: Apply the second MG mode to the measurement of the second measurement target; and In response to a conflict between an MG according to the first MG mode and an MG according to the second MG mode in a first time window, and a conflict between an MG according to the first MG mode and an MG according to the second MG mode in a second time window: The measurement of the first measurement target is performed in the first time window, and the measurement of the second measurement target is performed in the second time window.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the measurement target information further includes an indication of a second MG mode associated with the second measurement target, and the processor circuitry is further configured to: Apply the second MG mode to the measurement of the second measurement target; and In response to a conflict in the time domain between the MG according to the first MG mode and the MG according to the second MG mode: Based on information in the 3GPP specifications or instructions from the NW, priority is assigned between the measurements of the first measurement target and the measurements of the second measurement target; and Measurements are performed based on the priority between the measurement of the first measurement target and the measurement of the second measurement target.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE capability information further includes an indication of whether the UE supports simultaneous measurement of multiple frequencies or an indication of the number of frequencies that the UE can simultaneously measure.

10. A method for using a user equipment (UE), comprising: The message for transmission to the network NW is encoded, the message including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of a concurrent first measurement gap MG mode and a second MG mode supported by the UE, wherein the first MG mode is independent of the second MG mode; and Transmit the message to the NW. The indication includes a bitmap string, wherein the first bit of the bitmap string corresponds to the first MG mode and the second bit corresponds to the second MG mode.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: Receive a message from the NW including measurement target information, the measurement target information including indications of a first measurement target and a second measurement target respectively associated with the first MG mode and the second MG mode; and The first MG mode and the second MG mode are applied to the corresponding measurements of the first measurement target and the second measurement target.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: The measurement requirements for each of the first and second measurement targets are determined based on the configuration of one of the corresponding ones in the first MG mode and the second MG mode. as well as The measurements of the first measurement target and the second measurement target shall be performed in accordance with the corresponding measurement requirements.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first MG mode and the second MG mode have different mode configurations or have the same mode configuration.

14. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor circuit configured to cause the UE to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. An apparatus for operating user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: A processor circuit configured to cause the UE to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

16. A method for a network element, the method comprising: Receive a message from a user equipment (UE) including UE capability information, the UE capability information including an indication of a concurrent measurement gap (MG) mode, wherein the indication includes a bitmap string, each bit in the bitmap string corresponding to an MG mode; For each measurement target in the UE's measurement targets, an associated MG mode is determined from the concurrent MG modes; The message to be transmitted to the UE is encoded, the message including measurement target information, the measurement target information including an indication of the measurement target and an associated MG mode; and The message is transmitted to the UE.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the measurement target comprises a first measurement target and a second measurement target, and wherein: The measurement type of the first measurement target is different from the measurement type of the second measurement target; and / or The measurement type of the first measurement target is the same as that of the second measurement target, and the configuration of the first measurement target is different from that of the second measurement target.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the measurement target includes a first measurement target and a second measurement target, and wherein the frequency corresponding to the first measurement target is different from or the same as the frequency corresponding to the second measurement target.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of the measurement target and the associated MG mode includes a time offset for the corresponding MG mode, and wherein the time offset is configured to reduce / avoid MG conflicts.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of the measurement target and the associated MG mode includes priority information for the respective measurement target or includes a conflict indication for the respective MG mode.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising: A timing is set for the reference signal such that there is a time offset between the first reference signal and the second reference signal in the reference signal.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13 and 16 to 21.

23. A computer program product comprising program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 13 and 16 to 21.

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