Method for performing simultaneous measurements within synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver configured to connect the UE with a plurality of network devices. The plurality of network devices are deployed in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). The UE includes a processor configured to determine a number of different network devices deployed in the NTN for which the UE is capable of performing simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window; and reporting, via the transceiver, the determined number of different network devices deployed in the NTN as UE capabilities to a network, for which the UE is able to perform simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within the SMTC window.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including methods and specific implementations for performing layer 3 (L3) measurements on multiple network devices simultaneously by a user equipment (UE) within a single synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, the network devices being deployed in satellites and / or high altitude platform systems (HAPS) in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between network devices (e.g., base stations, network access points, or repeaters) and wireless communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)). Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs) (commonly referred to within industry organizations as WLANs). ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to facilitate communication between network equipment (e.g., base stations, network access points, or relays, etc.) of the RAN (which may also sometimes be generally referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices, referred to as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN can use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to communicate between network equipment and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RATs, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RATs or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements LTE RATs (sometimes referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RATs (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RATs, 5G NR RATs, or simply NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RATs. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RATs.

[0005] Network equipment used by a RAN (e.g., a base station, a network access point, or a relay) may correspond to the RAN. One example of a network device may be an E-UTRAN base station, which is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (often also referred to as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). Another example of a network device may be an NG-RAN base station, which is a next-generation Node B (sometimes also referred to as a gNode B or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services with external entities through its connection to the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), while NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces that element.

[0008] Figure 1 A communication system including a UE connected to a plurality of network devices deployed in an NTN is shown.

[0009] Figure 2 An example method of wireless communication by a UE according to some embodiments is shown, which may be used for measurement coordination among multiple network devices, as described herein.

[0010] Figure 3 Another example method of wireless communications by a UE according to some embodiments is shown, which may be used to restrict scheduling of measurements performed for multiple network devices, as described herein.

[0011] Figure 4 An example method for wireless communication by a network device according to some embodiments is shown, where the method is used by a UE to perform simultaneous measurements of the network device and multiple other network devices within a single synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, as described herein.

[0012] Figure 5 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 6 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Various embodiments are described with respect to UE. However, reference to UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. Example embodiments may be used together with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate electronic device. Similarly, various embodiments are described with respect to network equipment, which may be a network access point, base station and / or repeater deployed in a terrestrial network (TN), a satellite and / or a high altitude platform system (HAPS) including a manned or unmanned aircraft, etc. The network equipment deployed in a satellite or HAPS may be referred to as a non-terrestrial network (NTN) device in this article. The satellite may be orbiting in a geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and / or a non-geosynchronous orbit (N-GSO) located in an NTN. The following description generally relates to one or more satellites, but some or all of the satellites mentioned in the following description may alternatively be HAPS.

[0015] In a scalable multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication system, a 3GPP network (hereinafter referred to as "the network") may use different numbers of antenna ports to send different downlink signals at different times. The number of antenna ports used to send a specific downlink signal may be based on factors such as dynamic point selection (e.g., transmit and receive point (TRP) selection), interference management, and network power saving considerations. As an example, a network device (which may be a network access point or base station in a TN, a satellite, or a HAPS) may use a specific antenna beam of the network device to send downlink (DL) information to a specific antenna beam of a UE. The specific antenna beam of the UE may be referred to as the receive (Rx) beam of the UE in this disclosure. The UE may identify the Rx beam based on layer 3 measurements performed by the UE.

[0016] The UE may be mobile, and accordingly, the Rx beam of the UE may change over time. In some embodiments, the network device may be deployed in a satellite or HAPS, and therefore may also be mobile. The network equipment in the NTN may be deployed in a satellite orbiting in a GSO or N-GSO. The network equipment in the NTN, and in particular the N-GSO, may change its positioning relative to the UE at a very high rate. In other words, the Rx beam from which the UE receives DL information from the network device may change very frequently. Therefore, the UE may need to perform beam-related measurements relative to multiple network devices in a relatively short period of time.

[0017] In some embodiments, the UE may perform beam-related measurements for multiple network devices (e.g., more than one network device) in parallel (e.g., simultaneously or nearly simultaneously) within the SMTC window, and thereby may identify the Rx beam within a reduced beam scanning time. In 3GPP Release 17, the UE may transmit to the network the value of the maxNumber-LEO-SatellitesPerCarrier-r17 field and the value of the maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC-r17 field in the UE capability information.

[0018] The field maxNumber-LEO-SatellitesPerCarrier-r17 indicates the number of target low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites carrying network devices that the UE can monitor per carrier within the SMTC window. The network device can be a serving network device; in other words, a LEO satellite that carries the serving network device. If the UE does not include the field maxNumber-LEO-SatellitesPerCarrier-r17 in the UE Capability Information parameter, the network can assume that the value of the field maxNumber-LEO-SatellitesPerCarrier-r17 is 2. Similarly, the field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC-r17 indicates the number of satellites orbiting in N-GSO that each carry network devices in one or more target cells that the UE can support to perform measurements in parallel within the SMTC window. The value n1 of the field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC-r17 may indicate that the UE supports parallel measurements of only one satellite orbiting in N-GSO, the value n2 of the field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC-r17 may indicate that the UE supports parallel measurements of two satellites orbiting in one or more N-GSOs, and so on.

[0019] In addition, the field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC-r17 corresponds to the value of the number of satellites in one or more N-GSOs for frequency range 1 (FR1) (but not for frequency range 2 (FR2) and / or for frequency bands above 10 GHz (e.g., Ka-band). Furthermore, the parallel measurements that the UE can perform are independent of beam-related measurements. Additionally or alternatively, the field parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction-r17, which specifies any scheduling restrictions for performing beam-related measurements in parallel, may also need to be specified by the UE.

[0020] The various embodiments described herein provide solutions related to performing beam-correlated measurements for multiple network devices deployed in one or more satellites or HAPSs in parallel within an SMTC window, and / or any scheduling restrictions applicable to performing beam-correlated measurements in parallel within an SMTC window. As described herein, a HAPS may include one or more manned or unmanned aerial vehicles and / or drones. The HAPS or satellite may be orbiting in one or more GSOs and / or one or more N-GSOs. Multiple network devices may be operating in FR2 and / or in frequency bands above the 10 GHz band. Furthermore, as non-limiting examples, the scheduling restrictions set forth in the present disclosure may be symbol-level restrictions, frame duration restrictions, and the like. Symbol-level restrictions may specify which reference signal or reference symbol to use to perform measurements for a specific network device deployed in a specific satellite, for example, within an SMTC window. Frame duration restrictions may specify a specific segment of a frame during which a UE may perform beam-correlated measurements for a specific network device deployed in a specific satellite, for example, within an SMTC window.

[0021] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a communication system including a UE connected to a plurality of network devices deployed in an NTN. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 may include a UE 110 having multiple antenna beams 114a to 114c connected to a network device, which may be a base station, network access point, or repeater deployed in a HAPS or a satellite. The HAPS may include drones and / or manned or unmanned aerial vehicles. The HAPS and / or satellite may be located in an NTN and orbit in a GSO or N-GSO. For example, the UE 110 is shown as being served by a network device deployed in a satellite (Satellite 1 102) at time T1. In addition, as shown in FIG. Figure 1As shown, antenna beam 114a of the UE may be identified by UE 110 as an ideal beam for receiving DL information from satellite 1 102. Antenna beam 114a may be referred to as the Rx beam of UE 110 at time T1. Therefore, satellite 1 102 may be a serving satellite for UE 110 corresponding to time T1. Other network devices may be deployed in other satellites (e.g., satellite 2 104, satellite 3 106, and satellite 4 108). Satellite 2 104, satellite 3 106, and / or satellite 4 108 may be located in one or more neighboring cells of UE 110 at time T1. Alternatively or additionally, one or more of satellite 2 104, satellite 3 106, and / or satellite 4 108 may be a target satellite or a serving satellite at time T2. Time T2 may be later than time T1. Furthermore, even now at Figure 1 As shown in FIG, each network device deployed in satellite 1 102, satellite 2 104, satellite 3 106, and / or satellite 4 108 may have one or more antenna beams.

[0022] In some embodiments, and as a non-limiting example, Satellite 2 104, Satellite 3 106, and / or Satellite 4 108 may each have very similar trajectories while orbiting in the same N-GSO or different N-GSOs. Therefore, the same antenna beam of UE 110 may be an ideal Rx beam for each of Satellite 2 104, Satellite 3 106, and / or Satellite 4 108. Additionally or alternatively, the beams included in the beam group of one or more antenna beams of UE 110 may be an ideal Rx beam for each of Satellite 2 104, Satellite 3 106, and / or Satellite 4 108. One or more antenna beams in a beam group may be consecutive antenna beams, and Satellite 2 104, Satellite 3 106, and / or Satellite 4 108 may be considered to belong to the same beam group, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 112 in FIG. UE 110 may perform beam-related measurements for one or more satellites associated with the same beam group in parallel within the SMTC window.

[0023] As described herein, in some embodiments, the UE may report the number or count of satellites belonging to the same beam group in a new field (field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC) of the UE capability information parameter. The field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC may indicate the number or count of satellites belonging to the same beam group, and for the satellite, the UE may perform beam-related measurements in parallel within the SMTC window. If the same beam is an Rx beam for each satellite included in the same beam group, or the corresponding beam to be used as the Rx beam for each satellite included in the same beam group is a beam within a certain range covering a spatial area (e.g., three consecutive antenna beams), the UE may identify that more than one satellite belongs to the same beam group.

[0024] In some embodiments, whether one or more satellites can be placed in the same beam group may be determined based on ephemeris information received by the UE from the network. The ephemeris information received by the UE may include ephemeris information corresponding to network equipment in the UE's serving cell and / or ephemeris information corresponding to one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE. The ephemeris information may include values ​​corresponding to various parameters, such as elevation information of one or more satellites, orbital velocity of one or more satellites, trajectory information of one or more satellites, distances between various satellites, and the like. Using the ephemeris information received by the UE and / or the current position of a satellite in the UE's serving cell, one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells may be identified. The current position of a satellite in the UE's serving cell may be determined based on the UE's Rx beam for the current serving satellite. The UE may determine the UE's Rx beam for the current serving satellite based on various Layer 3 (L3) measurements, including but not limited to the strongest L3 measurement, such as an RSRP measurement, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, and / or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measurement. In some embodiments, the network may indicate to the UE which satellites may be placed in the same beam group based on the UE's current positioning, the UE's current serving satellite, the UE's current Rx beam and / or ephemeris information corresponding to one or more satellites in the UE's serving cell and / or one or more neighboring cells.

[0025] In some embodiments, a value of n1 for the maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC field may indicate that the UE supports measurement for only one satellite in a single SMTC window, and a value of n2 for the maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC field may indicate that the UE supports measurement for only two satellites in a single SMTC window, and so on. As a non-limiting example, if the network device (or satellite) that is the measurement object (MO) corresponds to a frequency band above 10 GHz (or Ka-band), the maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC field may include a value of n1. In some embodiments, satellites that the UE reports as being in the same beam group may orbit in the same GSO or in different N-GSOs.

[0026] In some embodiments, more than one satellite operating in the same frequency layer (or frequency range or band) may belong to different beam groups, and measurement restrictions may be applied to perform beam-related measurements for different satellites in a single SMTC window, for example, intra-frequency layer measurements relative to satellites in GSO or N-GSO.

[0027] As a non-limiting example, the measurement restriction may prioritize measurements corresponding to satellites in a serving cell of the UE. Due to the prioritization of measurements for satellites in the serving cell of the UE, measurement resource allocation may be determined for satellites in the serving cell of the UE and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE.

[0028] In some embodiments, when the SMTC windows for satellites in a UE's serving cell and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE completely overlap, the measurement resources allocated as a percentage for the satellites in the UE's serving cell may not be less than the measurement resources allocated as a percentage for one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE. The percentages for allocating measurement resources for satellites in the serving cell and / or the percentages for allocating measurement resources for one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE may be predefined (or preconfigured) or indicated by the network to the UE.

[0029] In some embodiments, when the SMTC windows for satellites in the UE's serving cell and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE partially overlap (and do not completely overlap) or do not overlap, measurements for one or more satellites in the one or more neighboring cells of the UE may be performed by the UE over those SMTC windows in which the UE is not performing measurements for satellites in the UE's serving cell. Additionally or alternatively, when the reference signals used to perform measurements for satellites in the UE's serving cell and the reference signals used to perform measurements for one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE in the same SMTC window do not overlap and / or have a gap of at least a specific threshold therebetween, then the UE may perform measurements for satellites in the UE's serving cell and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE during the same SMTC window.

[0030] In some embodiments, to perform intra-frequency measurements for satellites in a GSO, scheduling restrictions may be applied at the symbol level. In other words, the scheduling restrictions apply to a specific RS symbol and / or to a specific number of symbols before and / or after the RS symbol. Additionally or alternatively, the scheduling restrictions may apply to the entire SMTC window for satellites in a GSO. In some embodiments, for satellites orbiting in an N-GSO, scheduling restrictions may apply to the entire SMTC window because the RS frequently shifts due to satellite motion.

[0031] However, in some embodiments, if the satellite in the UE's current serving cell and one or more satellites in the UE's neighboring cell are located in the same beam group, scheduling restrictions may be applied according to traditional scheduling restrictions as specified in the 3GPP standard for FR1, regardless of the frequency band (such as the Ka band) in which the satellite in the UE's current serving cell and / or one or more satellites in the UE's neighboring cell are operating.

[0032] In some embodiments, as described herein, a UE may report scheduling restrictions in a new field, parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction, of the UE capability parameters. The new field, parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction, may apply to satellites in a serving cell located in N-GSO and / or GSO. If one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE and a satellite in the UE's serving cell belong to different beam groups, scheduling restrictions may apply to both the N-GSO serving cell and the GSO serving cell. However, if one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE and a satellite in the UE's serving cell belong to the same beam group, the field parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction may indicate whether the UE may perform measurements on satellites in the serving cell and / or one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE while also performing other UE operations, including but not limited to Layer 1 (L1) measurements, data and / or control transmission and / or reception, etc. Furthermore, when a satellite in the serving cell and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE have the same parameter set and the UE supports a mixed parameter set, scheduling restrictions may not be required for the UE. As a non-limiting example, in some embodiments, a satellite in a serving cell and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE may be operating on the same carrier frequency.

[0033] Figures 2 to 4 Various method flow diagrams corresponding to the embodiments described above are described. Figure 2 An example method for wireless communication by a UE according to some embodiments is shown, which can be used for measurement coordination between multiple network devices, as described herein. As shown in flowchart 200, at 202, a UE connected to a network device in the UE's serving cell and / or also connected to one or more network devices in one or more neighboring cells of the UE may determine the number (or count) of different network devices for which the UE is able to perform measurements in parallel within an SMTC window. The parallel measurements performed by the UE may be simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within the same SMTC window on the same or different RS symbols. Multiple different network devices may be deployed in one or more satellites or HAPS and may belong to a single beam group. A single beam group may include a single Rx beam or an Rx beam set. An Rx beam set may include more than one beam in a specific beam range. The number of different network devices in a single beam group may be determined based on ephemeris information and / or the UE's current Rx beam for the serving cell network device. As described herein, the UE's current Rx beam may be determined based on L3 measurement results.

[0034] At 204, the UE may report to the network the number (or count) of different network devices for which the UE is capable of performing measurements in parallel within the SMTC window as a UE capability. As described herein, the field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC may be used to report to the network the number (or count) of different network devices for which the UE is capable of performing measurements in parallel within the SMTC window.

[0035] Figure 3 Another example method for wireless communication by a UE according to some embodiments is shown, which can be used to schedule measurements performed for multiple network devices, as described herein. As shown in flowchart 300, at 302, a UE connected to a network device in a serving cell of the UE and / or also to one or more network devices in one or more neighboring cells of the UE can determine a beam group for the network device in the UE's serving cell, and at 304, the UE can determine a beam group for one or more network devices in one or more neighboring cells of the UE. As described herein, the beam group can be identified based on the Rx beam and / or one or more Rx beams in a specific beam range being the same for receiving downlink information from the network device in the UE's serving cell and one or more satellites in one or more neighboring cells of the UE.

[0036] At 306, the UE may report the UE's capabilities corresponding to the restriction to the network while performing measurements of the serving cell network device and other operations of the UE simultaneously or nearly simultaneously (e.g., in parallel). As described herein, the other operations of the UE may include sending or receiving data or control information, etc. According to some embodiments, the UE may use the field parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction to report the UE's capabilities corresponding to the restriction, as described herein.

[0037] Figure 4An example method for wireless communication by a network device according to some embodiments is shown for performing, by a UE, simultaneous measurements for the network device and multiple other network devices within a single synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, as described herein. As shown in flowchart 400, at 402, the network device may receive UE capability information from a UE. According to some embodiments, as described herein, the UE capability information may include a value of a field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC, and / or a value of a field parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction. At 404, the network device may send a reference signal to the UE for the UE to perform beam-related measurements for multiple network devices or multiple different satellites or HAPS as specified by the field maxNumber-NGSO-SatellitesWithinOneSMTC, and according to the value of the field parallelMeasurementWithoutRestriction as specified by the received UE capability information.

[0038] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having means for performing one or more elements of methods 200, 300, or 400. In the context of methods 200 or 300, the apparatus may be, for example, a UE (such as wireless device 602 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the apparatus may be, for example, a network device (such as network device 620 as a network access point or base station, as described herein).

[0039] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 200, 300, or 400. In the context of method 200 or 300, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as memory 606 of wireless device 602 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a network device (such as memory 624 of network device 620 as a network access point or base station, as described herein).

[0040] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of methods 200, 300, or 400. In the context of methods 200 or 300, the apparatus may be, for example, a UE (such as wireless device 602 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the apparatus may be, for example, a network device (such as network device 620 as a network access point or base station, as described herein).

[0041] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media that use or store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of method 200, 300, or 400. In the context of method 200 or 300, the apparatus may be, for example, a UE (such as wireless device 602 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the apparatus may be, for example, a network device (such as network device 620 as a network access point or base station, as described herein).

[0042] Embodiments contemplated herein include signals as described in or associated with one or more elements of methods 200 , 300 , or 400 .

[0043] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product having instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of method 200, 300, or 400. In the context of method 200 or 300, the processor may be a processor of a UE (such as processor 604 of wireless device 602 as a UE, as described herein), and the instructions may be located, for example, in the processor and / or on a memory of the UE (such as memory 606 of wireless device 602 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the processor may be a processor of a network device (such as processor 622 of network device 620 as a network access point or base station, as described herein), and the instructions may be located, for example, in the processor and / or on a memory of the network device (such as memory 624 of network device 620 as a network access point or base station, as described herein).

[0044] Figure 5 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 500 according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The following description is provided for an example wireless communication system 500 operating in conjunction with the LTE system standard and / or the 5G or NR system standard provided in the 3GPP technical specifications.

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown, wireless communication system 500 includes UE 502 and UE 504 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 502 and UE 504 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0046] UE 502 and UE 504 can be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 506. In an embodiment, RAN 506 can be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 502 and UE 504 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 508 and connection 510, respectively) with RAN 506, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 506 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 512 and base station 514, to implement connection 508 and connection 510. In some embodiments, RAN 506 may include one or more relays.

[0047] In this example, connection 508 and connection 510 are the air interfaces that enable such communicative coupling and may conform to the RAT used by RAN 506 , such as, for example, LTE and / or NR.

[0048] In some embodiments, UE 502 and UE 504 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 516. UE 504 is shown as being configured to access an access point (shown as AP 518) via connection 520. By way of example, connection 520 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection compliant with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 518 may include In this example, AP 518 may not be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) through CN 524.

[0049] In an embodiment, UE 502 and UE 504 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 512 and / or base station 514 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0050] In some embodiments, all or part of base station 512 or base station 514 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Additionally, or in other embodiments, base station 512 or base station 514 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 522. In embodiments where wireless communication system 500 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 524 is an EPC), interface 522 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to an EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to an EPC. In embodiments where wireless communication system 500 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 524 is a 5GC), interface 522 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to a 5GC, between base station 512 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to a 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to a 5GC (e.g., CN 524).

[0051] RAN 506 is shown as being communicatively coupled to CN 524. CN 524 may include one or more network elements 526 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 502 and users of UE 504) connected to CN 524 via RAN 506. Components of CN 524 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices that include components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0052] In an embodiment, CN 524 may be an EPC, and RAN 506 may be connected to CN 524 via an S1 interface 528. In an embodiment, S1 interface 528 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 512 or base station 514 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1 mobility management entity (S1-MME) interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 512 or base station 514 and an MME.

[0053] In an embodiment, CN 524 may be a 5GC, and RAN 506 may be connected to CN 524 via an NG interface 528. In an embodiment, NG interface 528 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 512 or base station 514 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 512 or base station 514 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0054] Generally speaking, the application server 530 may be an element that provides applications (e.g., packet-switched data services) that utilize Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources with the CN 524. The application server 530 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for the UE 502 and the UE 504 via the CN 524. The application server 530 may communicate with the CN 524 via an IP communication interface 532.

[0055] Figure 6 A system 600 is illustrated for performing signaling 638 between a wireless device 602 and a network device 620 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The system 600 can be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 602 can be, for example, a UE of the wireless communication system. The network device 620 can be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) or a relay of the wireless communication system.

[0056] The wireless device 602 may include one or more processors 604. The processor 604 may execute instructions to perform various operations for the wireless device 602, as described herein. The processor 604 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof, configured to perform operations as described herein.

[0057] The wireless device 602 may include a memory 606. The memory 606 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 608 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 604). The instructions 608 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 606 may also store data used by the processor 604 and results computed by the processor.

[0058] The wireless device 602 may include one or more transceivers 610, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 612 of the wireless device 602 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 640) to and / or from the wireless device 602 with other devices (e.g., network device 620) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0059] The wireless device 602 may include one or more antennas 612 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For embodiments with multiple antennas 612, the wireless device 602 may utilize the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 612 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting and receiving devices to implement this aspect). MIMO transmissions by the wireless device 602 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to the wireless device 602, which multiplexes the data streams across the antennas 612 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, such that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream). Certain embodiments may use single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) methods (where data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) methods (where separate data streams may be directed to separate (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0060] In certain embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 602 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of signals transmitted by the antennas 612 are adjusted relative to each other so that the (joint) transmissions of the antennas 612 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0061] The wireless device 602 may include one or more interfaces 614. The interfaces 614 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 602. For example, a wireless device 602 that is a UE may include interfaces 614, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, and buttons, to allow a user of the UE to provide input to and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be composed of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 610 / antenna 612 already described) that allow communication between the UE and other devices and may be performed according to known protocols (e.g., and etc.) to perform the operation.

[0062] The wireless device 602 may include one or more L3 measurement enhancement modules 616. The L3 measurement enhancement modules 616 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the L3 measurement enhancement modules 616 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 608 stored in the memory 606 and executed by the processor 604. In some examples, the L3 measurement enhancement modules 616 may be integrated within the processor 604 and / or the transceiver 610. For example, the L3 measurement enhancement modules 616 may be implemented via a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 604 or the transceiver 610.

[0063] From the perspective of the UE, the L3 measurement enhancement module 616 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 4 all aspects.

[0064] The network device 620 may include one or more processors 622. The processor 622 may execute instructions to cause various operations of the network device 620 to be performed, as described herein. The processor 604 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0065] The network device 620 may include a memory 624. The memory 624 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 626 (which may include, for example, instructions to be executed by the processor 622). The instructions 626 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 624 may also store data used by the processor 622 and results calculated by the processor.

[0066] The network device 620 may include one or more transceivers 628, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses the antenna 630 of the network device 620 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 638) to and / or from other devices (e.g., wireless device 602) to and from the network device 620 in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0067] The network device 620 may include one or more antennas 630 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 630, the network device 620 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, etc., as described.

[0068] The network device 620 may include one or more interfaces 632. The interfaces 632 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 620. For example, the network device 620 as a base station may include an interface 632 composed of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 628 / antenna 630 already described), which enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, and databases, etc., to achieve the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment operably connected to the base station.

[0069] The network device 620 may include one or more L3 measurement enhancement modules 634. The L3 measurement enhancement modules 634 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the L3 measurement enhancement modules 634 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 626 stored in the memory 624 and executed by the processor 622. In some examples, the L3 measurement enhancement modules 634 may be integrated within the processor 622 and / or the transceiver 628. For example, the L3 measurement enhancement modules 634 may be implemented via a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 622 or the transceiver 628.

[0070] From the perspective of network devices, the L3 measurement enhancement module 634 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 4 all aspects.

[0071] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in conjunction with one or more of the preceding figures, may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein.

[0072] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0073] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing the operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0074] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in conjunction with another embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in relation to one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

[0075] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0076] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and the apparatus described herein. The embodiments of the present invention are therefore to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor configured to: determining a number of different network devices deployed in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) for which the UE is capable of performing simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window; and A transceiver configured to: reporting, via the transceiver, to a network as UE capabilities, the determined number of different network devices deployed in the NTN, for the different network devices, The UE is capable of performing the simultaneous or nearly simultaneous measurements within the SMTC window.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of different network devices deployed in the NTN belong to a single beam group, and the UE is capable of performing the simultaneous or nearly simultaneous measurements within the SMTC window for the plurality of different network devices. 3 . The UE according to claim 2 , wherein the single beam group includes a receive (Rx) beam or an Rx beam set within a specific beam range.

4. The UE of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the number of different network devices deployed in the NTN belonging to the single beam group based on measurement results performed on a subset of the plurality of different network devices and ephemeris information corresponding to the subset of the plurality of different network devices.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein the subset of the plurality of different network devices is deployed in a plurality of non-geosynchronous orbit (N-GSO) satellites, and each of the plurality of N-GSO satellites has a similar trajectory.

6. The UE according to claim 4, wherein: The UE is capable of performing the simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements on the subset of the plurality of different network devices deployed in a plurality of satellites within the SMTC window; Each satellite of the plurality of satellites orbits in a geosynchronous orbit (GSO) or a non-geosynchronous orbit (N-GSO); and Each satellite in the plurality of satellites has a similar trajectory. 7 . The UE of claim 2 , wherein at least one network device among the plurality of different network devices operates in a frequency band higher than a 10 GHz frequency band.

8. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The number of different network devices deployed in the NTN belonging to the single beam group is determined based on information received from the network via the transceiver; and The information includes a subset of the plurality of different network devices associated with the single beam group. 9 . The UE according to claim 2 , wherein the SMTC window corresponds to a frequency band higher than 10 GHz.

10. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of different network devices deployed in the NTN include one or more network devices in one or more neighboring cells, and the UE is capable of performing the simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within the SMTC window for the plurality of different network devices.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The multiple different network devices deployed in the NTN further include a serving cell network device, and the UE is capable of performing the simultaneous or nearly simultaneous measurements within the SMTC window for the multiple different network devices; and The serving cell network device and the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells belong to different beam groups.

12. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: performing the simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements for the plurality of different network devices within the SMTC window; and Prioritize the measurements for the serving cell network device within the SMTC window over the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells.

13. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining whether the SMTC window of the serving cell network device completely overlaps with the SMTC windows of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; allocating a measurement resource percentage for the measurement of the serving cell network device and the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; and A percentage of measurement resources allocated for the measurement on the serving cell network device is greater than a percentage of measurement resources allocated for the measurement on the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells.

14. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining whether the SMTC window of the serving cell network device partially overlaps or does not overlap with the SMTC windows of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; and The measurements for the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells are performed in the SMTC window in which the measurements for the serving cell network device are not performed.

15. The UE according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining whether a reference signal (RS) used for the measurement of the serving cell network device in the SMTC window does not overlap with an RS used for the measurement of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; and Based on the difference between the RS used for the measurement of the serving cell network device and the RS used for the measurement of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells exceeding a predetermined threshold, the measurement of the serving cell network device and the measurement of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells are performed in the same SMTC window.

16. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a transceiver configured to connect the UE with a plurality of network devices deployed in a non-terrestrial network (NTN); and A processor configured to: Determining a beam group of a serving cell network device among the multiple network devices; determining a beam group for one or more network devices among the plurality of network devices in one or more neighboring cells; and Based on the determined beam group of the serving cell network device and the determined beam group of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells, when performing measurements for the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells and other operations of the UE for the serving cell network device simultaneously or nearly simultaneously, the UE's capabilities corresponding to the restrictions are reported to the network via the transceiver, and the other operations of the UE include sending or receiving data or control information, and layer 1 (L1) measurements for the serving cell network device.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The beam group determined by the serving cell network device is the same as the beam group determined by the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; The serving cell network equipment is deployed in a satellite orbiting in a non-geosynchronous orbit (N-GSO); or The serving cell network device and one or more satellites in the one or more neighboring cells of the UE operate on the same carrier frequency.

18. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The beam group determined by the serving cell network device is the same as the beam group determined by the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; The serving cell network equipment is deployed in a satellite orbiting in a geosynchronous orbit (GSO); and According to the serving cell network device and the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells having the same parameter set, or the UE supporting a mixed parameter set, the capability indication of the UE is not restricted in performing the measurements for the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells and other operations of the UE simultaneously or nearly simultaneously.

19. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The determined beam group of the serving cell network device is different from the determined beam groups of the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells; The measurements for the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells correspond to inner-frequency measurements; In accordance with the serving cell network device being deployed in a satellite orbiting in a geosynchronous orbit (GSO), the capability of the UE indicates symbol-level scheduling restrictions for inner-frequency layer measurement restrictions when simultaneously or nearly simultaneously performing the inner-frequency layer measurements for the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells and other operations of the UE with respect to the serving cell network device; and According to the serving cell network device being deployed in a satellite orbiting in a non-geosynchronous orbit (N-GSO), the capability indication of the UE is a scheduling restriction based on a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) for frequency inner layer measurement restriction when simultaneously or nearly simultaneously performing the frequency inner layer measurement for the one or more network devices in the one or more neighboring cells and the other operations of the UE for the serving cell network device.

20. A method comprising: determining, at a user equipment (UE), a number of different network devices among a plurality of network devices for which the UE is capable of performing simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window, the plurality of network devices being deployed in a non-terrestrial network (NTN); as well as The determined number of different network devices deployed in the NTN for which the UE is capable of performing the simultaneous or near-simultaneous measurements within the SMTC window is reported to a network via a transceiver of the UE as a UE capability.

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