Measurement opportunity sharing between layer 1 and layer 3

Abstract

An apparatus of a next generation NodeB (gNB) comprising one or more processors coupled to memory and configured to determine, for a user equipment, a measurement object (MO) configured for layer 3 (L3) measurements; determine, for the UE, a lower layer triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cell; select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme comprising a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities of the MO relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities; and encode, at the gNB, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 measurements and L1 measurements of the LTM candidate cell located at the UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to wireless communication, including apparatus, systems, and methods for dynamically sharing measurement opportunities between layer 3 and layer 1 measurements in a cellular communication network.

[0002] Description of related technologies The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices now offer access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex applications that utilize these functionalities.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) has become the technology of choice for most wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed internet access to their user base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and standardized for the first time in 2008. Since then, with the exponential growth in the use of wireless communication systems, the demand from wireless network operators to support higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users has also increased. Research into new radio access technologies began in 2015, and in 2017, the first version of 5G New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0004] 5G-NR (also known as NR for short) offers higher capacity for higher density mobile broadband users compared to LTE, while also supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communication between devices, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. Additionally, NR allows for more flexible UE scheduling compared to current LTE. Therefore, ongoing development of 5G-NR is underway to take advantage of the potentially higher throughput at higher frequencies.

[0005] Wireless communication systems provide mobility by enabling user equipment (UEs) to move between cells via a process known as handover. Handover occurs when a mobile UE switches from one cell to another neighboring cell. Mechanisms have been established to help ensure a smooth transition between cells. NR supports different types of handover not supported in previous 4G LTE specifications. The basic handover in NR is based on LTE handover mechanisms, in which the network controls UE mobility based on UE measurement reports. These measurement reports typically involve Layer 3 (L3) measurements of neighboring cells and reports from the UE to the eNB.

[0006] In the NR high-frequency range FR2 (greater than 6 GHz), higher signal propagation loss at higher frequencies is managed by transmitting higher-power signals through beamforming. With beamforming, the UE may experience signal degradation when it moves or rotates. Channel conditions between line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS in NR can also be very different. This can lead to a higher handover failure rate. Layer 1 measurements and reporting can be performed more frequently than Layer 3 measurements. However, the increase in Layer 1 measurements may conflict with Layer 3 measurements. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The implementation relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to apparatus, systems, and methods for a next-generation node B (gNB) device, the apparatus including one or more processors coupled to a memory, the one or more processors being configured to: determine a measurement object (MO) configured for Layer 3 (L3) measurement for a user equipment; determine a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cell for a UE; select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme including a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for the MO relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities; and encode the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of the LTM candidate cell at the UE.

[0008] Other embodiments relate to an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors coupled to a memory, the processors being configured to: decode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme received from a next-generation node B (gNB) at the UE for the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between layer 3 (L3) measurements and layer 1 measurements of layer-triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells located at the UE; perform L3 measurements at the UE during an L3 measurement period scaled based on a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurements; and perform L1 measurements at the UE during an L1 measurement period scaled based on a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L1 measurements.

[0009] The technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned controllers (UACs), base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0010] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the features described above are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0011] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1A Example wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0012] Figure 1B Examples of base stations and access points communicating with user equipment (UE) devices according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0013] Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base stations according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0014] Figure 3 Example block diagrams of servers according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0015] Figure 4 Exemplary block diagrams of a UE according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0016] Figure 5 Exemplary block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0017] Figure 6 Examples of baseband processor architectures for UEs according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0018] Figure 7 Example block diagrams illustrating the interface of a baseband circuit according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0019] Figure 8 Examples of control plane protocol stacks based on some implementation schemes are shown.

[0020] Figure 9 Examples of user plane protocol stacks based on some implementation schemes are shown.

[0021] Figure 10 Example components of the core network according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0022] Figure 11 Examples of UEs using receive beamforming to communicate with multiple cells according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0023] Figure 12Examples of UEs performing L3 and L1 measurements on a cell according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0024] Figure 13 Examples of UEs performing potentially overlapping L3 and L1 measurements according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0025] Figure 14 The L1 scaling factor K is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. layer1_measurement An example of something being applied to a time period.

[0026] Figure 15 An example is given showing how the L3 scaling factor P, according to some implementation schemes, is applied to the measurement period T of FR2. L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB Examples.

[0027] Figure 16 An example procedure for lower-level triggered mobility (LTM) is illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0028] Figure 17 An example of pseudocode according to some implementation schemes is shown, which is provided by the network for configuring the sharing factor P. L3LTM This allows for dynamic control of the measurement opportunity sharing period between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells at the UE.

[0029] Figure 18 Example schemes according to some implementation methods are illustrated, which can be selected by the network and used to dynamically configure the ratio of measurement opportunity sharing periods between UE measurements and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells at the UE.

[0030] Figure 19 An example of the L1 scaling factor P according to some implementation schemes is shown. L3LTM_LTM An example of the measurement time period used in FR2 for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS).

[0031] Figure 20 An example of the L3 scaling factor P according to some implementation schemes is shown. L3LTM_L3 The measurement time period T applied to FR2 L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_Intra Examples.

[0032] Figure 21 An example flowchart illustrates a method for selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities, based on some implementation schemes.

[0033] Figure 22An example flowchart illustrates a method for using a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities at the user equipment (UE) according to some implementation schemes.

[0034] Although the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0035] the term The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure: Memory media—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media residing in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0036] Carrier media—memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0037] Programmable hardware elements encompass a variety of hardware devices, which consist of multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0038] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0039] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). ™ Based on Android ™ Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0040] Base station—The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0041] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as a user equipment or cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0042] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on the wireless protocol, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, channel bandwidth can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. 5G NR can support scalable channel bandwidths from 5 MHz to 100 MHz in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and up to 400 MHz in FR2. In other radio access technologies, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0043] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0044] Automatic—means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct specification or execution of the action or operation through user input. Therefore, the term "automatically" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system will update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0045] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately could mean a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can be application-dependent. For example, in some implementations, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of a specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or settings of the specific application.

[0046] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that at least partially overlaps. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0047] LTM refers to lower-layer triggered mobility or layer 1 / layer 2 triggered mobility, where the UE is configured to perform L1 measurements on neighboring cells.

[0048] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad expression generally meaning "having a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0049] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0050] The example implementation can be further understood by referring to the following description and related figures, in which similar elements have the same reference numerals. The example implementation involves measurement opportunity sharing between Layer 1 and Layer 3.

[0051] An example implementation is described regarding communication between the next-generation node B (gNB) and the user equipment (UE). However, references to the gNB or UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementation can be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a network connection and configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware to support gapless RRM measurements. Therefore, the gNB or UE described herein is used to refer to any suitable type of electronic component.

[0052] Example implementations are also described regarding fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) networks that can configure UEs to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements based on a network-configurable sharing factor. However, references to 5G NR networks are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementations can be used with any suitable type of network.

[0053] Throughout this specification, various information elements (IEs) are referred to by specific names. It should be understood that these names are merely examples, and the IEs carrying the information referenced throughout this specification may be referenced by various entities under other names.

[0054] Figure 1A and Figure 1B : communication system Figure 1AA simplified example wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 1A The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0055] As shown in the figure, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N, etc., via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0056] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UE 106A to UE 106N.

[0057] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE (also known as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), its alternative location may be referred to as 'eNodeB' or 'eNB'. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, its alternative location may be referred to as "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0058] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various telecommunications capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0059] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B, ..., 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-106N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0060] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1A The illustrated UE 106A-N is a "serving cell," but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing a service area size. For example, Figure 1A The illustrated base station 102A-B could be a macro cell, while base station 102N could be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0061] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0062] It should be noted that UE 106 may be able to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) other than at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.)). If desired, UE 106 may also be configured, or alternatively, to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H) and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0063] Figure 1B User equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 and access point 112 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 106 can be a device with cellular and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0064] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any method implementation of the method implementations described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method implementations described herein or any portion thereof.

[0065] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0066] In some implementations, UE 106 may include independent transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including independent antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communication using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0067] Figure 2 : block diagram of a base station Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base station 102 according to some implementation schemes are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 204, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0068] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices, such as UE device 106, as described above in Figure 1 and... Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in the text.

[0069] Network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 270 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0070] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0071] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 230. Antenna 234 communicates with radio component 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0072] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0073] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 204 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270, the processor 204 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0074] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 204 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 204. Therefore, processor 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0075] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 230 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio component 230. Therefore, radio component 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230.

[0076] In some implementations, the base station or gNB 102 and / or its processor 204 may be able to and configured to: determine a measurement object (MO) configured for Layer 3 (L3) measurement for the user equipment; determine a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cell for the user equipment (UE); select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, which includes a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for the MO relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities; and encode the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of the LTM candidate cell at the UE.

[0077] Figure 3 : block diagram of a server Figure 3 Example block diagrams of server 104 according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 3 The server shown is merely one example of a possible server. As illustrated, server 104 may include processor 344 capable of executing program instructions for server 104. Processor 344 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 374, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 344 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 364 and read-only memory (ROM) 354) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0078] Server 104 can be configured to provide network access functionality to multiple devices, such as base station 102 and UE device 106, for example, as further described herein.

[0079] In some implementations, server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) access network. In some implementations, server 104 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network.

[0080] As described herein, server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. Processor 344 of server 104 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 344 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 354, 364, and / or 374, processor 344 of server 104 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0081] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 344 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 344. Therefore, processor 344 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 344. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 344.

[0082] Figure 4 : Block diagram of a UE Figure 4 A simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some implementation schemes is shown. Note that... Figure 4 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to the implementation, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC), and / or a combination of devices, as well as other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 400 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 400 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.

[0083] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 420 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 460 that may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 430 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ (and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0084] Cellular communication circuitry 430 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435 and 436 shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 437 and 438 shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to antennas 435 and 436 in addition to or instead of being coupled to antennas 437 and 438. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 and / or cellular communication circuitry 430 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0085] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a specific RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0086] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 460 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0087] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 445 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 445. It should be noted that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functions, such as one or more UICC cards 445, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that can be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Therefore, a SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or SIM 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), sometimes referred to as "eSIMs" or "eSIM cards"). In some implementations (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more SIMs within the SIM can implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such implementations, a single SIM within the SIM can execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in memory and executed by the processor. In some implementations, UE 106 may include, as needed, a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality). For example, UE 106 may include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also envisioned.

[0088] As described above, in some implementations, UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 allows UE 106 to support two different phone numbers and allows UE 106 to communicate on two or more corresponding networks. For example, the first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and the second SIM 106 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Other specific implementations and RATs are also possible. In some implementations, when UE 106 includes two SIMs, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDA) functionality. DSDA functionality allows UE 106 to connect to two networks simultaneously (and use two different RATs), or allows two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be maintained simultaneously on the same or different networks. DSDA functionality also allows UE 106 to receive voice calls or data traffic simultaneously on either phone number. In some implementations, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls can be received using LTE-based Voice (VoLTE) technology and / or NR-based Voice (VoNR) technology. In some implementations, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. DSDS functionality allows either of the two SIMs in UE 106 to remain in standby while awaiting a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data connection is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some implementations, DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) can be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that performs multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0089] As shown in the figure, the SOC 400 may include a processor 402 and a display circuit 404. The processor executes program instructions of the communication device 106, and the display circuit performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 460. The processor 402 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 402 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read-only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410)), and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices (such as display circuitry 404, short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuitry 429, cellular communication circuitry 430, connector I / F 420, and / or display 460). The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as part of the processor 402.

[0090] As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above to communicate a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or further), processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460, processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0091] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 402. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 402.

[0092] Additionally, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 430 and the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 430, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Similarly, the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-to-mid-range wireless communication circuit 429.

[0093] In some implementations, gNB 102 and / or its processor 402 may be configured and / or able to select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities, as described herein.

[0094] Figure 5 : block diagram of cellular communication circuit Figure 5 Exemplary simplified block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to the implementation, the cellular communication circuit 530 (which may be the cellular communication circuit 430) may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As noted above, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of these devices.

[0095] The cellular communication circuit 530 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 4 Antennas 435a-b and 436 are shown in the diagram. In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include dedicated receive chains for various RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 530 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0096] As shown, modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and memory 516 communicating with processors 512. Modem 510 may communicate with radio frequency (RF) front end 530. RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 530 may include receiver circuitry (RX) 532 and transmitter circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 532 may communicate with downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0097] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 communicating with processor 522. Modem 520 may communicate with RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receiving circuitry 542 and transmitting circuitry 544. In some embodiments, receiving circuitry 542 may communicate with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0098] In some implementations, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front-end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 544 to UL front-end 572. UL front-end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state allowing modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 534 and UL front-end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state allowing modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 544 and UL front-end 572).

[0099] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for UL data used in time-division multiplexing NSA NR operation, as well as various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or further), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining one or more of other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336.

[0100] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0101] For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or further), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336, processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0102] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 522. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0103] In some implementations, processors 512, 522 may be configured to select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities, as further described herein.

[0104] Figure 6 : block diagram of a baseband processor architecture for a UE Figure 6 Example components of device 600 according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 6 The device described is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any type of UE as needed.

[0105] In some embodiments, device 600 may include application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or more antennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 (at least coupled together as shown). Components of the illustrated device 600 may be included in UE 106 or a RAN node. In some embodiments, device 600 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 602, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 600 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0106] Application circuitry 602 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). These processors may be coupled to or may include memory / storage devices and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 600. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0107] Baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 606 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 606. Baseband processing circuitry 604 may interact with application circuitry 602 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 604 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor 604A, a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other existing, under development, or future generations of baseband processors 604D (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 604 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 604A-D) may process various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 604A-D may be included in modules stored in memory 604G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 604E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), pre-decoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Implementations of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0108] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (“DSPs”) 604F. The audio DSP 604F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry 602 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0109] In some implementations, baseband circuit 604 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 604 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 604 is configured to support radio communication with more than one radio protocol may be referred to as multimode baseband circuits.

[0110] RF circuit 606 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 606 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 606 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 608 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 604. RF circuit 606 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 604 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 608.

[0111] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 606 may include mixer circuit 606a, amplifier circuit 606b, and filter circuit 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 606 may include filter circuit 606c and mixer circuit 606a. RF circuit 606 may also include synthesizer circuit 606d for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 606a in both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 606a in the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 606d. Amplifier circuit 606b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 606c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 604 for further processing. In some implementations, these output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, but this is not necessary. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 606a in the receiving signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0112] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 606d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 608. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 604 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 606c.

[0113] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and quadrature upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0114] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 606 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuit 604 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with RF circuit 606.

[0115] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0116] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a Δ-∑ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0117] Synthesizer circuit 606d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on a frequency input and a divider control input for use by mixer circuit 606a of RF circuit 606. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0118] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not necessary. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 or the application processor 602 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 602.

[0119] The synthesizer circuit 606d of the RF circuit 606 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0120] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0121] FEM circuit 608 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 610, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 606 for further processing. FEM circuit 608 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 606 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 606, only in FEM 608, or in both RF circuit 606 and FEM 608.

[0122] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 608 may include a TX / RX switch for switching between transmit and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA for amplifying the received RF signal and providing the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., provided to RF circuit 606). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying (e.g., provided by RF circuit 606) the input RF signal; and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 610).

[0123] In some implementations, the PMC 612 manages the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 604. Specifically, the PMC 612 controls power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 612 is typically included when the device 600 can be battery powered, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 612 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0124] Although Figure 6A PMC 612 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 604, but in other embodiments, the PMC 612 may be coupled additionally or alternatively to other components such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 602, the RF circuit 606, or the FEM 608, and perform similar power management operations for these other components.

[0125] In some implementations, the PMC 612 may be controlled or otherwise incorporated into various power-saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if the device 600 is in the Radio Resource Control_Connected (RRC_Connected) state, where the device remains connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic immediately, it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 600 may be powered down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0126] If there is no data traffic activity during the extended period, device 600 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 600 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then powers off again. Device 600 may be unable to receive data in this state, and to receive data, it will transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0127] An additional power-saving mode renders the device unusable for a period exceeding the paging interval (from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and may be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0128] The processor of application circuit 602 and the processor of baseband circuit 604 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuit 604 can be used individually or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functionality, while the processor of application circuit 604 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmit communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 (L3) may include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which is described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 (L2) may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which are described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 (L1) may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which is described in further detail below. Therefore, baseband circuit 604 can be used to encode messages for transmission between the UE and gNB, or to decode messages received between the UE and gNB.

[0129] For example, baseband circuitry 604 can be used to encode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells located at the UE. In another embodiment, baseband circuitry 604 can be used to decode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme received from the next-generation node B (gNB) at the UE for the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 1 measurements of Layer-triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells located at the UE. These examples are not intended to be limiting. Baseband circuitry can be used as previously described.

[0130] Figure 7 Block diagram of the baseband circuit interface Figure 7 Example interfaces of baseband circuits according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. Note that... Figure 7 The baseband circuit is merely one example of a possible circuit, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of various systems as needed.

[0131] As discussed above, Figure 6 The baseband circuit 604 may include processors 604A-604E and a memory 604G utilized by the processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E may respectively include a memory interface 704A-704E for sending / receiving data to / from the memory 604G.

[0132] The baseband circuit 604 may further include: one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 712 (e.g., an interface for transferring data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit 604); and an application circuit interface 714 (e.g., for...). Figure 6 The application circuit 602 is an interface for transmitting data / receiving data from the application circuit; the RF circuit interface 716 (e.g., for transmitting data to / from the application circuit) Figure 6 RF circuit 606 is an interface for transmitting / receiving data from / from the RF circuit; wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., for connecting to / from near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth). ® Components (e.g., Bluetooth) ® Low power consumption, Wi-Fi ® Interfaces for transmitting / receiving data from components and other communication components); and power management interface 720 (e.g., an interface for transmitting or receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 612).

[0133] Figure 8 Control plane protocol stack Figure 8 This is an example of a control plane protocol stack according to some implementation schemes. In this implementation scheme, control plane 800 is shown as a communication protocol stack between UE 106a (or alternatively, UE 106b), RAN node 611 (or alternatively, RAN node 612) and Mobility Management Entity (MME) 621.

[0134] PHY layer 801 can transmit or receive information used by MAC layer 802 through one or more air interfaces. PHY layer 801 can further perform link adaptive or adaptive modulation and decoding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers (such as RRC layer 805). PHY layer 801 can also further perform: error detection of the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna processing.

[0135] MAC layer 802 can perform the following: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC service data units (SDUs) from one or more logical channels onto a transport block (TB) to be delivered to the PHY via the transport channel, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from a transport block (TB) delivered from the PHY via the transport channel onto one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto a TB, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), and logical channel prioritization.

[0136] RLC layer 803 can operate in multiple modes, including Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). RLC layer 803 can perform the transmission of upper-layer Protocol Data Units (PDUs), error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC layer 803 can also re-segment RLC data PDUs used for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs used for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data used for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs used for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors used for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0137] PDCP layer 804 can perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform sequential delivery of upper-layer PDUs during lower-layer re-establishment, eliminate duplication of lower-layer SDUs during lower-layer re-establishment for radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification of control plane data, control timer-based data discarding, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0138] The main services and functions of RRC layer 805 may include broadcasting system information (e.g., included in the Master Information Block (MIB) or System Information Block (SIB) related to the Non-Access Stratum (NAS), broadcasting system information related to the Access Stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections between the UE and E-UTRAN (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, mobility between Radio Access Technologies (RATs), and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. The MIB and SIB may include one or more Information Elements (IEs), each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0139] UE 601 and RAN node 611 can exchange control plane data via a protocol stack including PHY layer 801, MAC layer 802, RLC layer 803, PDCP layer 804 and RRC layer 805 using a Uu interface (e.g., LTE-Uu interface).

[0140] The Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol 806 forms the highest layer of the control plane between UE 601 and MME 621. NAS protocol 806 supports the mobility and session management procedures of UE 601 to establish and maintain IP connectivity between UE 601 and P-GW 623.

[0141] The S1 Application Protocol (S1-AP) layer 815 supports the functions of the S1 interface and includes the Basic Procedure (EP). The EP is the interaction unit between RAN node 1010 and CN 1020. S1-AP layer services can include two sets: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. These services perform functions including, but not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0142] The Flow Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer (optionally referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 814 may, in part, rely on the IP protocol supported by the IP layer 813 to ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 611 and the MME 621. The L2 layer 812 and the L1 layer 811 may refer to the communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) used by the RAN node and the MME to exchange information.

[0143] RAN node 611 and MME 621 can exchange control plane data via the S1-MME interface through a protocol stack including L1 layer 811, L2 layer 812, IP layer 813, SCTP layer 814 and S1-AP layer 815.

[0144] Figure 9 User plane protocol stack Figure 9 This is an example of a user plane protocol stack according to some implementation schemes. In this implementation, user plane 900 is shown as a communication protocol stack between UE 106A (or alternatively, UE 106B or 106N), RAN node 611 (or alternatively, RAN node 612), S-GW 622, and P-GW 623. User plane 900 may utilize at least some of the same protocol layers as control plane 800. For example, UE 601 and RAN node 611 may exchange user plane data via a protocol stack including PHY layer 801, MAC layer 802, RLC layer 803, and PDCP layer 804 using a Uu interface (e.g., LTE-Uu interface).

[0145] The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) layer 904 can be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data can be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats. The UDP and IP Security (UDP / IP) layer 903 provides checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication for selected data streams. RAN node 611 and S-GW 622 can exchange user plane data using the S1-U interface via a protocol stack including L1 layer 811, L2 layer 812, UDP / IP layer 903, and GTP-U layer 904. S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 can exchange user plane data using the S5 / S8a interface via a protocol stack including L1 layer 811, L2 layer 812, UDP / IP layer 903, and GTP-U layer 904. (As described above...) Figure 8 The NAS protocol discussed here supports the mobility and session management process of UE 106 to establish and maintain IP 913 connectivity between UE 106 and P-GW 623.

[0146] Figure 10 Core network Figure 10 Example architectures of system 1000, including core network (CN) 1020, are illustrated according to various implementation schemes. CN 1020 may be the core network of a 5G system (which may be referred to as 5GC). System 1000 is shown to include UE 1001, which may be the same as or similar to UE 106A, 106B, or 106N previously discussed; (R)AN 102, which may be the same as or similar to BS 102A or 102N previously discussed; and data network (DN) 1003, which may be, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services; and CN 1020. CN 1020 may include multiple network functions, including Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 1022; Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 1021; Session Management Function (SMF) 1024; Network Exposure Function (NEF) 1023; Policy Control Function (PCF) 1026; Network Repository Function (NRF) 1025; Unified Data Management (UDM) 1027; Application Function (AF) 1028; User Plane Function (UPF) 1002; and Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 1029. In some cases, these network functions may be implemented as virtualization software-based functions / services.

[0147] UPF 1002 can act as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external Packet Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnected with DN 1003, and a branch point supporting multihomed PDU sessions. A PDU session is a logical connection between the UE and the DN. UPF 1002 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion of policy rules, lawful packet interception (user plane (UP) collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing on the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic verification (e.g., Service Data Stream (SDF) to QoS stream mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 1002 may include an uplink classifier to support traffic flow routing to the data network, and DN 1003 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 1003 may include or be similar to the previously discussed application server 430. UPF 1002 can interact with SMF1024 via the N4 reference point between SMF 1021 and UPF 1002.

[0148] AUSF 1022 can store authentication data for UE 1001 and handle authentication-related functionality. AUSF 1022 can facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. AUSF 1022 can communicate with AMF 1021 via the N12 reference point between AMF 1021 and AUSF 1022; and can communicate with UDM 1027 via the N13 reference point between UDM 1027 and AUSF 1022. Additionally, AUSF 1022 can present an interface based on Nausf services.

[0149] AMF 1021 is responsible for registration management (e.g., registering UE 1001, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 1021 can be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 1021 and SMF 1024. AMF 1021 provides transport for SM messages between UE 1001 and SMF 1024 and acts as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 1021 can also be used between UE 1001 and SMSF (… Figure 10AMF 1021 provides transmission of Short Message Service (SMS) messages between (not shown). AMF 1021 can act as a Security Anchor Function (SEAF), which may include interaction with AUSF 1022 and UE 1001, and reception of an intermediate key established due to the UE 1001 authentication process. In the case of authentication using the Universal User Identity Module (UMTS), AMF 1021 may retrieve security material from AUSF 1022. AMF 1021 may also include a Security Context Management (SCM) function, which receives a key from the SEAF for deriving a network-specific access key. Furthermore, AMF 1021 may be the termination point of the RAN Control Plane (CP) interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021, and AMF 1021 may be the termination point of NAS (N1) signaling, performing NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0150] AMF 1021 can also support NAS signaling with UE 1001 via a Non-3GPP Interoperability Function (N3IWF) interface. N3IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. N3IWF can be the termination point of the N2 interface between the control plane (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021, and can be the termination point of the N3 reference point between the user plane (R)AN 1010 and UPF 1002. Therefore, AMF 1021 can process N2 signaling for PDU sessions from SMF 1024 and AMF 1021, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunneling, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to the N3 packet markings, while taking into account the QoS requirements associated with such markings received via N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control plane non-access stratum (NAS) signaling between UE 1001 and AMF 1021 via the N1 reference point between UE 1001 and AMF 1021, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between UE 1001 and UPF 1002. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel using UE 1001. AMF 1021 can present an interface based on Namf services and can be the N14 reference point between two AMF 1021s, as well as the AMF 1021 and the 5G Equipment Identity Register (5G-EIR). Figure 10 The endpoint of the N17 reference point (not shown).

[0151] UE 1001 may need to register with AMF 1021 to receive network services. Registration Management (RM) is used to register or deregister UE 1001 with the network (e.g., AMF 1021) and to establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 1021). UF 1001 can operate in RM-REGISTERED or RM-DEREGISTERED states. In RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 1001 does not register with the network, and the UE context in AMF 1021 does not maintain valid location or routing information for UE 1001, therefore AMF 1021 cannot reach UE 1001. In RM-REGISTERED state, UE 1001 registers with the network, and the UE context in AMF 1021 can maintain valid location or routing information for UE 1001, therefore AMF 1021 can reach UE 1001. In RM-REGISTERED state, UE 1001 can perform mobility registration update procedures, periodic registration update procedures triggered by the expiration of periodic update timers (e.g., notifying the network that UE 1001 is still active), and registration update procedures to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0152] The AMF 1021 can store one or more RM contexts for UE 1001, where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context can be a data structure, database object, etc., indicating or storing registration status and periodic update timers, particularly for each access type. The AMF 1021 can also store 5GC Mobility Management (MM) contexts that are the same as or similar to the Evolved Packet Services (EPS) Mobility Management (E) MM contexts discussed earlier. In various implementations, the AMF 1021 can store UE 1001's CE Mode B restriction parameters in the associated MM context or Registration Management (RM) context. The AMF 1021 can also derive values ​​from UE usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when needed.

[0153] Connection Management (CM) can be used to establish and release signaling connections between UE 1001 and AMF 1021 via the N1 interface. Signaling connections are used to enable NAS signaling exchange between UE 1001 and CN 1020, and include signaling connections between the UE and AN (e.g., RRC connections for non-3GPP access or UE-N3IWF connections) and N2 connections between the AN (e.g., AN 1010) and AMF 1021 for UE 1001. UE 1001 can operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When UE 1001 operates in CM-IDLE state / mode, UE 1001 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 1021 via the N1 interface, and (R)AN 1010 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) may exist for UE 1001. When UE 1001 operates in CM-CONNECTED state / mode, UE 1001 may have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 1021 via the N1 interface, and may have a (R)AN 1010 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for UE 1001. Establishing an N2 connection between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021 allows UE 1001 to transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM-CONNECTED mode, and UE 1001 can transition from CM-CONNECTED mode to CM-IDLE mode when the N2 signaling between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021 is released.

[0154] SMF 1024 is responsible for Session Management (SM), session establishment, modification, and publication (including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuration of UPF traffic redirection to route traffic to the correct destination; termination of the interface toward policy control functions; policy enforcement and QoS control portions; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system); termination of the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiation of AN-specific SM information sent to the AN via N2 through the AMF; and determination of the SSC mode of the session. SM may refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to the PDU connectivity service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 1001, identified by the Data Network Name (DNN), and Data Network (DN) 1003. A PDU session can be established upon request from UE 1001, modified upon request from both UE 1001 and CN 1020, and released upon request from both UE 1001 and CN 1020 using NAS SM signaling exchanged via the N1 reference point between UE 1001 and SMF1024. Upon request from the application server, CN 1020 can trigger a specific application within UE 1001. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 1001 can pass the trigger message (or relevant portions / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications within UE 1001. The identified application within UE 1001 can establish a PDU session to a specific data network name (DNN). SMF 1024 can check whether the UE 1001 request matches the user subscription information associated with UE 1001. In this regard, SMF 1024 can retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications regarding SMF1024 level subscription data from UDM 1027.

[0155] The SMF 1024 may include the following roaming functionalities: handling local execution to apply QoS SLAB Virtual Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system, in the VPLMN); and support for interaction with external DNs to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication via external DNs. In roaming scenarios, an N16 reference point between two SMF 1024s may be included in System 1000, which may be located between another SMF 1024 in the visited network and an SMF 1024 in the home network. Additionally, the SMF 1024 may present an interface based on NSMF services.

[0156] The NEF 1023 provides components for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 1028), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such implementations, the NEF 1023 can authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict AFS. The NEF 1023 can also translate information exchanged with AF 1028 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 1023 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal SCC information. The NEF 1023 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposure capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data at the NEF 1023 or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information can then be re-exposed by the NEF 1023 to other NFs and AFs, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. Additionally, the NEF 1023 can present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0157] The NRF 1025 supports service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to them. The NRF 1025 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, terms such as "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. Additionally, the NRF 1025 can present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0158] The PCF 1026 can provide policy rules to control plane functions for enforcement and supports a unified policy framework to manage network behavior. The PCF 1026 can also implement a front-end (FE) to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 1027. The PCF 1026 can communicate with the AMF 1021 via the N15 reference point between the PCF 1026 and the AMF 1021, which can include the PCF 1026 in the visited network and the AMF 1021 in roaming scenarios. PCF 1026 can communicate with AF 1028 via the NS reference point between PCF 1026 and AF 1028; and communicate with SMF 1024 via the N7 reference point between PCF 1026 and SMF 1024. System 1000 and / or CN 1020 may also include an N24 reference point between PCF 1026 (in the home network) and PCF 1026 in the visited network. In addition, PCF 1026 may present an interface based on NPCF services.

[0159] UDM 1027 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and can store subscription data for UE 1001. For example, subscription data can be communicated between UDM 1027 and AMF 1021 via an NS reference point between UDM 1027 and AMF. UDM 1027 may include two parts: Application FE and UDR ( Figure 10 (FE and UDR are not shown). The UDR may store subscription data and policy data of UDM 1027 and PCF 1026, and / or structured data for exposure of NEF 1023, as well as application data (including PFD for application detection, application request information of multiple UE 1001s). An interface based on the Nadr service may be presented by UDR 221 to allow UDM 1027, PCF 1026, and NEF 1023 to access a specific set of stored data, and to read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notifications of relevant data changes in the UDR. The UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR may interact with SMF 1024 via the N10 reference point between UDM 1027 and SMF 1024. The UDM 1027 also supports SMS management, with SMS-FE implementing similar application logic as previously discussed. Additionally, the UDM 1027 can present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0160] AF 1028 can provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to the NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. The NCE can be a mechanism allowing CN 1020 and AF 1028 to provide information to each other via NEF 1023, which can be used in edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 1001 access point to achieve efficient service delivery through reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, 5GC can select UPF 1002 near UE 1001 and perform traffic redirection from UPF 502 to ON 1003 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 1028. In this way, AF 1028 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 1028 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow AF 1028 to interact directly with the relevant NF. In addition, the AF 1028 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0161] NSSF 1029 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 501. If needed, NSSF 1029 can also determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed individual NSSAI (S-NSSAI). NSSF 1029 can also determine the AMF set, or list of candidate AMFs 1021, for serving UE 1001 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 1025. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 1001 can be triggered by AMF 1021, where UE 1001 registers through interaction with NSSF 1029, which can cause a change in AMF 1021. NSSF 1029 can interact with AMF 1021 via the N22 reference point between AMF 1021 and NSSF 1029; and via the N31 reference point (…). Figure 10 (Not shown) communicates with another NSSF 1029 in the visited network. Additionally, the NSSF 1029 can present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0162] As previously discussed, CN 1020 may include a Short Message Service Function (SMSF), which is responsible for SMS subscription checks and verification, as well as relaying SM messages to and / or from UE 1001 or other entities such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers. SMS may also interact with AMF 1021 and UDM 1027 to notify UE 1001 of its availability for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 1027 when UE 1001 is available for SMS).

[0163] CN 1020 may also include Figure 10 Other elements not shown include data storage systems / architecture, 5G-EIR, Secure Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), etc. Data storage systems may include Structured Data Storage Network Function (SDSF), Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF), etc. Any network function (NF) can be transmitted via any NF and UDSF ( Figure 10 The N18 reference point (not shown) is used to store unstructured data in or retrieve unstructured data from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs can share a UDSF to store their respective unstructured data, or each NF can have its own UDSF located at or near its location. Additionally, the UDSF can present an interface based on Nudsf services (…). Figure 10(Not shown). 5G-EIR can be an NF that checks the status of a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) to determine whether a specific piece of equipment / entity should be blacklisted from the network; and SEPP can be a non-transparent agent that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the control plane interface between PLMNs.

[0164] Furthermore, there can be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services; however, for clarity, Figure 10 These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 1020 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and AMF 1021 to enable interoperability between CN 1020 and CNs in the 4G system. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5G-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, reference point N27 between the NRF in the visited network and the NRF in the home network; and reference point N31 between the NSSF in the visited network and the NSSF in the home network.

[0165] Figure 11 UE beamforming using layer 3 The transition from 3GPP LTE to NR offers the prospect of significantly increased bandwidth, providing greater download and upload speeds and reduced latency. One technique used to achieve this is the use of higher frequency bands. The NR specification is divided into two frequency bands: Frequency Range 1 (FR1), which covers the frequency range from 410MHz to 7.125GHz; and Frequency Range 2 (FR2), which covers the frequency range greater than 7.125GHz, including bands with center frequencies from 28GHz to 60GHz, and single-channel bandwidths from 50MHz to 400MHz, and even up to 2000MHz for band n263.

[0166] The millimeter-wave frequencies in FR2, compared to the smaller 3GPP bands in FR1, offer significantly greater bandwidth and transmission speeds to user equipment. However, the higher frequency range in FR2 also results in much greater signal loss due to absorption of the millimeter-wave carrier signal in the atmosphere.

[0167] To overcome the significant signal loss in FR2 while still meeting the specific absorption rate (SAR) transmit power limits at the UE in each country, the NR specification has adopted the use of beamforming. By transmitting power in a relatively narrow beam, the signal can travel a greater distance to the receiver compared to transmission using omnidirectional or wide-angle antennas.

[0168] Figure 11An example illustration is provided of UE 106 using receive beamforming to communicate with multiple cells to improve downlink performance according to some implementation schemes. As a baseline, Layer 3 measurements (such as Radio Resource Monitoring (RRM) requirements) have been derived based on the assumption that UE 106 can only perform measurements with one beam at a time. When UE 106 is performing L3 measurements, UE 106 needs to perform receive beam scanning so that the UE can detect and measure all neighboring cells in different directions.

[0169] 5G NR has introduced cell measurement using Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Blocks (SSBs). An SSB consists of a synchronization signal (including a primary synchronization signal and a secondary synchronization signal) and a PBCH. The number of SSBs in a burst depends on the frequency band of the transmitted signal. If the center frequency F... c If the frequency is less than 3 GHz, the number of SSBs is four. When F c Between 3 GHz and 6 GHz, the number of SSBs is 8. For center frequencies above 6 GHz, in FR2, the number of SSBs within a burst is 64, enabling the use of beamforming to transmit signals, where each cell has multiple potential signals. The SSB periodicity can be configured for each cell in ranges of 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms.

[0170] The SSB-based RRM Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) window provides the time period and periodicity for UE measurements of SSBs. The UE receives the SMTC window periodicity and duration from the base station. The UE then detects and measures the SSBs within the window and reports the measurement results back to the base station. When the UE has only a single receive chain, it can communicate with the base station or perform L3 measurements on neighboring cells, but not both simultaneously. The base station can allocate time periods called measurement gaps, during which the UE can perform L3 measurements on one or more SSBs in neighboring cells. The base station can appropriately set the SMTC window and measurement gap length based on the burst periodicity of the SSBs. Different SMTC periods can be set for the primary measurements of SSB timing offset and duration. A second SMTC window can be used to perform auxiliary measurement timing for synchronization signals.

[0171] Because a UE can only communicate with one beam at a time, it cannot perform any downlink (DL) reception or uplink (UL) transmission with the serving cell while performing L3 measurements with a neighboring cell. This is reflected in the scheduling limitations specified in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.133. For example, the scheduling availability of a UE performing measurements on FR2 is discussed in Section 9.2.5.3.3 of TS 38.133 Ver 18.3.0 (September 2023). For in-frequency measurements without measurement gaps, when the UE is performing Layer 3 or Layer 1 measurements (such as Synchronization Signal (SS) Received Signal Received Power (RSRP) or SS-SINR measurement) on a cell within the FR2 frequency, the UE does not expect to transmit on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), or Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) on the SSB symbol to be measured within the SMTC window duration, nor does it expect to receive on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

[0172] In addition to performing L3 measurements (such as RRM measurements), the UE also needs to perform Layer 1 (L1) measurements, such as Radio Link Monitoring (RLM), Beam Failure Detection (BFD), Candidate Beam Detection (CBD), and L1-RSRP. These examples are not intended to be limiting. The UE may also perform other types of L1 measurements.

[0173] Figure 12 UE beamforming using layer 1 Figure 12 Examples of L3 and L1 measurements for a cell according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. To locate neighboring cells and / or additional beams of the target cell, UE 106 can perform L3 measurements using a coarse beam 1202 with a wider beamwidth. The UE can then perform L1 measurements using a thin beam 1204 with a narrower beamwidth relative to the coarse beam used for L3 measurements. The UE cannot perform L3 and L1 measurements simultaneously on a single receive chain.

[0174] Figure 13 Measurements of Layer 3 and Layer 1 For example, when the L3 reference signal (i.e., CSI-RS, SSB DMRS, or SSB SS) completely overlaps with the L1 reference signal, it is assumed that the UE will require priority for L3 measurements. To prioritize L3 measurements, a scaling factor K is used in the L3 measurement requirements. layer1_measurement = 1.5. Another scaling factor P sharing factor = 3 is added to L1 measurements, such as RLM, BFD, CBD, or L1-RSRP requirements.

[0175] Figure 13 Examples of potentially overlapping L3 and L1 measurements performed by a UE according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. L1 measurements can be performed at a higher repetition rate (more frequently) compared to L3 measurements. This is based on a scaling factor K. layer1_measurement = 1.5 and P sharing factor = 3. For every 3 measurement opportunities, the UE uses 2 of these measurement opportunities for L3 measurement and 1 of these measurement opportunities for L1 measurement.

[0176] Figure 14 L3 measurement using L1 scaling factor Figure 14 An example of the L1 scaling factor K is given. layer1_measurement An example of the time period applied in FR2 for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS). This example is taken from Table 9.2.5.1-2 of 3GPP TS 38.133 V. 18.3.0 (September 2023). In the allocated time period for synchronization signal detection in gapless frequency measurements, the measurement time period T is used for cases with no DRX, DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, and DRX cycle greater than 320 ms. PSS / SSS sync intra Scaling factor K by L1 layer1_measurement Scaling. The specification states that the scaling factor K... layer1_measurement- It can be equal to 1.5.

[0177] Figure 15 L1 measurement using L3 scaling factor Figure 15 An example of the L3 scaling factor P is given. sharing factor (In this example, it is exemplified as P) The measurement period T applied to FR2 L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB An example is provided. This example is taken from Table 9.5.4.1-2 of 3GPP TS 38.133 V. 18.3.0 (September 2023). For non-DRX, DRX cycle less than or equal to 320ms, and DRX cycle greater than 320ms, the measurement period of L1-RSRP measurements is scaled by a scaling factor P. The specification states that the scaling factor (shared factor) P can be equal to 3. Therefore, based on the two scaling factors, for every 3 measurement opportunities, the UE uses 2 of these measurement opportunities for L3 and one of these opportunities for L1.

[0178] Figure 16 Measurement Report Handover mobility is the process of transferring a UE's ongoing communication session from one cell to another while in a connected state. The handover process is designed to enable the UE to interact with the core network (e.g., 1020) when it moves between different cells in the network. Figure 10Continuous connectivity. Mobility can be divided into two types: beam-level mobility and cell-level mobility.

[0179] Beam-level mobility does not require triggering RRC signaling. Handover from one beam to another can be performed within a cell or between cells. Beam-level mobility can be achieved using L1 and L2 signaling via the physical layer and medium access control (MAC) layer control signaling. The UE does not need to use RRC signaling to hand over to a new beam.

[0180] In contrast, cell-level mobility does use explicit RRC signaling. The signaling process may include: a handover request transmitted from the source gNB to the destination gNB via RRC signaling, a handover request confirmation transmitted from the destination gNB to the source gNB, an RRC reconfiguration IE transmitted from the source gNB to the UE, and an RRC reconfiguration completion IE transmitted from the UE to the destination gNB.

[0181] The handover process for NR is derived from the process used in 3GPP 4G LTE, in which the network controls UE mobility based on UE measurement reports. The UE can perform RRM measurements of neighboring cells and report the results to the gNB. The gNB can then select a target gNB based on the measurements reported by the gNB.

[0182] In FR2, beamforming is used to mitigate high-frequency signal loss in the atmosphere. Signal degradation can occur much faster than in cell-level mobility when the UE changes direction or moves away from the beam. Channel conditions can also deteriorate rapidly when the line-of-sight link with the cell beam changes. Layer 3 measurements and reports using RRC signaling may not occur frequently enough to allow handover to a new beam when signal loss occurs in the target beam.

[0183] Release 18 of the 3GPP NR specification discloses the concept of lower-layer (L1 / L2) triggered mobility (LTM). LTM can use L1 / L2 signaling to implement serving cell changes while maintaining the configuration of the upper layers. This reduces latency and decreases on / off load and potential downtime during handover.

[0184] Figure 16An example LTM procedure 1600 is provided. In the first step, the UE, in an RRC connection state with the gNB, can transmit a measurement report to the gNB. This measurement report is an L3 measurement report 1602. The gNB can then transmit an RRC reconfiguration message with an LTM candidate configuration to the UE. The UE can transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the gNB. The UE can then perform L1 measurements 1604, which include DL and UL synchronization with the candidate target cell indicated in the RRC reconfiguration message. Timing advance acquisition with the candidate target cell can also be performed. The L1 measurement report can then be transmitted from the UE to the gNB. The gNB can then decide whether to perform an LTM cell handover to one of the candidate target cells. A MAC control element (MAC-CE) can be sent from the gNB to the UE to trigger the LTM handover. The UE can then switch to the LTM candidate target cell configuration. If timing advance is not available, the UE can perform a random access procedure with the target cell. The UE can indicate that the LTM cell handover to the target cell was successful. The UE can perform a partial or full MAC reset. During cell handover, the UE can also re-establish RLC and perform data recovery with the PDCP layer.

[0185] LTM procedure 1600 provides a faster mechanism for the UE to quickly hand over between different beams within the same cell or between adjacent cells when the UE moves between cells configured for FR2 using beamforming and beam scanning mechanisms. However, utilizing the current scaling factor K layer1_measurement = 1.5 and P sharing factor = 3, the UE is configured to perform L3 measurements using 2 out of every 3 measurement opportunities. The SSB configured by LTM for L1 measurements may completely overlap with the SMTC window used for L3 measurements, such as... Figure 13 As illustrated, in example procedure 1600 for LTM, an L3 measurement report 1602 is first executed. Then, the network configures L1 measurements 1604 after receiving the L3 report from the UE. This means the UE is very close to the candidate target cell. If L3 measurements still take precedence over L1 measurements of the target cell, the network may not be able to trigger LTM in a timely manner because, due to the current scaling factor, L1 measurements may only occur once every three measurement opportunities. Furthermore, the L3 measurement periodicity can be relatively long compared to the L1 measurement periodicity. Due to the static scaling factor implemented in the current specification, waiting for multiple L3 measurements to occur before executing L1 measurements can lead to excessive delays, potentially reducing the effectiveness of using LTM.

[0186] Figure 17 Network configurable sharing factor for LTM candidate cells In some implementations, a network-configurable sharing factor P can be introduced. L3LTMThis allows for control over measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements for LTM candidate cells. Unlike the previously described static sharing factor used to proportionally allocate L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurements, the network can flexibly and dynamically configure different sharing factors P for different scenarios. L3LTM Values. For example, when there are a large number of L3 measurement targets but only a limited number of LTM candidate cells, the network can choose to assign more measurement opportunities to L3 measurements. The L3 measurement periodicity can be relatively longer compared to the L1 measurement periodicity. Therefore, the network's ability to select a ratio favorable to L3 measurements when necessary allows the UE to perform L3 measurements efficiently, while also taking into account the LTM process. When multiple LTM candidate cells exist, the network can configure a sharing factor P that favors L1 measurements. L3LTM This enables the network to use LTM procedure 1600 to trigger L1 measurement 1604 and transmit L1 measurement reports, allowing the network to make timely LTM decisions for handover.

[0187] Figure 17 Example example of pseudocode 1700 is provided, which is used by the network to configure the sharing factor P. L3LTM This example demonstrates how to dynamically control the measurement opportunity sharing period between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells at the UE. In this example, the L3 LTM Sharing Scheme is included in the Measurement Configuration IE, which is communicated from the gNB to the UE via RRC communication. The L3 LTM Sharing Scheme is a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme. This example is not intended to be restrictive. Network configuration sharing factors used to control the measurement opportunity sharing period between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells at the UE may have different names and may be communicated using different information elements.

[0188] In example pseudocode 1700, the L3LTMSharingScheme enables the network to share measurements among four different schemes: scheme00, scheme01, scheme02, scheme03, and scheme04. Each scheme can set a different ratio for sharing measurement opportunities between L3 and L1 measurements based on network conditions and measurements reported by the UE to the gNB.

[0189] Figure 18 : Measurement opportunity scaling factor (P) for L3 L3LTM ) Figure 18Example illustrations of different schemes 1800 are provided, which can be selected by the network and used to configure the UE using pseudocode 1700 or another information element. In this example, four separate schemes are shown. Each scheme provides a different ratio of measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements. In this example, scheme 0 is mapped to scheme00 in pseudocode 1700. Similarly, scheme 1 is mapped to scheme01, scheme 2 to scheme02, and scheme 3 to scheme03.

[0190] exist Figure 18 In the illustrated example scheme 1800, scheme 0 provides LTM candidate cells with a scaling factor (P) of 2 for L3 measurement opportunities. L3LTM_L3 ) and a scaling factor of 2 for L1 measurement opportunities (P) L3LTM_LTM This provides a 1:1 L3 to L1 ratio. In other words, based on two scaling factors, for every four measurement opportunities, the UE will use two of those opportunities to perform an L3 measurement and two of those opportunities to perform an L1 measurement.

[0191] exist Figure 18 In the illustrated example scheme 1800, scheme 1 provides the LTM candidate cell with a scaling factor (P) of 1.5 for L3 measurement opportunities. L3LTM_L3 ) and a scaling factor of 3 for L1 measurement opportunities (P) L3LTM_LTM This provides a 2:1 L3 to L1 ratio. In other words, based on two scaling factors, for every 3 measurement opportunities, the UE will use two of those measurement opportunities to perform an L3 measurement and one of those to perform an L1 measurement.

[0192] exist Figure 18 In the illustrated example scheme 1800, scheme 2 provides LTM candidate cells with a scaling factor of 4 / 3 for L3 measurement opportunities (P). L3LTM_L3 ) and a scaling factor of 4 for L1 measurement opportunities (P L3LTM_LTM This provides a 3:1 L3 to L1 ratio. In other words, based on two scaling factors, for every four measurement opportunities, the UE will use three of those opportunities to perform L3 measurements and one of those opportunities to perform L1 measurements.

[0193] exist Figure 18 In the illustrated example scheme 1800, scheme 3 provides LTM candidate cells with a scaling factor (P) of 3 for L3 measurement opportunities. L3LTM_L3 ) and a scaling factor of 1.5 for L1 measurement opportunities (PL3LTM_LTM This provides a 1:2 L3 to L1 ratio. In other words, based on two scaling factors, for every 3 measurement opportunities, the UE will use one of those measurement opportunities to perform an L3 measurement and two of those to perform an L1 measurement.

[0194] exist Figure 18 In the illustrated example scheme 1800, scheme 4 provides LTM candidate cells with a scaling factor (P) of 4 for L3 measurement opportunities. L3LTM_L3 ) and a scaling factor of 4 / 3 for L1 measurement opportunities (P L3LTM_LTM This provides a 1:3 L3 to L1 ratio. In other words, based on two scaling factors, for every four measurement opportunities, the UE will use one of those measurement opportunities to perform an L3 measurement and three of those to perform an L1 measurement.

[0195] Figure 18 The examples illustrated are not intended to be limiting. The network can be configured to select any measurement opportunity ratio and configure the UE to use that ratio, which will enable the UE to effectively perform L3 measurements while responding to LTM procedure 1600 (…). Figure 16 ).

[0196] In some implementations, the network can be configured with a sharing factor P. L3LTM The following conditions apply only if the SSB configured for L1-RSRP measurements outside the measurement gap meets the following criteria: Given that SSB-ToMeasure is configured, it does not overlap with the SSB symbol indicated by SSB-ToMeasure, and one data symbol preceding and following each consecutive SSB symbol indicated by SSB-ToMeasure, where SSB-ToMeasure is the union of SSB-ToMeasure from all configured measurement objects merged on the same serving carrier; and given that ss-RSSI-Measurement is configured, it does not overlap with the RSSI symbol indicated by ss-RSSI-Measurement, and one data symbol preceding and following each RSSI symbol indicated by ss-RSSI-Measurement. Otherwise, P L3LTM_L3 =P L3LTM_LTM = 1.

[0197] Figure 19 Using P L3LTM_L3 L3 measurement of scaling factor Figure 19 An example of the L3 scaling factor P is given. L3LTM_L3 An example of the time periods applied in FR2 for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS). This example is taken from Table 9.2.5.1-2 of 3GPP TS 38.133 V. 18.3.0 (September 2023). The allocated time periods for synchronization signal detection in gapless frequency measurements are for cases with no DRX, DRX cycles less than or equal to 320 ms, and DRX cycles greater than 320 ms. TPSS / SSS sync intra Scaling factor P by L3 L3LTM_L3 Scaling factor scaling. The specification states: scaling factor K... layer1_measurement- It can be equal to 1.5. However, P L3LTM_L3 The scaling factor can be selected by the network and used to configure the UE, as previously discussed. L3LTM_L3 The scaling factor can be selected by the network and combined with P L3LTM_LTM This is transmitted to the UE to configure the UE to minimize the time spent by the UE performing both the L3 measurement and the L1 measurement associated with the LTM procedure 1600, as previously discussed.

[0198] Figure 20 Using P L3LTM_LTM L1 measurement of scaling factor Figure 20 This example illustrates the L1 scaling factor P. L3LTM_LTM The measurement period T applied to FR2 L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_Intra An example. This example could be a new table in 3GPP TS 38.133 V. 18.3.0, such as Table 9.x.4.1-3. For non-DRX, DRX cycle less than or equal to 320ms, and DRX cycle greater than 320ms, the measurement period of the L1-RSRP measurement is respectively scaled by the L1 scaling factor P. L3LTM_LTM Scaling. The specification states that the scaling factor (sharing factor) P can be equal to 3. However, P L3LTM_LTM The scaling factor is not static. P L3LTM_LTM The scaling factor can be selected by the network and used to configure the UE, as previously discussed. L3LTM_LTM The scaling factor can be selected by the network and combined with P L3LTM_L3 A scaling factor is transmitted to the UE to configure the UE to minimize the time spent by the UE performing both the L3 measurement and the L1 measurement associated with the LTM procedure 1600, as previously discussed.

[0199] In some implementations, new UE capabilities (referred to as "X" before the application name or designation) can be used to support the network configurable scaling factor P. L3LTM The new UE capability "X" indicates whether the UE can support the scaling factor P. L3LTM_L3Or is it unable to support the scaling factor P? L3LTM_LTM The new UE capability “X” can be specified by UE or by frequency range (FR). In one example, UE capability “X” can be communicated from the UE to the gNB via RRC communication. UE capability “X” can be specified in 3GPP specifications such as 3GPP TS 38.306.

[0200] In some implementations, networks such as core network 1020 may be configured only to support UE capability “X” (e.g., the UE is able to support scaling factor P). L3LTM_L3 UE configuration P L3LTM If the UE does not support UE capability "X", a predefined fixed sharing can be set between measurement opportunities for L1 and L3. For example, scheme01 can be indicated, where the scaling factor for L3 is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 is 3. This example is not intended to be restrictive. The scaling factor can be set to any value based on network design and configuration.

[0201] In some implementations, when the UE (such as UE 106) does not support the network configurable sharing factor P L3LTM In this case, the UE can reuse existing scaling factors, such as P, for measurement opportunities between L3 and L1 measurements. L3LTM_L3 = 1.5 and P L3LTM_LTM = 3.

[0202] An apparatus for a next-generation Node B (gNB) may include one or more processors coupled to memory, the processors being configured to: determine, for a user equipment (UE), a measurement object (MO) configured for Layer 3 (L3) measurements; determine, for a UE, lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells; select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme comprising a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for the MO relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities; and encode the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells at the UE.

[0203] In some implementations, one or more processors are configured to: determine for the UE the number of MOs configured for L3 measurements; determine for the UE the number of LTM candidate cells; and select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the number of L3 MOs relative to the number of LTM candidate cells.

[0204] In some implementations, one or more processors are configured to select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the measurement type for an MO configured for L3 measurement relative to the measurement type for an LTM candidate cell.

[0205] In some implementations, one or more processors are configured to select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the deployment of MO relative to LTM candidate cells.

[0206] In some implementations, one or more processors are further configured to select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the measurement configuration of the MO relative to the measurement configuration of the LTM candidate cells.

[0207] In some implementations, one or more processors are further configured to encode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme as a network-configurable sharing factor PL3LTM in a Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) Information Element (IE), wherein the scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to be selected from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

[0208] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 2, and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for L3 measurement cycles relative to L1 measurement cycles.

[0209] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0210] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4, to provide a 3:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0211] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0212] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0213] In some implementations, L3 measurement includes: a time period in frequency range 2 (FR2) for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in a synchronization signal block (SSB) for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), or a DRX cycle of less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or a DRX cycle of greater than 320 ms.

[0214] In some implementations, L1 measurement includes: in frequency range 2 (FR2), for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), or DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms, the L1 received signal received power (RSRP) measurement period T Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB.

[0215] In some implementations, one or more processors are further configured to select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme when a synchronization signal block (SSB) configured for Layer 1 Received Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurement outside a measurement gap meets the following conditions: considering that the SSB-ToMeasure Information Element (IE) is configured, it does not overlap with the SSB symbol indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and one data symbol preceding each SSB symbol in a consecutive SSB sequence indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and one data symbol following each SSB symbol in a consecutive SSB sequence indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, wherein the SSB-ToMeasure IE is the union of the SSB-ToMeasure IEs of all configured measurement objects for the UE merged on the same serving carrier; and considering that the ss-RSSI-Measurement is configured, it does not overlap with the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE, and one data symbol following each SSB symbol in a consecutive SSB sequence indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE. One data symbol preceding each RSSI symbol indicated by the IE and one data symbol following each RSSI symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-MeasurementIE do not overlap; otherwise, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes: a scaling factor of 1 for L3 measurement opportunities for MO and a scaling factor of 1 for L1 measurement opportunities to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for L3 measurement cycles relative to L1 measurement cycles.

[0216] In some implementations, one or more processors are further configured to decode the UE's ability to support a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB, wherein when the UE is unable to support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for the MO and a fixed scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities to provide predetermined measurement opportunities for L3 measurement periods relative to L1 measurement periods.

[0217] In some implementations, the fixed scaling factor includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0218] In another example, a user equipment (UE) apparatus may include one or more processors coupled to memory, the processors being configured to: decode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme received at the UE from a next-generation Node B (gNB) for the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between Layer 3 (L3) measurements and Layer 1 measurements of Layer-triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells located at the UE. The processors are configured to perform L3 measurements at the UE during an L3 measurement period scaled based on the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurements. The processors are also configured to perform L1 measurements at the UE during an L1 measurement period scaled based on the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L1 measurements.

[0219] In some implementations, one or more processors are further configured to decode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme into a network-configurable sharing factor PL3LTM in a Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) Information Element (IE), wherein the scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to be selected from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

[0220] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 2, and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for L3 measurement cycles relative to L1 measurement cycles.

[0221] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0222] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4, to provide a 3:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0223] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0224] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0225] In some implementations, L3 measurement includes: a time period in frequency range 2 (FR2) for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in a synchronization signal block (SSB) for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), or a DRX cycle of less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or a DRX cycle of greater than 320 ms.

[0226] In some implementations, L1 measurement includes: in frequency range 2 (FR2), for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), or DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms, the L1 received signal received power (RSRP) measurement period T Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB.

[0227] In some implementations, one or more processors are further configured to: encode at the UE the UE's ability to support a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, wherein when the UE is unable to support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO and a fixed scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities to provide predetermined measurement opportunities for L3 measurement periods relative to L1 measurement periods.

[0228] In some implementations, the fixed scaling factor includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0229] Figure 21 Flowchart of a method for selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme Figure 21 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for setting aggregation levels according to some implementation schemes is shown. (Apart from other devices,) Figure 21 The methods shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or apparatus illustrated in the figures. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently in a different order than those shown, or they may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed.

[0230] According to an implementation scheme, a method 2100 for selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities is disclosed. Method 2100 includes: determining a measurement object (MO) configured for Layer 3 (L3) measurement for a user equipment, as shown in block 2110. The method further includes: determining a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cell for a UE, as shown in block 2120. The determination steps 2110 and 2120 can be performed at a gNB. For example, the gNB can receive reports from the UE regarding the measurement object and LTM candidate cells, enabling the gNB to perform these steps. Alternatively, steps 2110 and 2120 can be performed at a network (e.g., 1020, Figure 10 It is executed at () and communicated to gNB.

[0231] Method 2100 further includes selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, which includes a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for the MO relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities, as shown in box 2130. The scaling factor in the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme can be selected based on the UE and network conditions, as previously described.

[0232] Method 2100 further includes: encoding a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells at the UE, as shown in box 2140.

[0233] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: determining for the UE the number of MOs configured for L3 measurements; determining for the UE the number of LTM candidate cells; and selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the number of L3 MOs relative to the number of LTM candidate cells.

[0234] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the measurement type for an MO configured for L3 measurements relative to the measurement type for an LTM candidate cell.

[0235] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the deployment of MO relative to LTM candidate cells.

[0236] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the measurement configuration of the MO relative to the measurement configuration of the LTM candidate cells.

[0237] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: encoding a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme as a network-configurable sharing factor P in a Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) information element (IE).L3LTM The scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to select from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

[0238] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 2, and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for L3 measurement cycles relative to L1 measurement cycles.

[0239] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0240] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4, to provide a 3:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0241] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0242] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0243] In some implementations, L3 measurement includes: a time period in frequency range 2 (FR2) for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in a synchronization signal block (SSB) for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), or a DRX cycle of less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or a DRX cycle of greater than 320 ms.

[0244] In some implementations, L1 measurement includes: measuring the received power (RSRP) of the L1 received signal within frequency range 2 (FR2) for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms, over a period T. Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB .

[0245] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme when a synchronization signal block (SSB) configured for Layer 1 Received Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurement outside a measurement gap meets the following conditions: considering that the SSB-ToMeasure Information Element (IE) is configured, it does not overlap with the SSB symbol indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and one data symbol preceding each SSB symbol in a consecutive SSB symbol indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and one data symbol following each SSB symbol in a consecutive SSB symbol indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, wherein the SSB-ToMeasure IE is the union of SSB-ToMeasure IEs from all configured measurement objects for the UE merged on the same serving carrier; and considering that the ss-RSSI-Measurement is configured, it does not overlap with the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE, and one data symbol preceding each RSSI symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE, and one data symbol following each RSSI symbol in a consecutive SSB symbol merged by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE. One data symbol following each RSSI symbol indicated by the IE does not overlap; otherwise, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes: a scaling factor of 1 for L3 measurement opportunities for MO and a scaling factor of 1 for L1 measurement opportunities to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for L3 measurement cycles relative to L1 measurement cycles.

[0246] In some implementations, method 2100 may further include: decoding the UE's ability to support a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the gNB, wherein when the UE is unable to support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO and a fixed scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities to provide predetermined measurement opportunities for L3 measurement periods relative to L1 measurement periods.

[0247] In some implementations, the fixed scaling factor includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0248] In some implementations, an apparatus is configured to cause user equipment (UE) to perform the operation of method 2100.

[0249] Figure 22 : Flowchart of a method for using a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme at the UE Figure 22A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for using a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities at the UE, according to some implementation schemes. Among other devices, Figure 22 The methods shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or apparatus illustrated in the figures. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently in a different order than those shown, or they may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed.

[0250] According to the implementation scheme, a method 2200 is used to decode a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme received from a next-generation node B (gNB) at the UE, so that the UE can control the measurement opportunity sharing between layer 3 (L3) measurements and layer 1 measurements of layer-triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells located at the UE, as shown in box 2210.

[0251] Method 2200 further includes: performing L3 measurements at the UE during an L3 measurement time period, the L3 measurement time period being scaled based on a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurements, as shown in box 2220. Additionally, performing L1 measurements at the UE for LTM candidate cells during an L1 measurement time period, the L1 measurement time period being scaled based on a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L1 measurements, as shown in box 2230.

[0252] In some implementations, method 2200 may further include: decoding a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme into a network-configurable sharing factor P in a Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) information element (IE). L3LTM The scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to select from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

[0253] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 2, and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for L3 measurement cycles relative to L1 measurement cycles.

[0254] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0255] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes Scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4, to provide a 3:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0256] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 3 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0257] In some implementations, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 4 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0258] In some implementations, L3 measurement includes: a time period in frequency range 2 (FR2) for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in a synchronization signal block (SSB) for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), or a DRX cycle of less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or a DRX cycle of greater than 320 ms.

[0259] In some implementations, L1 measurement includes: measuring the received power (RSRP) of the L1 received signal within frequency range 2 (FR2) for one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms, over a period T. Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB .

[0260] In some implementations, method 2200 may further include: encoding at the UE a UE capability to support a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, wherein when the UE is unable to support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO and a fixed scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities to provide a predetermined measurement opportunity for L3 measurement periods relative to L1 measurement periods.

[0261] In some implementations, the fixed scaling factor includes Scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities for MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement cycles to L1 measurement cycles.

[0262] In some embodiments, an apparatus is disclosed that is configured to cause the user equipment (UE) to perform any of the operations of method 2200.

[0263] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0264] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset or combination of any such subset of any method embodiments described herein.

[0265] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of the various forms.

[0266] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0267] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a next-generation node B (gNB), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors, said one or more processors coupled to memory, said one or more processors being configured to: For user equipment, identify the measurement object (MO) configured for Layer 3 (L3) measurements; For user equipment (UE), determine lower-layer mobility (LTM) candidate cells; Select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, which includes a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities for the MO. as well as The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is encoded at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells located at the UE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: For the UE, determine the number of MOs configured for L3 measurement; The number of LTM candidate cells is determined for the UE; and The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is selected based on the number of L3 MOs relative to the number of LTM candidate cells.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: select the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the measurement type for the MO configured for L3 measurement relative to the measurement type for the LTM candidate cell.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: select the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the deployment of the MO relative to the LTM candidate cells.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: select the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme based on the measurement configuration of the MO relative to the measurement configuration of the LTM candidate cells.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: encode the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme as a network-configurable sharing factor P in a Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) Information Element (IE). L3LTM The scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to select from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 2, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme comprises scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement period to L1 measurement period measurement opportunities.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 4, to provide a 3:1 ratio of L3 measurement period to L1 measurement period measurement opportunity.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 3, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 measurement opportunity ratio for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 4, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 ratio of L3 measurement period to L1 measurement period measurement opportunities.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the L3 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the time period for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in the synchronization signal block (SSB) is defined as one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the L1 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the L1 received signal received power (RSRP) measurement period T is used for frequencies with one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms. Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB .

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to select the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme when a synchronization signal block (SSB) configured for Layer 1 Received Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurement outside the measurement gap meets the following condition: Considering that the SSB-ToMeasure Information Element (IE) is configured not to overlap with the SSB symbol indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and the one data symbol preceding each SSB symbol in the consecutive SSB symbols indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and the one data symbol following each SSB symbol in the consecutive SSB symbols indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, wherein the SSB-ToMeasure IE is the union of the SSB-ToMeasure IEs of all configured measurement objects for the UE merged on the same serving carrier; and Considering that the ss-RSSI-Measurement is configured to not overlap with the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE, and the one data symbol preceding each RSSI symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE and the one data symbol following each RSSI symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE; Otherwise, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes: The scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 1, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 1, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: decode at the gNB the UE's ability to support the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, wherein when the UE cannot support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity of the MO and a fixed scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity to provide a predetermined measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the fixed scaling factor comprises scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity of the MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 3, to provide a 2:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

17. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors, said one or more processors coupled to memory, said one or more processors being configured to: The UE decodes the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme received from the next-generation node B (gNB) so that the UE can control the measurement opportunity sharing between layer 3 (L3) measurements and layer 1 measurements of layer-triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells located at the UE. At the UE, L3 measurements are performed during an L3 measurement time period, which is scaled based on the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for the L3 measurements; as well as At the UE, L1 measurements are performed on the LTM candidate cell during an L1 measurement time period, which is scaled based on the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for the L1 measurements.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: decode the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme into a network-configurable sharing factor P in a Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) Information Element (IE). L3LTM The scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to select from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 2 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 3, to provide a 2:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 4, to provide a 3:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 3 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 4 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the L3 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the time period for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in the synchronization signal block (SSB) is defined as one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the L1 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the L1 received signal received power (RSRP) measurement period T is used for frequencies with one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms. Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB .

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: encode at the UE a UE capability to support the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, wherein when the UE is unable to support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for the L3 measurement and a fixed scaling factor for the L1 measurement to provide a predetermined measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the fixed scaling factor includes scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 3, to provide a 2:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

28. A method for selecting a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities at a next-generation node B (gNB), the method comprising: For user equipment, identify the measurement object (MO) configured for Layer 3 (L3) measurements; For user equipment (UE), determine lower-layer mobility (LTM) candidate cells; Select a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme, which includes a scaling factor for L3 measurement opportunities relative to a scaling factor for L1 measurement opportunities for the MO. as well as The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is encoded at the gNB for transmission to the UE to control measurement opportunity sharing between L3 and L1 measurements of LTM candidate cells located at the UE.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: For the UE, determine the number of MOs configured for L3 measurement; The number of LTM candidate cells is determined for the UE; as well as The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is selected based on the number of L3 MOs relative to the number of LTM candidate cells.

30. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is selected based on the measurement type for the MO configured for L3 measurement relative to the measurement type for the LTM candidate cell.

31. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is selected based on the deployment of the MO relative to the LTM candidate cells.

32. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is selected based on the measurement configuration of the MO relative to the measurement configuration of the LTM candidate cells.

33. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is encoded as a network-configurable sharing factor P in the Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) information element (IE). L3LTM The scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to select from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 2, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 3, to provide a 2:1 ratio of L3 measurement period to L1 measurement period measurement opportunities.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 4, to provide a 3:1 ratio of L3 measurement period to L1 measurement period measurement opportunities.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 3, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 measurement opportunity ratio for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO is 4, and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 ratio of L3 measurement period to L1 measurement period measurement opportunity.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein the L3 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the time period for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in the synchronization signal block (SSB) is defined as one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms.

40. The method of claim 28, wherein the L1 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the L1 received signal received power (RSRP) measurement period T is used for frequencies with one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms. Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB .

41. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: The dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is selected when the synchronization signal block (SSB) configured for Layer 1 Received Signal Received Power (L1-RSRP) measurement outside the measurement gap meets the following conditions: Considering that the SSB-ToMeasure Information Element (IE) is configured not to overlap with the SSB symbol indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and the one data symbol preceding each SSB symbol in the consecutive SSB symbols indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, and the one data symbol following each SSB symbol in the consecutive SSB symbols indicated by the SSB-ToMeasure IE, wherein the SSB-ToMeasure IE is the union of the SSB-ToMeasure IEs of all configured measurement objects for the UE merged on the same serving carrier; and Considering that the ss-RSSI-Measurement is configured to not overlap with the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE, and the one data symbol preceding each RSSI symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE and the one data symbol following each RSSI symbol indicated by the ss-RSSI-Measurement IE; Otherwise, the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes: a scaling factor of 1 for the L3 measurement opportunity of the MO and a scaling factor of 1 for the L1 measurement opportunity, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

42. The method according to claim 28, further comprising: At the gNB, the UE's ability to support the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is decoded, wherein when the UE cannot support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity for the MO and a fixed scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity to provide a predetermined measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the fixed scaling factor includes scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement opportunity of the MO is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement opportunity is 3, to provide a 2:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

44. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform any one of the methods according to claims 29 to 43.

45. A method for using a dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for L3 measurement opportunities relative to L1 measurement opportunities at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The UE decodes the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme received from the next-generation node B (gNB) so that the UE can control the measurement opportunity sharing between layer 3 (L3) measurements and layer 1 measurements of layer-triggered mobility (LTM) candidate cells located at the UE. At the UE, L3 measurements are performed during an L3 measurement time period, which is scaled based on the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for the L3 measurements; as well as At the UE, L1 measurements are performed on the LTM candidate cell during an L1 measurement time period, which is scaled based on the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme for the L1 measurements.

46. ​​The method according to claim 45, further comprising: In the Measurement Configuration (MeasConfig) information element (IE), the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is decoded into a network-configurable sharing factor P. L3LTM The scheme (L3LTMSharingScheme) is configured to select from a set of enumerated schemes associated with L3 to L1 measurement opportunity cycles of different scaling.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 0, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 2 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 2, to provide a 1:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 3, to provide a 2:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 2, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 4 / 3 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 4, to provide a 3:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 3, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 3 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 1.5, to provide a 1:2 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme includes scheme 4, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 4 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 4 / 3, to provide a 1:3 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement cycle relative to the L1 measurement cycle.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the L3 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the time period for detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS) in the synchronization signal block (SSB) is defined as one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 milliseconds (ms), or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the L1 measurement comprises: In frequency range 2 (FR2), the L1 received signal received power (RSRP) measurement period T is used for frequencies with one or more of the following: no discontinuous reception (DRX), DRX cycle less than or equal to 320 ms, or DRX cycle greater than 320 ms. Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB .

54. The method according to claim 45, further comprising: At the UE, the UE's ability to support the dynamic measurement opportunity sharing scheme is encoded, wherein when the UE cannot support the scheme, the scheme includes a fixed scaling factor for the L3 measurement and a fixed scaling factor for the L1 measurement to provide a predetermined measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the fixed scaling factor includes scheme 1, wherein the scaling factor for the L3 measurement is 1.5 and the scaling factor for the L1 measurement is 3, to provide a 2:1 measurement opportunity for the L3 measurement period relative to the L1 measurement period.

56. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform any one of the methods according to claims 45 to 55.

57. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform any of the operations described herein.

58. A next-generation node B (gNB) configured to perform any of the operations described herein.

59. A computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform any of the operations described herein.

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