Method for generating pre-configured gaps for differently configured BWP of RedCap UE

Abstract

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide a method for a central unit (gNB-CU) to provide and configure measurement gaps (MGs) for multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs) selected by a distributed unit (gNB-DU) to configure to user equipment devices (UEs) and to avoid the gNB sending multiple radio resource configuration (RRC) reconfiguration messages to the UEs due to BWP handover based on downlink control information (DCI). For example, a gNB-DU may select a plurality of BWPs for a UE, and the gNB-DU may notify a gNB-CU about the plurality of BWPs, and the gNB-CU may determine whether to configure a pre-configured MG for a current inactive BWP, and notify the gNB-DU of a selection of an inactive BWP. The gNB-DU may then generate a different pre-configured MG, and notify the gNB-CU of the pre-configured MG, and then the gNB-CU may configure the UE with the pre-configured MG via RRC reconfiguration.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of international patent application serial number PCT / CN2023 / 078039 filed on February 24, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a method for generating pre-configured measurement gaps for different configured bandwidth parts of a Reduced Capability (RedCap) User Equipment device (UE) in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0003] NG-RAN Architecture The overall architecture of the fifth generation (5G) radio access network (RAN) is as follows Figure 1 As shown, a core network 102 of a wireless communication system can communicate with a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) 104, which includes various base stations or gNBs 106, and the gNBs 106 can include a core unit or central unit (gNB-CU) 108 and a distributed unit (gNB-DU) 110, respectively. Figure 2 A gNB 106 with a split architecture is depicted. The gNB-CU 108 (e.g., gNB-CU 108-1 and gNB-CU 108-2) hosts the control plane portion of PDCP and RRC; the gNB-DU 110 (or gNB-DU 110-1 and gNB-DU 110-2) hosts the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical layer. In a split gNB architecture, the F1 UE context management function supports the establishment and modification of the necessary overall UE context. The establishment of the F1 UE context is initiated by the gNB-CU 108 and accepted or rejected by the gNB-DU 110 based on admission control criteria (e.g., unavailable resources). The modification of the F1 UE context can be initiated by the gNB-CU 108 or the gNB-DU 110. The receiving node can accept or reject the modification. The F1 UE context management function also supports the release of a context previously established in the gNB-DU 110.

[0004] RedCapRedCap (reduced capability) user equipment (UE) is a UE with reduced capabilities as specified in TS 38.306 section 4.2.21.1. It was introduced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in Release 17 and is intended to have lower complexity relative to non-RedCap UEs. RedCap UEs must support a maximum UE channel bandwidth of 20 MHz in FR1 and a maximum UE channel bandwidth of 100 MHz in FR2.

[0005] In Rel-17, RAN2 has introduced the non-cell-defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) dedicated to RedCap UEs. A bandwidth part (BWP) can have up to one SSB (CD-SSB or NCD-SSB). A BWP with an NCD-SSB is at a different frequency than the cell-defined SSB (CD-SSB). A RedCap UE can be configured with multiple NCD-SSBs, provided that at most one SSB is configured per BWP. The NCD-SSB can be configured for RedCap UEs in RRC_CONNECTED to perform radio resource management (RRM) measurements when the active BWP does not contain a CD-SSB.

[0006] For BWP configuration and activation, the gNB informs the RedCap UE of its active BWP via Radio Resource Control (RRC) message or Downlink Control Information (DCI). If the BWP configuration (sent in the RRC message) contains NCD-SSB and the servingCellM0-r17 IE in the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE (see TS 38.331 extract below) is present in that BWP configuration, then when that BWP becomes the active BWP for a RedCap UE, the UE shall use the servingCellM0-r17 in that BWP configuration as its current serving cell measurement object. If the BWP configuration (sent in the RRC message) does not contain the servingCellMO-r17 IE, then when this BWP becomes the active BWP for a RedCap UE, the UE shall use the servingCellMO IE in the ServingCellConfig IE as its current serving cell measurement object.

[0007] ****Begin Excerpt from TS 38.331**** BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE->servingCellMO-r17: The servingCellMOmeasObjectId of the MeasObjectNR in the MeasConfig associated with the serving cell. For this MeasObjectNR, the following relationship exists between this MeasObjectNR and the nonCellDefiningSSB in the BWP-DownlinkDedicated of the associated downlink BWP: If ssbFrequency is configured, its value is the same as the absoluteFrequencySSB in the nonCellDefiningSSB. If this field is present in the downlink BWP and the BWP is activated, the RedCap UE uses this measurement object for serving cell measurements, otherwise the RedCap UE uses the servingCellMO in the ServingCellConfig IE. ****END OF TS 38.331 EXCERPT****

[0008] In the NG-RAN split architecture, the CU is the entity that decides whether the UE’s measurement frequency corresponds to an intra-frequency or inter-frequency neighboring cell, and thus decides whether a measurement GAP needs to be performed to reduce the UE’s throughput.

[0009] Previously, the gNB-CU sent an F1 message to the gNB-DU to set / modify the UE context, i.e., the list of measObjectIds for the NCD-SSBs with SSB frequency information for that cell. The gNB-DU would then use this information to encode the measObject IDs for the BWP configuration into the appropriate location in the Cell Group Configuration (CGC) in the RRC message. If the active BWP for a RedCap UE is later changed via DCI, the gNB-DU notifies the gNB-CU in an F1AP message so that the gNB-CU can update the UE's neighbor cell measurements based on this new servingCellMO (e.g., select different SSBs in the neighbor cell for measurement).

[0010] There are currently certain challenges. With the potential introduction and use of preConfGapStatus-r17 in the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE in RRC (see the excerpt from TS 38.331 below), in DCI-based BWP handover scenarios, the UE will autonomously know which Measurement GAP (MG) to apply when the active BWP associated with an NCD-SSB changes via DCI. However, it is unclear how both the gNB-CU and gNB-DU can be aware of the different preconfigured MGs for all BWPs the UE will use so that the gNB-CU can prepare RRC messages to the UE. The following configuration options are available in RRC, per BWPConfig.

[0011] ****Begin Excerpt from TS 38.331**** BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE->preConfGapStatus-r17: preConfGapStatus indicates whether preconfigured measurement gaps (i.e. gaps configured with preConfigInd) are activated or deactivated when switching to this BWP. If this field is configured, the UE shall apply the network control mechanism to activate and deactivate preconfigured measurement gaps, otherwise the UE shall apply the autonomous activation / deactivation mechanism as specified in TS 38.133

[14] . The first / leftmost bit corresponds to the measurement gap with gap ID 1, the second bit corresponds to the measurement gap with gap ID 2, and so on. A value of 0 indicates that the corresponding preconfigured measurement gap is deactivated, while a value of 1 indicates that the corresponding preconfigured measurement gap is activated. The UE shall ignore this bit if the corresponding measurement gap is not a preconfigured measurement gap. ****END OF TS 38.331 EXCERPT****

[0012] Furthermore, in TS 38.133h60, there is the following description: ****Begin Excerpt from TS 38.331**** If the UE indicates that only preconfiguredNW-ControlledMeasGap is supported, the UE may expect the network to configure 9.1.7 Preconfigured measurement gaps 9.1.7.1 Introduction A UE capable of pre-configured measurement gap (Pre-MG) mode may adopt the Pre-MG mode configuration via RRC signaling [2]. The intermittent interruption requirements in clause 9.1.2 apply to the Pre-MG when it is activated, while intermittent interruption is not expected when the Pre-MG is deactivated. - These requirements apply to NR standalone operation on single carrier and NR CA. 9.1.7.2 Requirements for applicability Requirements related to preconfigured measurement gaps apply in the following situations: - the UE indicates support for preconfiguredUE-AutonomousMeasGap[2] and / or preconfiguredNW-ControlledMeasGap[2], and - the network preconfigures a single per-UE measurement gap, or the network preconfigures one or two per-FR measurement gaps, and - one measurement gap pattern from among measurement gap patterns #0 to #25 is configured for the preconfigured measurement gap, and -The UE is in NR SA with single carrier or NR CA. If the network indicates preConfigInd in the measurement gap configuration message, the measurement gap is configured as a preconfigured measurement gap. If the UE indicates support for only preconfiguredNW-ControlledMeasGap[2], the UE may expect the network to configure [RAN2 signaling design for per BWP status indication]. Editor's Note: In the current RAN2 specifications, there is no clear signal from the network to indicate which activation / deactivation mechanism the network has chosen. RAN2 may address this later. ****END OF TS 38.331 EXCERPT****

[0013] In 38.331 h20 6.3.3, UE capability information elements:

[0014] And, in 38.306 h20 4.2.9

[0015] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and embodiments thereof may provide solutions to these and other challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0016] Various embodiments disclosed herein provide a method for a central unit (gNB-CU or CU) to provision and configure measurement gaps (MGs) for multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) selected by a distributed unit (e.g., a gNB-DU or DU) for configuration to a user equipment device (UE), while avoiding the gNB from sending multiple radio resource configuration (RRC) reconfiguration messages to the UE due to BWP switching based on downlink control information (DCI). The gNB-DU may select multiple BWPs for the UE, notify the gNB-CU of the multiple BWPs, determine whether to configure a preconfigured MG for the currently inactive BWP, and notify the gNB-DU of the selection of the inactive BWP. The gNB-DU may then generate a different preconfigured MG and notify the gNB-CU of the preconfigured MG, and the gNB-CU may then configure the UE with the preconfigured MG via RRC reconfiguration.

[0017] In one embodiment, a method performed by a first network node is provided for generating preconfigured measurement gaps for multiple BWPs of a UE. The method includes providing a list of configured BWPs associated with the UE to a second network node. The method also includes receiving a request from the second network node to generate a preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP in the list of configured BWPs; and providing information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP to the second network node.

[0018] In one embodiment, in response to receiving a UE context modification request message, the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE is provided in a UE context modification response message.

[0019] In one embodiment, in response to receiving a UE context setup request message, the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE is provided in a UE context setup response message.

[0020] In an embodiment, the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE further includes at least one of a BWP location or a serving cell associated with each BWP in the list of configured BWPs.

[0021] In an embodiment, providing the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is in response to the first network node supporting active BWP switching via downlink control information.

[0022] In an embodiment, the request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the selected BWP comprises a list of frequencies for which the second network node requests the first network node to generate the preconfigured measurement gaps.

[0023] In one embodiment, the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap is included in another UE context modification response message, and the other UE context modification response message also includes an updated CellGroupConfig information element.

[0024] In an embodiment, the first network node is a DU network node, and wherein the second network node is a CU network node.

[0025] In one embodiment, a first network node may be provided that generates preconfigured measurement gaps for multiple BWPs of a UE, the first network node including processing circuitry for performing operations. The operations may include providing a list of configured BWPs associated with the UE to a second network node. The operations may also include receiving a request from the second network node to generate a preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP from the list of configured BWPs; and providing information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP to the second network node.

[0026] In one embodiment, a method may be performed by a second network node for requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for multiple BWPs of a UE. The method may include receiving, from a first network node, a list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE. The method may also include determining to request preconfigured measurement gaps for one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs. The method may also include providing, to the first network node, a request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs. The method may also include receiving, from the first network node, information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP.

[0027] In an embodiment, in response to providing a UE context modification request message to the first network node, the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE is received in a UE context modification response message.

[0028] In an embodiment, in response to providing a UE context setup request message to the first network node, the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE is received in a UE context setup response message.

[0029] In an embodiment, the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE further includes at least one of a BWP location or a serving cell associated with each BWP in the list of configured BWPs.

[0030] In an embodiment, receiving the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is in response to the first network node supporting active BWP switching via downlink control information.

[0031] In an embodiment, the request for generating preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the selected BWP comprises a list of frequencies for which the second network node requests the first network node to generate the preconfigured measurement gaps.

[0032] In one embodiment, the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap is included in another UE context modification response message, and the other UE context modification response message also includes an updated CellGroupConfig information element.

[0033] In an embodiment, the first network node is a DU network node, and wherein the second network node is a CU network node.

[0034] In one embodiment, a second network node is provided that requests preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of BWPs of a UE. The second network node may include processing circuitry for performing operations, and the operations may include receiving a list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE from a first network node. The operations may include determining to request preconfigured measurement gaps for one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs. The operations may include providing a request to the first network node to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs. The operations may also include receiving information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP from the first network node.

[0035] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages.

[0036] The present disclosure allows the CU to provide all MGs required for multiple BWPs selected by the DU to be configured to the UE, and avoids the gNB from sending multiple RRC reconfiguration messages to the UE due to DCI-based BWP switching, which consumes a large amount of Uu resources.

[0037] In fact, by pre-configuring multiple measurement gaps (covering all possible gaps considering the list of BWPs that can be configured as active via DCI at a certain point in time), the CU can provide pre-settings via RRC signaling so that the UE will know which gaps it should apply when the active BWP has been switched via DCI, and this does not require any RRC reconfiguration from the CU. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Figure 1 shows the overall architecture of the fifth generation (5G) radio access network (RAN); Figure 2 The 5G RAN split architecture is shown; Figure 3 shows a message sequence chart between a distributed unit and a core unit for configuring pre-configured measurement gaps for multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE); Figure 4 An example of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 5 A UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 6 shows a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 7 is a block diagram of a host according to various aspects of the present disclosure described herein, which may be Figure 4 An embodiment of a host computer; and Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best modes for practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the present disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not specifically mentioned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.The embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0041] Various embodiments disclosed herein provide a method for a central unit (gNB-CU or CU) to provision and configure measurement gaps (MGs) for multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) selected by a distributed unit (e.g., a gNB-DU) for configuration to a user equipment device (UE), while avoiding the gNB from sending multiple radio resource configuration (RRC) reconfiguration messages to the UE due to BWP switching based on downlink control information (DCI). The gNB-DU can select multiple BWPs for the UE, and the gNB-DU can notify the gNB-CU of these multiple BWPs. The gNB-CU can determine whether to configure a preconfigured MG for the currently inactive BWP and notify the gNB-DU of the selection of the inactive BWP. The gNB-DU can then generate a different preconfigured MG and notify the gNB-CU of the preconfigured MG, and the gNB-CU can then configure the UE with the preconfigured MG via RRC reconfiguration.

[0042] If the gNB-DU selects multiple BWPs for the UE (i.e., the BWPs are encoded in the CellGroupConfig), and if the DU may later request the UE to change the active BWP via DCI, some new information elements (IEs) proposed in the following sections shall be provided from the gNB-DU to the gNB-CU in the UE CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE / UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE.

[0043] After receiving the above response, if the gNB-CU decides to configure pre-configured measurement gaps (GAP) for the current inactive BWP, the gNB-CU shall send a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST to the DU, which contains some new information elements (IEs) proposed in the following sections.

[0044] After receiving the above response, if the gNB-CU also determines that the UE's currently active BWP requires a measurement gap (GAP), the gNB-CU can still request the gNB-DU to generate it in the legacy F1 IE in the same UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST.

[0045] With this proposed approach, the gNB-CU can configure only pre-configured measurement gaps for the UE’s currently active BWP, instead of using the legacy IE (in the UE Context Modification Request) to request the gNB-DU to generate measurement gaps for the UE’s currently active BWP.

[0046] Upon receiving the UE Context Modification Request message with the pre-configured measurement gap generation request, the gNB-DU generates a different pre-configured measurement gap for the BWP in the CellGroupConfig in the BWP-change-via-DCI scenario.

[0047] In case of success, the gNB-DU sends a UE Context Modification Response message to the gNB-CU containing the updated CellGroupConfig and measurement gap configuration. This allows the CU to send all MGs to the UE in a single RRC Reconfiguration message.

[0048] The present disclosure adds a new F1 AP function, in which the DU notifies the CU of a list of configured BWP information.

[0049] The present disclosure adds a new FAP function, in which the CU notifies the DU to generate different pre-configured measurement gaps for all configured BWPs in the CGC in the BWP-change-via-DCI scenario based on the information previously received from the DU.

[0050] The present disclosure adds a new RRC function where the CU informs the UE of a list of pre-configured measurement gaps based on DU scheduling to supported network-controlled pre-configured measurement gaps.

[0051] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages.

[0052] The present disclosure allows the CU to provide all MGs required for multiple BWPs selected by the DU to be configured to the UE, and avoids the gNB from sending multiple RRC reconfiguration messages to the UE due to DCI-based BWP switching, which consumes a large amount of Uu resources.

[0053] In fact, by pre-configuring multiple measurement gaps (covering all possible gaps considering the list of BWPs that can be configured as active via DCI at a certain point in time), the CU can provide pre-settings via RRC signaling so that the UE will know which gaps it should apply when the active BWP has been switched via DCI, and this does not require any RRC reconfiguration from the CU.

[0054] BWP Information Elements

[0055] BWP Field Description cyclicPrefix (CP): Indicates whether an extended cyclic prefix is ​​used for this bandwidth part. If not set, the UE uses a normal cyclic prefix. Normal CP is supported for all subcarrier spacings and slot formats. Extended CP is only supported for 60kHz subcarrier spacing. (See TS 38.211

[16] , clause 4.2). Except for the SUL, the network ensures that the same cyclic prefix length is used in all active downlink (DL) BWPs and active uplink (UL) BWPs within the serving cell.

[0056] LocationAndBandwidth: The frequency domain location and bandwidth of this bandwidth part. The value of this field shall be interpreted as the Resource Indicator Value (RIV) as defined in TS 38.214

[19] , using the assumptions as described in clause 12 of TS 38.213

[13] , i.e. setting The first physical resource block (PRB) is a PRB determined by the subcarrierSpacing (subcarrier spacing) of the BWP and the offsetToCarrier (offset to carrier) corresponding to the subcarrier spacing (configured in SCS-SpecificCarrier, which is contained in FrequencyInfoDL / FrequencyInfoUL / FrequencyInfoUL-SIB / FrequencyInfoDL-SIB in ServingCellConfigCommon / ServingCellConfigCommonSIB). In the case of time division duplex (TDD), a BWP pair (UL BWP and DL BWP with the same bwp-Id) must have the same center frequency (see TS 38.213

[13] , clause 12).

[0057] The subcarrier spacing will be used for all channels and reference signals in this BWP, unless explicitly configured elsewhere. Corresponds to the subcarrier spacing according to TS 38.211

[16] , Table 4.2-1. A value of 15 kHz corresponds to μ = 0, a value of 30 kHz corresponds to μ = 1, and so on.

[0058] Depending on the frequency of use, only the following values ​​apply: FR1: 15, 30, or 60kHz FR2-1: 60 or 120kHz FR2-2: 120, 480, or 960kHz

[0059] For the initial DL BWP and operation in licensed spectrum, this field has the same value as the subCarrierSpacingCommon field in the MIB of the same serving cell. Except for SUL, the network ensures that the same subcarrier spacing is used in the active DL BWP and active UL BWP within the serving cell. For the initial DL BWP and operation with shared spectrum channel access, the value of this field corresponds to the subcarrier spacing of the SSB associated with the initial DL BWP.

[0060] exist Figure 3 , a message sequence chart is shown between the distributed unit 110 and the core unit 108 for configuring preconfigured measurement gaps for multiple bandwidth parts BWP of the UE 302. Optional steps in the message sequence chart are indicated by dashed lines.

[0061] At step 304, the CU 108 may send a UE Context Setup / Modify Request to the DU 110. This message may include, for example, a list of non-cell defined synchronization signal block (NCD-SSB) measurement object information. If the gNB-DU successfully establishes the UE context, it replies with a UE Context Setup Response to the gNB-CU. If no logical F1 connection associated with the UE exists, a logical F1 connection associated with the UE shall be established as part of this procedure. The gNB-CU shall perform a Radio Resource Configuration (RRC) reconfiguration or RRC connection resumption as described in TS 38.331 [8]. The CellGroupConfig IE shall be transparently signaled to the UE as specified in TS 38.331 [8].

[0062] If the UE-CapabilityRAT-ContainerList IE is included in the UE Context Setup Request, the gNB-DU shall take this information into account in the UE-specific configuration.

[0063] If the servingCellMO IE is included in the UE Context Setup Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO for the indicated SpCell accordingly.

[0064] If the servingCellMO List IE is included in the UE Context Setup Request message, the gNB-DU shall select the servingCellMO after determining the list of the UE’s BWP and include the used servingCellMO as the UsedservingCellMO List IE in the UE Context Setup Response message.

[0065] If the Active BWP LocationAnd Bandwidth IE is included in the UE Context Setup Response message, the gNB-CU shall consider the servingCellMO currently used by the UE to point to an SSB outside the UE's active BWP (if supported).

[0066] If the DU (at 306) has configured multiple BWPs for the UE (in CellGroupConfig) and the DU supports active BWP switching via DCI, then the Configured current non-active BWP List IE is included in the UE Context Setup Response message at step 308. If the current non-active BWP List IE is included in the UE Context Setup Response message, the gNB-CU shall take this into account (if supported) when requesting the DU to generate a pre-configured MG for the indicated BWP / BWP ID.

[0067] If the message at 304 is a UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, then upon receiving the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall perform the modification at step 306 and, if successful, report the update in a UE CONTEXT MODIFY RESPONSE message at step 308.

[0068] If the SpCell ID IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall replace any previously received value and treat it as a reconfiguration with synchronization as defined in TS 38.331 [8]. If the ServCellIndex IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall consider this for the indicated SpCell. If the SpCell UL Configured IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall configure the UL for the indicated SpCell accordingly. If the servingCellMO IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO for the indicated SpCell accordingly. If the servingCellMO List IE is included in the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO after determining the list of BWPs for the UE and include the used servingCellMO as the Used servingCellMO List IE in the UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST message. If the Active BWP Location And Bandwidth IE is included in the UE Context Modification Response message, the gNB-CU shall determine at step 312 that the gNB-DU 110 is required to generate a pre-configured MG for the selected configured BWP (if supported).

[0069] If the Current Non-Active BWP List IE is included in the UE Context Modification Response message, the gNB-CU shall take this into account (if supported) when requesting the DU to generate a pre-configured MG for the indicated BWP / BWP ID at step 314.

[0070] If the Preconfigured Measurement GAP Information List IE is present in the UE Context Modification Request message (in the CU-to-DU RRC Information IE) in step 314, the DU shall generate different preconfigured measurement gaps for the BWP. If the gNB-DU successfully generates different preconfigured measurement gaps for the BWP, the gNB-DU shall update the CellGroupConfig and preconfigured measurement gap configuration in the UE Context Modification Response message in step 316.

[0071] Then, at step 318, the gNB-CU 108 may configure the UE 302 with the pre-configured MG.

[0072] If the SCell To Be Setup List IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall treat it as a list of candidate SCells to be set up. If the SCell To Be Setup List IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message and the indicated SCell(s) have already been set up, the gNB-DU shall replace any previously received values. If the SCell UL Configured IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure UL for the indicated SCell accordingly. If the servingCellMO IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure servingCellMO for the indicated SCell accordingly.

[0073] The following is an implementation example of the above embodiment of TS 38.473, where new changes are indicated by underscores:

[0074] <Change Start> 8.3.1UE Context Setup

[0075] 8.3.1.1 Overview The purpose of the UE context setup procedure is to establish the UE context, including SRB, DRB, BH RLC channel, Uu relay RLC channel, PC5 relay RLC channel and SL DRB configuration, etc. This procedure uses UE-associated signaling.

[0076] 8.3.1.2 Successful Operation The gNB-CU initiates this procedure by sending a UE Context Setup Request message to the gNB-DU. If the gNB-DU successfully establishes the UE context, it replies with a UE Context Setup Response to the gNB-CU. If no logical F1 connection associated with the UE exists, a logical F1 connection associated with the UE shall be established as part of this procedure. The gNB-CU shall perform RRC reconfiguration or RRC connection resumption as described in TS 38.331 [8]. The CellGroupConfig IE shall be transparently signaled to the UE as specified in TS 38.331 [8].

[0077] If the UE-CapabilityRAT-ContainerList IE is included in the UE Context Setup Request, the gNB-DU shall take this information into account for UE-specific configuration.

[0078] If the servingCellMO IE is included in the UE Context Setup Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO for the indicated SpCell accordingly.

[0079] If the servingCellMO List IE is included in the UE Context Setup Request message, the gNB-DU shall select the servingCellMO after determining the list of the UE’s BWP and include the used servingCellMO as the UsedservingCellMO List IE in the UE Context Setup Response message.

[0080] If the Active BWP LocationAnd Bandwidth IE is included in the UE Context Setup Response message, the gNB-CU shall consider the servingCellMO currently used by the UE to point to an SSB outside the UE's active BWP (if supported).

[0081] If the DU (in CellGroupConfig) configures multiple BWPs for the UE and the DU supports activity via DCI If BWP is switched, the UE context setup response message contains Configured current non-active BWP List IE. If the currentnon-activeBWPListIE is included in the UE context setup response message, the gNB-CU The DU shall take this into account when generating the pre-configured MG for the indicated BWP / BWP ID (if supported). .

[0082] <Next Change> 8.3.4 UE Context Modification (gNB-CU Initiated)

[0083] 8.3.4.1 Overview The purpose of the UE Context Modification procedure is to modify an established UE context, e.g., to establish, modify, and release radio resources or sidelink resources. This procedure is also used to instruct the gNB-DU to stop data transmission for the UE for mobility purposes (see TS 38.401 [4]). This procedure uses UE-associated signaling.

[0084] 8.3.4.2 Successful Operation The UE Context Modification Request message is initiated by the gNB-CU.

[0085] Upon receiving the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message, the gNB-DU shall perform the modification and, if successful, report the update in a UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE message.

[0086] If the SpCell ID IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall replace any previously received value and treat it as a reconfiguration with synchronization as defined in TS 38.331 [8]. If the ServCellIndex IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall take this into account for the indicated SpCell. If the SpCell UL Configured IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure the UL for the indicated SpCell accordingly. If the servingCellMO IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO for the indicated SpCell accordingly. If the servingCellMOList IE is included in the UE Context Modify Request message, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO after determining the list of BWPs for the UE and include the used servingCellMO as the Used servingCellMO List IE in the UE Context Modify Response message. If the Active BWP LocationAnd Bandwidth IE is included in the UE Context Modification Response message, the gNB-CU shall consider the UE’s currently used servingCell MO to point to an SSB outside the UE’s active BWP (if supported).

[0087] If the UE Context Modification Response message contains the current non-active BWPListIE, the gNB-CU The requesting DU shall take this into account (if supported) when generating a pre-configured MG for the indicated BWP / BWP ID.

[0088] If the UE context modification request message (in CUtoDURRCInformationIE) contains PreconfiguredMeasurementGAPInformationList IE, the DU shall generate different preconfigured If the gNB-DU successfully generates a different pre-configured measurement gap for the BWP, the gNB-DU shall The CellGroupConfig and pre-configured measurement gap configuration are updated in the modification response message.

[0089] If the UE Context Modification Request message contains the SCell To Be Setup List IE, the gNB-DU shall treat it as a candidate SCell list to be configured. If the UE Context Modification Request message contains the SCell To Be Setup List IE and the indicated SCell(s) have already been configured, the gNB-DU shall replace any previously received values. If the UE Context Modification Request message contains the SCell UL Configured IE, the gNB-DU shall configure the UL for the indicated SCell accordingly. If the UE Context Modification Request message contains the servingCellMO IE, the gNB-DU shall configure the servingCellMO for the indicated SCell accordingly.

[0090] <Next Change> 9.2.2.2UE Context Setup Response This message is sent by the gNB-DU to confirm the setup of the UE context. Direction: gNB-DU → gNB-CU In one embodiment, the above information also exists in the UE context modification response message.

[0091] <Next Change> 9.2.2.7UE Context Modification Request This message is sent by the gNB-CU to inform the gNB-DU of the UE context information changes. Direction: gNB-CU → gNB-DU Range Limitation explain maxnoofSCells The maximum number of SCells allowed for a UE is 32. maxnoofServingCellMOs The maximum number of ServingCellMOs per NCD-SSB cell. The maximum value is 16 condition explain ifCHOcancel This IE may be present if the CHO Trigger IE is present and set to "CHO-cancel".

[0092] <Next Change> 9.2.2.8 UE Context Modification Response This message is sent by the gNB-DU to confirm the modification of the UE context. Direction: gNB-DU → gNB-CU

[0093] <Next Change> This IE contains RRC information sent from the gNB-CU to the gNB-DU. Range Limitation explain maxNrofBWPs The maximum number of BWPs per serving cell is 4.

[0094] This IE contains RRC information sent from the gNB-DU to the gNB-CU.

[0095] Figure 4 An example of a communication system 400 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0096] In this example, a communication system 400 includes a telecommunications network 402, which includes an access network 404, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 406, which includes one or more core network nodes 408. The access network 404 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 410A and 410B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network node 410), or any other similar third generation partnership project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point (AP). The network node 410 facilitates direct or indirect connection of UEs, for example, by connecting UEs 412A, 412B, 412C, and 412D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UE 412) to the core network 406 over one or more wireless connections.

[0097] Example wireless communications over wireless connections include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Additionally, in various embodiments, the communication system 400 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. The communication system 400 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems.

[0098] UE 412 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including a wireless device that is arranged, configured, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network node 410 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 410 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 412 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 402 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or perform other functions, such as management, in telecommunication network 402.

[0099] In the depicted example, core network 406 connects network node 410 to one or more hosts, such as host 416. These connections can be direct connections or indirect connections via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node can be directly coupled to the host. Core network 406 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 408) constructed using hardware and software components. The features of these components can be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, so that the description is generally applicable to the corresponding components of core network node 408. Example core network nodes include the functionality of one or more of a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier dehiding function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), a network exposure function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0100] The host 416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 404 and / or the telecommunications network 402, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 416 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include real-time and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieval and compilation of data on various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytical functionality, social media, functionality for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functionality for an alarm and monitoring center, or any other such functionality performed by a server.

[0101] As a whole, Figure 4 The communication system 400 enables connections between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable second, third, fourth, or fifth generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., sixth generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low power wide area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0102] In some examples, telecommunication network 402 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Thus, telecommunication network 402 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to telecommunication network 402. For example, telecommunication network 402 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or provide massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (IoT) services to yet other UEs.

[0103] In some examples, the UE 412 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 404 according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the access network 404. In addition, the UE may be configured to operate in a single radio access technology (RAT) or multiple RATs or multiple standard modes. For example, the UE may operate using any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e., be configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0104] In this example, hub 414 communicates with access network 404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D) and a network node (e.g., network node 410B). In some examples, hub 414 can be a controller, a router, a content source and analysis, or any other communication device described herein with respect to a UE. For example, hub 414 can be a broadband router that enables a UE to access core network 406. As another example, hub 414 can be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in a UE. The commands or instructions can be received from a UE, a network node 410, or received through executable code, a script, a process, or other instructions in hub 414. As another example, hub 414 can be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, can perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, hub 414 can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a virtual reality (VR) headset, display, speaker, or other media transmission device, the hub 414 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and then provide it directly to the UE after performing local processing and / or providing it to the UE after adding additional local content. In another example, the hub 414 acts as a proxy server or coordinator for the UE, especially if one or more UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0105] Hub 414 can have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 410B. Hub 414 can also allow different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub 414 and UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D) and between hub 414 and core network 406. In other examples, hub 414 is connected to core network 406 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, hub 414 can be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network 404 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE can establish a wireless connection with network node 410 while still being connected via hub 414 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 414 can be a dedicated hub, that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications from network node 410B to UEs / from UEs to network node 410. In other embodiments, hub 414 may be a non-dedicated hub, that is, a device operable to route communications between UEs and network node 410B but which is also operable as a communications origin and / or destination for certain data channels.

[0106] Figure 5UE 500 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UE include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), in-vehicle or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communication (MTC) UEs and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0107] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user owning and / or operating the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user, but the device may not be associated with a specific human user, or may not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user, but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter).

[0108] UE 500 includes a processing circuit 502 operatively coupled to an input / output interface 506, a power supply 508, a memory 510, a communication interface 512, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via a bus 504. Some UEs may use Figure 5 All or a subset of the components shown in . The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0109] The processing circuit 502 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in the memory 510. The processing circuit 502 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP), and appropriate software; or any combination thereof. For example, the processing circuit 502 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0110] In this example, the input / output interface 506 can be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device can allow a user to capture information into the UE 500. Examples of input devices include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. A presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from the user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. The output device can use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide both input and output devices.

[0111] In some embodiments, the power supply 508 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as an external power source (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell. The power supply 508 may also include a power circuit for delivering power from the power supply 508 itself and / or an external power source to various parts of the UE 500 via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, to charge the power supply 508. The power circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power supply 508 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of the UE 500 being supplied with power.

[0112] The memory 510 may be or be configured to include a memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable cartridge, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 510 includes one or more application programs 514, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a widget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data 516. The memory 510 may store any of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 500.

[0113] The memory 510 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (e.g., a tamper-resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a universal SIM (USIM) and / or an Internet Protocol Multimedia Services identity module (ISIM)), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC, commonly referred to as a "SIM card." The memory 510 may allow the UE 500 to access instructions, applications, and the like stored on a temporary or non-temporary memory medium to offload or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in memory 510 , which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0114] The processing circuit 502 can be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface 512. The communication interface 512 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include an antenna 522 or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 522. The communication interface 512 may include one or more transceivers for communication, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 518 and / or a receiver 520 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 518 and the receiver 520 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 522) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0115] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication interface 512 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0116] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE can provide an output of the data captured by its sensor through its communication interface 512, or via a wireless connection to a network node. The data captured by the UE's sensor can be transmitted to the network node via another UE via a wireless connection. The output can be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to load balance reports from multiple sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., sending an alarm when moisture is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0117] As another example, a UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight based on the received input, or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0118] When in the form of an IoT device, a UE may be a device for one or more application areas including, but not limited to, urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are or are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, connected lighting, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-activated smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / humidity sensor, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system such as a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for augmented reality (AR) or VR, a wearable device for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any type of medical device such as a heart rate monitor or a teleoperated surgical robot. A UE in the form of an IoT device includes circuitry and / or software that depends on the intended application of the IoT device, as well as information about the device. Figure 5 The other components of the UE 500 are depicted.

[0119] As another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or a network node. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which in the 3GPP context may be referred to as an MTC device. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, airplane, or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0120] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE can be a drone or integrated into a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained by a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user changes it from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (for example, by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or second UE can also include more than one of the above functionalities. For example, the UE can include a sensor and an actuator and handle data communication for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0121] Figure 6 A network node 600 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0122] BSs can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, differently, based on their transmission power level), and thus, depending on the amount of coverage provided, a BS can be referred to as a femto BS, pico BS, micro BS, or macro BS. A BS can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio BS, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such an RRU may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an integrated antenna radio. Parts of a distributed radio BS can also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0123] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a BS controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)) and / or minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0124] The network node 600 includes processing circuitry 602, memory 604, a communication interface 606, and a power supply 608. The network node 600 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a Node B component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 600 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple Node Bs. In this case, each unique Node B and RNC pair may be considered a single, separate network node in some instances. In some embodiments, the network node 600 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 604 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., antenna 610 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 600 may also include various components shown in groups for different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into the network node 600. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 600.

[0125] The processing circuit 602 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic, which is operably provided alone or in combination with other network node 600 components such as memory 604 to provide the functionality of the network node 600.

[0126] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 602 comprises a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 602 comprises one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on the same chip, chipset, board, or unit.

[0127] Memory 604 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, persistent memory, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a compact disk (CD), or a digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by processing circuit 602. Memory 604 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by processing circuit 602 and used by network node 600. Memory 604 may be used to store any computations performed by processing circuit 602 and / or any data received via communication interface 606. In some embodiments, processing circuit 602 and memory 604 are integrated.

[0128] The communication interface 606 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 606 includes (one or more) ports / (one or more) terminals 616 for sending data to and receiving data from the network, for example, via a wired connection. The communication interface 606 also includes a radio front-end circuit 618, which can be coupled to the antenna 610 or, in some embodiments, is part of the antenna 610. The radio front-end circuit 618 includes a filter 620 and an amplifier 622. The radio front-end circuit 618 can be connected to the antenna 610 and the processing circuit 602. The radio front-end circuit 618 can be configured to condition the signals communicated between the antenna 610 and the processing circuit 602. The radio front-end circuit 618 can receive digital data to be transmitted to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 618 can use a combination of the filter 620 and / or the amplifier 622 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be transmitted via the antenna 610. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 610 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 618. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 602. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0129] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 600 does not include a separate radio front end circuitry 618, and instead the processing circuitry 602 includes the radio front end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 610. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 612 is part of the communication interface 606. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 606 includes one or more ports or terminals 616, the radio front end circuitry 618, and the RF transceiver circuitry 612 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 606 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 614, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0130] Antenna 610 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 610 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 618 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 610 is separate from network node 600 and may be connected to network node 600 via an interface or port.

[0131] Antenna 610, communication interface 606, and / or processing circuit 602 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain acquisition operations described herein as being performed by network node 600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 610, communication interface 606, and / or processing circuit 602 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by network node 600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0132] The power supply 608 provides power to the various components of the network node 600 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). The power supply 608 may further include or be coupled to power management circuitry to provide power to the components of the network node 600 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 600 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical grid or an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a cable, whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuitry of the power supply 608. As another example, the power supply 608 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack that is connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails.

[0133] An embodiment of the network node 600 may include Figure 6Additional components beyond those shown are used to provide certain aspects of network node functionality, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 600 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into network node 600 and to allow information to be output from network node 600. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for network node 600.

[0134] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a host 700 according to various aspects described herein, which may be Figure 4 4. As used herein, host 700 may be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software, including processing resources in a standalone server, blade server, cloud-enabled server, distributed server, virtual machine, container, or server farm. Host 700 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0135] Host 700 includes processing circuitry 702 operatively coupled to input / output interface 706, network interface 708, power supply 710, and memory 712 via bus 704. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to previous figures (e.g., Figure 5 and Figure 6 ) so that its description is generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 700.

[0136] Memory 712 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications 714 and data 716, which may include user data, such as data generated by a UE for the host 700 or data generated by the host 700 for the UE. Embodiments of the host 700 may use only a subset of the components shown or all of them. The host application 714 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different categories, types, or implementations of UE (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, and head-up display systems). The host application 714 may also provide user authentication and permission checks and may periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in the core network or on the edge of the core network). Thus, the host 700 can select and / or instruct the UE on different hosts for over-the-top (OTT) services. The host application 714 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0137] Figure 8 800 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment in which the functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus, which may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to any apparatus described herein or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components performed by one or more virtual machines (VMs), which are implemented in one or more virtual environments 800 hosted by one or more hardware nodes (e.g., hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts). In addition, in an embodiment in which a virtual node does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node or host), the node may be fully virtualized.

[0138] Applications 802 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) run in the virtualized environment 800 to implement some features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0139] The hardware 804 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, and the like. The software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 806 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 808A and 808B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 808), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described with respect to some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 806 may present a virtual operating platform that appears to be networked hardware to the VMs 808.

[0140] The VMs 808 include virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can be run by corresponding virtualization layers 806. Different embodiments of instances of virtual devices 802 can be implemented on one or more VMs 808 and can be implemented in different ways. Virtualization of hardware is referred to in some contexts as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard, high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises.

[0141] In the context of NFV, a VM 808 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM 808 and the portion of the hardware 804 on which it executes, whether dedicated to that VM and / or shared with other VMs 808, form a separate virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions corresponding to an application 802 running in one or more VMs 808 on the hardware 804.

[0142] The hardware 804 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 804 can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 804 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 810, where management and orchestration include, among other things, overseeing the lifecycle management of the application 802. In some embodiments, the hardware 804 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and can be used in combination with virtual components to provide radio capabilities such as a RAN or BS to the virtual nodes. In some embodiments, a control system 812 can be used to provide some signaling, which can alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes and the radio units.

[0143] Although the computing devices (e.g., UE, network node, host) described herein may include a combination of the hardware components shown, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any appropriate combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing. In addition, although the components are described as being a single box within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of these components may be divided between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0144] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by a processing circuit that executes instructions stored in a memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuit without executing instructions stored, for example, in a hardwired manner on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of those specific embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functionality regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuit itself or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks generally.

[0145] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include:

[0146] Embodiment 1. A method, performed by a first network node (110), for generating preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the method comprising: providing (308) a list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) to a second network node (108); receiving (314) from the second network node (108) a request to generate a preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP in the list of configured inactive BWPs; and providing (316) to the second network node (108) information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP.

[0147] Embodiment 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein, in response to receiving (304) a UE context modification request message, providing a list of the configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) in a UE context modification response message.

[0148] Embodiment 3. The method of embodiment 1, wherein in response to receiving (304) a UE context setup request message, providing a list of the configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) in a UE context setup response message.

[0149] Embodiment 4. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) further comprises at least one of a BWP location or a serving cell associated with each inactive BWP in the list of configured inactive BWPs.

[0150] Embodiment 5. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein providing the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is in response to the first network node (110) supporting active BWP switching via downlink control information.

[0151] Embodiment 6. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the selected BWP includes a list of frequencies for which the second network node (108) requests the first network node (110) to generate the preconfigured measurement gaps.

[0152] Embodiment 7. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap is included in another UE context modification response message, the other UE context modification response message further including an updated CellGroupConfig information element.

[0153] Embodiment 8. The method of any one of embodiments 1-7, wherein the first network node (110) is a distributed unit (DU) network node, and wherein the second network node (108) is a central unit (CU) network node.

[0154] Embodiment 9. A first network node (110) that generates preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the first network node (110) comprising processing circuitry for performing operations comprising: providing (308) a list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) to a second network node (108); receiving (314) from the second network node (108) a request to generate a preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP in the list of configured inactive BWPs; and providing (316) to the second network node (108) information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP.

[0155] Embodiment 10. The first network node (110) according to embodiment 9, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to perform the method of embodiments 2-8.

[0156] Embodiment 11. A method performed by a second network node (108) for requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the method comprising: receiving (306) a list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) from a first network node (110); determining (312) requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs; providing (314) a request to the first network node (110) for generating preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs; receiving (316) information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP from the first network node (110); and configuring (318) the UE (302) with the preconfigured measurement gaps.

[0157] Embodiment 12. The method of embodiment 11, wherein, in response to providing (304) a UE context modification request message to the first network node (110), the list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) is received in a UE context modification response message.

[0158] Embodiment 13. The method of embodiment 11, wherein, in response to providing (304) a UE context setup request message to the first network node (110), the list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) is received in a UE context setup response message.

[0159] Embodiment 14. The method of any one of embodiments 11 to 13, wherein the list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) further comprises at least one of a BWP location or a serving cell associated with each inactive BWP in the list of configured inactive BWPs.

[0160] Embodiment 15. The method of any one of Embodiments 11 to 14, wherein receiving the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is in response to the first network node (110) supporting active BWP switching via downlink control information.

[0161] Embodiment 16. The method of any one of Embodiments 11 to 15, wherein the request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the selected BWP includes a list of frequencies for which the second network node (108) requests the first network node (110) to generate the preconfigured measurement gaps.

[0162] Embodiment 17. The method of any one of Embodiments 11 to 16, wherein the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap is included in another UE context modification response message, the other UE context modification response message further including an updated CellGroupConfig information element.

[0163] Embodiment 18. The method of any one of embodiments 11-17, wherein the first network node (110) is a distributed unit (DU) network node, and wherein the second network node (108) is a central unit (CU) network node.

[0164] Embodiment 19. A second network node (108) for requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the second network node (108) comprising processing circuitry for performing operations comprising: receiving (306) a list of configured inactive BWPs associated with the UE (302) from a first network node (110); determining (312) requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs; providing (314) to the first network node (110) a request for generating preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the one or more inactive BWPs in the list of configured inactive BWPs; receiving (316) from the first network node (110) information identifying the preconfigured measurement gaps associated with a selected BWP; and configuring (318) the UE (302) with the preconfigured measurement gaps.

[0165] Embodiment 20. The second network node (108) of embodiment 19, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to perform the method of embodiments 12-18.

[0166] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and all such improvements and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a first network node (110), for generating preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the method comprising: providing (308) to a second network node (108) a list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302); receiving (314) from the second network node (108) a request to generate a preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP in the list of configured BWPs; as well as Information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is provided (316) to the second network node (108).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein In response to receiving (304) a UE Context Modification Request message, providing the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302) in a UE Context Modification Response message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein In response to receiving (304) a UE context setup request message, providing the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302) in a UE context setup response message.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302) further includes at least one of a BWP location or a serving cell associated with each BWP in the list of configured BWPs.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein Providing the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is in response to the first network node (110) supporting active BWP switching via downlink control information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the selected BWP includes a list of frequencies for which the second network node (108) requests the first network node (110) to generate the preconfigured measurement gaps.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap is included in another UE context modification response message, the other UE context modification response message also including an updated CellGroupConfig information element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The first network node (110) is a distributed unit (DU) network node, and wherein the second network node (108) is a central unit (CU) network node.

9. A first network node (110) configured to generate preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the first network node (110) comprising processing circuitry for performing operations comprising: providing (308) to a second network node (108) a list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302); receiving (314) from the second network node (108) a request to generate a preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP in the list of configured BWPs; as well as Information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is provided (316) to the second network node (108).

10. The first network node (110) according to claim 9, wherein The processing circuit is further configured to perform the method of claims 2-8.

11. A method performed by a second network node (108) for requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the method comprising: receiving (306) from a first network node (110) a list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302); determining (312) requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for one or more BWPs in the list of configured BWPs; providing (314) to the first network node (110) a request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the one or more BWPs in the list of configured BWPs; as well as Information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP is received (316) from the first network node (110).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein In response to providing (304) a UE context modification request message to the first network node (110), the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302) is received in a UE context modification response message.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein In response to providing (304) a UE context setup request message to the first network node (110), the list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302) is received in a UE context setup response message.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein The list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302) further includes at least one of a BWP location or a serving cell associated with each BWP in the list of configured BWPs.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein Receiving the information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with the selected BWP is in response to the first network node (110) supporting active BWP switching via downlink control information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein The request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the selected BWP includes a list of frequencies for which the second network node (108) requests the first network node (110) to generate the preconfigured measurement gaps.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein The information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap is included in another UE context modification response message, the other UE context modification response message also including an updated CellGroupConfig information element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein The first network node (110) is a distributed unit (DU) network node, and wherein the second network node (108) is a central unit (CU) network node.

19. A second network node (108) for requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) of a user equipment device (UE) (302), the second network node (108) comprising processing circuitry for performing operations comprising: receiving (306) from a first network node (110) a list of configured BWPs associated with the UE (302); determining (312) requesting preconfigured measurement gaps for one or more BWPs in the list of configured BWPs; providing (314) to the first network node (110) a request to generate preconfigured measurement gaps associated with the one or more BWPs in the list of configured BWPs; as well as Information identifying the preconfigured measurement gap associated with a selected BWP is received (316) from the first network node (110).

20. The second network node (108) according to claim 19, wherein The processing circuit is further configured to perform the method of claims 12-18.

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