Apparatus, method, apparatus and computer readable medium for synchronization signal block measurement

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus, method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for synchronization signal block measurement. An example apparatus for a terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. At least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, may cause a terminal device to at least: receive, from a network device serving the terminal device, a configuration for discontinuous transmissions that defines an active period and an inactive period of a cell associated with the network device; determining whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; based on the determination, if a first condition is satisfied, performing a synchronization signal block measurement during an inactive period; and based on the determination, if a second condition is satisfied, refraining from performing synchronization signal block measurements during the inactive period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for synchronization signal block (SSB) measurements. Background Art

[0002] SSB may also refer to synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks. In this application, the term SSB or synchronization signal block may also refer to synchronization signals and PBCH blocks. SSB measurements (also known as SSB-based measurements) may serve as the basis for user equipment (UE) data transmission. If the UE does not perform SSB measurements for a long time (e.g., a few seconds), the UE may lose connection with the cell, in which case the UE requires more time for cell detection before starting data transmission. On the network (NW) side, cell discontinuous transmission (DTX), cell discontinuous reception (DRX), etc. are introduced for network energy saving (NES). The cell DTX / DRX configuration defines the activation period and inactivation (also known as deactivation) period of the cell, and no data transmission will be performed during the inactivation period of the cell DTX unless some exceptions are specified. Therefore, during the inactivation period of the cell DTX, if the UE wakes up to perform SSB measurements, the SSB measurements may waste energy on the UE. Summary of the invention

[0003] A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

[0004] In a first aspect, an apparatus for a terminal device is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the terminal device to at least: receive a configuration for discontinuous transmission from a network device serving the terminal device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; determine whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; based on the determination, if the first condition is met, perform the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period; and based on the determination, if the second condition is met, avoid performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period.

[0005] In a second aspect, an apparatus for a network device is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the network device to at least: transmit a configuration for discontinuous transmission to a terminal device served by the network device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; transmit a synchronization signal block during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; if it is determined that a first condition is met, receive a first measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device; if it is determined that a second condition different from the first condition is met, receive a second measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the activation period from the terminal device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method performed by an apparatus of a terminal device is disclosed. The method may include: receiving a configuration for discontinuous transmission from a network device serving the terminal device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; determining whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; based on the determination, if the first condition is met, performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period; and based on the determination, if the second condition is met, avoiding performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method performed by an apparatus of a network device is disclosed. The method may include: transmitting a configuration for discontinuous transmission to a terminal device served by the network device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; transmitting a synchronization signal block during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; receiving a first measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device if a first condition is determined to be satisfied; and receiving a second measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the activation period from the terminal device if a second condition different from the first condition is determined to be satisfied.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a device for a terminal device is disclosed. The device for the terminal device may include: a device for receiving a configuration for discontinuous transmission from a network device serving the terminal device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; a device for determining whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; a device for performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period if the first condition is met based on the determination; and a device for avoiding performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period if the second condition is met based on the determination.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a device for a network device is disclosed. The device for the network device may include: a device for transmitting a configuration for discontinuous transmission to a terminal device served by the network device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; a device for transmitting a synchronization signal block during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; a device for receiving a first measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device if a first condition is determined to be satisfied; and a device for receiving a second measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the activation period from the terminal device if a second condition different from the first condition is determined to be satisfied.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device, may cause the terminal device to at least: receive a configuration for discontinuous transmission from a network device serving the terminal device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; determine whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; based on the determination, if the first condition is met, perform the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period; and based on the determination, if the second condition is met, avoid performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactivation period.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, which, when executed by the apparatus of the network device, may cause the network device to at least: transmit a configuration for discontinuous transmission to a terminal device served by the network device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; transmit a synchronization signal block during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; if it is determined that a first condition is satisfied, receive a first measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device; if it is determined that a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied, receive a second measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the activation period from the terminal device.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present application will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the exemplary embodiments of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 An overall exemplary sequence diagram for SSB measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0015] Figure 2A An exemplary sequence diagram for SSB measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0016] Figure 2B An exemplary sequence diagram for SSB measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating an example method 300 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0018] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0019] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 500 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0020] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 600 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0021] Figure 7A block diagram illustrating an example device 700 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0022] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating an example device 800 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0023] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar elements, and repeated description of the same elements will be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, some example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known circuits, techniques, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts and features described.

[0025] The exemplary embodiments of the present application provide a solution for SSB measurement. According to the exemplary embodiments of the present application, the UE can perform SSB measurement during the cell DTX inactive period when necessary, so that the UE power saving can be maximized without sacrificing measurement performance.

[0026] Figure 1 An overall exemplary sequence diagram for SSB measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 1 UE 110 may represent any terminal device in a wireless network. Network device 150 may represent the network side of a wireless network. Network device 150 may be associated with a cell serving UE 110. UE 110 may be in a radio resource control (RRC) connected mode.

[0027] The network device 150 may configure DTX defining an activation period and an inactivation period on a cell serving the UE 110. The network device 150 may then transmit a cell DTX configuration 155 to the UE 110. In some embodiments, the cell DTX configuration 155 may be transmitted via an RRC reconfiguration. In some embodiments, the cell DTX is not activated when configured, in which case the network device 150 may activate the cell DTX on the cell, and may also transmit activation signaling 160 to the UE 110 to activate the cell DTX configuration 155. The activation signaling 160 may notify the UE 110 to activate the cell DTX configuration 155. In some embodiments, the activation signaling 160 may be transmitted via an indication based on downlink control information (DCI) or media access control (MAC). The activation signaling 160 may be transmitted in a message different from (e.g., later than) the message that delivers the cell DTX configuration 155. After activating the cell DTX configuration 155, the cell may alternately enter an activation period and an inactivation period defined by the cell DTX configuration 155, and the UE 110 may be aware of the activation period and the inactivation period of the cell.

[0028] In some embodiments, the network device 150 may configure an SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) 165 for the UE 110 and transmit the SMTC 165 to the UE 110. The SMTC 165 may be transmitted via, for example, an RRC reconfiguration. Alternatively, the SMTC 165 may be predefined in a standard. The SMTC 165 may include parameters for the UE 110 to determine whether and how to perform SSB measurements when the cell DTX is not configured or activated. Alternatively or additionally, the SMTC 165 may also define a period of SSB measurements at least during a cell DTX activation period.

[0029] Additionally, in some embodiments, the network device 150 may configure connected discontinuous reception (c-DRX) for the UE 110, and transmit the c-DRX configuration 170 to the UE 110. c-DRX may be understood as DRX of the UE 110 in a connected mode (e.g., RRC_Connected). The c-DRX configuration 170 may be transmitted via, for example, RRC reconfiguration. The c-DRX configuration 170 is used for UE power saving and may include parameters for the UE 110 to determine whether and when to wake up to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0030] During the activation period and the inactivation period of the cell, the network device 150 may transmit the SSB 175 to the UE 110 according to a certain SSB transmission period. For the SSB 175 during the activation period, the UE 110 may perform SSB measurement during the activation period based on the SMTC 165. For the SSB 175 during the inactivation period, in operation 115, the UE 110 may determine whether to perform SSB measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition. If it is determined that the first condition is satisfied (the "first condition" branch of operation 115), then in operation 120, the UE 110 may perform SSB measurement on the SSB 175 during the inactivation period. If it is determined that the second condition is satisfied (the "second condition" branch of operation 115), then in operation 130, the UE 110 may avoid performing SSB measurement on the SSB 175 during the inactivation period.

[0031] In some embodiments, UE 110 may take both c-DRX configuration 170 and cell DTX configuration 155 into account in SSB measurement, and perform SSB measurement during both c-DRX activation time and cell DTX activation time, for example. If the periodicity of c-DRX is represented as c-DRX cycle, the periodicity of SSB measurement is represented as SMTC cycle, and the periodicity of cell DTX is represented as cell DTX cycle, then when c-DRX of UE 110 is in use, UE 110 should wake up based on max(SMTC cycle, c-DRX cycle, cell DTX cycle) to measure SSB 175; or if c-DRX of UE 110 is not configured, wake up based on max(SMTC cycle, cell DTX cycle) to measure SSB 175.

[0032] On the network side, in operation 180, the network device 150 may also determine whether the first condition or the second condition is satisfied, so that the network device 150 may know whether and how the UE 110 performs SSB measurement during the inactive period.

[0033] Figure 2A An exemplary sequence diagram for SSB measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 2A The exemplary sequence shown in may be performed by UE 110 and network device 150 and may result in the first condition being satisfied.

[0034] In some embodiments, UE 110 transmits a first indication 215 to network device 150, indicating whether UE 110 is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the inactive period or has a preference for measuring SSB during the inactive period. First indication 215 is optional. In some embodiments, the absence of first indication 215 may implicitly indicate that the UE is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the inactive period, and UE 110 transmits the first indication 215 only when it does not have the ability to support SSB measurement during the inactive period, and vice versa. In this case, without the first indication 215, network device 150 may assume that UE 110 has the ability to support SSB measurement or has a preference for measuring SSB during the inactive period. Optionally, the network device may interpret the absence of first indication 215 as an inability to perform SSB measurement during the inactive period.

[0035] In some embodiments, when the first indication 215 indicates that the UE 110 is capable of supporting SSB measurements or prefers to measure SSB during the inactive period, the first condition is met for the UE 110 in the case of such a first indication 215. Upon receiving such a first indication 215, the network device 150 may also determine that the first condition is met for the UE 110 and assume that the UE 110 will perform SSB measurements during the inactive period.

[0036] Back to Figure 1 In this case, in some embodiments, in operation 120, UE 110 may perform SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the period of SSB measurement. The SSB measurement period may be a parameter in SMTC 165. On the network side, network device 150 may not determine the measurement configuration for UE 110 to perform SSB measurement during the inactive period.

[0037] Based on the SSB measurements during the inactive period and the active period according to the SMTC 165, the UE 110 may derive a first measurement report 125 and transmit the first measurement report 125 to the network device 150. In this case, the first measurement report 125 received by the network device 150 is based on the SSB measurements performed on the SSB 175 during the inactive period and the active period according to the SMTC 165.

[0038] Optionally, refer to Figure 2AIn some embodiments, when the first indication 215 indicates that the UE 110 is capable of supporting SSB measurement or has a preference to measure SSB during the inactive period, such a first indication 215 is received, and in operation 255, the network device 150 may determine a measurement configuration 260 for the UE 110, for performing SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration 260. The measurement configuration 260 may be specific to the UE 110 or may be common to multiple UEs including the UE 110. Then, the network device 150 may transmit the measurement configuration 260 to the UE 110 so that the first condition is satisfied. In this case, referring to Figure 1 In operation 120 , the UE 110 may perform SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration 260 .

[0039] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration 260 may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and in operation 120, the UE 110 may perform SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement period and within the measurement window. The measurement period may be longer than a period for performing SSB measurement during the active period, so that SSB measurement during the inactive period may be less frequent than during the active period.

[0040] Optionally, in some embodiments, the measurement configuration 260 may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated secondary cell (SCell). For example, in operation 120, if configured, the UE 110 may reuse the measurement configuration of the deactivated SCell, for example, performing SSB measurements during the inactive period according to measCycleSCell.

[0041] Optionally, in some embodiments, the measurement configuration 260 may include a scaling factor, and in operation 120, the UE 110 may perform SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the scaling factor multiplied by the SSB measurement period or the larger of the c-DRX period and the SSB measurement period of the UE 110. The period of c-DRX may be a parameter in the c-DRX configuration 170, and the period of SSB measurement may be a parameter in the SMTC 165.

[0042] If the scaling factor is represented as k, the periodicity of c-DRX is represented as c-DRX cycle, and the periodicity of SSB measurement is represented as SMTC cycle, UE 110 can perform SSB measurement during the inactive period according to k*SMTC cycle or k*max(c-DRX cycle, SMTC cycle).

[0043] In the above case, when the measurement configuration 260 is available for the UE 110, SSB measurements during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement configuration 260, and in this case, the first measurement report 125 received by the network device 150 is based on SSB measurements on the SSB 175 during the inactive period and during the active period.

[0044] Figure 2B An exemplary sequence diagram for SSB measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 2B The exemplary sequence shown in may be performed by UE 110 and network device 150 and may result in the second condition being satisfied.

[0045] For example, refer to Figure 2B If the first indication 215 indicates that the UE 110 is not capable of supporting SSB measurements during the inactive period, the UE 110 will not perform SSB measurements during the inactive period, and upon receiving such a first indication 215, the network device 150 may determine that the second condition is met for the UE 110 and / or that the UE 110 will not perform SSB measurements during the inactive period.

[0046] In some embodiments, in operation 220, UE 110 may compare the period of cell DTX with a threshold value. Figure 1 In the illustrated operation 115, the UE 110 may determine that the second condition is satisfied when the period of the cell DTX is equal to or less than the threshold. For example, the cell DTX configuration 155 may include parameters for the cell DTX, which may include the period of the cell DTX. Satisfying the second condition means that the cell may remain detectable even if the UE 110 does not perform SSB measurements during the inactive period. Otherwise, the UE 110 should wake up and measure at least one SSB to keep the cell detected.

[0047] In some embodiments, the threshold value may be predefined based on a time period for identifying a cell. For example, the time period may be equal to the time for identifying a cell, such as T in the standard specification. identify_intra_without_index .

[0048] Alternatively, in some embodiments, returning to the reference Figure 1 , UE 110 receives c-DRX configuration 170 or both c-DRX configuration 170 and SMTC 165 from network device 150, c-DRX configuration 170 includes a period of c-DRX, and SMTC 165 includes a period of SSB measurement. In this case, the threshold value may be the amount of the SSB measurement period or the larger amount between the c-DRX period and the SSB measurement period.

[0049] If the number is expressed as N, the c-DRX cycle is expressed as c-DRX cycle, and the SSB measurement cycle is expressed as SMTC cycle, the threshold can be expressed as N*SMTC cycle or N*max(SMTC cycle, c-DRX cycle).

[0050] Back to Figure 1 If the second condition is determined to be satisfied in operation 115, then in operation 130, UE 110 may not perform SSB measurement during the inactive period. In this case, UE 110 may derive a second measurement report 135 and transmit the second measurement report 135 to network device 150. In this case, the second measurement report 135 received by network device 150 is based on SSB measurement on SSB 175 during the active period because no SSB measurement is performed during the inactive period.

[0051] Reference Figure 2A and Figure 2B In some embodiments, the network device 150 may transmit a second indication 265 to the UE 110 indicating whether the UE 110 performs SSB measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period. The number of the at least one subsequent inactive period may be predefined in the standard or determined by the network device 150 and included in the second indication 265. Whether the first condition or the second condition is satisfied during the at least one subsequent inactive period depends on the second indication 265.

[0052] In the event that the second indication 265 indicates that the UE 110 is not to perform SSB measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period, the reference is returned to Figure 1 In operation 115, the second condition is determined to be satisfied, and the UE 110 may determine not to perform SSB measurement during at least one subsequent inactive period. In this case, the second measurement report 135 may be based on the SSB measurement during the active period.

[0053] Optionally, in the case where the second indication 265 indicates that the UE 110 performs SSB measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period, in operation 115, the first condition is determined to be satisfied, and the UE 110 may determine to perform SSB measurements during the at least one subsequent inactive period. In this case, the first measurement report 125 may be based on SSB measurements during the active period and during the inactive period.

[0054] The second indication 265 may be transmitted via, for example, a DCI, a MAC, or an RRC message, and dynamic network control may be implemented based on the second indication 265 .

[0055] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, SSB measurements during a cell DTX inactive period can be reduced, thereby facilitating UE power saving, while also reducing the impact on system performance with consistent and qualified measurement performance.

[0056] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating an example method 300 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The example method 300 may be performed, for example, by an apparatus for a terminal device such as the UE 110 described above.

[0057] Reference Figure 3 , the example method 300 may include: operation 310, receiving a configuration for DTX from a network device serving a terminal device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; operation 320, determining whether to perform SSB measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; operation 330, based on the above determination, if the first condition is met, performing SSB measurement during the inactivation period; and operation 340, based on the above determination, if the second condition is met, avoiding performing SSB measurement during the inactivation period.

[0058] The details of operation 310 have been described in the above description about at least the cell DTX configuration 155, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0059] The details of operation 320 have been described in the above description about at least operation 115, and a repeated description is omitted here.

[0060] The details of operation 330 have been described in the above description of at least operation 120, and a repeated description is omitted here.

[0061] The details of operation 340 have been described in the above description about at least operation 130, and a repeated description is omitted here.

[0062] In some embodiments, the example method 300 may include receiving activation signaling from a network device to activate the DTX configuration. More details have been described in the above description of at least the activation signaling 160, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0063] In some embodiments, the configuration of DTX may include parameters for DTX, and the parameters may include a period of DTX, wherein the apparatus may be configured to: compare the period of DTX with a threshold, and when the period of DTX is equal to or less than the threshold, the second condition is satisfied. More details have been described in the above description of at least cell DTX configuration 155, operation 220, and operation 115, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0064] In some embodiments, the threshold may be predefined according to a time period for identifying the cell. More details have been described in the above description of at least operation 220, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0065] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to receive SMTC, or SMTC and c-DRX configuration of a terminal device from a network device, the c-DRX configuration may include a c-DRX cycle, the SMTC may include a SSB measurement cycle, and the threshold may be the number of SSB measurement cycles or the larger number between the c-DRX cycle and the SSB measurement cycle. More details have been described in the above description of at least SMTC 165, c-DRX configuration 170, operation 220, and operation 115, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0066] In some embodiments, when a measurement configuration is received from a network device, the first condition may be satisfied, and the apparatus may be configured to perform SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration. More details have been described in the above description of at least the measurement configuration 260, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0067] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and the SSB measurement during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window. More details have been described in the above description of at least the measurement configuration 260 and operation 120, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0068] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated SCell. More details have been described in the above description of at least the measurement configuration 260, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0069] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a scaling factor, and the SSB measurement during the non-active period may be performed based on the scaling factor multiplied by the period of the SSB measurement or the larger of the c-DRX period of the terminal device and the SSB measurement period. More details have been described in the above description of at least SMTC 165, c-DRX configuration 170, measurement configuration 260, and operation 120, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0070] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to transmit to the network device a first indication indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the inactive period. In the above description, at least the first indication 215 has been described in the above description, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0071] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be received when the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the inactive period. More details have been described in the above description of at least the first indication 215 and the measurement configuration 260, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0072] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to transmit to the network device a first indication indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the non-activation period, and in the case where the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the non-activation period, the first condition may be satisfied, and the apparatus may be configured to perform SSB measurement during the non-activation period according to the SMTC. More details have been described in the above description of at least the first indication 215, the SMTC 165, and operation 120, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0073] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to receive a second indication from the network device indicating whether the terminal device performs SSB measurement during at least one subsequent non-active period, and when the second indication indicates that the terminal device performs SSB measurement during at least one subsequent non-active period, it may be determined to perform SSB measurement during at least one subsequent non-active period. More details have been described in the above description of at least the second indication 265 and operation 120, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0074] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The example method 400 may be performed, for example, by an apparatus of a network device (such as the network device 150 described above).

[0075] Reference Figure 4 , the example method 400 may include: operation 410, transmitting a configuration for DTX to a terminal device served by the network device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; operation 420, transmitting an SSB during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; operation 430, receiving a first measurement report based on SSB measurement results on the SSB during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device when it is determined that a first condition is satisfied; and operation 440, receiving a second measurement report based on the SSB measurement results on the SSB during the activation period from the terminal device when it is determined that a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied.

[0076] The details of operation 410 have been described in the above description about at least the cell DTX configuration 155 and will not be repeated here.

[0077] The details of operation 420 have been described above with respect to at least SSB 175 and will not be repeated here.

[0078] The details of operation 430 have been described in the above description about at least the first measurement report 125, and a repeated description is omitted here.

[0079] The details of operation 440 have been described in the above description about at least the second measurement report 135, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0080] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to: transmit activation signaling to the terminal device to activate the configuration of DTX. More details have been described in the above description of at least the activation signaling 160, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0081] In some embodiments, the configuration of DTX may include parameters for DTX, the parameters including a period of DTX, and the second condition may be satisfied when the period of DTX is equal to or less than a threshold. More details have been described in the above description of at least the cell DTX configuration 155 and operation 220, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0082] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to: determine a measurement configuration of the terminal device for performing SSB measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration; and transmit the measurement configuration to the terminal device so that the first condition is satisfied. More details have been described in the above description of at least operation 255 and measurement configuration 260, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0083] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and the SSB measurement during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window. More details have been described in the above description of at least the measurement configuration 260 and operation 120, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0084] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated SCell. More details have been described in the above description of at least the measurement configuration 260, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0085] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a scaling factor, and the SSB measurement during the non-active period may be performed based on the scaling factor multiplied by the SSB measurement period or the larger of the c-DRX period of the terminal device and the SSB measurement period. More details have been described in the above description of at least SMTC 165, c-DRX configuration 170, measurement configuration 260, and operation 120, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0086] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to receive a first indication from the terminal device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the inactive period. More details have been described in the above description of at least the first indication 215, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0087] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be determined when the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurement during the inactive period. More details have been described in the above description of at least the first indication 215 and operation 255, and repeated description is omitted here.

[0088] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to: determine that the first condition is satisfied when a first indication is received from a terminal device indicating that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period; and receive from the terminal device a first measurement report based on SSB measurements performed during an inactive period and an active period according to the SMTC. More details have been described in the above description of at least the first indication 215, the SMTC 165, and the first measurement report 125, and repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0089] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to transmit a second indication to the terminal device, indicating whether the terminal device performs synchronization signal block measurement during at least one subsequent inactive period. At least the second indication 265 has been described in the above description, and its repeated description is omitted here.

[0090] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 500 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. For example, the apparatus may be at least a part of an apparatus for a terminal device such as the UE 110 in the above example.

[0091] like Figure 5 As shown, the example apparatus 500 may include at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520 that may store instructions 530. When the at least one processor 510 executes the instructions 530, the apparatus 500 may be caused to perform at least the example method 300 described above.

[0092] In various example embodiments, at least one processor 510 in the example apparatus 500 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor (such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)). In addition, the at least one processor 510 may also include Figure 5 At least one other circuit or element not shown.

[0093] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 520 in the example device 500 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as temporary memory and / or non-temporary memory. Temporary memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-temporary memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-temporary" as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). In addition, at least memory 520 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any combination of the above.

[0094] Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 500 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0095] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 500 including at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520 may be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc.) via any suitable connection (including but not limited to buses, crossbar switches, wiring, and / or wireless lines).

[0096] It is understandable that the device structure on the UE 110 side is not limited to the above-mentioned example device 500.

[0097] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example apparatus 600 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The apparatus may be, for example, at least a part of an apparatus of a network device (such as the network device 150 in the above example).

[0098] like Figure 6 As shown, the example apparatus 600 may include at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 that may store instructions 630. When the at least one processor 610 executes the instructions 630, the apparatus 600 may be caused to perform at least the example method 400 described above.

[0099] In various example embodiments, at least one processor 610 in the example apparatus 600 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor (such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)). In addition, the at least one processor 610 may also include Figure 6At least one other circuit or element not shown.

[0100] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 620 in the example device 600 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as temporary memory and / or non-temporary memory. Temporary memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-temporary memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-temporary" as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). In addition, at least the memory 520 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any combination of the above.

[0101] Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 600 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0102] In various example embodiments, circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in an example device 600 including at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 may be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc.) via any suitable connection (including but not limited to buses, cross switches, wiring, and / or wireless lines).

[0103] It is understandable that the device structure on the network device 150 side is not limited to the above-mentioned example device 600.

[0104] Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating an example device 700 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. For example, the device may be at least a part of a terminal device (such as UE 110 in the above example).

[0105] like Figure 7 As shown, the example device 700 may include: a device 710 for receiving a DTX configuration defining an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device serving the terminal device; a device 720 for determining whether to perform SSB measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; a device 730 for performing SSB measurement during the inactivation period if the first condition is met based on the determination; and a device 740 for avoiding performing SSB measurement during the inactivation period if the second condition is met based on the determination.

[0106] In some embodiments, the apparatus 700 may include means for receiving activation signaling from a network device to activate the DTX configuration.

[0107] In some embodiments, the configuration of DTX may include parameters for DTX, which may include a period of DTX, and the device 700 may include a device for comparing the period of DTX with a threshold. When the period of DTX is equal to or less than the threshold, the second condition may be met.

[0108] In some embodiments, the threshold may be predefined based on a time period for identifying the cell.

[0109] In some embodiments, the device 700 may include a device for receiving SMTC or SMTC and c-DRX configuration of a terminal device from a network device, where the c-DRX configuration may include a period of c-DRX, the SMTC may include a period of SSB measurement, and the threshold may be the number of SSB measurement periods, or the larger number between the c-DRX period and the SSB measurement period.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first condition may be satisfied upon receiving a measurement configuration from a network device, and the device may be configured to perform SSB measurements during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration.

[0111] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and the SSB measurement during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window.

[0112] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated SCell.

[0113] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a scaling factor, and SSB measurements during the inactive period may be performed according to the scaling factor multiplied by the SSB measurement period or the larger of the terminal device c-DRX cycle and the SSB measurement period.

[0114] In some embodiments, the device 700 may include means for transmitting a first indication to a network device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period.

[0115] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be received where the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period.

[0116] In some embodiments, the device 700 may include a device for transmitting a first indication to a network device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period. When the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period, the first condition may be met and the device may be configured to perform SSB measurements during the inactive period according to the SMTC.

[0117] In some embodiments, the device 700 may include a device for receiving a second indication from a network device indicating whether the terminal device performs SSB measurements during at least one subsequent non-activation period. When the second indication indicates that the terminal device performs SSB measurements during at least one subsequent non-activation period, it may be determined that SSB measurements are performed during at least one subsequent non-activation period.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the examples of means in the example device 700 may include circuitry. For example, the example of means 710 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 310 of the example method 300, the example of means 720 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 320 of the example method 300, the example of means 730 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 330 of the example method 300, and the example of means 740 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 340 of the example method 300.

[0119] The example apparatus 700 may further include an apparatus comprising circuitry configured to perform the example method 300. In some example embodiments, examples of apparatus may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0120] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example device 800 for SSB measurement according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The device may be, for example, at least a part of a network device (such as the network device 150 in the above example).

[0121] like Figure 8 As shown, the example device 800 may include: a device 810 for transmitting a DTX configuration to a terminal device served by the network device, the DTX configuration defining an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; a device 820 for transmitting an SSB during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; a device 830 for receiving a first measurement report based on SSB measurements on the SSB during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device when it is determined that a first condition is met; and a device 840 for receiving a second measurement report based on SSB measurements on the SSB during the activation period from the terminal device when it is determined that a second condition different from the first condition is met.

[0122] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 may include means for transmitting activation signaling to the terminal device to activate configuration of the DTX.

[0123] In some embodiments, the configuration of DTX may include parameters for DTX, including a period of DTX, and the second condition may be met when the period of DTX is equal to or less than a threshold.

[0124] In some embodiments, the device 800 may include means for determining a measurement configuration of the terminal device, for performing SSB measurements according to the measurement configuration during the inactive period; and means for transmitting the measurement configuration to the terminal device to satisfy the first condition.

[0125] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and the SSB measurement during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window.

[0126] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated SCell.

[0127] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a scaling factor, and SSB measurements during the inactive period may be performed according to the scaling factor multiplied by the SSB measurement period or the larger of the terminal device c-DRX cycle and the SSB measurement period.

[0128] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 may include means for receiving a first indication from a terminal device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period.

[0129] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be determined if the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during the inactive period.

[0130] In some embodiments, the device 800 may include a device for determining that a first condition is satisfied when a first indication is received from a terminal device indicating that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period; and the device may be configured to receive a first measurement report from the terminal device based on SSB measurements performed according to the SMTC during the inactive period and during the active period.

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus 800 may comprise means for transmitting a second indication to the terminal device indicating whether the terminal device performs synchronization signal block measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the examples of means in the example device 800 may include circuitry. For example, the example of means 810 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 410 of the example method 400, the example of means 820 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 420 of the example method 400, the example of means 830 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 430 of the example method 400, and the example of means 840 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 440 of the example method 400.

[0133] The example apparatus 800 may further include an apparatus including circuitry configured to perform the example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of an apparatus may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0134] An example embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus for a terminal device (such as UE 110 in the above example), enables the terminal device to at least: receive a DTX configuration for defining an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device from a network device serving the terminal device; determine whether to perform SSB measurement during the inactivation period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; based on the determination, if the first condition is met, perform SSB measurement during the inactivation period; and based on the determination, if the second condition is met, avoid performing SSB measurement during the inactivation period.

[0135] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: receive activation signaling from the network device to activate the configuration of DTX.

[0136] In some embodiments, the configuration of DTX may include parameters for DTX, which may include a period of DTX, and the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to compare the period of DTX with a threshold, and when the period of DTX is equal to or less than the threshold, the second condition is met.

[0137] In some embodiments, the threshold may be predefined based on a time period for identifying the cell.

[0138] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to receive the SMTC from the network device, or the SMTC and the c-DRX configuration of the terminal device, wherein the c-DRX configuration may include the c-DRX cycle, the SMTC may include the SSB measurement cycle, and the threshold may be the number of SSB measurement cycles, or the larger of the c-DRX cycle and the SSB measurement cycle.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first condition may be satisfied when a measurement configuration is received from a network device, and the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to perform SSB measurements during an inactive period according to the measurement configuration.

[0140] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and the SSB measurement during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window.

[0141] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated SCell.

[0142] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a scaling factor, and SSB measurements during the inactive period may be performed based on the scaling factor multiplied by the SSB measurement period or the larger of the terminal device's c-DRX period and the SSB measurement period.

[0143] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to: transmit a first indication to the network device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during the inactive period.

[0144] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be received where the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period.

[0145] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to transmit a first indication to the network device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during the inactive period. When the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during the inactive period, the first condition may be met, and the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the terminal device to perform SSB measurements during the inactive period according to the SMTC.

[0146] In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, may cause a terminal device to receive a second indication from a network device indicating whether the terminal device performs SSB measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period, and in the event that the second indication indicates that the terminal device performs SSB measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period, it may be determined that SSB measurements are performed during at least one subsequent inactive period.

[0147] An example embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable medium, including program instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus of a network device (such as network device 150 in the above example), can cause the network device to at least: transmit a DTX configuration to a terminal device served by the network device, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; transmit an SSB during the inactivation period and the activation period of the cell; receive a first measurement report based on SSB measurement results on the SSB during the inactivation period and the activation period from the terminal device when it is determined that a first condition is satisfied; and receive a second measurement report based on SSB measurement results on the SSB during the activation period from the terminal device when it is determined that a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied.

[0148] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to transmit activation signaling to the terminal device to activate the configuration of the DTX.

[0149] In some embodiments, the configuration of DTX may include parameters for DTX, including a period of DTX, and the second condition may be met when the period of DTX is equal to or less than a threshold.

[0150] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to determine a measurement configuration of the terminal device for performing SSB measurements according to the measurement configuration during an inactive period; and transmit the measurement configuration to the terminal device so that the first condition is met.

[0151] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a measurement period and a measurement window, and the SSB measurement during the inactive period may be performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window.

[0152] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be a measurement configuration of a deactivated SCell.

[0153] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may include a scaling factor, and SSB measurements during the inactive period may be performed according to the scaling factor multiplied by the SSB measurement period or the larger of the terminal device c-DRX cycle and the SSB measurement period.

[0154] In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, may cause a network device to receive a first indication from a terminal device indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period.

[0155] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration may be determined if the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during the inactive period.

[0156] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to determine that a first condition has been met upon receiving a first indication from the terminal device indicating that the terminal device is capable of supporting SSB measurements during an inactive period; and to receive a first measurement report from the terminal device based on SSB measurements performed during the inactive period and during the active period according to the SMTC.

[0157] In some embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, may cause the network device to transmit a second indication to the terminal device, indicating whether the terminal device performs synchronization signal block measurements during at least one subsequent inactive period.

[0158] As used herein, "at least one of: " and "at least one of " and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or", mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0159] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated process chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node). In the above description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0160] The term "circuitry" throughout this application may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) a hardware-only implementation of a circuit (such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) a hardware processor and any portion of software (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and (c) a hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required to operate. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of the term in this application (including in any claims). As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers an implementation of a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and where applicable to a claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or networking equipment.

[0161] Another example embodiment may involve computer program code or instructions that cause an apparatus to perform at least the above-described corresponding method. Another example embodiment may involve a computer-readable medium having such computer program code or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer-readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment or any combination thereof.

[0162] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words "include", "comprises", etc. should be interpreted in an inclusive sense, rather than exclusive or exhaustive; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As generally used herein, the term "coupled" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected, or connected through one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as generally used herein, the term "connected" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected through one or more intermediate elements. In addition, when used in this application, the words "herein", "above", "below" and words of similar meanings should refer to the application as a whole, rather than to any particular part of the application. Where the context permits, words used in the description in the singular or plural may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The word "or" refers to a list of two or more items, and the word covers all the following interpretations of the word: all items in the list, any item in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0163] Furthermore, conditional language used herein, such as "may," "could," "might," "can," "for example," "example," "such as," and the like, unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise understood in the context of use, is generally intended to convey that some embodiments include and other embodiments do not include certain features, elements, and / or states. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to indicate that features, elements, and / or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining that such features, elements, and / or states are included or to be performed in any particular example embodiment, with or without author input or prompting.

[0164] As used herein, the term "determine / determining" (and grammatical variations thereof) may include, but are not limited to, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, querying (e.g., querying in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. In addition, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), obtaining, etc. In addition, "determining / determining" may include solving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0165] Although some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been given by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the apparatus (equipment), method and system described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms. In addition, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, various omissions, replacements and changes can be made to the form of the methods and systems described herein. For example, although the frame is presented in a given arrangement, an alternative embodiment can perform similar functions with different components and / or circuit topologies, and some frames can be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined and / or modified. At least one of these frames can be implemented in various different ways. The order of these frames can also be changed. Any appropriate combination of the elements and actions of some of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined to provide other embodiments. The attached claims and their equivalents are intended to cover these forms or modifications that will fall within the scope and spirit of the application.

[0166] The abbreviations used in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0167] c-DRX connection discontinuous reception

[0168] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0169] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0170] DTX Discontinuous Transmission

[0171] MAC Media Access Control

[0172] NES Network Energy Saving

[0173] NW Network

[0174] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0175] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0176] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0177] SCell Secondary Cell

[0178] SSB Synchronization Signal Block Synchronization Signal and PBCH Block

[0179] SMTC SSB-based measurement timing configuration UE User Equipment.

Claims

1. A device for a terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to at least: receiving, from a network device serving the terminal device, a configuration for discontinuous transmission, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; determining whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; Based on the determination, if the first condition is satisfied, performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period; as well as Based on the determination, if the second condition is met, avoiding performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The device is configured as follows: An activation signaling is received from the network device to activate the discontinuous transmission configuration.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The configuration for the discontinuous transmission includes parameters for the discontinuous transmission, the parameters including a period of the discontinuous transmission, and Wherein, the device is configured as follows: comparing the period of the discontinuous transmission with a threshold, and In the case where the period of the discontinuous transmission is equal to or less than a threshold, the second condition is satisfied.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein: The threshold is predefined according to a time period for identifying a cell.

5. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein The apparatus is configured to receive, from the network device, a synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration, or the synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration and a configuration for discontinuous reception of a connection of the terminal device, and The configuration for discontinuous reception of the connection includes a period of discontinuous reception of the connection, the synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration includes a period of synchronization signal block measurement, and the threshold is the number of periods of synchronization signal block measurement, or the larger of the period of discontinuous reception of the connection and the period of synchronization signal block measurement.

6. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first condition is met if a measurement configuration is received from the network device, and the apparatus is configured to perform the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The measurement configuration includes a measurement period and a measurement window, and the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period is performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein: The measurement configuration is a measurement configuration of a deactivated secondary cell.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The measurement configuration includes a scaling factor, and the synchronization signal block measurement during the non-activation period is performed based on the scaling factor multiplied by the larger of the period of the synchronization signal block measurement or the period of discontinuous reception of the terminal device connection and the period of the synchronization signal block measurement.

10. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein: The device is configured as follows: A first indication is transmitted to the network device, indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein: The measurement configuration is received when the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period.

12. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The apparatus is configured to transmit a first indication to the network device, indicating whether the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period; The first condition is satisfied if the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period, and The apparatus is configured to perform the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period according to a synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration.

13. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein The apparatus is configured to receive a second indication from the network device, indicating whether the terminal device is to perform the synchronization signal block measurement during at least one subsequent inactive period, and In a case where the second indication indicates that the terminal device performs the synchronization signal block measurement during the at least one subsequent non-activation period, it is determined to perform the synchronization signal block measurement during the at least one subsequent non-activation period.

14. An apparatus for a network device, comprising at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause at least the network device to: transmitting, to a terminal device served by the network device, a configuration for discontinuous transmission, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; transmitting synchronization signal blocks during inactive periods and active periods of the cell; In a case where it is determined that the first condition is satisfied, receiving from the terminal device a first measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on synchronization signal blocks during the inactive period and the active period; as well as Upon determining that a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied, a second measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the activation period is received from the terminal device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein: The device is configured as follows: An activation signaling is transmitted to the terminal device to activate the configuration for the discontinuous transmission.

16. The device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The configuration for the discontinuous transmission includes parameters for the discontinuous transmission, the parameters include a period of the discontinuous transmission, and the second condition is satisfied if the period of the discontinuous transmission is equal to or less than a threshold.

17. The device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The device is configured as follows: determining a measurement configuration of the terminal device, for performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period according to the measurement configuration; as well as The measurement configuration is transmitted to the terminal device to meet the first condition.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein: The measurement configuration includes a measurement period and a measurement window, and the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period is performed according to the measurement period and within the measurement window.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein: The measurement configuration is a measurement configuration of a deactivated secondary cell.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein: The measurement configuration includes a scaling factor, and the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period is performed according to the scaling factor multiplied by the larger of the period of the synchronization signal block measurement or the period of discontinuous reception of the terminal device connection and the period of the synchronization signal block measurement.

21. The device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein: The apparatus is configured to receive a first indication from the terminal device, which indicates whether the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein: The measurement configuration is determined when the first indication indicates that the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period.

23. The device of claim 14 or 15, wherein: The device is configured as follows: determining that the first condition is satisfied in a case where a first indication is received from the terminal device indicating that the terminal device is capable of supporting the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period; as well as The first measurement report based on the synchronization signal block measurement performed during the inactive period and the active period according to the synchronization signal block measurement timing configuration is received from the terminal device.

24. The device of claim 14 or 15, wherein: The device is configured as follows: A second indication is transmitted to the terminal device, indicating whether the terminal device performs the synchronization signal block measurement during at least one subsequent inactive period.

25. A method performed by an apparatus of a terminal device, comprising: receiving, from a network device serving the terminal device, a configuration for discontinuous transmission, which defines an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; determining whether to perform synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period based on a first condition and a second condition different from the first condition; Based on the determination, if the first condition is satisfied, performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period; as well as Based on the determination, if the second condition is met, avoiding performing the synchronization signal block measurement during the inactive period.

26. A method performed by an apparatus of a network device, comprising: transmitting, to a terminal device served by the network device, a discontinuous transmission configuration defining an activation period and an inactivation period of a cell associated with the network device; transmitting synchronization signal blocks during an inactive period and an active period of the cell; In a case where it is determined that the first condition is satisfied, receiving from the terminal device a first measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on synchronization signal blocks during the inactive period and the active period; as well as In a case where it is determined that a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied, a second measurement report based on synchronization signal block measurements on the synchronization signal blocks during the activation period is received from the terminal device.

27. A computer program product comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method of any one of claims 25-26.

28. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method of any one of claims 25-26.

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