CBRS GAA interference mitigation

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is configured to decode network configuration information based on a signal received from a first cell of a network, wherein the first cell is operated by a first base station and deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared hierarchical access and authorization framework; measurement data corresponding to a second cell operated by a second base station and deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared hierarchical access and grant framework is collected, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared hierarchical access and authorization framework; and configuring transceiver circuitry to report the measurement data to the network.

Description

[0001] Priority / Incorporation by Reference

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 376,801, filed on September 23, 2022, entitled “CBRS GAA Interference Mitigation,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) is a 150MHz spectrum (from 3.55GHz to 3.7GHz) in the 3.5GHz band ("Band 48") and can be used by various types of operators to deploy wireless communication networks. CBRS access is based on a multi-layer access and authorization framework, including Layer 1 (incumbent access), Layer 2 (Priority Access License (PAL)), and Layer 3 (General Authorized Access (GAA)). Incumbent access users will be protected from harmful interference caused by PAL users and GAA users. PAL users will be protected from harmful interference caused by GAA users. Therefore, GAA users will protect incumbent access users and PAL users from harmful interference. However, GAA users do not expect to be protected from interference from other GAA users. It has been recognized that there is a need for a mechanism configured to identify and / or mitigate interference between GAA users. Summary of the invention

[0004] Some exemplary embodiments relate to a device of a user equipment (UE) having processing circuitry configured to: decode network configuration information based on a signal received from a first cell of a network, wherein the first cell is operated by a first base station and deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared layered access and authorization framework; collect measurement data corresponding to a second cell, wherein the second cell is operated by a second base station and deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared layered access and authorization framework, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared layered access and authorization framework; and configure transceiver circuitry to report the measurement data to the network.

[0005] Other exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus of a base station having processing circuitry configured to: configure a transceiver circuit to send configuration information to a user equipment (UE), wherein a first base station operates a first cell deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared layered access and authorization framework; and decode measurement data corresponding to a second base station based on a signal received from the UE, wherein the second base station operates a second cell deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared layered access and authorization framework, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared layered access and authorization framework. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0007] Figure 2 An exemplary user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 3 An exemplary base station according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 4 Network architectures according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0010] Figure 5 Methods for Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) General Authorized Access (GAA) interference mitigation according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0011] Figure 6 A method 600 for CBRS GAA interference mitigation is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein like elements are provided with like reference numerals.Exemplary embodiments relate to Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) General Authorized Access (GAA) interference identification and mitigation.

[0013] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to user equipment (UE). However, reference to UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0014] The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network and a next generation Node B (gNB). However, reference to a 5G NR network and gNB is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any suitable type of network and access node.

[0015] The exemplary embodiments are further described with reference to CBRS. CBRS refers to 150 MHz of spectrum (from 3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz) in the 3.5 GHz band ("Band 48") and can be used to deploy cellular networks with small but centralized deployments. CBRS access can be based on a multi-layer access and authorization framework configured to accommodate shared federal and non-federal use of the band. CBRS access can be managed by a spectrum access system (SAS) entity that is configured to coordinate operations between users in three different access layers (e.g., Layer 1 (incumbent access), Layer 2 (priority access license (PAL)), and Layer 3 (general authorized access (GAA)). Incumbent access users (e.g., the federal government) can use the spectrum in priority over priority access users and GAA users. PAL users are licensed to use CBRS and protect incumbent users from harmful interference. GAA users can operate by registration and protect incumbent users and PAL users from harmful interference. However, GAA users do not expect to be protected from interference by other GAA users.

[0016] Operators can deploy time division duplex (TDD) new radio (NR) on CBRS. TDD NR can operate assuming exclusive access to the spectrum. However, even if operators can assume exclusive access to the spectrum, interference from neighboring cells is still possible (e.g., network planning errors, etc.). Interference can be caused by neighboring cells operating in the same frequency range, or by cells operating in adjacent frequency ranges when the TDD configurations of the adjacent frequency ranges are not properly aligned or the synchronization is not precise enough.

[0017] The exemplary embodiments are further described with respect to a scenario in which two gNBs (e.g., gNB 1 and gNB 2) belonging to different CBRS operators are deployed within close enough proximity of each other to potentially cause interference. The first gNB (gNB 1) may be a CBRS GAA user configured to use a first CBRS GAA frequency range, and the second gNB (gNB 2) may be a CBRS GAA user configured to use a second CBRS GAA frequency range that overlaps (in whole or in part) with the first gNB CBRS GAA frequency range. Alternatively, the second gNB may be a CBRS GAA user configured to use a second CBRS GAA frequency range that does not overlap with the first CBRS GAA frequency range, but uses a TDD configuration that is different from the TDD configuration used by the first gNB. In any of the above example scenarios, both operators may experience insufficient performance due to interference. It has been recognized that there is a need for mechanisms and techniques configured to identify and / or mitigate causes of interference.

[0018] In some cases, to mitigate interference between two base stations, cross-link interference (CLI) mitigation techniques may be utilized. However, CLI capabilities assume and / or rely on the two base stations being able to communicate in a manner that is generally not available to two base stations deployed by different operators for CBRS GAA. Therefore, mechanisms and techniques related to identifying and / or mitigating interference between CBRS GAA users are needed.

[0019] According to some aspects, exemplary embodiments may utilize UEs to collect information indicating causes of interference between CBRS GAA users. Exemplary embodiments introduce mechanisms and techniques on the UE side and the network side to implement this type of functionality. Any exemplary embodiment described herein may be used in conjunction with other exemplary embodiments, in conjunction with currently implemented interference identification and mitigation techniques, in conjunction with future implementations of interference identification and mitigation techniques, independent of other exemplary embodiments, and independent of other interference identification and mitigation techniques.

[0020] CBRS refers primarily to the technology deployed in the United States on Band 48 (B48 or N48) and using the CBRS shared public land mobile network (PLMN) 315 / 0100n. While the exemplary embodiments provide benefits for CBRS GAA users, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to GAA users or even CBRS. Any references to CBRS, GAA, and / or CBRS specific entities are provided as non-limiting examples. The exemplary embodiments may be applied to any portion of the spectrum involving a multi-layer access and authorization framework where users of the same access layer do not expect to be protected from interference from each other.

[0021] Throughout this specification, references to the term "hierarchical access and authorization framework" or "shared access and authorization framework" or "shared hierarchical access and authorization framework" that characterize how users access specific portions of the spectrum are intended to cover the framework used for CBRS. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to CBRS and are applicable to any portion of the spectrum shared by different types of users. Thus, references to a "hierarchical access and authorization framework" or "shared access and authorization framework" or "shared hierarchical access and authorization framework" may apply to an access framework used by any portion of the spectrum that implements an access and authorization scheme that is based on a hierarchical structure of different types of users that may use the spectrum under different conditions.

[0022] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be appreciated that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, the example of a single UE 110 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0023] UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the network with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate is a 5G NR radio access network (RAN) 120. However, UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., sixth generation (6G) RAN, 5G cloud RAN, next generation RAN (NG-RAN), long term evolution (LTE) RAN, traditional cellular network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.), and UE 110 may also communicate with the network via a wired connection. Referring to the exemplary embodiment, UE 110 may establish a connection with 5G NR RAN 120. Therefore, UE 110 may have a 5G NR chipset to communicate with NR RAN 120.

[0024] The 5G NR RAN 120 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network operator, such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. The 5G NR RAN 120 may include, for example, base stations or access nodes (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macro cell, micro cell, small cell, femto cell, etc.) configured to transmit and receive communication traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets.

[0025] Any association process may be performed for connecting the UE 110 to the 5G NR RAN 120. For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider at which the UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR RAN 120, the UE 110 may send corresponding credential information in order to associate with the 5G NR RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a particular base station (e.g., gNB 120A and / or gNB 120B).

[0026] The network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 may refer to an interconnected set of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network. It may include an evolved packet core (EPC) and / or a 5G core (5GC). The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 may generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 may generally be described as a collection of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0027] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE 110 will refer to Figure 1 100. UE 110 may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. Other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting UE 110 to other electronic devices, etc.

[0028] Processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of UE 110. For example, the engines may include CBRS interference engine 235. CBRS interference engine 235 may perform various operations related to interference identification and mitigation, such as, but not limited to, receiving configuration information, collecting measurement data, and reporting the measurement data.

[0029] The engine 235 referenced above is provided as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205 for illustrative purposes only. The functionality associated with the engine 235 may also be represented as a separate combined component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing the signal and other information. The engine may also be embodied as an application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is split between two or more processors (such as a baseband processor and an application processor). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0030] Memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by UE 110. Display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables a user to enter input. Display device 215 and I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen).

[0031] The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, LTE-RAN (not shown in the figure), a traditional RAN (not shown in the figure), a WLAN (not shown in the figure), etc. Therefore, the transceiver 225 can operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). The transceiver 225 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded with information for implementing any of the methods described herein. The processor 205 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 225 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 225 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 205 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from a base station of a network) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0032] Figure 3 An exemplary base station 300 is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Base station 300 may represent gNB 120A, gNB 120B, or any other access node that UE 110 may use to establish a connection and manage network operations.

[0033] The base station 300 may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, an input / output (I / O) device 315, a transceiver 320, and other components 325. These other components 325 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, ports for electrically connecting the base station 300 to other electronic devices and / or a power source, and the like.

[0034] Processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of base station 300. For example, CBRS interference engine 330 may perform various operations related to identifying and mitigating interference, such as, but not limited to, transmitting configuration information to UEs, sending measurement resources, and receiving measurement reports.

[0035] The engine 330 described above as an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor 305 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine 330 may also be represented as a separate combined component of the base station 300, or may be a modular component coupled to the base station 300, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include input circuits for receiving signals and processing circuits for processing signals and other information. In addition, in some base stations, the functionality described for the processor 305 is split between multiple processors (e.g., baseband processors, application processors, etc.). The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the base station.

[0036] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station 300. The I / O device 315 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the base station 300.

[0037] The transceiver 320 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110 and any other UE in the network arrangement 100. The transceiver 320 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a continuous frequency set). Therefore, the transceiver 320 may include one or more components (e.g., radio equipment) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs. The transceiver 320 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded with information that implements any of the methods described herein. The processor 305 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 320 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 320 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 305 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from the UE) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0038] Figure 4 A network architecture 400 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1The network architecture 400 is described with reference to the network arrangement 100 .

[0039] Network architecture 400 shows UE 110 and gNB 120A and gNB 120B deployed nearby and configured for CBRS operation. In addition, gNB 120A and gNB 120B may be deployed by the same network operator or different network operators. A base station configured for CBRS operation may be referred to as a CBRS device (CBRSD). Therefore, in this example, gNB 120A and gNB 120B may each be characterized as a CBRSD.

[0040] gNB 120A and gNB 120B may be connected to SAS 410. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that SAS 410 is a network node unique to CBRS and may not be present in the 3GPP architecture when it is powered on. SAS 410 may manage CBRS access and coordinate operations between and among CBRS users in the same access layer or different access layers (e.g., incumbent access, PAL, and GAA). SAS 410 may be configured with hardware, software, firmware, and / or interfaces to exchange information with gNBs, other SASs, or any other appropriate entity. SAS 410 may be a network node running on one or more processors, a cloud-based architecture, a combination thereof, or in any other appropriate manner.

[0041] During operation, the SAS 410 may receive requests from gNBs to operate 5G NR services over CBRS and grant or deny those requests. This may include indicating which frequencies are available for use by the gNB and which frequencies are currently being used by users on higher layers (e.g., incumbent access, PAL). However, reference to a single SAS 410 interfacing with two gNBs 120A, 120B is provided for illustrative purposes only. In actual deployment scenarios, any suitable number of SASs may be deployed and configured to communicate with any suitable number of base stations.

[0042] First, assume that gNB 120A and gNB 120B are both configured for CBRS GAA, but are deployed by different network operators. gNB 120A may request and receive access to a first CBRS GAA frequency range from SAS 410. gNB 120B may also request and receive access to a second CBRS GAA frequency range that overlaps (in whole or in part) with the first CBRS GAA frequency range from SAS 410. Alternatively, the first BRS GAA frequency range and the second BRS GAA frequency range may not overlap, but utilize different TDD configurations. In this type of scenario, both operators may experience insufficient performance due to interference. Since SAS 410 is not required to protect CBRS GAA users from each other, SAS 410 may not consider the possibility of CBRS interference between gNB 120A and gNB 120B when allocating CBRS spectrum. Furthermore, gNB 120A and gNB 120B may not be equipped with an Xn interface to communicate with each other, and their respective operators may not have any available mechanisms to enable communication between the two gNBs 120A, 120B. As a result, the operators may not be able to identify the cause of the interference and implement adequate mitigation techniques.

[0043] In the examples described below, reference is made to the terms “victim gNB” and “interferer gNB”. These terms are intended to characterize the effects of interference on two or more gNBs. That is, the term “victim gNB” may be used to identify a base station or access node that is subject to interference from the operation of another base station or access node. For example, if gNB 120A is subject to interference caused by the operation of gNB 120B, then gNB 120A may be considered a victim gNB. The term “interferer gNB” may be used to identify a base station or access node that causes interference to another base station or access node. For example, if gNB 120B causes interference to gNB 120A, then gNB 120B may be considered an interfering gNB. In some deployment scenarios, a single gNB may be considered only a victim gNB, only an interfering gNB, or may be both a victim gNB and an interfering gNB. However, references to the terms victim gNB and interfering gNB are provided for illustrative purposes only, and different entities may refer to base stations or access nodes under similar conditions by different names.

[0044] As will be described in more detail below, an exemplary embodiment may utilize UE 110 to collect measurement data from an interfering gNB. The measurement data may indicate the cause of the interference of the interfering gNB to the victim gNB. UE 110 may then report this information to the network for interference mitigation.

[0045] Figure 5A method 500 for CBRS GAA interference mitigation according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. From the perspective of the network side and Figure 4 Method 500 is described within the context of network architecture 400. After describing method 500, method 600 describes a similar scenario from the perspective of UE 110.

[0046] First, assume a scenario in which gNB 120A is a serving cell for UE 110 and gNB 120B is a neighboring cell of UE 110 deployed by a different operator. In addition, gNB 120A is characterized as a victim gNB and gNB 120B is characterized as an interfering gNB.

[0047] In 505, gNB 120A sends measurement configuration information to UE 110. The measurement configuration information may be provided to UE 110 in one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages or in any other suitable manner.

[0048] The measurement configuration information for CBRS GAA interference may include various different types of configuration information. For example, in some embodiments, the configuration information may include thresholds and / or other conditions that trigger UE 110 to collect and report measurement information for CBRS GAA interference. In addition, the configuration information may indicate to UE 110 the type of measurement report to be provided and / or the content of the measurement report to be provided.

[0049] In 510, gNB 120A performs transmit and receive (TX / RX) blanking. TX / RX blanking may include a serving gNB configured time window during which the gNB does not perform transmissions and the gNB does not schedule uplink transmissions. Because there is typically no coordination between two interfering gNBs for CBRS GAA operation, it may be difficult to detect conditions other than general anomalous interference using conventional measurements and procedures. However, when the serving victim gNB performs TX / RX blanking for a sufficiently long time window, UE 110 may collect measurement data and other configuration information that may be used to identify the cause of the interference to the serving gNB or at least to identify aspects of the interference at a more granular level. For example, during TX / RX blanking, UE 110 may detect other cells (e.g., gNB 120B) operating in the same or adjacent frequency band as gNB 120A, synchronize with these cells, and / or obtain information that will allow the operator of the victim gNB to mitigate the problem.

[0050] In 515, gNB 120A receives measurement reports from one or more UEs. The measurement reports may include measurement data and / or other configuration information corresponding to the interfering gNB. The measurement reports may indicate to the network the cause of the interference to the victim gNB. Figure 6 Method 600 provides additional details regarding the types of measurement data and information that may be collected by a UE and reported to the operator of the victim gNB.

[0051] At 520, the network utilizes CBRS GAA interference mitigation techniques. Thus, the operator may detect interference, configure the UE to perform CBRS GAA interference measurements, receive measurement data and other configuration information about one or more interfering gNBs from the UE, and implement the interference mitigation techniques using the information provided by the one or more UEs. In some examples, gNB 120A may be triggered to request from SAS 410 a different portion of the CBRS spectrum on which to operate, or to request SAS 410 to configure interfering gNB 120B to operate on a different portion of the CBRS spectrum. To provide some other non-limiting examples of other CBRS GAA interference mitigation techniques, the operator may consider using CBRS interference mitigation functionality coordinated by one or more coexistence managers (CxMs) (e.g., logical entities configured to manage coexistence between CBSDs within a particular coexistence group), encourage operators of interfering cells to consider using CBRS interference mitigation functionality, and / or coordinate with operators of interfering cells using some other non-technical means.

[0052] Figure 6 A method 600 for CBRS GAA interference mitigation according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. From the perspective of UE 110 and Figure 4 Method 600 is described within the context of network architecture 400.

[0053] Similar to the description of method 500, a scenario is assumed in which gNB 120A is a serving cell of UE 110 and gNB 120B is a neighboring cell of UE 110 deployed by a different operator. In addition, gNB 120A is characterized as a victim gNB and gNB 120B is characterized as an interfering gNB.

[0054] In 605, UE 110 receives measurement configuration information from the network. The measurement configuration information may be provided to UE 110 in one or more RRC messages or in any other suitable manner. The measurement configuration information for CBRS GAA interference may include various different types of configuration information. For example, in some embodiments, the configuration information may include thresholds and / or other conditions that trigger UE 110 to collect and report measurement information for CBRS GAA interference. In addition, the configuration information may indicate to UE 110 the type of measurement report to be provided and / or the content of the measurement report to be provided.

[0055] In 610, UE 110 collects measurement data corresponding to one or more interfering gNBs. For example, UE 110 may tune away from a serving cell and scan for signals broadcast by other cells (e.g., gNB 120B). UE 110 may identify these signals and collect measurement data and / or other configuration information corresponding to the interfering gNBs. As described above, on the network side, gNB 120A may perform TX / RX blanking to reduce active interference experienced by UE 110 and / or gNB 120B. This may allow UE 110 to more easily collect measurement data and / or information related to neighboring cells (e.g., interfering gNB 120B, etc.).

[0056] According to some aspects, cross-link interference may be determined using measurements such as received signal strength indication (RSSI). In this example, RSSI may be defined as the linear average of the total received power observed only in the configured orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of the configured measurement time resources in the configured measurement bandwidth from all sources including co-channel serving and non-serving cells, adjacent channel interference, thermal noise, etc. Since RSSI takes into account multiple sources, if there is no transmission on the serving cell when the serving cell is measured (e.g., TX / RX blanking), the RSSI will take into account the interference of the interfering CBRS GAA cell.

[0057] In addition, the subframe number (SFN) and the frame time difference (SFTD) between two or more networks may be measured. In this example, the SFTD may be defined to include the SFN offset (= SFN of the first cell - SFN of the second cell mod 1024) and the frame boundary offset (= frame boundary of the first cell - frame boundary of the second cell / 5), where the frame boundary of cell (X) is the time at which UE 110 starts receiving a radio frame from cell (X). SFTD may be used to detect a lack of synchronization between the victim gNB and the interfering gNB.

[0058] UE 110 may attempt to synchronize with a potential interfering cell and obtain some information about it. For example, during one or more measurement gaps, UE 110 may tune to the interfering gNB to collect measurement data and other configuration information. This may include receiving a system information block (SIB) (e.g., SIB1, etc.) of the interfering gNB and reading its contents. The types of configuration information that may be collected from the interfering gNB may include, but are not limited to, the TDD configuration that may be provided in the TDD-UL-DL-configCommon information element (IE) of SIB1 and the bandwidth that may be provided in the DownlinkConfigCommon IE of SIB1. In some embodiments, only the active bandwidth part (BWP) may be read in SIB1, which may be smaller than the bandwidth available to the cell, and thus measurements collected from multiple UEs may be exported on the network side to help the operator of the victim cell understand the full bandwidth of the interfering gNB.

[0059] According to some aspects, the exemplary embodiments extend the NR measurement framework to allow the gNB to configure the UE to perform and report the following measurements for CBRS GAA interference mitigation. For example, the network can configure the measurement objects (e.g., a list of objects on which the UE 110 can perform measurements) and the report configuration including the reporting criteria, format, trigger conditions (e.g., identifying cells with a different TDD configuration than the victim gNB, identifying a PLMN with a different PLMN than the victim gNN), and the measurement report content. In addition, the network can configure the UE 110 with measurement identification, quantity configuration (measurement filter configuration for all event evaluation), and measurement gap configuration.

[0060] In some cases, a measurement gap may be configured for the UE to ensure that the UE does not receive downlink traffic from the serving cell when the UE tunes away to measure other cells. For CBRS GAA, the measurement gap configuration information may also indicate that during the measurement gap, the serving gNB does not perform downlink transmissions or schedule uplink transmissions (e.g., TX / RX blanking) on ​​the serving cell. In addition, the following enhancements are proposed for CBRS GAA interference mitigation. One enhancement includes extending the measurement gap length. For example, the measurement gap length may typically be about 6 milliseconds (ms). An exemplary embodiment proposes extending the measurement gap length to allow the UE 110 to have sufficient time to synchronize with the interfering cell. In some examples, the enhanced measurement gap length may be tens of ms or even longer. Another enhancement includes extending the measurement gap periodicity. For example, the measurement gap periodicity may typically be about 160ms. An exemplary embodiment proposes extending the measurement gap periodicity (e.g., increasing the time between measurement gaps) to reduce the number of times the UE 110 attempts to collect measurement data. In some examples, the measurement gap periodicity may occur every few minutes or every tens of minutes. Since interfering cells are unlikely to appear frequently, performing GAA interference measurements too frequently may cause UE 110 to experience significant battery drain. Therefore, the measurement gap periodicity may be extended to save UE power.

[0061] In 615, UE 110 sends a measurement report to the network (e.g., gNB 120A). The measurement report may include, at least in part, measurement data collected from the interfering gNB. In addition, UE 110 may report configuration information from the interfering gNB collected by UE 110. As described above with reference to Figure 5 As described in method 500 , the information reported by the UE may allow a network operator to implement appropriate CBRS GAA interference mitigation techniques.

[0062] Example

[0063] In a first embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving network configuration information from a first cell of a network, the first cell being operated by a first base station and deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared layered access and authorization framework; collecting measurement data corresponding to a second cell, the second cell being operated by a second base station and deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared layered access and authorization framework, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared layered access and authorization framework; and reporting the measurement data to the network.

[0064] In a second embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment, wherein the measurement data includes a received signal strength indication (RSSI).

[0065] In a third embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the RSSI is a linear average of total received power observed by the UE in configured orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of configured measurement time resources in a configured measurement bandwidth.

[0066] In a fourth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the measurement data includes a subframe number (SFN) and a frame time difference (SFTD) between the network and a second different network.

[0067] In a fifth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the SFN and SFTD are composed of at least a SFN offset and a frame boundary offset.

[0068] In a sixth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the method further comprises receiving a system information block (SIB) from the second base station, and reporting configuration information of the second base station derived from the SIB to the network.

[0069] In a seventh embodiment, the method according to the sixth embodiment, wherein the configuration information of the second base station derived from the SIB includes a time division duplex (TDD) configuration for the second base station.

[0070] In an eighth embodiment, according to the method of the sixth embodiment, the configuration information of the second base station derived from the SIB includes a bandwidth on which the second base station operates.

[0071] In a ninth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the network based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station use different time division duplex (TDD) configurations.

[0072] In a tenth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the network based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station belong to different public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0073] In an eleventh embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment, wherein the collecting is performed during a measurement gap greater than 6 milliseconds (ms).

[0074] In a twelfth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment, wherein the collecting is performed during a measurement gap configured with a measurement gap periodicity greater than 160 milliseconds (ms).

[0075] In a thirteenth embodiment, the method of the first embodiment, wherein the spectrum utilizing the shared tiered access and authorization framework is Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and the same tier is General Authorized Access (GAA).

[0076] In a fourteenth embodiment, a processor is provided, wherein the processor is configured to execute any of the methods according to the first to thirteenth embodiments.

[0077] In a fifteenth embodiment, a user equipment (UE) comprises: a transceiver configured to communicate with a network; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any of the methods described in the first to thirteenth embodiments.

[0078] In a sixteenth embodiment, a method performed by a first base station, the method comprising: sending configuration information to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first base station operates a first cell deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared layered access and authorization framework; and receiving measurement data corresponding to a second base station from the UE, wherein the second base station operates a second cell deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared layered access and authorization framework, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared layered access and authorization framework.

[0079] In a seventeenth embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the first base station performs transmission and reception blanking within a time window, during which the UE is configured to collect measurement data corresponding to the second base station.

[0080] In an eighteenth embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the measurement data comprises a received signal strength indication (RSSI).

[0081] In a nineteenth embodiment, according to the method of the eighteenth embodiment, the RSSI is a linear average of total received powers observed by the UE in configured orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of configured measurement time resources in a configured measurement bandwidth.

[0082] In a twentieth embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the measurement data comprises a subframe number (SFN) and a frame time difference (SFTD) between the network and a second different network.

[0083] In a twenty-first embodiment, according to the method of the twentieth embodiment, the SFN and SFTD are composed of at least a SFN offset and a frame boundary offset.

[0084] In a twenty-second embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the method further comprises receiving configuration information of the second base station from the UE, the configuration information comprising a time division duplex (TDD) configuration for the second base station.

[0085] In a twenty-third embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the method further comprises receiving configuration information of the second base station from the UE, the configuration information comprising a bandwidth on which the second base station operates.

[0086] In a twenty-fourth embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the first base station based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station use different time division duplex (TDD) configurations.

[0087] In a twenty-fifth embodiment, according to the method of the sixteenth embodiment, the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the first base station based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station belong to different public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0088] In a twenty-sixth embodiment, the method of the sixteenth embodiment, wherein the spectrum utilizing the shared tiered access and authorization framework is Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and the same tier is General Authorized Access (GAA).

[0089] In a twenty-seventh embodiment, according to the method of the twenty-sixth embodiment, the method further includes: in response to identifying interference caused by the second base station, sending a request to a spectrum access system (SAS) to operate the first cell on a different part of the CBRS spectrum.

[0090] In a twenty-eighth embodiment, a processor is configured to execute any of the methods according to the sixteenth to twenty-seventh embodiments.

[0091] In a twenty-ninth embodiment, a base station comprises: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any of the methods described in embodiments 16 to 27.

[0092] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0093] Although this application describes various embodiments, each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner that is not expressly negated or that is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the prescribed function of the disclosed embodiment.

[0094] 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.

[0095] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers modifications and variations of the present disclosure as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device of a user equipment (UE), the device comprising: A processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: decoding network configuration information based on a signal received from a first cell of a network, wherein the first cell is operated by a first base station and is deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared hierarchical access and authorization framework; collecting measurement data corresponding to a second cell, the second cell being operated by a second base station and deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared layered access and authorization framework, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared layered access and authorization framework; and The transceiver circuit is configured to report the measurement data to the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement data comprises a received signal strength indication (RSSI).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RSSI is a linear average of total received power observed by the UE in configured orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of configured measurement time resources in a configured measurement bandwidth.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement data comprises a subframe number (SFN) and a frame time difference (SFTD) between the network and a second different network.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the SFN and SFTD consist of at least a SFN offset and a frame boundary offset.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: decoding a system information block (SIB) based on a signal received from the second base station; and The transceiver circuit is configured to report configuration information of the second base station derived from the SIB to the network. 7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the configuration information of the second base station derived from the SIB comprises a time division duplex (TDD) configuration for the second base station or a bandwidth at which the second base station operates.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the network based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station use different time division duplex (TDD) configurations.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the network based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station belong to different public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement data is collected during a measurement gap greater than 6 milliseconds (ms) or during a measurement gap configured with a measurement gap periodicity greater than 160 milliseconds (ms).

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spectrum utilizing the shared tiered access and authorization framework is Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and the same tier is General Authorized Access (GAA).

12. A base station device, the device comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: configuring the transceiver circuitry to send configuration information to a user equipment (UE), wherein a first base station operates a first cell deployed on a portion of a spectrum utilizing a shared hierarchical access and authorization framework; and Decoding measurement data corresponding to a second base station based on a signal received from the UE, wherein the second base station operates a second cell deployed on the portion of the spectrum utilizing the shared layered access and authorization framework, wherein the first base station and the second base station are deployed by different network operators and are part of the same layer within the shared layered access and authorization framework.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first base station performs transmit and receive blanking within a time window, during which the UE is configured to collect measurement data corresponding to the second base station.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the measurement data comprises a received signal strength indication (RSSI).

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RSSI is a linear average of total received power observed by the UE in configured orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of configured measurement time resources in a configured measurement bandwidth.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the measurement data comprises a subframe number (SFN) and a frame time difference (SFTD) between the network and a second different network, wherein the SFN and SFTD consist of at least a SFN offset and a frame boundary offset.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Configuration information of the second base station is decoded based on a signal received from the UE, the configuration information including a time division duplex (TDD) configuration for the second base station or a bandwidth on which the second base station operates.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the UE is triggered to report the measurement data to the first base station based on identifying that the first base station and the second base station belong to different public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the spectrum utilizing the shared tiered access and authorization framework is Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and the same tier is General Authorized Access (GAA).

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The transceiver circuitry is configured to send a request to a spectrum access system (SAS) to operate the first cell on a different portion of the CBRS spectrum in response to identifying interference caused by the second base station.

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