User equipment and method performed by user equipment

Abstract

A user equipment and a method performed by the user equipment, the user equipment comprising: one or more radio transceivers; and hardware circuitry configured to control the one or more radio transceivers to determine a measurement window based on a measurement timing configuration configured by the first non-terrestrial network portion, the measurement timing configuration based on a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a period of the measurement timing configuration based on the SSB is a multiple of an SSB sequence transmission period, where the measurement window is further expanded by an expansion indication, and one or more SSBs transmitted from the first non-terrestrial network portion are measured within the expanded measurement window.

Description

[0001] This application is a PCT application entering the Chinese national phase with the invention name “Wireless Communication Device and Method”, the application date of August 19, 2020, and the application number 202080058056.6. The application number of the PCT application is PCT / EP2020 / 073265. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication apparatus and methods for configuring measurements performed by a communication device of a cell of a wireless communication network provided by a non-terrestrial network portion. Background Art

[0003] The "background" description provided herein is to generally present the context of the present disclosure. To the extent described in this background section, the work of the currently named inventors, and aspects of the description that may not qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present invention.

[0004] Third and fourth generation mobile telecommunication systems, such as those based on the UMTS and Long Term Evolution (LTE) architectures defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), are capable of supporting more complex services than the simple voice and messaging services provided by previous generations of mobile telecommunication systems. For example, via the improved radio interface and enhanced data rates provided by LTE systems, users are able to enjoy high data rate applications (such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing) that were previously only available via fixed line data connections. Therefore, there is a strong demand to deploy such networks, and the coverage areas of these networks, i.e., the geographical locations where the networks can be accessed, can be expected to increase more rapidly.

[0005] Therefore, future wireless communication networks will be expected to routinely and efficiently support communications with a wider range of devices associated with a wider range of data traffic profiles and types than current systems are optimized to support. For example, future wireless communication networks are expected to efficiently support communications with devices including reduced complexity devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, high resolution video displays, virtual reality headsets, etc. Some of these different types of devices may be deployed in large numbers, such as low complexity devices used to support the "Internet of Things", and may typically be associated with the transmission of relatively small amounts of data with relatively high delay tolerance.

[0006] In view of this, it is expected that future wireless communication networks, such as those that may be referred to as 5G or new radio (NR) systems / new radio access technology (RAT) systems [3], as well as future iterations / releases of existing systems, will efficiently support connections for a variety of devices associated with different applications and different characteristic data traffic profiles. Similarly, it is expected that such connections will be available over a wide geographic area.

[0007] An example area of ​​current interest in this regard involves so-called “non-terrestrial networks”, or NTNs for short. 3GPP, in Release 15 of the 3GPP specifications, proposed the development of techniques for providing coverage with the aid of one or more antennas mounted on airborne or spaceborne vehicles [1][5].

[0008] Non-terrestrial networks may provide services in areas that are not covered by terrestrial cellular networks (i.e., those areas that provide coverage with the aid of land-based antennas, such as isolated or remote areas on aircraft or ships), or may provide enhanced services in other areas. The extended coverage achieved with the aid of non-terrestrial networks may provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or "Internet of Things" (IoT) devices, or for passengers on mobile platforms (e.g., passenger vehicles such as aircraft, ships, high-speed trains, or buses). Using non-terrestrial networks to provide multicast / broadcast resources for data transmission may have other benefits.

[0009] The use of different types of network infrastructure equipment and the requirement for coverage enhancement have created new challenges that need to be addressed for efficiently handling communications in wireless telecommunication systems.

[0010] Some challenges associated with measurements of NTN cells were identified in [6]. Summary of the invention

[0011] The present disclosure may help solve or alleviate at least some of the problems discussed above.

[0012] According to the present technology, a method for configuring a communication device in a service cell of a wireless communication network including a non-terrestrial network portion is provided, the method comprising: establishing a connection between the communication device and the wireless communication network in the service cell for transmitting data to the communication device and receiving data from the communication device; identifying a candidate cell for switching of the communication device; determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network; determining a time period in which the communication device can receive a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell as a measurement window based on determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network, and configuring the communication device to measure the measurement signal received within the measurement window.

[0013] Embodiments of the present technique may provide an apparatus that improves service continuity for communication devices within a coverage area of ​​a cell provided by a non-terrestrial portion even though the coverage area of ​​the cell may move relative to the earth's surface and / or relative to the communication devices.

[0014] Various aspects and features of the present disclosure are defined in the appended claims.

[0015] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary of the present technology, but not limiting. The described embodiments and other advantages will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be readily obtained by referring to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 schematically represents certain aspects of an LTE type wireless telecommunications system which may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 schematically represents certain aspects of a new radio access technology (RAT) wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 5G / NR measurement gaps configured according to conventional techniques are depicted;

[0020] Figure 4 schematically represents some example aspects of a wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5 is a timing diagram illustrating misalignment of a measurement window with a received measurement signal;

[0022] Figure 6 is a timing diagram showing the configuration of a measurement window according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0023] Figure 7 depicts a measurement configuration according to some embodiments of the present technology;

[0024] Figure 8 An example of determining a start time of a measurement based on an indicated timing advance according to an embodiment of the present technology is depicted;

[0025] Fig. 9 A process for determining measurement parameters according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted; and

[0026] Fig.10 A message sequence chart and a process flow chart of a process for performing candidate cell measurement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Long Term Evolution Advanced Radio Access Technology (4G)

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is provided illustrating some basic functions of a mobile telecommunication network / system 100 which typically operates according to LTE principles but may also support other radio access technologies and which may be suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure described herein. Figure 1 Certain aspects of the various elements of the telecommunications network and their corresponding modes of operation are well known and defined in the relevant standards managed by the 3GPP (RTM) body and are also described in many books on the subject (e.g., Holma H. ​​and Toskala A [2]). It should be understood that the operational aspects of the telecommunications network discussed herein that are not specifically described (e.g., with respect to specific communication protocols and physical channels for communication between different elements) may be implemented in accordance with any known technology, such as in accordance with the relevant standards and known modifications and additions to the relevant standards.

[0029] The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations 101 connected to a core network portion 102. Each base station provides a coverage area 103 (e.g., a cell) within which data can be communicated to and from a communication device 104. Data is transmitted from the base stations 101 to the communication devices 104 within their respective coverage areas 103 via a radio downlink. Data is transmitted from the communication devices 104 to the base stations 101 via a radio uplink. The core network portion 102 routes data to and from the communication devices 104 via the respective base stations 101 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, charging, etc. A communication device may also be referred to as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), user terminal, mobile radio, terminal device, etc. A base station is an example of a network infrastructure device / network access node, and may also be referred to as a transceiver station / node B / e-node B (eNB), g-node B (gNB), etc. In this regard, different terms are often associated with different generations of wireless telecommunication systems for elements providing broadly comparable functions. However, as explained below, example embodiments of the present disclosure may be equally implemented in different generations of wireless telecommunication systems (such as 5G or New Radio), and for simplicity, certain terms may be used regardless of the underlying network architecture. That is, the use of specific terms associated with certain example implementations is not intended to indicate that these implementations are limited to a certain generation of networks that may be most associated with the specific terms.

[0030] New Radio Access Technology (5G)

[0031] Figure 2is a schematic diagram illustrating a network architecture of a new radio access technology (RAT) wireless communication network / system 200 based on the previously proposed method, which network architecture may also be adapted to provide the functionality according to the embodiments of the disclosure described herein. Figure 2 The new RAT network 200 represented in the figure includes a first communication cell 201 and a second communication cell 202. Each communication cell 201, 202 includes a control node (centralized unit) 221, 222 that communicates with the core network component 210 through corresponding wired or wireless links 251, 252. Each control node 221, 222 also communicates with multiple distributed units (radio access nodes / remote transmission and reception points (TRP)) 211, 212 in their respective cells. Similarly, these communications can be carried out through corresponding wired or wireless links. The distributed units 211, 212 are responsible for providing a radio access interface for communication devices connected to the network. Each distributed unit 211, 212 has a coverage area (radio access coverage area) 241, 242, wherein the sum of the coverage areas of the distributed units under the control of the control node together defines the coverage range of each communication cell 201, 202. Each distributed unit 211 , 212 includes a transceiver circuit for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and a processor circuit configured to control the corresponding distributed unit 211 , 212 .

[0032] In terms of broad top-level functionality, Figure 2 The core network component 210 of the new RAT communication network represented in FIG. 2 can be roughly considered to correspond to Figure 1 The core network 102 shown in FIG. 1 and the corresponding control nodes 221, 222 and their associated distributed units / TRPs 211, 212 can be generally considered to provide corresponding Figure 1 The term network infrastructure equipment / access node may be used to cover these elements of the wireless communication system and the more conventional base station type elements. Depending on the application at hand, the responsibility for scheduling transmissions scheduled over the radio interface between the various distributed units and the communication devices may lie with the control node / centralized unit and / or the distributed units / TRP.

[0033] The communication device or UE 260 Figure 2 201 is represented within the coverage area of ​​the first communication cell 201. The communication device 260 can therefore exchange signaling with the first control node 221 in the first communication cell via one of the distributed units 211 associated with the first communication cell 201. In some cases, communications for a given communication device are routed through only one of the distributed units, but it should be understood that in some other implementations (e.g., in soft handover scenarios and other scenarios), communications associated with a given communication device can be routed through more than one distributed unit.

[0034] exist Figure 2 In the example, for simplicity, two communication cells 201, 202 and one communication device 260 are shown, but it can be understood that in practice, the system may include a larger number of communication cells (each communication cell is supported by a corresponding control node and multiple distributed units) serving a larger number of communication devices.

[0035] It should also be understood that Figure 2 This merely represents one example of a proposed architecture for a new RAT communication system, in which the methods described according to the principles described herein may be employed, and the functions disclosed herein may also be applied to wireless communication systems having different architectures.

[0036] Thus, the example embodiments of the present disclosure discussed herein may be implemented according to a variety of different architectures, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 1 and 2) and are implemented in a wireless telecommunications system / network. It should therefore be understood that the particular wireless communication architecture in any given implementation is not essential to the principles described herein. In this regard, example embodiments of the present disclosure may be described in the context of communications between network infrastructure equipment / access nodes and communication devices, where the specific nature of the network infrastructure equipment / access nodes and communication devices will depend on the network infrastructure of the implementation at hand. For example, in some scenarios, the network infrastructure equipment / access nodes may include base stations, such as Figure 1 The illustrated LTE type base station 101 is suitable for providing functionality according to the principles described herein, and in other examples, the network infrastructure equipment / access node may include Figure 2 Control units / control nodes 221, 222 and / or TRPs 211, 212 of the type shown are suitable for providing functionality according to the principles described herein.

[0037] In wireless telecommunications networks (such as LTE-type or 5G-type networks), there are different radio resource control (RRC) modes for communication devices. For example, an RRC connected mode (RRC CONNECTED) is generally supported. A communication device in RRC connected mode is able to transmit uplink data and receive downlink data.

[0038] In RRC connected mode, mobility may be controlled by the network; that is, handover may be initiated by infrastructure equipment of the network. Handover may conventionally be initiated in response to, for example, a measurement report transmitted by the communication device, which may indicate measurement results of downlink signals transmitted by the network in both the serving cell and one or more neighboring (candidate) cells.

[0039] To support these measurements, the infrastructure equipment may transmit reference signals continuously or periodically in each cell according to a predetermined transmission schedule on a frequency (or in a frequency band centered around the frequency) configured by the wireless communication network operator.

[0040] In order to measure downlink signals of a candidate cell, the communication device may need to re-tune the receiver circuitry in order to detect and measure downlink signals.Therefore, there may be a period of time when the communication device is unable to receive signals transmitted in its current (serving) cell.

[0041] Conventionally, infrastructure equipment associated with a serving cell may configure a communication device with measurement gaps during which the infrastructure equipment will refrain from scheduling uplink or downlink communications with the communication device, and during which the communication device may perform measurements of downlink signals of candidate cells.

[0042] Figure 3 5G / NR measurement gaps configured according to conventional techniques are shown.

[0043] In 5G / NR, the configured measurement gap 508 may be based on a known transmission schedule of downlink signals that are particularly suitable for measurement in the candidate cell. Downlink signals suitable for measurement are generally referred to herein as measurement signals. These measurement signals may include synchronization signals (SS) and physical broadcast channels (PBCH) in 5G / NR, which are transmitted in a sequence of SS / PBCH blocks (SSBs) 502 that are periodically transmitted. In LTE, the measurement signal may include a cell-specific reference signal (CRS).

[0044] The measurement gap may include a measurement window 504 corresponding to a time period during which a measurement signal is to be received and measured, and two radio frequency (RF) re-tuning periods 506, one before the measurement window 504 and one after the measurement window 504. The start time of the measurement gap 508 may be defined by the start time of the measurement window 504 and a timing advance 510. The timing advance 510 may correspond to the duration of the RF re-tuning period 506 before the measurement window 504.

[0045] In 5G / NR, the measurement window 504 may be referred to as an SSB-based radio resource management (RRM) timing configuration (SMTC) window. Figure 3 In the example of , the measurement signal (SSB 502) to be measured by the communication device is transmitted in a sequence having a measurement signal sequence duration, and each sequence is periodically transmitted according to the measurement signal schedule. Figure 3In the example of , the SMTC window is set to be equal to the measurement signal sequence duration, and the period of the SMTC window is set to be equal to the measurement signal sequence period. Therefore, the communication device is configured to receive and measure all measurement signals.

[0046] In some examples, the period of the SMTC window may be a multiple of a subsequent period of the measurement signal, such that some measurement signals are not within the SMTC window and are therefore not measured.

[0047] Because measurement gaps 508 correspond to periods when the serving infrastructure equipment refrains from scheduling uplink or downlink transmissions for the communication device, it is preferred to minimize the total length of the measurement gaps.

[0048] In some examples, each RF re-tuning period 506 can be 0.5 ms. In some examples, the SMTC window 504 can have a duration corresponding to the duration of the SSB sequence. Figure 3 In the example of , a measurement gap is configured for each SSB sequence, however, it should be understood that the period of the measurement gap may be different from the period of the SSB sequence (eg, a multiple of its period).

[0049] Details of conventional configuration parameters associated with the measurement of neighbour cell measurement signals may be found in [4], the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0050] Figure 4 A wireless telecommunications system 200 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. The wireless telecommunications system 200 in this example is broadly based on an LTE type or 5G type architecture. Many aspects of the operation of the wireless telecommunications system / network 200 are known and understood, and for the sake of brevity, are not described in detail here. Aspects of the operation of the wireless telecommunications system 200 not specifically described herein may be implemented according to any known technology (e.g., according to current LTE standards or proposed 5G standards).

[0051] The wireless telecommunications system 200 includes a core network portion 102 coupled to a radio network portion (which may be a 4G core network or a 5G core network). The radio network portion includes a base station (gNodeB) 101, which is coupled to a non-terrestrial network portion 308. The non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be an example of infrastructure equipment.

[0052] The non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be installed on a satellite vehicle or an airborne vehicle.

[0053] The non-terrestrial network portion 308 is also coupled to the communication devices 208 located within the cell 202 via the wireless access interface provided by the wireless communication link 206. For example, the cell 202 may correspond to the coverage area of ​​the spot beam generated by the non-terrestrial network portion 308.

[0054] The boundaries of the cell 202 may depend on the height of the non-terrestrial network portion 308 and the configuration of one or more antennas of the non-terrestrial network portion 308 through which the non-terrestrial network portion 308 transmits and receives signals over the wireless access interface.

[0055] Non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be a satellite in orbit relative to the earth, or may be mounted on such a satellite. For example, the satellite may be in a geostationary earth orbit so that non-terrestrial network portion 308 does not substantially move relative to a fixed point on the earth's surface. A geostationary orbit may be approximately 36,000 km above the earth's equator.

[0056] Alternatively, the satellite may be in a non-geostationary orbit, such that the non-terrestrial network portion 308 moves relative to a fixed point on the Earth's surface.

[0057] The non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be an airborne vehicle such as an aircraft, or may be mounted on such a vehicle. The airborne vehicle (and therefore the non-terrestrial network portion 308) may be stationary relative to the surface of the Earth (e.g., the non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be attached to, or form part of, a stationary balloon structure that is tethered to a fixed point on the surface of the Earth) or may be mobile relative to the surface of the Earth.

[0058] exist Figure 4 , the base station 101 is shown as being ground-based and coupled to the non-terrestrial network portion 308 by means of the wireless communication link 204. The non-terrestrial network portion 308 receives signals representing downlink data transmitted by the base station 101 over the wireless communication link 204 and, based on the received signals, transmits signals representing the downlink data via the wireless communication link 206 that provides a wireless access interface for the communication device 208. Similarly, the non-terrestrial network portion 308 receives signals representing uplink data transmitted by the communication device 208 via the wireless access interface including the wireless communication link 206 and transmits signals representing the uplink data to the base station 101 over the wireless communication link 204.

[0059] In some embodiments, the wireless communication links 204, 206 operate at the same frequency; in some embodiments, the wireless communication links 204, 206 operate at different frequencies.

[0060] The extent to which the non-terrestrial network portion 308 processes the received signals may depend on the processing capabilities of the non-terrestrial network portion 308. For example, the non-terrestrial network portion 308 may receive signals representing downlink data over the wireless communication link 204, amplify them, and (if necessary) remodulate them onto an appropriate carrier frequency for onward transmission over the wireless access interface provided by the wireless communication link 206.

[0061] Alternatively, the non-terrestrial network portion 308 can be configured to decode a signal representing downlink data received on the wireless communication link 204 into unencoded downlink data, re-encode the downlink data, and modulate the encoded downlink data onto an appropriate carrier frequency for onward transmission over the wireless access interface provided by the wireless communication link 206.

[0062] In some examples, non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be configured to perform some functions conventionally performed by base station 101. In particular, delay-sensitive functions (such as confirming receipt of uplink data, or responding to random access requests) may be performed by non-terrestrial network portion 308 rather than by base station 101.

[0063] In some embodiments, base station 101 may be co-located with non-terrestrial network portion 308; for example, both may be installed on the same satellite vehicle or airborne vehicle, and a physical (e.g., wired or optical fiber) connection may exist on the satellite vehicle or airborne vehicle, providing coupling between base station 101 and non-terrestrial network portion 308. In some embodiments, a wireless communication link between base station 101 and a ground station (not shown) may provide connectivity between base station 101 and core network portion 102.

[0064] Figure 4 The communication device 208 shown in FIG. 2 may generally correspond to Figure 1 The terminal device 104 or Figure 2 Additionally or alternatively, the communication device 208 may be configured to act as a relay node. That is, it may communicate to one or more terminal devices ( Figure 4 For the purpose of providing services and connections to terminal devices, the wireless access interface provided by the communication device 208 may substantially conform to the standards of wireless access interfaces generated by base stations according to standards such as the LTE standard or the 5G standard. Therefore, data may be transmitted from the terminal device to the communication device 208, and from the communication device 208 to the terminal device, according to conventional techniques for transmitting data to conventional base stations or conventional relay nodes.

[0065] Clearly, many scenarios can be envisioned where the combination of the communication device 208 and the non-terrestrial network portion 308 can provide enhanced services to end users. For example, the communication device 208 can be installed on a passenger vehicle such as a bus or train that passes through a rural area where the coverage of ground base stations may be limited. The terminal device on the vehicle can obtain service via the communication device 208 acting as a relay, which is coupled to the non-terrestrial network portion 308.

[0066] also, Figure 4 A second non-terrestrial network portion 309 is shown coupled to the second base station 111 by means of a wireless communication link 214. The second non-terrestrial network portion 309 and the second base station 111 may be substantially identical to the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 and the first base station 101. A second cell 212 is shown corresponding to the coverage area provided by the second non-terrestrial network portion 309.

[0067] Whether the communication device 208 moves, one or more of the non-terrestrial network portions 308, 309 moves (relative to the surface of the earth), or both, it is necessary to ensure that connectivity of the communication device 208 with a base station (such as one of the base stations 101, 111) can be maintained while the communication device 208 remains in a connected mode. For example, where the communication device 208 is currently in a connected mode in a first cell 211, movement of the cell coverage area relative to the communication device 208 may mean that it is desired to perform a handover of the communication device 208 to a second cell 212 generated by a second non-terrestrial network portion 309.

[0068] As described above, the decision to change the serving cell of the communication device 208 from the first cell 211 to the candidate cell (such as the second cell 212) can be based on a measurement of one or more characteristics of the radio frequency communication channel, such as a signal strength measurement or a signal quality measurement of a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell. Conventionally, in connected mode, the measurement occurs during a configured time window, which is determined based on a transmission schedule of the measurement signal in the candidate cell.

[0069] In a terrestrial communication network, such time windows may be considered to be defined relative to a single reference time frame, such as a time frame based on the time at which certain signals transmitted in a serving cell (such as a synchronization signal) are received at the communication device. Deviations or errors due to, for example, different propagation delays of signals transmitted in the serving cell and the candidate cell may be negligible and therefore have no practical significance. For example, a signal transmitted from infrastructure equipment associated with a candidate cell will arrive less than 0.1 milliseconds (ms) later than a signal simultaneously transmitted in a serving cell, the candidate cell being 20 km further from the communication device than the infrastructure equipment associated with the serving cell. In a measurement gap, which may be a few milliseconds in duration, such differences may be negligible.

[0070] However, due to the distance and speed of the non-terrestrial network portion relative to the communication device and / or ground station, propagation delay (and / or variations thereof) may result in degraded and / or inaccurate measurements.

[0071] These disadvantages may be overcome by means of embodiments of the present technique according to which a measurement gap configuration is determined based on candidate cells provided by means of a non-terrestrial network portion.

[0072] These embodiments may provide a method for configuring a communication device in a service cell of a wireless communication network including a non-terrestrial network portion, the method comprising: establishing a connection between the communication device and the wireless communication network in the service cell for transmitting data to and receiving data from the communication device; identifying a candidate cell for switching of the communication device; determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network; determining a time period in which the communication device can receive a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell as a measurement window based on determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network; and configuring the communication device to measure the measurement signal received within the measurement window.

[0073] The measurement gap configuration determined according to the embodiments of the present disclosure overcomes the shortcomings of conventional technologies to ensure that accurate measurements can be obtained for measurement signals transmitted in candidate cells provided by the NTN part.

[0074] like Figure 4As shown, the base station 101 includes a transceiver circuit 101a (also referred to as a transceiver / transceiver unit) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and a processor circuit 101b (also referred to as a processor / processor unit / controller), and the processor circuit 101b is configured to control the base station 101 to operate according to the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein. The processor circuit 101b may include various sub-units / sub-circuits for providing the desired functions as further described herein. These sub-units may be implemented as discrete hardware elements or appropriately configured functions of the processor circuit. Therefore, the processor circuit 101b may include circuits that are appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functions described herein to devices in the wireless telecommunications system using conventional programming / configuration techniques. For ease of representation, the transceiver circuit 101a and the processor circuit 101b are shown in FIG. Figure 4 Schematically shown as separate elements.

[0075] However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these circuit elements may be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers, or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets. It will be appreciated that the non-terrestrial base station 101 will typically include various other elements associated with its operational functionality.

[0076] The non-terrestrial network portion 308 includes a transceiver circuit 308a (also referred to as a transceiver / transceiver unit) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and a processor circuit 308b (also referred to as a processor / processor unit / controller), which is configured to control the non-terrestrial network portion 308. The processor circuit 308b may include various sub-units / sub-circuits for providing the functions further described herein. These sub-units may be implemented as discrete hardware elements or as appropriately configured functions of the processor circuit. Therefore, the processor circuit 308b may include circuits that are appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functions for the devices in the wireless telecommunications system using conventional programming / configuration techniques. For ease of presentation, the transceiver circuit 308a and the processor circuit 308b are shown in FIG. Figure 4 Schematically shown as separate elements in FIG. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these circuit elements may be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers, or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets. It will be appreciated that the non-terrestrial network portion 308 will typically include various other elements associated with its operational functionality.

[0077] The communication device 208 includes a transceiver circuit 208a (also referred to as a transceiver / transceiver unit) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. The communication device 208 is configured to provide a connection via the non-terrestrial network portion 308. For example, the transceiver circuit 208b can be adapted to the non-terrestrial network portion 308 according to the nature of the communication channel, which is characterized by high path loss and the absence of multipath.

[0078] The communication device 208 also includes a processor circuit 208b (which may also be referred to as a processor / processor unit / controller) configured to control the communication device 208. The processor circuit 208b may include various sub-units / sub-circuits for providing the functions further described herein. These sub-units may be implemented as discrete hardware elements or appropriately configured functions of the processor circuit. Therefore, the processor circuit 208b may include circuits that are appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functions for the device in the wireless telecommunication system using conventional programming / configuration techniques. For ease of representation, the transceiver circuit 208a and the processor circuit 208b are shown in FIG. Figure 4 Schematically shown as separate elements in FIG. However, it should be understood that the functionality of these circuit elements can be provided in a variety of different ways, such as using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers, or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chip sets. It should be understood that the communication device 208 will typically include various other elements associated with its operating functions.

[0079] The processor circuits 208b, 308b, 101b (and other controllers described with respect to the examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, or a dedicated chipset, configured to execute instructions stored on a computer-readable medium such as a non-volatile memory. The processing steps described herein may be performed by, for example, a microprocessor in combination with a random access memory, which operates according to instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0080] Each of the communication apparatus 208, the first base station 101 and the second base station 111, and the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 and the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 may be an example of or include a communication device.

[0081] It should be appreciated that, in practice, the radio network portion of the wireless communication network 200 may include multiple base stations and non-terrestrial network portions serving a greater number of communication devices across various communication cells.

[0082] As with conventional mobile radio networks, the communication device 208 is arranged to communicate data with a base station (transceiver station) 101. The base station 101 is in turn communicatively connected to one or more core network entities within a core network portion 102. The core network portion 102 may include an enhanced packet core (EPC) network and may include a serving gateway S-GW (not shown for simplicity) that is arranged to perform routing and management of mobile communication services to the communication device 208 in the wireless telecommunications system 200 via the base station 101.

[0083] Figure 4 The operation of the various elements of the wireless telecommunications system 200 shown in can be substantially conventional except as modified to provide functionality in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure discussed herein.

[0084] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a problem solved by the present disclosure.

[0085] exist Figure 5 In , time (not to scale) progresses from top to bottom, and the relative distances between entities are represented by the horizontal distances in the figure (not to scale). Figure 5 In the example of , the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 is stationary to the earth and provides a serving cell in which the communication device 208 is in connected mode. The communication device 208 is stationary relative to the surface of the earth, so the distance between the communication device 208 and the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 remains constant over time.

[0086] On the other hand, the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 is in an orbit, such as a low earth orbit (LEO), such that its position relative to the earth's surface, and therefore relative to the communication device 208, changes rapidly over time. Specifically, the distance of the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 from the communication device 208 and the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 increases significantly, as shown by the slope of the corresponding line away from the vertical line showing the relative positions of the communication device 208 and the first non-terrestrial network portion 308.

[0087] At time T1, a measurement configuration indication 402 is transmitted by the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 to the communication device 208 in the serving cell. The measurement configuration indication 402 indicates a period T of a measurement window for measuring a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell 212 generated by the second non-terrestrial network portion 309. MEAS and window duration T WINDOW The measurement configuration indication 402 is received by the communication device 208 at time T2.

[0088] T MEAS is set to a multiple of the transmission period of the measurement signal sequence in the candidate cell 212. Figure 5 In the example of , the multiple is 1, ie each consecutive measurement window is intended for receiving and measuring consecutive instances of the measurement signal sequence.

[0089] Therefore, the communication device 208 determines that the first measurement window 404 starts at time T3 and tunes its transceiver circuit to receive the measurement signal 406 in the candidate cell during the first measurement window 404 .

[0090] At time T3, the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 and the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 are relatively closely spaced. Therefore, a measurement signal 406 transmitted according to the schedule of the candidate cell is received within the first measurement window 404. At the end of the first measurement window 404, the communication device 208 re-tunes its transceiver circuit for receiving signals in the serving cell.

[0091] Subsequently, the communication device 208 determines that the second measurement window 408 starts at T4=T3+T MEAS The communication device 208 may measure time based on a reference time frame that is synchronized with signals received in the serving cell. Thus, for example, if the propagation delay of signals applicable for transmission in the serving cell 211 changes, e.g., because the communication device 208 moves relative to the first non-terrestrial network portion 309, and / or because the first non-terrestrial network portion 309 moves relative to its corresponding ground station, the reference time frame may drift relative to the absolute reference time frame.

[0092] However, in Figure 5 In the example of , the propagation delay of the signal in the serving cell has not changed. Therefore, it tunes its transceiver to receive the measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell 212.

[0093] However, at this point, the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 has moved a significant distance since time T3, such that the propagation delay of signals transmitted from the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 is much greater than the propagation delay of signals transmitted by the first non-terrestrial network portion 308, and has changed significantly since the measurement configuration indication 402 was received at time T2. As a result, the measurement signal 410 does not arrive at the communication device 208 until T5, which is after the end of the second measurement window 408 and after the communication device 208 has begun to re-tune its transceiver circuitry to the appropriate frequency for receiving signals in the serving cell 211.

[0094] It should be understood that similar issues will arise regardless of whether the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 is geostationary and regardless of whether the communication device 208 is stationary relative to the Earth. Figure 5The scenario shown, rather, applies more generally to situations where propagation delays of signals (absolutely or relative to propagation delays of other signals) are such that some or all measurement signals intended to be received within a particular measurement window configured in a conventional manner are not actually received within that window.

[0095] For example, within the scope of the present disclosure are examples where the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 and the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 are both geostationary, but are separated by a distance such that the propagation delay of a signal from the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 is significantly different from the propagation delay of a signal from the first non-terrestrial network portion 308.

[0096] In particular, it should be understood that Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 4 , the second measurement signal 410 arrives after the end of the second measurement window 408 due to the increased propagation delay of the signal transmitted by the second non-terrestrial network portion 309. In some examples within the scope of the present disclosure, the measurement signal may actually arrive before the measurement window begins.

[0097] exist Figure 5 In the example of , the propagation delay of the measured signals 406, 410 is shown as the time from transmission of the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 to reception at the communication device 208. According to some embodiments of the present technology, these signals may originate from a base station 111 that is remote from the second non-terrestrial network portion 309 (such as located on the surface of the earth at a ground station), and thus the propagation delay may include a delay from transmission of the base station 111 to reception of the second non-terrestrial network portion 309. Additionally or alternatively, the transmission of the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 may originate from a ground-based base station. Differences in the (constant or varying) ground station to non-terrestrial network portion propagation delays may further exacerbate Figure 5 The problem shown, and embodiments of the present technology can be applied in such scenarios.

[0098] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement window duration T WINDOW is extended in order to accommodate the propagation delay (or variations thereof) applicable to the measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell.

[0099] Figure 6 A timing diagram illustrating the configuration of a measurement window in accordance with an embodiment of the present technique is depicted.

[0100] Figure 6 Shown with Figure 5 Elements similar to those shown in and like-numbered elements are substantially similar, and their descriptions are omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0101] exist Figure 6 In the example above, to accommodate the additional propagation delay, the measurement window TWINDOW The duration of the measurement window 504 is set to the duration of the measurement window 504 plus an additional time period to accommodate the propagation delay applicable to the measurement signal received by the communication device 208, which is significantly higher or lower, or varies significantly, or is significantly different from the serving cell signal. In other words, the duration of the measurement window is set to the transmission time (i.e., duration) of the measurement signal to be measured in the window plus an additional amount corresponding to or based on the absolute or relative propagation delay applicable to the measurement signal. The difference in propagation delay can be due to the movement of one or more non-terrestrial network parts relative to each other or relative to the communication device or relative to their corresponding ground stations. The difference may be constant over time (e.g., both non-terrestrial network parts are in geostationary orbit, but the signals still have different propagation delays) or may vary over time.

[0102] For example, in Figure 6 In the example of , the additional amount may be 2 ms to accommodate the additional propagation delay corresponding to distances up to about 600 km; the actual adaptation difference in propagation delay may depend on atmospheric effects, such as ionospheric delay. Therefore, the communication device 208 extends its measurement window by 2 ms and is therefore able to receive the second measurement signal 610 within the extended second measurement window 608.

[0103] The duration of the measurement gap may be configured accordingly, ie taking into account the transmission time of the measurement signal to be measured, the amount of overhead and the RF retuning period.

[0104] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration indication 602 includes an indication of a measurement gap that accommodates not only the RF retuning time and the measurement window corresponding to the duration of the measurement signal sequence to be measured, but also includes an additional time period to accommodate the difference (or variation) in the propagation delay of the signals transmitted in the serving cell and the candidate cell received at the communication device 208.

[0105] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration indication 602 includes an indication of a measurement gap having a total duration equal to one of 6.5 ms, 7 ms, 7.5 ms, and 8 ms.

[0106] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration indication 602 includes an enhanced MeasGapConfig information element as shown below:

[0107] Recommended MeasGapConfig Information Elements

[0108]

[0109] In response to receiving the enhanced MeasGapConfig information element indicating a gap length greater than 6 ms, the communication device 208 determines an increased measurement window duration based on the indicated gap length, and performs measurement of the measurement signal during the determined measurement window.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present technology, the number of SSBs measured within a measurement window is reduced to less than the number of SSBs transmitted in a particular sequence within a duration corresponding to the measurement window length (i.e., the measurement gap is reduced by the length of the RF retuning period).

[0111] Figure 7 Measurement configurations are depicted in accordance with some such embodiments of the present technique, wherein only a portion of the measurement gaps include a propagation compensation period during which no SSB is measured.

[0112] exist Figure 7 In the example shown, the SMTC window duration 702 is extended to cover only a subset of the SSBs 704 in the sequence of SSBs 706, and the measurement gap 708 includes a propagation compensation period 710 in addition to an RF retuning period 712. For example, the duration of the measurement gap 708 may be determined as:

[0113] (2x RF retuning delay) + (T MEAS-REDUCED )+(T PROP )

[0114] Where T PROP is equal to or greater than the duration used to compensate for the variation (or relative difference) in propagation delay between the signal in the serving cell and the signal in the candidate cell, and T MEAS-REDUCED is the duration for which the SSB measurement is performed.

[0115] In some embodiments, the measurement gap length (and correspondingly, the measurement window duration) is extended to accommodate the change (or relative difference) in propagation delay by an amount of the base measurement gap length (base MGL) signaled separately from the indication of the measurement gap that is not extended. For example, in some embodiments, the measurement gap length extension indication is transmitted in the serving cell as part of system information. The system information may be broadcast or transmitted to the communication device 208 in a point-to-point (unicast) manner. In some embodiments, the MeasGapConfig information element is extended by adding an indication of the amount by which the indicated measurement gap length is to be extended.

[0116] Therefore, no changes are made to conventional signaling (such as the mg1 field in the conventional MeasConfigInformation information element).

[0117] According to some embodiments, the base MGL is determined based on the location of the communication device 208. In some embodiments, the base MGL is indicated in dedicated (ie, point-to-point) signaling to the communication device 208. The base MGL for a given communication device may be updated periodically, or in response to a determination that the base MGL has changed.

[0118] In some embodiments, the timing advance that defines the duration between the start of the measurement window and the start of the measurement gap is configured to compensate for the change (or relative difference) in propagation delay between the signal in the serving cell and the signal in the candidate cell. The start of the measurement gap is accordingly determined by the communication device 208 based on the modified timing advance; however, the communication device 208 then starts measuring after the RF retuning without any additional further delay.

[0119] For example, the communication device 208 may determine that the indicated timing advance is different than a predetermined value (e.g., 0.5 ms corresponding to a conventional RF retuning delay), and in response, may set the start of the measurement gap based on the indicated timing advance and the indicated start time of the measurement window. However, the communication device 208 subsequently performs RF retuning and initiates measurements regardless of the indicated timing advance.

[0120] In some embodiments, the measurement gap is actually shifted in time based on the indicated timing advance.Thus, the communication device 208 determines the start of the measurement gap based on the indicated timing advance and after the measurement gap starts, initiates RF retuning and subsequently measures the measurement signal.

[0121] Figure 8 An example of determining the start time of measurement based on the indicated timing advance according to an embodiment of the present technology is shown. Figure 8 In the example, the start time of the indicated measurement window is at T10, and the indicated timing advance is T TA The communication device accordingly sets the start of the measurement gap to T8 = T10 - T TA .

[0122] At time T8, the communication device 208 performs an RF re-tune, which takes T RF After performing the RF retuning, the actual value is not considered (in some examples, except for determining the indicated T TA The communication device 208 starts the measurement window at T9 and performs measurements of the SSB 1002 transmitted in the candidate cell, except for the predetermined timing advance value. Therefore, the communication device 208 is able to receive and measure the measurement signal 1002 even if the measurement signal arrives before the start time of the indicated measurement window (e.g., because of reduced propagation delay).

[0123] The same principles can be applied in some examples to compensate for high (or increased) propagation delay of the measurement signal by signaling a timing advance that is less than the timing advance required for RF retuning and which can be negative (i.e., indicating that the measurement gap starts after the indicated start of the measurement window).

[0124] Conventionally, the minimum configurable period of the SSB sequence transmission is 5 ms, and the maximum configurable duration of the measurement window is 5 ms. With such a configuration, it can be ensured that the communication device can receive at least one SSB in any given 5 ms measurement window regardless of the propagation delay. As described above, in some examples, the measurement window duration is increased so that in a scenario where the SSB sequence transmission period is 5 ms, the number of SSBs received and measured can be increased regardless of the arrival time of the SSB relative to the measurement window.

[0125] However, increasing the measurement gap length reduces the ability of the communication device 208 to receive data and transmit data in its serving cell. In some embodiments, to overcome this, the rate at which SSBs are transmitted in the candidate cell and / or the duration of the measurement window are set so that at least some SSBs can be received in any given measurement window regardless of the actual or relative propagation delay.

[0126] In some such embodiments, the duration of the measurement window is set to a multiple greater than one of the period of the SSB sequence transmission.

[0127] In some embodiments, the period of SSB transmission is set to be less than the maximum duration of the measurement window. For example, in some embodiments, the period of SSB sequence transmission can be set to 2ms or 4ms, and the duration of the measurement window can be set to 6ms.

[0128] In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the total time allocated for measurement is reduced, for example by reducing the duration of each measurement window and measurement gap or by reducing their frequency.

[0129] Conventionally, a measurement signal sequence may include at most a maximum number of SSB transmissions in the sequence, the maximum number being determined based on, for example, the frequency band in which the transmissions occur. According to some embodiments of the present technology, in the event that the number of SSB transmissions in the measurement signal is less than the maximum value (e.g., because the number of beams used by the cell transmissions is less than the maximum possible number of its frequency band), a shorter measurement window may be configured for such cells while maintaining the measurement gap length. By offsetting the measurement gap to start earlier, the shortened measurement window may be positioned toward the middle of the measurement gap.

[0130] Thus, the length of time that measurement signals from these cells arriving outside the configured measurement window can be measured is increased.

[0131] Conventionally, the communication device 208 may receive multiple measurement gap indications, such as indications for cells in different frequency bands, for cells generated for a terrestrial network portion, and for cells generated for a non-terrestrial network portion.

[0132] In some embodiments of the present technology, a communication device additionally measures terrestrial network (TN) cells using measurement gaps configured for measuring NTN cells (ie, cells generated by the NTN portion of the wireless communication network).

[0133] For example, according to one or more techniques disclosed above, the measurement window is extended to allow the communication device to measure the measurement signal transmitted by the NTN part in the NTN cell and the measurement signal transmitted by the TN part in the TN cell within the same measurement window.

[0134] Thus, configuration and signaling of the communication device 208 may be reduced while permitting the communication device 208 to perform NTN and TN candidate cell measurements.

[0135] In the above description, it has been described how the measurement gap and / or the measurement window may be configured and / or adjusted in order to compensate for the propagation delay applicable to transmissions in the serving cell and / or the candidate cell.

[0136] How to determine such a measurement configuration is described below.

[0137] In some embodiments, the determination of the measurement gaps and the measurement windows is performed by the communication device 208 based on assistance data received from the wireless communication network.

[0138] In other embodiments, the determination of the measurement configuration (ie, the measurement gap and the measurement window) is performed by the wireless communication network, for example, by the non-terrestrial network portion 308 or its corresponding base station 101 .

[0139] Typically, the measurement configuration determination is performed based on information identifying or relating to one or more of the following:

[0140] - a set of candidate cells;

[0141] -Scheduling of transmission of measurement signals of candidate cells;

[0142] - a non-terrestrial network (NTN) part (e.g. a satellite) associated with (i.e. generating) the set of candidate cells;

[0143] - Orbital information for each NTN section;

[0144] - Gateway locations of ground stations / base stations associated with each NTN segment;

[0145] - the location of the communication device 208; and

[0146] - Ionospheric delay.

[0147] Fig. 9 A process for determining a measurement configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted.

[0148] The process starts at step S1102, where candidate cells are determined. Based on the determined candidate cells, then at step S1104, the corresponding NTN portion generating the candidate cells is determined.

[0149] At step S1106, the orbit of the corresponding NTN portion generating the candidate cell is determined, and the position(s) of the ground station(s) associated with the corresponding NTN portion is determined. The corresponding NTN portion may also include the NTN portion generating the serving cell.

[0150] At step S1108, a time T (which may be approximate) is determined at which the communication device 208 will perform the next measurement. At step S1110, the position of the corresponding NTN portion at time T is determined based on the trajectory determined at step S1106.

[0151] Based on the positions of the corresponding NTN parts determined at step S1110 , the distance between each corresponding NTN part and its corresponding ground station at time T is determined at step S1112 .

[0152] At step S1114, the location of the communication device 208 at time T is determined. In some embodiments, this may be estimated based on the current or past location of the communication device 208. In some embodiments, step S1114 may be performed by the communication device 208 shortly before time T in order to obtain an accurate estimate of the location of the communication device at time T.

[0153] Based on the location of the corresponding NTN portion determined at step S1110 and the location of the communication device 208 determined at step S1114 , then at step S1116 , the distance between each NTN portion and the communication device 208 at time T is determined.

[0154] Based on the distances determined at step S1116 and step S1112, a propagation delay applicable for transmission in each of the serving cell and the candidate cell is determined at step S1118. The propagation delay may be determined taking into account ionospheric delay.

[0155] Based on the propagation delay determined in step S1118 and the measurement signal transmission schedule of the candidate cell, the measurement parameters defining the measurement configuration (measurement gap, measurement window, etc.) are determined. In some embodiments, the time T may be refined based on the measurement signal transmission schedule in the candidate cell, and the measurement parameters may be determined based on the refined time T.

[0156] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 Some or all of the steps in the process are performed by the base station 101 and / or the NTN part 308. Fig. 9 After the process, the determined measurement parameters are indicated to the communication device 208 by means of, for example, an RRC configuration message. In some embodiments, when the measurement parameters are not determined by the communication device 208, the adjustment of the previous parameters can be signaled by means of RRC signaling, layer 2 (e.g., L2, medium access control) signaling, or layer 1 (e.g., physical layer) signaling.

[0157] generally, Fig. 9 The process ensures that measurement signals transmitted by the candidate cell(s) are received at the communication device 208 within the measurement window according to the determined measurement parameters.

[0158] In some embodiments, in response to determining that the candidate cell is provided by the NTN portion, performing Fig. 9 In some embodiments, one or more steps (or all) of the process are performed in response to determining that the coverage area of ​​one or more of the serving cell and the candidate cell moves relative to the surface of the earth (e.g., provided by a non-geostationary NTN portion).

[0159] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 One or more steps of the process are omitted, reordered or modified. For example, in some embodiments, in response to determining that the candidate cell is provided by the NTN part, the measurement configuration is determined without considering the location of the communication device 208. In some embodiments, a fixed measurement configuration applicable to any measurement window used to measure the measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell provided by the NTN part is determined.

[0160] In some embodiments, the above description and Fig. 9 The process shown can be used to determine T MEAS-REDUCED 、T PROP and T WINDOW One or more of the above, so that the communication device 208 can Fig. 9 The process receives a measurement signal within a measurement window determined by the method.

[0161] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 The steps in the process are performed by the communication device, such as Fig.10 shown.

[0162] Fig.10 A message sequence chart and a process flow chart of a process for performing candidate cell measurement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are depicted.

[0163] The process begins at step S1202, where the communication device 208 transmits a request assistance information indication 1250 to the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 in a serving cell.

[0164] In response to receiving the request assistance information indication 1250, at step S1204, the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 generates assistance information, such as a cell identifier, NTN portion orbit information (which may include ephemeris information and / or almanac information), NTN ground station identification, NTN ground station location, and performs the above-described Fig. 9 In some embodiments, the assistance information includes the location of the communication device 208, however, in some embodiments, this is determined autonomously by the communication device 208.

[0165] In some embodiments, validity information is transmitted in addition to the assistance information, or as part of the assistance information. The validity information allows the communication device 208 to subsequently determine whether the assistance information is valid for determining information used to determine the measurement window. The validity information may include one or more of a release time, a version indication, a validity time, and a validity region associated with the assistance information.

[0166] At step S1206 , the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 transmits the assistance information 1252 to the communication device 208 .

[0167] In some embodiments, the assistance information 1252 and optional validity information may be transmitted using RRC dedicated (point-to-point, unicast) signaling. In some embodiments, the assistance information 1252 may be transmitted in system information, which may be broadcast or unicast to the communication device 208.

[0168] In some embodiments, the assistance information 1252 and / or the validity information is generated and transmitted at a protocol layer above the RRC layer (eg, at the application layer).

[0169] In some embodiments, the auxiliary information 1252 may include multiple auxiliary information parts, which may be transmitted in different messages and / or using different protocol layers. In some embodiments, the validity information may be transmitted using a different message and / or a different protocol layer than some or all of the auxiliary information.

[0170] Based on the auxiliary information 1252, at step S1208, the communication device 208 determines the measurement parameters, for example, according to Fig. 9 The process shown and described above.

[0171] Based on the measurement parameters, at step S1210 , the communication device 208 performs measurement of measurement signals transmitted in one or more candidate cells.

[0172] At step S1212 , the communication device 208 transmits a measurement report 1254 to the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 based on the measurement results performed at step S110 .

[0173] Can be repeated Fig.10 For example, for each measurement sample obtained, steps S1208 and S1210 may be repeated as long as the assistance information remains valid. If the communication device 208 determines, based on the validity information or otherwise, that the assistance information is no longer valid, it may repeat the process starting from step S1202.

[0174] In some embodiments, step S1208 may be performed periodically (eg, not for every measurement sample) in order to reduce processing requirements at the communication device 208 .

[0175] exist Fig.10 In some embodiments not shown in FIG. 1 , the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 may also perform steps similar to step S1208 described above to determine the measurement parameters used by the communication device 208 in step S1210. Fig.10 As shown in step S1214 in FIG. 308 , the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 may refrain from scheduling uplink or downlink communications to or from the communication device 208 in the serving cell during the measurement gap based on these measurement parameters. Step S1208 may be performed based on an estimate of the location of the communication device 208 .

[0176] Therefore, embodiments of the present technology may provide a measurement window for measuring a measurement signal in a candidate cell, the measurement window permitting the communication device 208 to receive and measure the measurement signal while taking into account the difference or change in propagation delay between the serving cell and the candidate cell over time. For example, where the propagation delay in the serving cell remains constant while the propagation delay in the candidate cell increases, a future measurement window may be defined to take into account the relative change in propagation delay.

[0177] Therefore, embodiments of the present technology may provide a method for dynamically updating measurement configuration parameters without requiring repeated signaling between the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 and the communication device 208 .

[0178] By determining appropriate measurement gaps and measurement windows, improved candidate cell measurements may be performed, wherein measurement signals are received and measured within the measurement windows while the duration of the measurement gaps is minimized, thereby avoiding unnecessary restrictions on scheduling of data transmissions in the serving cell.

[0179] In some embodiments, some or all of the steps described as being performed by the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be performed by the base station 101. Thus, the messages described above as being transmitted or received by the first non-terrestrial network portion 308 may be relayed to or from the base station 101 by the first non-terrestrial network portion 308.

[0180] The steps in the process described above may be omitted, reordered, or modified. Fig.10 In the process shown, in some embodiments, step S1202 is omitted and assistance information 1252 is generated and transmitted to the communication device 208 without any request being received at the wireless network.

[0181] In the above example, the serving cell is an NTN cell generated by the NTN part. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the serving cell may be generated by one or more ground antennas.

[0182] Thus, a method for configuring a communication device in a service cell of a wireless communication network including a non-terrestrial network portion has been described, the method comprising: establishing a connection between the communication device and the wireless communication network in the service cell for transmitting data to and receiving data from the communication device; identifying a candidate cell for switching of the communication device; determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network; determining a time period in which the communication device can receive a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell as a measurement window based on determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network, and configuring the communication device to measure the measurement signal received within the measurement window.

[0183] Communication devices, infrastructure equipment, and circuits thereof are also described.

[0184] It should be understood that although the present disclosure in some aspects focuses on implementations in LTE and / or 5G networks for the purpose of providing specific examples, the same principles can be applied to other wireless telecommunication systems. Therefore, even though the terminology used herein is substantially the same or similar to that of the LTE and 5G standards, the teachings are not limited to current versions of LTE and 5G and can be equally applied to any suitable arrangement that is not based on LTE or 5G and / or complies with any other future versions of LTE, 5G or other standards.

[0185] It may be noted that the various example methods discussed herein may rely on information that is predetermined / predefined in the sense that both the base station and the communication device are aware of it. It should be understood that such predetermined / predefined information may generally be established, for example, by definition in the operating standard of the wireless telecommunications system, or in signaling previously exchanged between the base station and the communication device, such as in system information signaling, or in association with radio resource control establishment signaling, or in information stored in a SIM application. That is, the specific manner in which relevant predefined information is established and shared between the various elements of the wireless telecommunications system is not the most important for the operating principles described herein. It may also be noted that, unless the context otherwise requires, the various example methods discussed herein rely on information exchanged / communicated between the various elements of the wireless telecommunications system, and it should be understood that such communications may generally be performed according to conventional techniques, such as according to a specific signaling protocol and the type of communication channel used. That is, the specific manner in which relevant information is exchanged between the various elements of the wireless telecommunications system is not the most important for the operating principles described herein.

[0186] It should be understood that the principles described herein are applicable not only to certain types of communication devices, but may be more generally applicable to any type of communication device. For example, the method is not limited to machine-type communication devices / Internet of Things devices or other narrowband communication devices, but may be more generally applicable to any type of communication device that operates, for example, with a wireless link of a communication network.

[0187] It should also be understood that the principles described herein are applicable not only to LTE-based or 5G / NR-based wireless telecommunication systems, but also to any type of wireless telecommunication system in which the propagation delay of a signal transmitted in a cell received by a communication device may vary significantly over time and / or be significantly different from the propagation delay of other signals transmitted in different cells.

[0188] Further particular and preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. It will be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in other ways than those explicitly set out in the claims.

[0189] Therefore, the foregoing discussion discloses and describes only exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention or its essential features. Therefore, the disclosure of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative, not limiting, of the scope of the present disclosure and other claims. The present disclosure, including any readily discernible variations taught herein, partially limits the scope of the preceding claim terms so that no inventive subject matter is committed to the public.

[0190] Various features of the present disclosure are defined by the following numbered paragraphs:

[0191] Paragraph 1. A method for configuring a communication device in a service cell of a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network including a non-terrestrial network portion, the method comprising: establishing a connection between the communication device and the wireless communication network in the service cell for transmitting data to and receiving data from the communication device; identifying a candidate cell for switching of the communication device; determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network; determining a time period in which the communication device can receive a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell as a measurement window based on determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network; and configuring the communication device to measure the measurement signal received within the measurement window.

[0192] Paragraph 2. A method according to paragraph 1, wherein the measurement signal is transmitted in the candidate cell according to a measurement signal schedule, the measurement signal schedule defining a predetermined measurement signal sequence duration and a predetermined measurement signal sequence period.

[0193] Paragraph 3. A method according to paragraph 2, wherein the duration of the measurement window exceeds the duration of the measurement signal sequence by an extension time, and wherein the method comprises determining the extension time.

[0194] Paragraph 4. A method according to paragraph 3, wherein an indication of the extended time is transmitted to a communication device in the serving cell.

[0195] Paragraph 5. A method according to paragraph 4, wherein an indication of the extended time is transmitted to the communication devices in the serving cell in a broadcast message.

[0196] Paragraph 6. A method according to any one of paragraphs 2 to 5, wherein the method includes: determining a start offset time, the start offset time defining a time offset between the start of a measurement gap and a start time of a measurement window, during which no data is transmitted to a communication device in a serving cell and no data is transmitted from a communication device in a serving cell, wherein configuring the communication device with the measurement window includes configuring the communication device with the start offset time and the start of the measurement gap.

[0197] Paragraph 7. A method according to any of paragraphs 2 to 6, wherein the duration of the measurement window is greater than the measurement signal sequence period.

[0198] Paragraph 8. A method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 7, the method comprising: identifying a second candidate cell, the second candidate cell being provided by a terrestrial network portion and operating at a frequency different from that of the candidate cell, and configuring the communication device to measure a second measurement signal transmitted in the second candidate cell within a measurement window.

[0199] Paragraph 9. A method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein determining the measurement window includes: determining the difference between the propagation delay of a signal transmitted in the candidate cell and received at the communication device at the start time of the measurement window and the propagation delay of a signal transmitted in the serving cell and received at the communication device at the start time of the measurement window.

[0200] Paragraph 10. A method according to paragraph 9, wherein the service cell is generated by a first non-terrestrial network portion, the method comprising: determining a location of the first non-terrestrial network portion at a start time of a measurement window, and determining a location of the communication device at a start time of the measurement window.

[0201] Paragraph 11. The method of paragraph 10, comprising determining a location of a ground station associated with the first non-terrestrial network portion at a start time of the measurement window.

[0202]

[00136] Paragraph 12. A method according to paragraph 10 or paragraph 11, wherein the candidate cell is generated by a second non-terrestrial network portion, the method comprising: determining the location of the second non-terrestrial network portion at the start time of the measurement window.

[0203] Paragraph 13. The method of paragraph 12, comprising determining the location of a ground station associated with the second non-terrestrial network portion at a start time of the measurement window.

[0204] Paragraph 14. A method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 13, wherein configuring the communication device to measure measurement signals received within a measurement window includes transmitting an indication of measurement parameters defining the measurement window to the communication device, and wherein the method includes: receiving a measurement report from the communication device, the measurement report including an indication of candidate cell measurement results based on measurements performed by the communication device on measurement signals received during the measurement window.

[0205] Paragraph 15. A method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 14, the method comprising: receiving a request for auxiliary information from a communication device, and in response to receiving the request for auxiliary information, transmitting auxiliary information to the communication device, wherein the auxiliary information comprises one or more of the following: a cell identifier, non-terrestrial network (NTN) partial orbit information including one or more of ephemeris information and / or almanac information, an NTN ground station identifier, an NTN ground station location, and a location of the communication device.

[0206]

[00136] Paragraph 16. A method according to paragraph 15, wherein the method comprises transmitting validity information for determining the validity of the auxiliary information to the communication device, the validity information comprising one or more of a release time, a version indication, a validity time and a validity area.

[0207] Paragraph 17. A method as described in paragraph 15 or paragraph 16, wherein at least a portion of the validity information is transmitted using radio resource control (RRC) unicast signaling.

[0208] Paragraph 18. A method as described in any of paragraphs 15 to 17, wherein at least a portion of the validity information is transmitted in broadcast system information.

[0209]

[00136] Paragraph 19. A method according to any of paragraphs 15 to 18, wherein at least a portion of the validity information is generated and transmitted at an application layer.

[0210] Paragraph 20. A method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 13, wherein the method comprises: measuring a measurement signal received during a measurement window, and transmitting a measurement report, the measurement report comprising an indication of a measurement result of a candidate cell based on the measurement.

[0211] Paragraph 21. A method according to paragraph 20, the method comprising: transmitting a request for auxiliary information to a wireless communication network, receiving auxiliary information transmitted in response to the request for auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information comprises one or more of the following: a cell identifier, non-terrestrial network (NTN) partial orbit information including one or more of ephemeris information and / or almanac information, an NTN ground station identifier, an NTN ground station location, and a communication device location, and wherein determining the measurement window is based on the auxiliary information.

[0212] Paragraph 22. A method according to paragraph 21, the method comprising determining that the stored assistance data is invalid based on validity information associated with the stored assistance data, wherein in response to determining that the stored assistance data is invalid, a request for assistance information is transmitted to the wireless communication network.

[0213] Paragraph 23. A communication device for configuring a communication device in a service cell of a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network including a non-terrestrial network portion providing the service cell, the communication device comprising: a transceiver for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from the non-terrestrial network portion over a wireless access interface, and a controller configured to control the transceiver so that the communication device is operable to: establish a connection between the communication device and the wireless communication network in the service cell for transmitting data to and receiving data from the communication device, identify a candidate cell for handover of the communication device, determine that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network, determine a time period during which the communication device can receive a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell as a measurement window based on determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network, and configure the communication device to measure the measurement signal received within the measurement window.

[0214] Paragraph 24. An infrastructure device comprising a communication device according to paragraph 23, wherein the controller is configured to control the transceiver so that the infrastructure device is operable to: configure the communication device to measure measurement signals received within a measurement window by transmitting an indication of measurement parameters defining the measurement window to the communication device, and receive a measurement report from the communication device, the measurement report including an indication of candidate cell measurement results based on measurements performed by the communication device on the measurement signals received during the measurement window.

[0215] Paragraph 25. A communication apparatus comprising a communication device according to paragraph 23, wherein the controller is configured to control the transceiver so that the communication apparatus is operable to: measure a measurement signal received during a measurement window, and transmit a measurement report, the measurement report comprising an indication of a measurement result of a candidate cell based on the measurement.

[0216] Paragraph 26. A circuit for a communication device, the communication device being used to configure a communication device in a service cell of a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network including a non-terrestrial network portion providing the service cell, the circuit comprising: a transceiver circuit for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from the non-terrestrial network portion over a wireless access interface, and a controller circuit configured to control the transceiver so that the communication device is operable to: establish a connection between the communication device and the wireless communication network in the service cell for transmitting data to and receiving data from the communication device, identify a candidate cell for handover of the communication device, determine that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network, determine a time period during which the communication device can receive a measurement signal transmitted in the candidate cell as a measurement window based on determining that one or both of the service cell and the candidate cell are provided by the non-terrestrial network portion of the wireless communication network, and configure the communication device to measure the measurement signal received within the measurement window.

[0217] Further particular and preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. It will be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in other ways than those explicitly set out in the claims.

[0218] References

[0219] [1]3GPP TR 38.811V15.1.0(2019-06)Study on New Radio(NR)to support nonterrestrial networks https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / Specs / archive / 38_series / 38.811 /

[0220] [2]HolmaH.and ToskalaA,“LTE for UMTS OFDMA and SC-FDMA based radioaccess”,John Wiley and Sons,2009

[0221] [3]RP-182090,“Revised SID:Study on NR Industrial Internet of Things(IoT),”RAN#81.

[0222] [4]“5G Radio Performance and Radio ResourceManagementSpecifications”,NTT DOCOMO Technical Journal,Vol.20,No.3(January2019).

[0223] [5]3GPP TR 38.821 VO.7.0(2019-05)Solutions for NR to supportnon-terrestrial networks(NTN)https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / Specs / archive / 38_series / 38.821 /

[0224] [6]R2-1908755 The Impact by Propagation Delay Difference onConnectedMode CATT.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising: one or more radio transceivers; and A hardware circuit configured to control the one or more radio transceivers to: Determine the measurement window (T WINDOW ), the measurement window is based on a measurement timing configuration configured by the first non-terrestrial network portion, the measurement timing configuration is based on a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a period of the measurement timing configuration based on the SSB is a multiple of a SSB sequence transmission period, wherein the measurement window (T WINDOW ) is further extended by an extension indication, and In the extended measurement window (T WINDOW ) within a network portion and measuring one or more SSBs transmitted from the first non-terrestrial network portion.

2. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The extended indication is based on a broadcast message sent from the first non-terrestrial network portion.

3. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The minimum configurable period of the SSB sequence transmission period is 5ms.

4. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The SSB sequence transmission period is set to be smaller than the measurement window (T WINDOW )'s maximum duration.

5. A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: Determine the measurement window (T WINDOW ), the measurement window is based on a measurement timing configuration configured by the first non-terrestrial network portion, the measurement timing configuration is based on a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a period of the measurement timing configuration based on the SSB is a multiple of a SSB sequence transmission period, wherein the measurement window (T WINDOW ) is further extended by an extension indication, and In the extended measurement window (T WINDOW ) within a network portion and measuring one or more SSBs transmitted from the first non-terrestrial network portion.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The extended indication is based on a broadcast message sent from the first non-terrestrial network portion.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The minimum configurable period of the SSB sequence transmission period is 5ms.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The SSB sequence transmission period is set to be smaller than the measurement window (T WINDOW )'s maximum duration.

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