Proximity enhancement for non-terrestrial network (NTN) user equipment (UE)

Abstract

A user equipment (UE), including a non-terrestrial network (NTN) UE, a baseband processor, or other network device, may operate in a new radio (NR) unlicensed network to determine (in advance) whether a collision or overlap occurs between a first set of synchronization signal (SS) / physical block channel (PBCH) block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) occasions and a second set of SMTC occasions based on a proximity threshold of proximity distance. In response to determining that a collision occurs, the UE or other component may measure one of: a first set of SMTC occasions or a second set of SMTC occasions, otherwise measure the first set of SMTC occasions and the second set of SMTC occasions without a collision or overlap. The threshold may be based on a different SMTC associated or not associated with one or more measurement gaps.

Description

[0001] Citation of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 396,248, filed on August 9, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless technologies and to proximity enhancement for non-terrestrial network (NTN) user equipment (UE). Background Art

[0004] As the number of mobile devices and demand for mobile data traffic within wireless networks continues to increase, changes are being made to system requirements and architectures to better address current and anticipated needs. For example, some wireless communication networks (e.g., fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks) may be developed to include a non-terrestrial network (NTN) having one or more satellites. In such scenarios, satellites may be used as transparent network nodes that connect user equipment (UE) with the ground-based portion of the network, such as base stations and core networks (CNs). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An exemplary block diagram illustrating an example of a user equipment (UE) that can be used in conjunction with various embodiments (aspects) described herein is shown, the UE being communicatively coupled with a network component as a peer device via a network.

[0006] Figure 2 An example simplified block diagram of a user equipment (UE) wireless communication device or other network device / component (e.g., eNB, gNB) according to various aspects is shown.

[0007] Figure 3 An example of predetermining a conflict or overlap of resources in a measurement network according to various aspects is shown.

[0008] Figure 4 Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps for measuring resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0009] Figure 5 Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0010] Figure 6 Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0011] Figure 7Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0012] Figure 8 Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0013] Fig. 9 Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0014] Fig.10 Another example of a process for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0015] Fig.11 One example of a process flow for determining conflicts or overlaps of resources in a network in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0016] Fig.12 Diagrams are shown that illustrate example components of devices that may be employed in accordance with various aspects discussed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar features, elements, operations, etc. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the following description, as other specific implementations may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0018] Various aspects include a user equipment (UE) operating a radio resource management (RRM) measurement procedure in 5G New Radio (NR). Specifically, the RRM process may include (pre-)determining conflicts (or overlaps) between received adjacent configured resources for measurement. In the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, base stations continuously transmit cell-specific reference signals (CRSs), making it easier for UEs to measure cell quality of neighboring cells. In 5G NR, at least some aspects of CRSs are removed to reduce overhead and reference signal interference from other cells. In contrast to the continuous transmission of CRSs in some versions of LTE, in 5G NR, cell signal measurements are performed using SSB bursts that include synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSBs) to be measured. The number of SSBs in one SSB burst depends on the operating frequency. For example, if the operating frequency (fc) <3 GHz (FR1), the number of SSBs may be 4; for fc = 3 GHz to 6 GHz (FR1), the number of SSBs may be 8; and for fc>6 GHz mm-wave, the number of SSBs within one burst may be 64. The multiple SSBs may be associated with different SSB indices and different transmission beams, which may be configured for beam management and measurement. The RRM measurement procedure may include a procedure performed to reduce UE power consumption. Specifically, a conflict or overlap between configured resources may be determined, which may then reduce unnecessary measurements and UE power consumption by preventing the UE from having to measure other SSBs outside the SMTC window depending on the determination result.

[0019] 5G NR has introduced SSB-based Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC). SMTC defines the SMTC window or SMTC opportunity and the periodicity that can be used to limit UE measurements on certain resources. Within the SMTC window / SMTC opportunity and on the configured SSB, the UE performs radio link monitoring (RLM) / RRM measurements according to the measurement periodicity and timing of the SSB. The SSB and SMTC window (opportunity) can be configured differently for each cell or each frequency layer to avoid unnecessary measurements and reduce UE power consumption.

[0020] Specifically, the SMTC window periodicity can be set within the same range of the SSB (e.g., 5ms, 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms), and the SMTC window duration can be set to 1ms, 2ms, 3ms, 4ms, or 5ms, for example, based on the number of SSBs transmitted on the measured cell. Therefore, different cells can be measured with different window periodicities and different window durations. When the base station has notified the UE of the parameters of the SMTC window, the UE detects and measures the SSBs within the SMTC window (or opportunity) and reports the measurement results back to the base station. Because the UE does not measure any SSBs outside the SMTC window, unnecessary measurements are avoided, and power consumption can be reduced by not monitoring or measuring outside the configured opportunity.

[0021] One consideration for the UE during the RRM process includes (pre-)determining whether measurement gaps or SMTC opportunities overlap or conflict. The duration that the UE suspends communication with the serving cell to measure inter-frequency neighbors or other radio access technology (RAT) neighbors may be referred to as a measurement gap (MG). If the MGs are considered to be overlapping, the UE measures only within one MG among multiple MGs and in a one-time instance or SMTC opportunity; other periods are then used to capture other measurement opportunities that were not achieved. If the MGs do not overlap, the UE can measure each measurement gap or SMTC opportunity within a single periodicity, thereby also avoiding unnecessary measurements at another time and reducing power consumption.

[0022] In one example, if two measurement gap opportunities overlap at least partially in the time domain, or if the minimum distance between them is equal to or less than a proximity distance (e.g., about 4 ms or other duration), then two MG opportunities can be defined as conflicting (or overlapping). In addition, when two SMTCs that are parallel or concurrent to each other overlap at least partially in the time domain, or when the minimum distance is less than or equal to a threshold proximity distance (e.g., about 3 ms, 4 ms or other duration), the two SMTC opportunities can be defined as conflicting (overlapping).

[0023] Conflicts between SMTC and measurement gap timings (e.g., for satellite access nodes (SANs) or other nodes) may also occur. For example, when a UE is configured with one or more measurement gap modes, an SMTC timing outside a measurement gap and a measurement gap timing are considered to be in conflict if at least one of the following conditions is met: a) the SMTC timing completely or partially overlaps with the measurement gap timing in the time domain, or b) the size of the distance between the SMTC timing and the measurement gap timing in the time domain is less than or equal to 4ms. The distance between the SMTC timing and the measurement gap timing may be defined as: i. the time difference between the end point of the SMTC timing and the start point of the measurement gap (or measurement gap timing), where the SMTC timing occurs earlier in time than the MG timing, or ii. the time difference between the end point of the measurement gap timing and the start point of the SMTC timing, where the measurement gap timing occurs earlier in time than the SMTC timing.

[0024] In one aspect, the UE may receive notification of at least one first SMTC opportunity and at least one second SMTC opportunity for measuring resources. The UE may then determine whether a conflict occurs between at least one first SMTC opportunity and at least one second SMTC opportunity based on a proximity threshold for the proximity distance between MGs, or based on an SMTC proximity threshold for the SMTC proximity distance between different SMTC opportunities (whether in the same or different measurement gaps), or based on an SMTC proximity threshold for the SMTC proximity distance between an SMTC opportunity and a separate measurement gap (MG opportunity) that is earlier or later in time relative to the SMTC. If a conflict is determined to occur based on the proximity threshold before performing RRM measurements, the UE may then measure one MG or SMTC; otherwise, if a conflict is not (pre-) determined to occur, the UE is able to measure both MG or SMTC opportunities.

[0025] The proximity distance threshold of the proximity distance may be referred to as the distance between different MGs, between a measurement gap and one or more SMTCs, or between different SMTCs. For example, the MG proximity distance threshold may refer to the proximity distance threshold between different MGs, and the SMTC proximity distance threshold may refer to the proximity distance between SMTCs.

[0026] In various aspects, SMTC opportunities may be associated with different measurement gaps, or may not have an associated MG. Thus, various aspects of the present invention address determining conflicts or overlaps among different MGs with associated SMTCs, as well as determining conflicts or overlaps between SMTCs that are not associated with an MG and those associated with an MG for RRM measurements. Additionally, various proximity distance thresholds may be used for different conflict determinations: an MG proximity distance threshold between MGs, an SMTC proximity distance threshold between SMTCs, or a proximity distance threshold between an MG and one or more SMTCs.

[0027] In one aspect, the SMTC proximity distance threshold can be the amount of the MG proximity distance threshold and is twice the radio frequency (RF) tuning / retuning time or one times the RF tuning / retuning time. For example, the MG proximity distance threshold can be about 4ms or other time, and each times the RF tuning / retuning time can be about 1ms or other time to include processing time for UE capabilities. Various other aspects may include enhancements to the proximity between MG or SMTC opportunities determined by the UE, such as, for example, UEs for non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). Each of the various aspects herein may provide advantages for avoiding unnecessary measurements and reducing power consumption. Other aspects and details of the present disclosure are further described below with respect to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 1 is an example network 100 according to one or more implementations described herein. The example network 100 may include UE 110-1, UE 110-2, etc. (collectively, "UE 110", and individually, "UE 110"), a radio access network (RAN) 120, a core network (CN) 130, an application server 140, an external network 150, and satellites 160-1, 160-2, etc. (collectively, "satellite 160", and individually, "satellite 160"). As shown, the network 100 may include a non-terrestrial network (NTN) including one or more satellites 160 (e.g., one or more satellites of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)) that communicate with the UE 110 and the RAN 120.

[0029] The systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate in accordance with one or more communication standards, such as the 2nd Generation (2G), 3rd Generation (3G), 4th Generation (4G) (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), and / or 5th Generation (5G) (e.g., New Radio (NR)) communication standards of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate in accordance with other communication standards and protocols discussed herein, including future versions or generations of 3GPP standards (e.g., 6th Generation (6G) standards, 7th Generation (7G) standards, etc.), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (e.g., Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), etc.), and the like.

[0030] As shown, UE 110 may include a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device capable of connecting to one or more wireless communication networks). Additionally or alternatively, UE 110 may include other types of mobile or non-mobile computing devices capable of wireless communication, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handset, etc. In some specific implementations, UE 110 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device (or IoT UE), which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. Additionally or alternatively, IoT UEs may utilize one or more types of technologies, such as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine-type communication (MTC) (e.g., for exchanging data with an MTC server or other device via a public land mobile network (PLMN)), proximity services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, IoT networks, etc. In addition, UE 110 may be an NTN UE capable of being communicatively coupled to a satellite 160 in an NTN network.

[0031] UE 110 may communicate with and establish a connection with (communicatively coupled to) RAN 120, which may involve one or more radio channels 114-1 and 114-2, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. In some specific implementations, the UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC) as a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), where a UE supporting multiple reception and transmission (Rx / Tx) may use resources provided by different network nodes (e.g., 122-1 and 122-2), which may be connected via a non-ideal backhaul (e.g., one of the network nodes provides NR access, while the other network node provides E-UTRA for LTE or NR access for 5G). In such a scenario, one network node may operate as a master node (MN) and the other node may operate as a secondary node (SN). MN and SN may be connected via a network interface, and at least MN may be connected to CN 130. In addition, at least one of the MN or SN may operate via a shared spectrum channel access, and the functionality specified for the UE 110 may be used for an integrated access and backhaul mobile terminal (IAB-MT). Similar to the UE 110, the IAB-MT may access the network using one network node or using two different nodes with an enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC) architecture, a new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) architecture, or other direct connections such as a SL communication channel as a sidelink (SL) interface 112.

[0032] In some implementations, a base station (as described herein) may be an example of a network node 122. As shown, UE 110 may additionally or alternatively connect to access point (AP) 116 via connection interface 118, which may include an air interface that enables UE 110 to communicatively couple with AP 116. AP 116 may include a wireless local area network (WLAN), a WLAN node, a WLAN endpoint, etc. Connection 118 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 702.11 protocol, and AP 116 may include a wireless fidelity The AP 116 may also be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) instead of being connected to the RAN 120 or the CN 130.

[0033] The RAN 120 may also include one or more RAN nodes 122-1 and 122-2 (collectively, RAN nodes 122, and individually, RAN nodes 122) that enable the establishment of channels 114-1 and 114-2 between the UE 110 and the RAN 120. The RAN node 122 may include a network access point configured to provide a radio baseband function for data and / or voice connections between a user and a network based on one or more communication technologies described herein (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, etc.). Thus, as an example, the RAN node may be an E-UTRAN Node B (e.g., enhanced Node B, eNodeB, eNB, 4G base station, etc.), a next generation base station (e.g., 5G base station, NR base station, next generation eNB (gNB), etc.). The RAN node 122 may include a roadside unit (RSU), a transmission reception point (TRxP or TRP), and one or more other types of ground stations (e.g., ground access points). In some scenarios, the RAN node 122 may be a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell, or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than a macrocell. As described below, in some implementations, the satellite 160 may operate as a base station (e.g., RAN node 122) relative to the UE 110. Therefore, references herein to a base station, RAN node 122, etc. may relate to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 122, etc. is a terrestrial network node, and also to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 122, etc. is a non-terrestrial network node (e.g., satellite 160).

[0034] Some or all of the RAN nodes 122 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a centralized RAN (CRAN) and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these implementations, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement a RAN functional split, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) split, where the radio resource control (RRC) and PDCP layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other layer 2 (L2) protocol entities may be operated by a separate RAN node 122; a medium access control (MAC) / physical (PHY) layer split, where the RRC, PDCP, radio link control (RLC), and MAC layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer may be operated by a separate RAN node 122; or a "lower PHY" split, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layer, and upper portions of the PHY layer may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layer may be operated by a separate RAN node 122. The virtualization framework may allow idle processor cores of the RAN node 122 to execute or implement other virtualized applications.

[0035] In some implementations, the individual RAN nodes 122 may represent individual gNB distributed units (DUs) connected to a gNB control unit (CU) via respective F1 interfaces. In such implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or radio frequency (RF) front end modules (RFEMs), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 120 or by a server pool (e.g., a group of servers configured to share resources) in a manner similar to a CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 122 may be next generation eNBs (i.e., gNBs) that may provide Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 110 and may be connected to a 5G core network (5GC) 130 via an NG interface.

[0036] Any of the RAN nodes 122 may serve as an endpoint for an air interface protocol and may be a first point of contact for the UE 110. In some implementations, any of the RAN nodes 122 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 120, including but not limited to functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling and mobility management. The UE 110 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 122 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink (SL) communications), although the scope of such implementations is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0037] In addition, the RAN nodes 122 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the UE 110 and / or each other over a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band"), an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"), or a combination thereof. For example, a licensed spectrum may include channels operating within a frequency range (e.g., approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz or other range), while an unlicensed spectrum may include approximately 5 GHz bands or higher. A licensed spectrum may correspond to a channel or frequency band that is selected, reserved, regulated, etc. for certain types of wireless activities (e.g., wireless telecommunications network activities), while an unlicensed spectrum may correspond to one or more frequency bands that are not restricted for certain types of wireless activities. Whether a particular frequency band corresponds to a licensed medium or an unlicensed medium may depend on one or more factors, such as frequency allocations determined by a public sector organization (e.g., a government agency, a regulatory agency, etc.) or frequency allocations determined by a private sector organization involved in developing wireless communication standards and protocols, etc.

[0038] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may operate using license assisted access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol or a clear channel assessment (CCA).

[0039] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher layer signaling to UE 110. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information, inter alia, about transport formats and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH may also inform UE 110 about transport formats, resource allocations, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to uplink shared channels. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 110-2 within a cell) may be performed on any of RAN nodes 122 based on channel quality information fed back from any of UEs 110. Downlink resource allocation information may be transmitted on a PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of UEs 110.

[0040] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCE) to transmit control information, where multiple (e.g., 6, etc.) CCEs may be composed of resource element groups (REGs), where REGs are defined as physical resource blocks (PRBs) in OFDM symbols. For example, before being mapped to resource elements, PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quaternions, which may then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs may be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and channel conditions, one or more CCEs may be used to transmit the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats may be defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, 8, or 16).

[0041] The RAN nodes 122 or RAN 120 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 123. In a specific implementation where the system is an LTE system, the interface 124 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 122 (e.g., two or more eNBs / gNBs or a combination thereof) connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) or CN 130, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) 126 and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C) 128. The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs or gNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from a master eNB (MeNB) to a secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP packet data units (PDUs) from the SeNB to the UE 110 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that are not delivered to the UE 110; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for sending user data to the UE; etc. X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions (e.g., including context transfer from a source eNB to a target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.), load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0042] Alternatively or additionally, the RAN 120 may also be connected to (e.g., communicatively coupled to) the CN 130 via a next generation (NG) interface as the interface 124. The NG interface 124 may be divided into two parts: a next generation (NG) user plane (NG-U) interface 126, which carries traffic data between the RAN node 122 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 128, which is a signaling interface between the RAN node 122 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0043] The CN 130 may include a plurality of network elements 132 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 110) connected to the CN 130 via the RAN 120. In some implementations, the CN 130 may include an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G CN, and / or one or more additional or alternative types of CNs. The components of the CN 130 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0044] As shown, CN 130, application server 140 and external network 150 may be connected to each other via interfaces 134, 136 and 138, which may include IP network interfaces. Application server 140 may include one or more server devices or network elements (e.g., virtual network functions (VNFs)) that provide applications (e.g., universal mobile telecommunications system packet service (UMTS PS) domain, LTE-PS data services, etc.) that use IP bearer resources with CN 130. Application server 140 may also or alternatively be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice over IP (VoIP sessions, push-to-talk (PTT) sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.)) of UE 110 via CN 130. Similarly, external network 150 may include one or more networks (including the Internet) of various networks, thereby providing access to various additional services, information, interconnectivity and other network features to mobile communication networks and UE 110 of the network.

[0045] As shown, the exemplary network 100 may include an NTN that may include one or more satellites 160-1 and 160-2 (collectively, "satellites 160"). The satellites 160 may communicate with the UE 110 via a serving link or wireless interface 162 and / or communicate with the RAN 120 via a feeder link or wireless interface 164 (depicted individually as 164-1 and 164). In some implementations, the satellites 160 may operate as passive or transparent network relay nodes with respect to communications between the UE 110 and a terrestrial network (e.g., the RAN 120). In some implementations, the satellites 160 may operate as active or regenerative network nodes such that the satellites 160 may operate as base stations for the UE 110 (e.g., as gNBs for the RAN 120) with respect to communications between the UE 110 and the RAN 120. In some implementations, the satellites 160 can communicate with each other via a direct wireless interface (eg, 166) or an indirect wireless interface (eg, via the RAN 120 using interfaces 164-1 and 164-2).

[0046] Additionally or alternatively, the satellite 160 may include a GEO satellite, a LEO satellite, or another type of satellite. The satellite 160 may also or alternatively relate to one or more satellite systems or architectures, such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), etc. In some implementations, the satellite 160 may operate as a base station (e.g., a RAN node 122) relative to the UE 110. Therefore, references herein to a base station, a RAN node 122, etc. may relate to implementations in which the base station, the RAN node 122, etc. are terrestrial network nodes, as well as implementations in which the base station, the RAN node 122, etc. are non-terrestrial network nodes (e.g., a satellite 160).

[0047] In one aspect, UE 110-1 may be configured to receive one or more first SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) opportunities and one or more second SMTC opportunities for synchronization signal (SS) / physical block channel (PBCH) block (SSB) measurements (e.g., from NTN 160-1 via interface 162, or from other base stations 120 via interface 114). UE 110-1 may further determine whether a conflict occurs between one or more first SMTC opportunities and one or more second SMTC opportunities based on a proximity threshold of the proximity distance. For example, the proximity distance may be an MG proximity distance between a first measurement gap associated with one or more first SMTC opportunities and a second measurement gap associated with one or more second SMTC opportunities that is less than or equal to the proximity threshold. Alternatively or additionally, the proximity distance may include an SMTC proximity distance between SMTCs, or between an MG and an SMTC. In response to believing that a conflict occurs, UE 110-1 may perform SSB measurements in one or more first SMTC opportunities or one or more second SMTC opportunities.

[0048] refer to Figure 2, a block diagram of a UE device or other network device / component (e.g., V-UE / P-UE, IoT, gNB, eNB, or other participating network entity / component) is shown. The device 200 includes: one or more processors 210 (e.g., one or more baseband processors), the one or more processors including processing circuits and associated interfaces; transceiver circuits 220 (e.g., including RF circuits, the RF circuits may include transmitter circuits (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) and / or receiver circuits (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains), the transmitter circuits and the receiver circuits may use common circuit elements, different circuit elements, or a combination thereof); and a memory 230 (the memory may include any of a variety of storage media and may store instructions and / or data associated with one or more of the processors 210 or the transceiver circuits 220).

[0049] Memory 230 (and other memory components discussed herein, e.g., memory, data storage, etc.) may include one or more machine-readable media containing instructions, which, when executed by a machine or component herein, cause the machine or other device to perform the actions of the method or device or system for communicating using a variety of communication technologies according to the aspects, embodiments, and examples described herein. It should be understood that the aspects described herein may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory or other storage device described herein) or sent via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitates transferring a computer program from one place to another. Storage media or computer-readable storage devices may be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer. By way of example only and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or other tangible and / or non-transient media that can be used to carry or store desired information or executable instructions. Any connection may also be referred to as a computer-readable medium.

[0050] The memory 230 may include executable instructions and may be integrated in or communicatively coupled to the processor or processing circuit 210. The executable instructions of the memory 230 may enable the processing circuit 210 to receive / process one or more first SMTC opportunities or SMTC windows and one or more second SMTC opportunities for measuring resources. Whether a conflict occurs between one or more first SMTC opportunities and one or more second SMTC opportunities (in advance) can be determined by the processing circuit 210 or based on the proximity threshold of the proximity distance via the instructions of the memory 230. In response to the occurrence of a conflict, the processing circuit 220, the instructions of the memory 230 or the communication circuit 220 may perform measurements in one or more first SMTC opportunities or one or more second SMTC opportunities, or in one MG or another MG associated with the SMTC. If it is not considered that a conflict occurs, each of the MG or SMTC can be used for measurement. For example, the proximity threshold of the proximity distance can be between different MGs, different SMTC windows / opportunities, or MGs and SMTCs.

[0051] The current protocol does not necessarily clearly determine the proximity distance of the overlap of different processes 201 and 203. For example, the signal measurement process 201 used to (pre-)determine when a conflict (overlap) occurs includes SMTCs 204 and 214 within different MGs 202, 212, which have distances different from the distance between the MGs 202, 212 themselves. SMTC x 204 is associated with MG i 202, and SMTC y 214 is associated with MG j 212. Even if the proximity distances between the two MGs 202, 212 are close to each other (e.g., the proximity distance D_MG is less than the MG proximity threshold (e.g., 4ms)), the proximity distance D_SMTC between the two SMTCs 204, 214 may still be greater than the SMTC proximity threshold (e.g., 4ms or other amount). In this case, it is unclear whether SMTC x 204 and y 214 will be considered conflicting or non-conflicting (wherein if the two SMTCs are conflicting, the UE 110 can only measure on one SMTC).

[0052] The signal measurement process 203 for (pre-)determining when a conflict (overlap) occurs includes two sets of SMTCs 204, 214, one SMTC 204 being associated with MG 202, but the other SMTC 214 being not associated with any MG. For example, SMTC x 204 is associated with MG i 204, and SMTC y 214 is not associated with any MG (no SMTC for the MG).

[0053] Even if the proximity distances between MG i 202 and SMTC y 214 are close to each other (e.g., the proximity distance D_MG_SMTC is less than the proximity threshold), the proximity distance D_SMTC between the two SMTCs 204 and 214 may still be greater than the SMTC proximity threshold (e.g., 4 ms). In this case, it may not be clear whether SMTC x 204 and y 214 should be considered conflicting or non-conflicting, where if the two SMTCs are conflicting or considered to be overlapping, the UE 110 can only measure on one SMTC.

[0054] Brief reference Figures 3 to 10 , shows an example of a signal measurement process 300 for (pre-)determining when a conflict (overlap) occurs between different measurement occasions for a UE to perform RLM / RRM measurements of resources according to various aspects. Figures 3 to 6 2 shows exemplary aspects for determining conflicts or overlaps between different MGs associated with different SMTCs, and Figures 7 to 10 Exemplary aspects are shown between a MG having an SMTC associated therewith and one or more SMTCs not associated with any MG.

[0055] Different measurement opportunities may include different measurement gaps (MGs) 302, 312 (eg, MG i, MG j), such as Figures 3 to 6 , with different SMTC opportunities 304 to 316. By determining the proximity of each measurement gap or SMTC opportunity relative to each other, a UE (e.g., UE 110, 200), such as an NTN UE or other UE, can determine whether to measure at each MG / SMTC when no conflict occurs, or to measure at only one opportunity (MG / SMTC) when a conflict is determined to occur. Figures 3 to 6 2 shows exemplary aspects for determining conflicts or overlaps between different MGs associated with different SMTCs, and Figures 7 to 10 Exemplary aspects are shown between a MG having an SMTC associated therewith and one or more SMTCs not associated with any MG.

[0056] For example, if the UE 110 considers that the measurement gaps 302 and 312 (or SMTC) are overlapping (conflicting), the UE 110 only performs measurements within one measurement gap, or performs measurements in a one-time instance or SMTC opportunity; therefore, other periods must be used to capture or implement unmeasured opportunities for performing measurements. However, if it is not determined that the measurement gaps 302 and 312 overlap (conflict) based on a proximity distance threshold (e.g., 4ms, etc.), the UE 110 can measure each measurement gap / SMTC opportunity within a single periodicity, thereby avoiding unnecessary measurements at a later time and reducing power consumption.

[0057] For example, if two SMTC opportunities 304 and 306 overlap at least partially in the time domain, or a specific proximity distance / minimum distance is less than a threshold amount (e.g., about 3ms, 4ms, or other time) from each other, then the two SMTC opportunities 304 and 306 can be defined as conflicting (overlapping). Alternatively or additionally, if two MG opportunities 302 and 312 overlap at least partially in the time domain, or a specific proximity distance / minimum distance is less than a proximity distance threshold (e.g., about 4ms or another time) between each other, then the two MG opportunities 302 and 312 can be defined as conflicting (overlapping).

[0058] In a 5G NR cell, signal measurements using SSBs consisting of a synchronization signal (SS) and PBCH can have a longer transmission periodicity than using CRS. Specifically, different SMTCs can therefore be associated with different MGs, for example, where the total measurement gap duration 308 or 318 can be approximately 6 ms, and the SMTC window itself is smaller within the MG (e.g., 1 ms or other time amount). MGs 302 and 312 include different SMTCs 304, 306 and 314, 316, respectively, and the SMTCs within each of the MGs can have a distance from each other that is different from the distance between the MGs 302, 312 themselves. Therefore, even if the proximity distance between the two MGs 302, 312 may indicate that these MGs are overlapping (e.g., when the proximity distance D_MG 320 is less than or equal to the MG proximity threshold of approximately 4 ms), the proximity distance (D_SMTC) between the two SMTCs may still be greater than the SMTC proximity threshold (e.g., 4 ms, etc.). Therefore, these SMTCs may not actually be considered to be overlapping or conflicting, even if the MGs are so. The UE may not be aware of whether SMTC 304 and SMTC 314 will be considered conflicting or non-conflicting. In other words, if two SMTCs are defined as conflicting, then the UE 110 may not be sure whether to measure only on one or more SMTCs when they may not be conflicting in some aspects and can be processed with the same periodicity. If a conflict is determined, the UE 110 processes only one measurement gap in the two MGs and processes it in a one-time instance or SMTC opportunity.

[0059] Due to UE processing capabilities, UE 110 utilizes a certain amount of time to receive measurement opportunities and process these measurement opportunities within a buffer / queue. If additional measurement gaps are received afterwards, UE 110 also utilizes a certain amount of time to be able to receive and process additional measurement gap opportunities. Therefore, even though the two MGs 302 and 312 as described herein, or the MG and SMTC or two SMTCs in some aspects, do not necessarily physically overlap in the time domain, as long as the interval or proximity between the two measurement gaps 302 and 312 is kept small, UE 110 can still define them as overlapping. Therefore, when a conflict or overlap condition is determined, UE 110 only processes one of the two MGs and processes it in a one-time instance or SMTC opportunity. Depending on the manner in which the proximity threshold is defined, opportunities to improve timing and power efficiency can be further exploited.

[0060] Specifically, proximity rules may be defined by UE 110 for determining whether two opportunities are sufficiently close to each other and to consider a conflict (overlap) to be occurring, or whether the opportunities are sufficiently far from each other to consider no conflict, and thus UE 110 may adapt the processing / measurements performed on each MG / SMTC with the same periodicity or periodicity. For example, various aspects include techniques for determining conflicts / overlaps between measurement opportunities to measure SSBs for RRM procedures, particularly for UEs such as NTNUEs.

[0061] Figure 3 An example of signaling two different MG opportunities 302 and 312 to UE 110 is shown, each MG opportunity including different SMTCs 304, 306 and 314, 316, respectively. For example, SMTC (x) 304 and SMTC (x + 1) 306 are within MG 302, and SMTC (y) 314 and SMTC (y + 1) 316 are within MG 312.

[0062] In one aspect, when one or more groups of SMTCs fall within different MGs, UE 110 may determine whether two MGs 302, 312 conflict according to proximity rules based on a proximity distance 320 of a proximity distance threshold (e.g., such as between the completion of MG 302 and the start of MG 312). If the two MGs 302, 312 are within the proximity distance threshold based on the proximity distance 320, MGs 302 and 312 are determined to overlap or conflict; therefore, SMTCs within one of the MGs may be considered overlapping or conflicting and not measured, while one or more SMTCs in another MG are measured for resources or SSBs.

[0063] In one example, if two MGs 302 and 312 overlap based on a proximity distance at or below a proximity threshold 320 (e.g., 4 ms), at least one of SMTC (x) and (x+1) 304 and 306 of MG 312 may be measured, while SMTC (y) and (y+1) 314 and 316 of MG 302 will not be used for measurement. Alternatively, at least one of SMTC 314 and 316 of MG 312 may be measured, and SMTC 304 and 306 of MG 302 are not used for measurement.

[0064] Figure 4 Another example of an RRM process 400 is shown in which two different MG opportunities 302 and 312 are signaled to the UE 110, each MG opportunity including a different SMTC 304, 306 and 314, 316, respectively. Figure 3 , for example, SMTC(x) 304 and SMTC(x+1) 306 are within MG 302 , and SMTC(y) 314 and SMTC(y+1) 316 are within MG 312 .

[0065] UE 110 may receive SMTC opportunities from base station 120 and, prior to making RRM measurements, determine (in advance) whether MGs 302 and 312 are overlapping based on a proximity distance 320 of a proximity distance threshold. If MGs 308 and 318 satisfy the proximity distance threshold, for example, when proximity distance D_MG 320 is less than or equal to the MG proximity threshold (e.g., 4 ms or other amount), UE 110 may perform a second determination of the SMTC proximity distances between each pair of SMTCs to determine whether each possible combination of SMTC pairs may be independently considered to conflict with each other. In other words, if it is determined that successive MGs 302 and 312 conflict or overlap, a further determination of whether a conflict occurs may be processed between possible SMTC pairs. These SMTC pairs may be between SMTCs within different MGs or even within the same MG. Thus, in Figure 4 In this example, because there are four SMTCs, there could theoretically be twelve different SMTC pairs for comparison.

[0066] exist Figure 4In the example of , even though the two MGs 302 may have a distance 320 less than the MG proximity distance threshold and are determined to be overlapping (conflicting), the UE 110 does not necessarily determine that all SMTCs within MG i 308 overlap with MG j 318. The UE 110 may further check the SMTC opportunity resources within each of the MGs 302, 312 by checking the SMTC pairs among the different MGs 302, 312 to also determine whether these SMTC pairs conflict with each other. For example, the UE 110 may compare the SMTC (x) 304 paired with the SMTC (y+1) 316 based on the SMTC-based proximity distance 402 to determine whether the SMTC proximity distance 402 between the SMTC 304 and the SMTC 316 is below the proximity distance threshold (the SMTC-based proximity distance threshold). If the MG proximity distance 320 between MG 302 and MG 312 is less than or equal to the proximity distance threshold, but SMTC 304 and 312 are above the gap distance threshold according to SMTC proximity distance (D_SMTC) 402, UE 110 can still operate as if the two gaps do not overlap or conflict. Therefore, for measurement purposes in the RRM process, SMTC 304 and SMTC 316 measurements can be performed with the same periodicity, where each of SMTC 304 and 316 is used for measurement.

[0067] Similarly, UE 110 may also operate similarly to other SMTC pairs in different MGs. For example, the SMTC proximity distance 404 between SMTC306 and 314 may also be less than a proximity distance threshold, which may be the same (e.g., 4ms) or different from the proximity distance 320 of the MG. The SMTCs may then be determined to overlap or conflict with each other. In response, UE 110 may only measure using one of SMTC 306 or 314. If another pair of SMTCs (e.g., SMTC304 and 316) across the same MGs 302 and 312 is not conflicting / overlapping, and the pair of SMTCs 306 and 314 is conflicting, then a larger number of SMTCs may be used in a single periodicity or cycle to measure resources or SSBs compared to using only the proximity distance 320 to determine the conflict between the two MGs 302 and 312.

[0068] In one aspect, if one SMTC pair is conflicting and the other is not conflicting, three SMTCs may potentially be measured. Alternatively, two SMTCs in one SMTC pair that is not conflicting may be measured, and the SMTCs in another SMTC pair that is not conflicting may be measured. In another example, if all combinations of SMTC pairs are less than the SMTC proximity threshold and are considered to be conflicting, for example, only one SMTC of the four SMTCs 304, 306, 314, 316 may be measured for each periodicity, or one SMTC from one MG may be measured. These examples contemplate various possibilities to potentially reduce unnecessary measurements at a later time, and to reduce power consumption of the UE by achieving as many measurement opportunities as possible within the same periodicity cycle.

[0069] In one aspect, the SMTC in one MG 302 may be offset differently and unequally spaced compared to the SMTC in another MG 312. Therefore, the time of SMTC 304, 306 and the time offset in MG 302 may be independently configured. Therefore, it may be advantageous for UE 110 to check each possible SMTC pair among one or more MGs to independently determine whether the SMTC is below the SMTC proximity distance threshold (e.g., 402 or 404). When the proximity distance 320 between MG 302 and 312 is considered to be at or below a threshold (e.g., approximately 4ms) such that the MGs are considered to be conflicting / overlapping, but some SMTC pairs still have SMTC proximity distances (e.g., 402) greater than the proximity distance threshold (e.g., based on the SMTC proximity distance threshold) or outside the proximity distance threshold such that these SMTC pairs do not conflict (or overlap) and therefore each SMTC can be measured at the same period or periodicity, it may be particularly advantageous to independently evaluate the SMTC pairs.

[0070] In one aspect, the SMTC proximity distance threshold may be the same as or different from the MG threshold. For example, for SMTCs associated with different MGs, the SMTC proximity distance threshold may be configured as the MG proximity distance threshold plus twice the radio frequency (RF) tuning / re-tuning time. Here, the SMTC proximity distance threshold is based on the UE processing capability for tuning from the time slot between processing or receiving MGs to measuring within the MG. For example, in the presence of two MGs being evaluated, this may add twice the tuning / re-tuning time to any particular threshold amount, such as the MG i 308 time or the MG j 318. For example, the RF tuning / re-tuning time may be approximately 1 ms, and the MG proximity distance threshold may be 4 ms. Therefore, for example, the SMTC proximity distance threshold may be configured to be approximately 6 ms.

[0071] Figure 5Another example of an RRM process 500 including (pre-)determining overlapping or conflicting conditions according to various aspects is shown. Figure 3 to Figure 4 , the RRM measurement process 500 includes two different MG opportunities 302 and 312 that are signaled to the UE 110, for example, each MG opportunity includes different SMTCs 304, 306 and 314, 316, respectively. The UE 110 (pre-) determines whether the MG proximity distance 320 is below the MG proximity distance threshold and is therefore conflicting (or overlapping) or non-conflicting / non-overlapping. If the MG proximity distance 320 is lower than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that the MGs 302 and 312 conflict or overlap. For example, if MG 302 and 312 do not overlap or conflict (e.g., are non-conflicting / non-overlapping) and the distance 320 is above a threshold, STMC 304, 306, 314, 316 may each be used for measurement; however, if MG 302 and MG 312 do conflict or overlap, UE 110 may further determine whether the SMTCs themselves conflict based on the SMTC proximity distance 502 based on the closest pair (e.g., SMTC (x+1) 306 and SMTC (y) 314). Here, the only SMTC pair that UE 110 checks to determine whether the SMTCs are conflicting is the two SMTCs that are determined to be closest / shortest to each other among the two sets of SMTCs or the two MGs 302, 312. If the closest SMTC pair (SMTC (x + 1) 306 and SMTC (y) 314) is considered to be conflicting, where the proximity distance 502 is less than the SMTC proximity distance threshold between these SMTCs, all SMTCs 304, 306, 314, 316 may be considered as conflicting SMTCs, and, for example, only one MG 302 or 312 will be measured, or only one SMTC within one MG will be measured. If the closest SMTC pair (SMTC (x + 1) 306 and SMTC (y) 314) is not conflicting, and the proximity distance 502 is greater than the threshold, at least both SMTC 306 and SMTC 314 may be used for measurement; alternatively, each SMTC 304, 306, 314, 316 may be used for measurement, or any two MGs in different MGs (e.g., SMCs 304 and 316, or other SMTC pairs between two MGs) may be measured.

[0072] Thus, UE 110 may be configured to compare the closest SMTCs (e.g., SMTC(x+1)306 and SMTC(y)314) among different MGs 302 and 312, and if these are below SMTC proximity distance threshold 502 and overlap, UE 110 may determine that SMTC(x)304 and SMTC(y+1)316 also overlap. In this way, the closest SMTC pair may be used to represent all SMTC pairs among two MGs for the purpose of determining conflicts or overlaps.

[0073] UE 110 can be operated to determine the closest SMTC pair by predefined specific signaling or by default closest SMTC pair, so as to determine the distance between two SMTC groups. For example, the default closest SMTC pair can be the last SMTC 306 of the first MG 302 and the first SMTC 314 of the second MG 312, the closest pair measured among different SMTC pairs as measured by the UE or measured only sequentially in time among the MGs as determined by UE 110.

[0074] In one aspect, for SMTCs associated with different MGs, the SMTC proximity distance threshold may be configured as the MG proximity distance threshold plus twice the radio frequency (RF) tuning / retuning time. The SMTC proximity distance threshold may be based on the UE processing capability for tuning from processing or receiving time slots between MGs to making measurements within the MG. For example, if there are two MGs, this may add twice the tuning / retuning time to any particular threshold amount, such as the MG i 308 time or the MG j 308.

[0075] Figure 6 Another example of an RRM process 600 including determining overlapping or conflicting conditions among measurement opportunities in accordance with various aspects is shown. Figures 3 to 5, the RRM measurement process 600 includes two different MG opportunities 302 and 312 that are signaled to the UE 110, each MG opportunity including different SMTCs 304, 306 and 314, 316, respectively. The UE 110 initially determines whether the MG proximity distance 320 is below the MG proximity distance threshold and is therefore conflicting (or overlapping) or non-conflicting / non-overlapping. If the MGs 302 and 312 are considered to be overlapping or conflicting, the UE 110 further determines whether the SMTC reference proximity distance 502 between the reference SMTC pair satisfies the SMTC proximity distance threshold (D_SMTC). Therefore, instead of the UE 110 automatically determining which SMTC can be used to determine the SMTC proximity distance 602, the reference SMTC can be signaled, predefined or initially determined. The reference SMTC can be an SMTC that can represent all SMTCs within the same measurement gap or all SMTCs within the same SMTC group for the purpose of determining conflicts or overlaps of the RRM measurement process.

[0076] In one aspect, a reference SMTC can be predefined based on the SMTC with the smallest offset among the SMTCs of a measurement gap or SMTC group. Alternatively or additionally, the reference SMTC can be based on the SMTC with the largest offset of the SMTC of an MG or SMTC group. The offset is not necessarily the closest SMTC pair, but means that in the time domain in absolute timing, each SMTC has a time offset and periodicity associated with it, which can be used to derive a reference SMTC, for example. The offset is also referred to as the time offset of the SMTC window / opportunity. Therefore, the reference SMTC can be based on the offset as the minimum or maximum offset among each MG or SMTC group. When configuring the SMTC window / opportunity, the UE 110 identifies where the SMTC window is located in the time domain based on periodicity (e.g., 40ms or other periodicity) and the time offset associated with a specific SMTC, which may be different from other SMTCs. The UE 110 locates the window according to the periodicity and time offset of the SMTC window to locate the SMTC within a specific periodicity or periodic window. For example, SMTC(x) 304 may be a reference SMTC predefined or signaled by the network or base station 120 of MG 312, and SMTC(y) 314 may be a reference SMTC among SMTCs of MG 302, and the reference SMTC may be based on a time offset of the SMTC window.

[0077] In one aspect, the minimum or maximum reference SMTC position, index or offset among the SMTC groups may be signaled. The reference SMTC may be signaled by the base station via RRC signaling, higher layer signaling, or via a physical channel. The reference SMTC may be indicated by the network, and then the UE 110 may use the reference SMTC to determine whether the two groups of SMTCs within MGs 302 and 312 are overlapping.

[0078] In one aspect, the UE 110 may utilize an SMTC as a reference SMTC to be paired with any other SMTC within the same MG or in another MG 312. For example, based on whether the SMTC proximity distance between the reference SMTC (e.g., SMTC 304) and another SMTC in a different MG satisfies the SMTC proximity distance threshold, it will be determined whether the SMTC pair (e.g., SMTC 304 and another SMTC in MG 312) overlaps with each other, or whether all SMTCs of the two MGs overlap. In this way, the reference SMTC can represent a reference for all SMTCs to be determined as overlapping or conflicting among different MGs. Alternatively or additionally, the reference SMTCs from each MG (e.g., SMTCs 304 and 314) can be signaled or indicated so that it can be determined whether a conflict or overlap occurs between two reference SMTCs of the two MGs 302, 312 based on whether the SMTC proximity distance 602 satisfies the SMTC.

[0079] As shown here, for SMTCs associated with different MGs, the SMTC proximity distance threshold can be configured as the MG proximity distance threshold plus twice the radio frequency (RF) tuning / re-tuning time. The SMTC proximity distance threshold can be based on the UE processing capability for tuning from processing or receiving the time slot between MGs to measuring within the MG. For example, if there are two MGs, this can add twice the tuning / re-tuning time to any specific threshold amount, such as MG i 308 time or MG j 318.

[0080] For example, Figures 7 to 10Further described are various aspects between SMTC 304, 306 associated with MG 302 or within the MG and SMTC not associated with any MG. Therefore, two SMTC groups with one or more SMTCs can be determined, one of which is associated with the MG, and the other is not associated with the MG. In these examples, SMTCx can be associated with MG i, and SMTCy is not associated with any MG (SMTC without MG). Even if the proximity distance between MG i and SMTCy is close to each other (e.g., proximity distance D_MG_SMTC is less than the proximity threshold), the proximity distance D_SMTC between the two SMTCs can still be greater than the SMTC proximity threshold (e.g., 4ms). In this case, UE 110 may not know whether SMTCx and y should be considered as conflicting or non-conflicting, in which case, if the two SMTCs are conflicting, UE 110 can only measure on one SMTC. In each example, UE 110 can determine whether there are more than one SMTC associated with a MG that is not within a certain group proximity range of another SMTC. This may be determined based on a predefined distance or other grouping check such that any SMTCs grouped together may be considered or represented as a whole for purposes of determining conflicts or conflicts with SMTCs associated with the MG.

[0081] Figure 7An example of an RRM process 700 is shown that includes (pre-)determining whether an SMTC associated with an MG and at least one other SMTC not associated with the MG are overlapping or conflicting. The first MG 302 of the MG i length 308 may include various SMTCs (e.g., SMTC 304 and SMTC 306 or other SMTCs) that may occur earlier or later than SMTC (y) 704. The UE 110 may determine whether the SMTCs 304, 306 of the MG 302 conflict or overlap with the SMTC (y) 704 not associated with any MG based on the proximity distance 702 between the MG 302 and the SMTC (y) 704. If the proximity distance 702 satisfies the proximity distance threshold, the SMTCs 304, 306 of the MG 302 may be determined to conflict / overlap with the SMTC (y) 704. For example, if the distance 702 is less than or equal to the threshold, a conflict / overlap occurs, in which case only one SMTC (also referred to as the SMTC opportunity / window / duration as used herein) is used for measurement. For example, SMTC(x) 304 and SMTC(x+1) 306 and SMTC(y) 704 will be considered as conflicting, and only one SMTC will be measured among these SMTCs 304, 306, 704. For example, if the proximity distance 702 is greater than a threshold, at least SMTC(y) 704 and at least one SMTC 304, 306 of the MG 302 may be used for measurement.

[0082] As shown herein, according to aspects of the present invention, for an SMTC associated with one MG and one or more other SMTCs that have no association with the MG, the proximity distance threshold between the MG 302 with the SMTC and other SMTCs with or without the MG may be equivalent to the proximity distance threshold between MGs or between SMTCs.

[0083] In one aspect, SMTC (y) 704 can represent one SMTC or multiple SMTCs based on a group check or group determination that can be performed by UE 110 before determining whether a conflict or overlap is occurring. With respect to determining the conflict or overlap that occurs, any SMTC that is considered to fall into the group with SMTC (y) 704 can be considered to be the same as SMTC (y) 704. For example, SMTC (y) 704 can be the first SMTC outside MG 302, and any SMTC that is considered to be part of the SMTC group with SMTC (y) 704 can be within a defined distance or close distance thereafter. In one aspect, any SMTC that conflicts with SMTC (y) 704 or is within a measurement gap threshold (e.g., 4ms) can be determined to be within the same SMTC group, which also does not have any measurement gaps. If any SMTC within the defined distance is with MG, it will not be eligible as part of the group, or is farther than the defined distance in the time domain. In another example, the distance can be 5ms, 3ms, or other distances from SMTC (y) 704.

[0084] Figure 8 An example of a measurement process 800 including (pre-)determining whether an SMTC associated with an MG and at least one other SMTC not associated with the MG are overlapping or conflicting is shown. The first MGi 302 of the MG distance 308 may include various SMTCs (e.g., SMTC 304 and SMTC 306 or other SMTCs). The UE 110 may determine whether the SMTCs 304, 306 of the MG 302 conflict or overlap with the SMTC (y) 704 not associated with any MG based on the proximity distance 702 between the MG 302 and the SMTC (y) 704. As discussed above, the SMTC 704 may be one or more SMTCs determined based on the grouping of the UE 110 and according to one or more criteria (e.g., the distance from the SMTC 704). If the proximity distance satisfies the proximity distance threshold, the SMTCs 304, 306 of the MG 302 may be determined to conflict / overlap with the SMTC (y) 704.

[0085] In one aspect, for example, if the distance 702 between the MG 302 and the SMTC 704 is determined to be at or below a threshold and is considered to be conflicting or overlapping, the proximity distance threshold may be based on any one or more proximity distances between the SMTC pairs, thereby further utilizing the distance 802 or 804. First, the UE 110 may check whether the MG 302 and the SMTC 704 are below the proximity distance, and if greater than the associated threshold, then there is no need to check any additional SMTC pairs, because all SMTCs 304, 306 within the MG 302 will not overlap with the SMTC 702. However, if the MG 302 boundary and the SMTC 704 are below an associated threshold (e.g., 4ms, etc.), the UE 110 may further double check within the MG 302 whether the SMTCs 304, 306 also overlap with the SMTC 704. For example, UE 110 may check SMTC(x)304 and SMTC(y)704 as an SMTC pair based on proximity distance 802 and proximity distance threshold therebetween, and check SMTC(x+1)306 and SMTC(y)704 using proximity distance 804 and threshold to evaluate whether any SMTC pair overlaps. If the SMTC pairs do not overlap, both SMTCs may be used for measurement; otherwise, only one SMTC is used for measurement in the particular SMTC pair. Alternatively or additionally, the threshold for the SMTC pair may be the same as or different from the threshold for the MG and the SMTC not associated with the MG.

[0086] For SMTCs associated with MGs and SMTCs not associated with any MG, the SMTC proximity distance threshold for the SMTC pair may be configured, for example, as a MG proximity distance threshold (e.g., 4 ms or other amount) plus a single radio frequency (RF) tuning / retuning time. Here, the SMTC proximity distance threshold is based on the UE processing capability for tuning from processing or receiving time slots between MGs to measuring only within one MG, as opposed to, for example, when there are two MGs being evaluated (which adds twice the tuning / retuning time to any particular threshold amount). For example, the RF tuning / retuning time may be approximately 1 ms, and the MG proximity distance threshold may be 4 ms. Thus, for example, the SMTC proximity distance threshold may be configured as approximately 5 ms or other amount.

[0087] Fig. 9An example of a measurement process 900 including (pre)determining whether an SMTC associated with an MG and at least one other SMTC not associated with the MG are overlapping or conflicting is shown. The first MGi 302 of the MG distance 308 may include various SMTCs (e.g., SMTC 304 and SMTC 306 or other SMTCs). The UE 110 may determine whether the SMTCs 304, 306 of the MG 302 conflict or overlap with the SMTC (y) 704 not associated with any MG based on the proximity distance 702 between the MG 302 and the SMTC (y) 704. As discussed above, the SMTC 704 may be one or more SMTCs determined based on the grouping of the UE 110 and according to one or more criteria (e.g., a predefined proximity distance from the SMTC 704, whether the SMTC overlaps with any other SMTC not associated with the MG, or other criteria). If the close distance 902 satisfies the close distance threshold, the SMTC 304 , 306 of the MG 302 may be determined to be conflicting / overlapping with the SMTC(y) 704 .

[0088] In one aspect, the closest SMTC pair is used to determine whether the close distance is met. For example, SMTC (x+1) can be used only with SMTC 704 to see if SMTC 304, 306 or other places in MG 302 overlap or conflict with SMTC 704. If overlap is determined, only one instance or SMTC can be measured in the cycle. If no overlap or conflict is predicted, each of SMTC 304, 306 and 704 can be used for measurement.

[0089] In one example, if the proximity distance D_MG_SMTC 702 between the MG 302 and the SMTC 704 is less than the proximity distance threshold, the UE 110 can use the SMTC-based proximity distance 902 to check whether the closest pair of SMTCs 306 and 704 overlap. If the closest SMTC pair inside and outside the MG has a proximity distance 902 less than the SMTC proximity distance threshold, all SMTCs in these MGs should be considered as conflicting SMTCs.

[0090] For SMTC inside and outside the MG, the SMTC proximity distance threshold of SMTC proximity distance 902 can be expressed as: MG proximity distance threshold + RF tuning / retuning time; in other words, the MG proximity distance threshold (e.g., approximately 4 ms) plus the RF tuning / retuning time (e.g., 1 ms or other smaller or larger amount).

[0091] refer to Fig.10, another example of a measurement process 1000 including (pre-)determining whether an SMTC associated with an MG and at least one other SMTC not associated with the MG are overlapping or conflicting is shown. Here, in addition to the fact that a proximity distance 1002 between reference SMTCs is used to determine the overlap between MG 302, SMTCs 304 and 306 and SMTC 704 or between the SMTCs, similar conditions also exist in other figures. If the distance 1002 between the reference SMTC 306 associated with MG 302 and SMTC 707 without any associated MG is higher than a proximity distance threshold, each of SMTCs 304, 306 and 702 can be used for measurement. This determination can be performed under the condition that the proximity distance 702 is at or below a threshold and MG 302 is determined to overlap / conflict with SMTC 704. Alternatively, in the absence of any conditions for determining any overlap or conflict, only the reference SMTC is used.

[0092] In one aspect, the reference SMTC 1002 may be selected by network indication or based on the SMTC of the MG 302 or the maximum or minimum offset among the SMTC groups represented by the SMTC 704. Fig. 9 , the SMTC proximity distance can be the MG proximity distance threshold plus one times the RF tuning / retuning time.

[0093] Fig.11 An exemplary process flow for (pre-)determining overlaps or conflicts among measurement opportunities (e.g., MGs or SMTCs) as part of an RRM measurement process according to various aspects is shown. The process flow 1100 begins at 1110 with receiving configuration information for a first set of SMTC opportunities and a second set of SMTC opportunities for resource (e.g., SSB) measurements. At 1120, the process flow 1100 includes determining whether a conflict or overlap occurs between the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities based on a proximity threshold of a proximity distance. At 1130, the process flow 1100 includes, in response to determining that a conflict or overlap occurs, measuring one of the following: the first set of SMTC opportunities or the second set of SMTC opportunities, otherwise in the absence of a conflict or overlap, measuring both the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities.

[0094] Fig.12Exemplary components of a device 1200 according to some aspects are shown. In some aspects, the device 1200 may include at least an application circuit 1202, a baseband circuit 1204, a radio frequency (RF) circuit 1206, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 1208, one or more antennas 1210, and a power management circuit (PMC) 1212 coupled together as shown. The components of the illustrated device 1200 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some aspects, the device 1200 may include fewer elements (e.g., the RAN node cannot utilize the application circuit 1202, but includes a processor / controller to process IP data received from a CN such as a 5GC 130 or an evolved packet core (EPC)). In some aspects, the device 1200 may include additional elements, such as, for example, a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, a sensor (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations in the device 1200, etc.) or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other aspects, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0095] The application circuit 1202 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 1202 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1200. In some aspects, the processor of the application circuit 1202 may process IP data packets received from a core network or a base station.

[0096] The baseband circuit 1204 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 1204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1206 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1206. The baseband circuit 1204 may interact with the application circuit 1202 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 1206. For example, in some aspects, the baseband circuit 1204 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 1204A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 1204B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 1204C, or other baseband processors 1204D of other existing generations, generations under development, or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 1204 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 1204A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 1206. In other aspects, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1204A-D may be included in a module stored in the memory 1204G and may be executed via the central processing unit 1204E. The memory 1204G may include executable components or instructions to cause one or more processors (e.g., the baseband circuitry 1204) to perform aspects, processes, or operations herein. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some aspects, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1204 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some aspects, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1204 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Aspects of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples, and in other aspects may include other suitable functionality.

[0097] In some aspects, the baseband circuitry 1204 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1204F. The audio DSP 1204F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other aspects may include other suitable processing elements. In some aspects, the components of the baseband circuitry may be appropriately combined in a single chip, in a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some aspects, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 1204 and the application circuitry 1202 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0098] In some aspects, the baseband circuitry 1204 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some aspects, the baseband circuitry 1204 may support communications with NG-RAN, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. Aspects in which the baseband circuitry 1204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0099] The RF circuit 1206 can use modulated electromagnetic radiation to communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium. In various aspects, the RF circuit 1206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. The RF circuit 1206 may include a receive signal path, which may include a circuit that down-converts an RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1208 and provides a baseband signal to the baseband circuit 1204. The RF circuit 1206 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include a circuit that up-converts a baseband signal provided by the baseband circuit 1204 and provides an RF output signal to the FEM circuit 1208 for transmission.

[0100] In various aspects, any one or more baseband processors 1204A to 1204F (integrated together or in combination) as processing circuits of the baseband circuit 1204 may be configured to process or receive configuration information for a first set (one or more) SMTC opportunities and a second set of SMTC opportunities for resource (e.g., SSB) measurement. Whether a conflict occurs between the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities may be determined based on a proximity threshold of a proximity distance. In response to determining that a conflict occurs, one of the following is measured: the first set of SMTC opportunities or the second set of SMTC opportunities, otherwise the processing circuit (e.g., a baseband processor or other circuit) may measure the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities.

[0101] Although the method described in the present disclosure is shown and described as a series of actions or events in this article, it should be understood that the order of such actions or events shown should not be interpreted as having a limiting meaning. For example, some actions can occur simultaneously with other actions or events other than those shown and / or described herein in different orders. In addition, all the actions shown may not be required to realize one or more aspects or embodiments of this specification. In addition, one or more actions in the actions depicted herein may be performed in one or more separate actions and / or stages. For ease of description, reference may be made to the above-mentioned accompanying drawings. However, the method is not limited to any specific embodiment, aspect or example provided in the present disclosure, and can be applied to any one of the systems / devices / components disclosed herein.

[0102] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0103] The present disclosure is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein throughout the text, similar figure numbers are used to refer to similar elements, and the structures and devices shown therein need not be drawn to scale. As used herein, the terms "component", "system", "interface", etc. are intended to refer to entities, hardware, software (e.g., in execution) and / or firmware related to a computer. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable file, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet computer and / or a user equipment (e.g., a mobile phone, etc.) with a processing device. By way of illustration, an application program and a server running on a server can also be a component. One or more components can reside in a process, and a component can be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. This article can describe a set of elements or other component sets, wherein the term "set" can be interpreted as "one or more".

[0104] In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon, such as using modules. Components can communicate via local and / or remote processes, such as according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or an entire network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a similar network with other systems via signals).

[0105] As another example, a component may be a device having a specific function, the specific function being provided by a mechanical component operated by an electrical or electronic circuit, wherein the electrical or electronic circuit may be operated by a software application or a firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors may be internal or external to the device and may execute at least a portion of the software application or the firmware application. As another example, a component may be a device that provides a specific function by electronic components without mechanical components; the electronic components may include one or more processors therein to execute at least a portion of the software and / or firmware that gives the electronic components their functions.

[0106] The use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a specific way. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X adopts A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive arrangement of natural inclusive arrangements. That is, if X adopts A; X adopts B; or X adopts both A and B, then "X adopts A or B" is satisfied in any of the aforementioned cases. In addition, the articles "one" and "an" used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to point to a singular form. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including", "comprising", "having", "having", "with" or their variations are used in the specific embodiments and claims, such terms are intended to be included in a manner similar to the term "comprising". In addition, in the case of discussing one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X", "second X", etc.), generally, the one or more numbered items can be different or they can be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or that they are the same.

[0107] As used herein, the term "circuit" may refer to, may be a part of, or may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuit, processor (shared, dedicated, or group), or associated memory (shared, dedicated, or group) operably coupled to the circuit that executes one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, or other suitable hardware components that provide the functionality described. In some embodiments, the circuit may be implemented in one or more software or firmware modules, or the functions associated with the circuit may be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuit may include logic that is at least partially operable in hardware.

[0108] As used in this specification, the term "processor" may refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device, including but not limited to single-core processors; single processors with software multithreaded execution capabilities; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithreaded execution capabilities; multi-core processors with hardware multithreading technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. In addition, a processor may refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions and / or processes described herein. The processor may utilize nanoscale architectures, such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum dot-based transistors, switches, and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance the performance of a mobile device. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

[0109] Examples (implementations) may include subject matter, such as methods, devices for performing actions or boxes of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform actions of a method or device or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the embodiments and examples described herein.

[0110] In addition, various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as methods, devices or articles using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. As used herein, the term "article" is intended to cover computer programs accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROMs, cards, sticks, key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data. In addition, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having one or more instructions or codes that are operable to cause a computer to perform the functions described herein.

[0111] Communication media embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transmission media. The term "modulated data signal" or signal refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in a manner that encodes information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

[0112] An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor. In addition, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components. In addition, in some aspects, the process and / or action of the method or algorithm may reside on a machine-readable medium and / or a computer-readable medium as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions, and may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0113] In this regard, although the subject matter disclosed herein has been described in conjunction with various embodiments and corresponding drawings, it should be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments, where applicable, to perform the same, similar, alternative or alternative functions of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the described embodiments. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but should be interpreted in accordance with the breadth and scope of the following claims.

[0114] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-mentioned components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary implementation of the present disclosure shown herein. In addition, although specific features have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, for any given or specific application, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one memory; a processing circuit, the processing circuit being coupled to the at least one memory, the processing circuit being configured to cause the UE to: receiving an indication of a first SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) opportunity and a second SMTC opportunity for synchronization signal (SS) / physical block channel (PBCH) block (SSB) measurement; determining whether a conflict occurs between the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity or whether a conflict occurs between the first SMTC opportunity and a measurement gap; as well as In response to the conflict occurring, the SSB measurement is performed in the first SMTC opportunity or the second SMTC opportunity.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: Whether the conflict occurs is determined based on at least one of the following: a proximity threshold of the proximity distance between the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity or between the first SMT opportunity and the measurement gap, or at least partial overlap in the time domain between the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity or between the first SMT opportunity and the measurement gap.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein whether the conflict occurs is determined based on the following conditions: the proximity distance between a first measurement gap associated with the first SMTC opportunity and a second measurement gap is less than or equal to the proximity threshold, or the proximity distance between the first measurement gap and the second SMTC opportunity associated with the second measurement gap is less than or equal to the proximity threshold, and the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to determining that the conflict is occurring based on the proximity distance, it is further determined whether the SMTC-based proximity distance satisfies an SMTC proximity distance threshold between the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity.

4. The UE according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: determining the SMTC-based proximity distances between a first plurality of SMTC opportunities associated with different measurement gaps, wherein the different measurement gaps include the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap; and The SMTC-based proximity distances between a second plurality of SMTC opportunities associated with the different measurement gaps are determined.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein the first plurality of SMTC opportunities include a first SMTC opportunity within the first measurement gap and a first SMTC opportunity within the second measurement gap, and the second plurality of SMTC opportunities include a second SMTC opportunity within the first measurement gap and a second SMTC opportunity within the second measurement gap, wherein the first plurality of SMTC opportunities are farther apart or the same distance apart from each other than the second plurality of SMTC opportunities.

6. The UE according to claim 4, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to the SMTC-based proximity distance between the first plurality of SMTC opportunities satisfying the SMTC proximity distance threshold, measuring an SMTC opportunity among the first plurality of SMTC opportunities; and In response to the SMTC-based proximity distances between the second plurality of SMTC opportunities not satisfying the SMTC proximity distance threshold and no collision occurs, each SMTC opportunity in the second plurality of SMTC opportunities is measured.

7. The UE according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to determining that the conflict is occurring based on the proximity distance, determine whether the SMTC-based proximity distance satisfies an SMTC proximity distance threshold between a first pair of SMTC opportunities associated with different measurement gaps, wherein the first pair of SMTC opportunities includes SMTC opportunities that are closer to each other than a second pair of SMTC opportunities associated with the different measurement gaps, and wherein the different measurement gaps include the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap.

8. The UE according to claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to the SMTC-based proximity distance being less than or equal to the SMTC proximity distance threshold, it is determined that both the first pair of SMTC opportunities and the second pair of SMTC opportunities conflict.

9. The UE according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to determining that the conflict is occurring based on the proximity distance, determining whether a pair of reference SMTC opportunities indicated by an offset or other indication received from a network includes an SMTC-based proximity distance that satisfies an SMTC proximity distance threshold; and In response to the pair of reference SMTC opportunities being less than or equal to the SMTC proximity distance threshold, it is determined that SMTC opportunities in both the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap conflict.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first SMTC opportunity is associated with a measurement gap, and the second SMTC opportunity is not associated with any measurement gap, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: Based on the proximity distance between the measurement gap associated with the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity being less than or equal to the proximity threshold, it is determined that the conflict is occurring.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to the conflict occurring, an SMTC-based proximity distance between each pair of the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity is determined, and whether the conflict occurs for each of the first SMTC opportunities is determined based on the SMTC-based proximity distance.

12. The UE according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to determining that the conflict is occurring based on the proximity distance, determining Whether the proximity distance of the SMTC meets the first SMTC timing and the second The SMTC proximity distance threshold between the first pair of SMTC opportunities associated with the first SMTC opportunity is greater than the second pair of SMTC opportunities associated with the first SMTC opportunity. SMTC opportunities, the closest first pair of SMTC opportunities includes SMTC opportunity, and wherein the second SMTC opportunity includes at least one of the following: a second SMTC opportunity or a plurality of second SMTC opportunities within a distance of each other.

13. The UE according to claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE to: In response to determining that the conflict is occurring based on the proximity distance, determining whether a pair of reference SMTC opportunities between the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity indicated by an offset or indication received from a network includes an SMTC-based proximity distance that satisfies an SMTC proximity distance threshold; and In response to the pair of reference SMTC opportunities being less than or equal to the SMTC proximity distance threshold, it is determined that the first SMTC opportunity and the second SMTC opportunity conflict.

14. The UE of claim 10, wherein the proximity threshold comprises an SMTC proximity threshold comprising a measurement gap proximity distance threshold plus a single amount of radio frequency tuning time associated with the measurement gap.

15. A method comprising: receiving, via processing circuitry, an indication of a first set of synchronization signal (SS) / physical block channel (PBCH) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) opportunities and a second set of SMTC opportunities for resource measurement; determining whether a conflict occurs between the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities or whether a conflict occurs between the first set of SMTC opportunities and a measurement gap based on at least one of: satisfying a proximity threshold of a proximity distance or an overlap therebetween in the time domain; In response to the conflict occurring, the measurement is performed in the first group of SMTC opportunities or the second group of SMTC opportunities.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the proximity threshold of the proximity distance comprises a distance between a first measurement gap having the first group of SMTC opportunities and the second group of SMTC opportunities or a distance between the first measurement gap and a second measurement gap including the second group of SMTC opportunities, and when the distance is equal to or less than 4 ms, it is determined that the conflict occurs.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: In response to determining that the conflict is occurring based on the first measurement gap having the first group of SMTC opportunities and the second measurement gap having the second group of SMTC opportunities or the proximity distance between the second group of SMTC opportunities, determine whether the SMTC-based proximity distance satisfies an SMTC proximity distance threshold between one or more pairs of SMTC opportunities in the second group of SMTC opportunities and the first group of SMTC opportunities.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: If the proximity distance is between the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap, the SMTC proximity distance threshold includes the measurement gap proximity distance threshold plus twice the RF tuning time associated with the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap, and if the proximity distance is between the first measurement gap and the second set of SMTC opportunities, the SMTC proximity distance threshold includes the measurement gap proximity distance threshold plus the RF tuning time associated with the first measurement gap.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more pairs include a closest pair of SMTC opportunities between the second set of SMTC opportunities and the first set of SMTC opportunities.

20. A baseband processor, comprising: A processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: receiving configuration information of a first set of synchronization signal (SS) / physical block channel (PBCH) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) opportunities and a second set of SMTC opportunities for resource measurement; determining whether a conflict occurs between the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities or whether a conflict occurs between the first set of SMTC opportunities and a measurement gap opportunity; as well as In response to determining that the conflict occurs, one of the following is measured: the first set of SMTC opportunities or the second set of SMTC opportunities, otherwise the first set of SMTC opportunities and the second set of SMTC opportunities are measured.

21. The baseband processor of claim 20, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Determining whether the conflict occurs based on at least one of: a proximity threshold of a proximity distance between the first group of SMTC opportunities and the second group of SMTC opportunities or between the first group of SMTC opportunities and the measurement gap, or a partial overlap in the time domain between the first group of SMTC opportunities and the second group of SMTC opportunities or between the first group of SMTC opportunities and the measurement gap; and In response to determining that the conflict occurs based on a proximity distance between a first measurement gap having the first group of SMTC opportunities and a second measurement gap having the second group of SMTC opportunities or one of the second group of SMTC opportunities without a second measurement gap, it is further determined whether the SMTC-based proximity distance satisfies an SMTC proximity distance threshold between one or more pairs of SMTC opportunities in the second group of SMTC opportunities and the first group of SMTC opportunities, or the first group of SMTC opportunities and the second group of SMTC opportunities are measured.

22. The baseband processor of claim 21, wherein the one or more pairs include a reference SMTC pair indicated by network signaling or predefined, or a pair of SMTC opportunities that are closest between the second set of SMTC opportunities and the first set of SMTC opportunities.

23. The baseband processor of claim 21, wherein the SMTC proximity distance threshold comprises a measurement gap proximity distance threshold plus twice a radio frequency tuning time, or the measurement gap proximity distance threshold plus a radio frequency tuning time associated with the first measurement gap.

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