Method for prioritizing gapless measurements

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for prioritization of gapless measurements by a UE. The UE receives a query for a capability of the UE with respect to a set of bands. The UE determines a portion of the set of bands that can be measured without measurement gaps. When the portion of the set of bands is greater than a first threshold or connected mode discontinuous reception (CDRX) is configured, the UE indicates a status of the UE to measure all bands in the set of bands without measurement gaps. The UE receives a configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps. The UE transmits a measurement report for the inter-band measurements that does not include measurements for one or more bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 18 / 389,100, filed November 13, 2023, entitled “METHOD TO PRIORITIZE GAPLESSMEASUREMENTS”, the disclosure of which is expressly and in its entirety incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to wireless communications, including inter-band measurements. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0004] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, and even global levels. An example telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous evolution of mobile broadband, promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements related to latency, reliability, security, scalability (such as with the Internet of Things (IoT), and other requirements). 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR are based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein each have several innovative aspects, and no single aspect is solely responsible for the desired properties disclosed herein.

[0006] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a query for the UE’s capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands; determining a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without measurement gaps; instructing the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without measurement gaps when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured; receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; and transmitting a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

[0007] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: one or more memories storing, individually or in combination, computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured, individually or in combination, to execute the instructions to: receive a query for the UE’s capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands; determine a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without measurement gaps; instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the set without measurement gaps when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured; receive a configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; and transmit a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

[0008] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for receiving a query for the UE regarding its capabilities of a set of frequency bands; means for determining a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without a measurement gap; means for instructing the UE to measure the state of all frequency bands in the set without a measurement gap when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured; means for receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap; and means for transmitting a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap.

[0009] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a query regarding the UE's capabilities for a set of frequency bands; determine a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without measurement gaps; instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without measurement gaps when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Receive (CDRX) is configured; receive a configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; and send a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

[0010] Details of one or more specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the following drawings may not be drawn to scale. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system that includes access to a network.

[0012] Figure 2A This is an example illustration of the first frame.

[0013] Figure 2B This is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL channel within a subframe.

[0014] Figure 2C This is an example illustration of the second frame.

[0015] Figure 2D This is an example diagram illustrating a subframe.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating examples of base stations (BS) and user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station architecture.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a message diagram illustrating the various messages used in the inter-band measurement reporting process.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a conceptual data flow diagram illustrating the data flow between different parts / components in an example UE.

[0020] Figure 7This is a flowchart of an example method for a UE to perform measurements without measurement gaps.

[0021] Similar reference numerals and names in the various figures indicate similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0022] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure, the following description relates to certain specific implementations. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some examples in this disclosure are based on wireless and wired local area network (LAN) communications according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standard, the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, and the IEEE 1901 Power Line Communication (PLC) standard. However, the specific implementations described can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals according to any of the following wireless communication standards: including any of the IEEE 802.11 standard, Bluetooth, etc. ® Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunking Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS, or other known signals used for communication within wireless networks, cellular networks, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks (such as systems utilizing 3G, 4G, or 5G or technologies further embodied therein).

[0023] Typically, a user equipment (UE) can only monitor a single frequency band, for example, because the UE comprises a single receiver chain tuned to the active frequency band. In order to perform inter-band measurements on other frequency bands, the UE will be configured with measurement gaps, during which the UE can tune out of the active frequency band to measure neighboring cells on another frequency band, and then return to the active frequency band.

[0024] A UE (e.g., with multiple receive chains) can be able to monitor multiple frequency bands concurrently. For example, a UE may include multiple receive chains that can be tuned to different frequency bands. Such a UE can be able to perform gapless measurements, where the UE continues to communicate on a first frequency band while concurrently performing measurements on a second frequency band. In some cases, the UE can support various combinations of frequency bands that can be measured without gaps. Version 16 of the 3GPP standard provides a mechanism for the UE to indicate which frequency bands require gaps for measurement. This mechanism includes an indication from the UE regarding whether a gap is required for each frequency band. Some networks can configure the UE to indicate which frequency bands require gaps for measurement. Such measurement gaps can reduce throughput and increase power consumption even when gaps are not actually needed or when gaps are unlikely to identify suitable neighboring cells.

[0025] In one aspect, this disclosure provides techniques for a UE to report requirements for measurement gaps, enabling the UE to identify suitable neighboring cells with reduced throughput penalties and lower power consumption due to measurement gaps. When the UE receives a query about the capabilities of a band set, the UE can determine a portion of the bands that can be measured without measurement gaps. If this portion of the band set is larger than a threshold or Connected Mode Discontinuous Receive (CDRX) is configured, the UE can indicate that all bands in the band set can be measured without gaps. The UE can then receive a configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps. The UE can exclude measurements that the UE cannot perform without measurement gaps. The UE can send a measurement report for inter-band measurements that does not include measurements for one or more bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps. Therefore, the UE can report measurements without measurement gaps, thereby avoiding throughput loss due to measurement gaps and using less power.

[0026] Various apparatuses and methods will now be used to present several aspects of a telecommunications system. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, “elements”). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0027] As an example, elements, any portion of elements, or any combination of elements may be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, system-on-a-chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionalities described throughout this disclosure. A processor may include an interface or an interface coupled to acquire or output signals. The processor may acquire signals via the interface and output signals via the interface. In some embodiments, the interface may be a printed circuit board (PCB) transmit line. In some other embodiments, the interface may include a wireless transmitter, a wireless transceiver, or a combination thereof. For example, the interface may include a radio frequency (RF) transceiver that may be implemented to receive or transmit signals, or both. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other names, software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc.

[0028] Therefore, in one or more example implementations, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes a computer storage medium, which may be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium may not include transient signals. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of computer-readable media of the foregoing types, or any other medium capable of storing computer-executable code having instructions or data structures accessible by a computer.

[0029] Figure 1This is an illustration of an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes base station 102, UE 104, evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). Base station 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macro cells include base stations. Small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells. Base station 102 may be configured as a decomposed RAN (D-RAN) or open RAN (O-RAN) architecture, where functionality is split among multiple units, such as a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), or radio units (RU)). Such an architecture may be configured to utilize a protocol stack logically split among one or more units, such as one or more CUs and one or more DUs. In some respects, the CU can be implemented within an edge RAN node, and in other respects, one or more DUs can be co-located with the CU or geographically distributed across one or more RAN nodes. A DU can be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs.

[0030] In some implementations, one or more UEs in UE 104 include an inter-band measurement component 140 configured to perform inter-band measurements without measurement gaps. The inter-band measurement component 140 includes a query component 142, a portion component 144, a status component 146, a measurement component 148, and a reporting component 149. The query component 142 is configured to receive queries regarding the UE's capabilities for a set of frequency bands. The portion component 144 is configured to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. The status component 146 is configured to instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps when the portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Receive (CDRX) is configured. The measurement component 148 is configured to receive configurations for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps. The reporting component 149 is configured to send a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, which does not include measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

[0031] In some specific implementations, one or more base stations in base station 102 include an inter-band configuration component 120 for configuring UE 104 to have a measurement object for inter-band measurement based on gap information from UE.

[0032] Base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (such as an S1 interface), which can be wired or wireless. Base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interact with core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184, which can be wired or wireless. In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform one or more of the following functions: user data transmission, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (such as handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of alarm messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or core network 190) on a third backhaul link 134 (such as an X2 interface). The third backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0033] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station in base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. Overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 may exist. For example, small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include a Home Evolved B Node (eNB) (HeNB) that can provide services to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 112 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include UL (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 or DL ​​(also referred to as a forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 112 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, or transmit diversity. The communication link can carry one or more carriers. For a total of up to one carrier used for transmission in each direction. Yx MHz ( x For each carrier allocated in carrier aggregation (of component carriers), base station 102 / UE 104 can use up to [number missing] carriers. YA spectrum with a bandwidth of MHz (such as 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz, 100MHz, 400MHz, etc.). Carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL). Component carriers may include primary component carriers and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the primary cell (PCell) and the secondary component carrier may be referred to as the secondary cell (SCell).

[0034] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. D2D communication link 158 can use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. D2D communication link 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be achieved through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0035] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) to determine the availability of a channel before communication.

[0036] Small cell 102' can operate in licensed or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell 102' can employ NR, and uses the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as the Wi-Fi AP 150. Small cell 102' employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can enhance coverage of the access network or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0037] Whether it is a small cell 102' or a large cell (such as a macro base station), base station 102 may include an eNB, gNodeB (gNB) or other types of base stations. Some base stations (such as gNB 180) can operate in one or more frequency bands within the electromagnetic spectrum.

[0038] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been designated as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6GHz" band. Similar naming issues sometimes arise with FR2, although it is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" (mmW) band in various documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30GHz to 300GHz) as defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0039] Considering the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that, as used herein, the term "below 6 GHz" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or including intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that, as used herein, the term "millimeter wave" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies including intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, or within the EHF band. Communication using the mmW radio frequency band has extremely high path loss and short range. The mmW base station 180 can utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range.

[0040] EPC 160 may include Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, Serving Gateway 166, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 can communicate with Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and EPC 160. Generally, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Service 176. IP Service 176 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 provides functions for MBMS user service dispatch and delivery. The BM-SC 170 can act as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmission, authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS gateway 168 can allocate MBMS services to base station 102 belonging to a Broadcast-Specific Service Multicast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area, and is responsible for session management (start / stop) and collecting eMBMS-related billing information.

[0041] The core network 190 may include Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, Session Management Functions (SMF) 194, and User Plane Functions (UPF) 195. AMF 192 can communicate with Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 is the control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and the core network 190. Generally, AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through UPF 195. UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. UPF 195 connects to IP services 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, or other IP services.

[0042] Base stations may include or be referred to as gNB, Node B, eNB, access point, base transceiver, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, Basic Services Set (BSS), Extended Services Set (ESS), Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP), or some other suitable term. Base station 102 provides access to EPC 160 or core network 190 for UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, GPS devices, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (such as MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (such as parking timers, oil pumps, ovens, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, handheld device, user agent, mobile client, client, or any other suitable term.

[0043] While the following description may focus on 5G NR, the concepts described herein may apply to other similar areas such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM and other wireless technologies, including future 6G technologies.

[0044] Figure 2A This is an example illustration of the first frame, shown in Figure 200. Figure 2B Figure 230 illustrates an example of a DL channel within a subframe. Figure 2C This is an example illustration of the second frame, shown in Figure 250. Figure 2D Figure 280 illustrates an example of a subframe. The 5G NR frame structure can be FDD, where subframes within a specific set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth) are dedicated to either DL or UL, or it can be TDD, where subframes within a specific set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth) are dedicated to both DL and UL. A subset of the total cell bandwidth is called a bandwidth portion (BWP), and bandwidth adaptation is achieved by using BWPs to configure the UE and informing the UE which of the configured BWPs is currently active. In one aspect, a narrow bandwidth portion (NBWP) refers to a BWP with a bandwidth less than or equal to the maximum configurable bandwidth of the BWP. The bandwidth of an NBWP is less than the carrier system bandwidth.

[0045] exist Figure 2A, Figure 2C In the provided example, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (mostly DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and X can be flexibly used between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (mostly UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 34 and 28 respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are both DL and UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mixture of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The slot format is configured for the UE via the received Slot Format Indicator (SFI) (dynamically configured via DL Control Information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling). Note that the following description also applies to the 5G NR frame structure as TDD.

[0046] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures or different channels. A frame (10 milliseconds (ms)) can be divided into 10 equal-sized subframes (1ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. Subframes may also include mini-time slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot configuration. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. Symbols on the DL can be Cyclic Prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. Symbols on the UL can be CP-OFDM symbols (for high-throughput scenarios) or Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-constrained scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set (numerology). For slot configuration 0, different parameter sets µ 0 through 5 allow each subframe to have 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 through 2 allow each subframe to have 2, 4, and 8 slots, respectively. Accordingly, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set µ, there are 14 symbols per slot and 2 per subframe. µ Each time slot. Subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. Subcarrier spacing can be equal to... ,in The parameter sets are 0 to 5. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz for parameter set µ=0 and 480 kHz for parameter set µ=5. The symbol length / duration is negatively correlated with the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A to 2DExamples are provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set µ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 microseconds (μs).

[0047] A resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot consists of a resource block (RB) extending for 12 consecutive subcarriers (also known as a physical RB (PRB)). The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0048] like Figure 2A As illustrated, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include a demodulated RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for a particular configuration). x (where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are also possible) and the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) used for channel estimation at the UE. RS may also include Beam Measurement RS (BRS), Beam Refinement RS (BRRS), and Phase Tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0049] Figure 2B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries the DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising nine RE Groups (REGs), each REG comprising four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is located within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. The PSS is used by the UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and L1 identification. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is located within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the L1 Cell Identifier Group Number and radio frame timing. Based on the L1 Identifier and L1 Cell Identifier Group Number, the UE can determine the Physical Cell Identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DM-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the Primary Information Block (MIB) can logically group with the PSS and SSS to form a Synchronization Signal (SS) / PBCH block (SSB). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and the System Frame Number (SFN). The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)) not transmitted via the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0050] like Figure 2CAs illustrated, some REs in the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE can transmit DM-RS for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS can be transmitted in the first or first two symbols of the PUSCH. Depending on whether a short or long PUCCH is transmitted and depending on the specific PUCCH format used, the PUCCH DM-RS can be transmitted in different configurations. The UE can transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). The SRS can be transmitted in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS can have a comb structure, and the UE can transmit the SRS on one of the comb teeth. The SRS can be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0051] Figure 2D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH can be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), pre-decoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data, and can also be used to carry buffer status reports (BSR), power clearance reports (PHR), or UCI.

[0052] Figure 3This is an example diagram of base station 310 and UE 350 in the access network. In the DL, IP packets from EPC 160 can be provided to controller / processor 375. Controller / processor 375 implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Layer 2 includes the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting system information (such as MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (such as RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0053] Transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (which includes the physical (PHY) layer) may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. TX processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes such as binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), and M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM). Decoded and modulated symbols can be split into parallel streams. Each stream can be mapped to OFDM subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (such as a pilot) in the time or frequency domain, and combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM streams are spatially pre-decoded to generate multiple spatial streams. The channel estimate from channel estimator 374 can be used to determine the decoding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived from a reference signal or channel condition feedback transmitted by UE 350. Each spatial stream can be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0054] At UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives signals via its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and RX processor 356 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 350, the RX processor 356 can combine them into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform this OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal consists of a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, along with the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation point transmitted by base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by channel estimator 358. These soft decisions are decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 310 on the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0055] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program code and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0056] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with DL transmission performed by base station 310, controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (such as MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transmission of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0057] The TX processor 368 can use the reference signal transmitted from the base station 310 or the channel estimate derived from feedback by the channel estimator 358 to select an appropriate decoding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the TX processor 368 can be provided to different antennas 352 via individual transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0058] UL transmission is processed at base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives signals via its corresponding antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to RX processor 370.

[0059] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program code and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the UE 350. IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0060] At least one of the TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359 can be configured to combine Figure 1 The inter-band measurement component 140 is used to perform various aspects. For example, the memory 360 may include executable instructions that define the inter-band measurement component 140. The TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and / or the controller / processor 359 may be configured to execute the inter-band measurement component 140.

[0061] At least one of the TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and controller / processor 375 can be configured to combine Figure 1 The inter-band configuration component 120 performs various aspects. For example, memory 376 may include executable instructions that define the inter-band configuration component 120. TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and / or controller / processor 375 may be configured to execute the inter-band configuration component 120.

[0062] Figure 4 This is an illustration of an example decomposed base station 400 architecture. The decomposed base station 400 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 410, which may communicate directly with the core network 420 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 420 via one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 425 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 415 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 405, or both. CUs 410 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 430 via appropriate midhaul links, such as F1 interfaces. DUs 430 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 440 via appropriate fronthaul links. RUs 440 may communicate with a corresponding UE 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 440.

[0063] Each unit in the cells (i.e., CU 410, DU 430, RU 440, and near-RT RIC 425, non-RT RIC 415, and SMO frame 405) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. Each unit in the cells, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of these units, may be configured to communicate with one or more other units via transmission media. For example, these units may include wired interfaces configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via wired transmission media. Additionally, these units may include wireless interfaces that may include receivers, transmitters, or transceivers (such as radio frequency (RF) transceivers) configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via wireless transmission media, or both.

[0064] In some aspects, the CU 410 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to signal to other control functions hosted by the CU 410. The CU 410 can be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 410 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. The CU 410 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 430 for network control and signaling, as needed.

[0065] DU 430 may correspond to a logical unit comprising one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 440s. In some aspects, DU 430 may host one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.), depending at least in part on the functional splits, such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 430 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signaling with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 430 or with control functions hosted by CU 410.

[0066] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU 440s. In some deployments, an RU440 controlled by a DU 430 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, or Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or both, at least in part based on functional decomposition (such as lower-layer functional decomposition). In this architecture, the RU 440 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 440 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 430. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 430 and CU 410 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0067] The SMO framework 405 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 405 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 405 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform such as the Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 490 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface such as the O2 interface. Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 410, DU 430, RU 440, and near-RT RIC 425. In some implementations, the SMO framework 405 can communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 411, via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 405 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 440 via the O1 interface. SMO framework 405 may also include a non-RT RIC 415 configured to support the functionality of SMO framework 405.

[0068] The non-RT RIC 415 can be configured to include logical functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the near-RT RIC 425. The non-RT RIC 415 can be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 425, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 425 can be configured to include logical functions that enable near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via an interface, such as via an E2 interface, through data collection and actions, connecting one or more CU 410s, one or more DU 430s, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 425.

[0069] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 425, the non-RT RIC 415 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 425 and can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 405 or the non-RT RIC 415. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 415 or the near-RT RIC 425 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 415 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and use AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 405 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or by creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0070] Figure 5 This is a message diagram illustrating various messages used in the inter-band measurement reporting process 500. For example, process 500 can be performed by a UE 104 communicating with one or more base stations 502 (e.g., serving base station 502a and inter-band base station 502b), each base station may include an inter-band configuration component 120. Although only two base stations 502 are shown, process 500 is applicable to a larger number of base stations.

[0071] Base station 502a (e.g., providing the primary serving cell) sends a capability query 510 to UE 104. The capability query 510 may be, for example, an RRC message including an indication of the requested frequency band. For example, the RRC message may include information elements identifying multiple frequency bands. For example, the frequency band may be a band on which the network operates.

[0072] UE 104 can respond to capability query 510 with capability information message 520. Capability information message 520 indicates whether the UE supports reporting the need for gaps used for interband measurements. For example, UE 104 with interband measurement component 140 can send capability information message 520 indicating that UE 104 supports reporting the need for gaps used for interband measurements.

[0073] Base station 502a sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message 530. The RRC connection reconfiguration message 530 includes a request for gap configuration, which requests the UE to indicate whether the UE needs measurement gaps for each frequency band in the frequency band set. For example, the RRC connection reconfiguration message 530 may include a request for gap configuration information elements (IEs), such as NeedForGapsConfigNR IE, NeedForGapNCSG-ConfigEUTRA IE, or NeedForGapNCSG-ConfigNRIE. The RRC connection reconfiguration message 530 may also confirm the frequency bands of the serving cell, so that UE 104 can determine whether measurement gaps are needed to measure other frequency bands when the UE connects to the serving cell.

[0074] At block 535, UE 104 can determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. For example, the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps can be based on the frequency band combinations advertised by the UE. If the frequency band is in the advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell, the UE can measure the frequency band without measurement gaps. This frequency band can be considered a gapless frequency band. Otherwise, the frequency band can be considered a gap-based frequency band. In some implementations, UE 104 may include a record of previously acquired cells. If UE 104 has never acquired a cell in the frequency band, the UE can consider the frequency band as an unused frequency band. The UE can count unused frequency bands as gapless frequency bands under certain conditions. For example, if the portion of a gapless frequency band is less than a first threshold but greater than a second threshold (i.e., the lower threshold), the UE can consider an unused frequency band as a gapless frequency band.

[0075] The UE sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message 540. The RRC connection reconfiguration complete message 540 indicates the gap status for each frequency band in the requested set of frequency bands. For example, for each frequency band, the status can be "gap" or "no gap". In some specific implementations, the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message 540 includes a request for gap information IEs, such as NeedForGapsInfoNR IE, NeedForGapNCSG-InfoEUTRA IE, or NeedForGapNCSG-InfoNR IE.

[0076] In one respect, under certain conditions, even if the UE cannot actually measure the frequency band without a measurement gap, the UE 104 can still indicate a gapless state for all frequency bands in the requested set of frequency bands. For example, if the UE is configured with Connected Mode Discontinuous Receive (CDRX), the UE may not need a measurement gap for measuring another frequency band because the UE can perform the measurement during the off portion of the CDRX cycle. As another example, when the UE can measure a threshold portion of the requested frequency band without a measurement gap, a measurement gap for a small number of frequency bands may be useless. For example, the throughput loss due to the measurement gap may not be worth the opportunity to identify a better cell in another frequency band. Therefore, the UE can indicate that all requested frequency bands are gapless bands. On the other hand, if the threshold portion of the requested frequency band is not satisfied, the UE can report one or more unused frequency bands as gapless bands.

[0077] UE 104 can receive measurement configuration 550. Measurement configuration 550 can, for example, define the measurement objects for the UE to measure and measurement gaps (if needed) to measure the measurement objects. In one aspect, in response to an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message 540 instructing the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps, measurement configuration 550 may not indicate any measurement gaps.

[0078] Base station 502 transmits reference signal 560. UE 104 is configured to measure reference signal 560 based on measurement configuration 550. UE 104 actually measures the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps by performing gapless measurements on this portion of the frequency band set. When there is at least one frequency band that UE 104 cannot measure without measurement gaps, UE 104 can discard that measurement. That is, the UE can not tune to another frequency band and can not detect a cell. Therefore, the UE can behave as if it has performed a measurement and has not detected reference signal 560. When UE 104 is configured with CDRX, the UE can perform measurements on one or more frequency bands, which the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps during the off portion of the CDRX cycle.

[0079] UE 104 can send measurement report 570. Measurement report 570 can be used for inter-band measurements. Measurement report 570 may not include measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap. For example, measurement report 570 may include a list of the best detected cells. UE 104 may not include any cells in frequency bands that the UE did not measure.

[0080] In some implementations, UE 104 may send UE assistance information 580. UE assistance information 580 can provide updates to the UE's state. For example, UE assistance information 580 can be sent without RRC connection reconfiguration. For example, the power state of UE 104 may be changed, for instance, by entering a low-power mode where one or more receive chains are powered down. Accordingly, the UE's ability to perform gapless measurements using the receive chains may change. UE assistance information 580 can allow UE 104 to update the state of gapless measurements. In some implementations, serving base station 502a may send another measurement configuration 550 in response to UE assistance information 580.

[0081] Figure 6 This is a conceptual data flow diagram 600 illustrating the data flow between different parts / components in example UE 104, which may be UE 104 ( Figure 1 Examples include an interband measurement component 140. The interband measurement component 140 may be implemented by a memory 360 and a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and / or a controller / processor 359. For example, the memory 360 may store executable instructions defining the interband measurement component 140, and the TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and / or controller / processor 359 may execute these instructions.

[0082] UE 104 may include receiver component 670, which may include, for example, an RF receiver for receiving the signals described herein. UE 104 may include transmitter component 672, which may include, for example, an RF transmitter for transmitting the signals described herein. In one aspect, receiver component 670 and transmitter component 672 may be co-located at a transceiver (such as...) Figure 3 In the TX / RX 352).

[0083] Such as about Figure 1 The inter-band measurement component 140 discussed includes a query component 142, a partial component 144, a status component 146, a measurement component 148, and a reporting component 149.

[0084] Receiver component 670 can receive DL signals described herein, such as capability query 510, RRC connection reconfiguration message 530, measurement configuration 550, and reference signal 560. Receiver component 670 can output capability query 510 and RRC connection reconfiguration message 530 to query component 142. Receiver component 670 can output measurement configuration 550 and reference signal 560 to measurement component 148.

[0085] Query component 142 is configured to receive queries regarding the UE's capabilities for a set of frequency bands. For example, query component 142 may receive a capability query 510 from receiver component 670 that includes the requested frequency band. Query component 142 may indicate the need for a gap report in a capability information message 520, which query component 142 may output for transmission via transmitter component 672. Query component 142 may then receive an RRC connection reconfiguration message 530 from receiver component 670 that includes the need for gap configuration information elements. The RRC connection reconfiguration message 530 and / or the need for gap configuration information elements may indicate a set of frequency bands. Query component 142 may output the set of frequency bands to component 144.

[0086] Part 144 is configured to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. For example, part 144 may receive an indication of the frequency band set from query component 142. In some embodiments, part 144 may determine whether each frequency band in the frequency band set can be measured without measurement gaps based on a combination of frequency bands advertised with the frequency bands of the primary cell. That is, part 144 may determine whether each frequency band in the frequency band set is advertised in a combination of frequency bands with the frequency bands of the primary cell. If so, the frequency band may be considered a gapless frequency band. If the frequency band is not advertised, the frequency band may be considered a gap-based frequency band. In some embodiments, part 144 may determine a portion of the gapless frequency bands in the frequency band set (e.g., as a percentage). In some embodiments, part 144 may determine whether this portion of the gapless frequency bands meets a first threshold. For example, the first threshold may be based on a confidence level that another suitable cell can be found. For example, the first threshold may be 70%. In some implementations, for example, if this portion of a gapless band does not meet a first threshold, component 144 may determine whether there are any bands that are unused bands for which UE 104 has not previously acquired cells. In some implementations, any unused band may be considered a gapless band because measuring such a band is unlikely to result in a measurement of a suitable cell. Therefore, when the record of previously acquired cells indicates that there are no cells in one or more bands (unused bands) that cannot be measured without a measurement gap, component 144 may determine that one or more bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap (gap-based bands) are included in the portion of the band set that can be measured without a measurement gap (gapless bands). In some implementations, when the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps (gapless bands) is less than a first threshold but greater than a second threshold (e.g., 60%), and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps (gapless bands) plus one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without measurement gaps without previously acquired cell records (unused bands) exceeds the first threshold, part component 144 may consider unused bands. Part component 144 outputs a portion of the gapless bands to status component 146. For example, this portion of the gapless bands could be whether each gapless band, a percentage of gapless bands, or the number of percentages of gapless bands meets the threshold.

[0087] State component 146 is configured to instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps when the portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when CDRX is configured. State component 146 receives the portion of the gapless frequency band from part component 144. State component 146 can compare the portion of the gapless frequency band with the first threshold to determine whether to instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set. When the portion of the gapless frequency band is greater than the first threshold, the probability of finding a suitable cell on the gap-based frequency band is low, and the cost of measuring gaps (e.g., lower throughput) may be too high for the low probability of finding additional suitable cells. Accordingly, state component 146 can indicate that all frequency bands are gapless to avoid being configured with measurement gaps. For example, the state component can output an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message 540 with a gap status indicating that there are no gaps for each frequency band in the frequency band set used for transmission by transmitter component 672. State component 146 can also output the gap status of each frequency band to measurement component 148. In some implementations, state component 146 may update the gap state. For example, state component 146 may output UE assistance information 580 including the gap state for transmission via transmitter component 672. For example, state component 146 may update the gap state in response to entering or leaving power-saving mode or low mobility mode.

[0088] Measurement component 148 is configured to receive configurations for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps. For example, measurement component 148 may receive measurement configuration 550 via receiver component 670. For example, measurement configuration 550 may include an RRC message specifying the measurement object and / or MAC-CE activating the measurement object. In some embodiments, measurement component 148 is also configured to measure one or more frequency bands. For example, measurement component 148 may perform gapless measurements on portions of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. Gapless measurements may include continuing to monitor the frequency band of the serving cell while performing measurements concurrently on different frequency bands. For example, measurement component 148 may use a second receive chain to perform measurements on different frequency bands. In some embodiments, measurement component 148 may perform measurements on one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps during the off portion of the CDRX cycle. For example, during the off portion of the CDRX cycle, the UE does not expect to receive any transmissions from the serving cell, so the receive chain may be tuned away from the gap-based frequency band to perform measurements. Therefore, even if the serving cell's receive chain is used to perform measurements during the CDRX off period, no measurement gap is required. Measurement component 148 outputs measurements to reporting component 149.

[0089] Reporting component 149 is configured to send a measurement report for inter-band measurements, which does not include measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps. Reporting component 149 receives measurements from measurement component 148. Reporting component 149 may format measurement report 570 based on measurement configuration 450. For example, reporting component 149 may include a best-measured cell or a sorted list of measured cells based on measurement configuration 450. In one aspect, if measurement component 148 does not measure gap-based frequency bands, measurement report 570 will not include measurements for gap-based frequency bands. Reporting component 149 may output measurement report 570 for transmission by transmitter component 572.

[0090] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an example method 700 for a UE to perform measurements without measurement gaps. Method 700 can be performed by a UE (such as UE 104, which may include memory 360, and may be the entire UE 104 or components of UE 104, such as inter-band measurement component 140, TX processor 368, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359). Method 700 can be performed by inter-band measurement component 140 communicating with inter-band configuration component 120 of one or more base stations 102. Optional boxes are shown in dashed lines.

[0091] At block 710, method 700 includes receiving a query regarding the UE's capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands. In some specific implementations, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or query component 142 to receive a query regarding the UE's capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands. Therefore, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or query component 142 may provide components for receiving a query regarding the UE's capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands.

[0092] At block 720, method 700 includes determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. In some embodiments, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 may perform inter-band measurement component 140 or part component 144 to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. In some embodiments, at sub-block 722, block 720 may optionally include determining that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in an advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell. In some embodiments, at sub-block 724, block 720 may optionally include: when previously acquired cell records indicate that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without measurement gaps, determining that one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without measurement gaps are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps. Accordingly, the UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 performing the inter-band measurement component 140 or part of the component 144 may provide components capable of measuring portions of the frequency band set without measurement gaps.

[0093] At block 730, method 1000 includes instructing the UE to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps when the portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when CDRX is configured. In some specific implementations, for example, the UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or status component 146 to indicate the state of the UE such that when the portion of the frequency band set is greater than the first threshold or when CDRX is configured, the UE is instructed to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps. Accordingly, the UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or status component 146 may provide components for instructing the UE to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps when the portion of the frequency band set is greater than the first threshold or when CDRX is configured.

[0094] At block 740, method 700 includes receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap. In some specific implementations, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or measurement component 148 to receive a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap. Therefore, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or measurement component 148 may provide components for receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap.

[0095] At block 750, method 700 may optionally include performing a gapless measurement on that portion of the frequency band set. In some specific implementations, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or measurement component 148 to perform a gapless measurement on that portion of the frequency band set. Thus, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or measurement component 148 may provide components for performing a gapless measurement on that portion of the frequency band set.

[0096] At block 760, method 700 may optionally include performing measurements on one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle. In some specific implementations, for example, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or measurement component 148 to perform measurements on one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle. Therefore, UE 104, RX processor 356, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or measurement component 148 may provide components for performing measurements on one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle.

[0097] At block 770, method 1000 includes sending a measurement report for inter-band measurements that does not include measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap. In some specific implementations, for example, UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or reporting component 149 to send a measurement report for inter-band measurements that does not include measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap. Accordingly, UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or reporting component 149 may provide components for sending a measurement report for inter-band measurements that does not include measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap.

[0098] At block 780, method 700 may optionally include transmitting UE assistance information that updates the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set measured by the UE without measurement gaps. In some specific implementations, for example, UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 may execute inter-band measurement component 140 or status component 146 to transmit UE assistance information that updates the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set measured by the UE without measurement gaps. Accordingly, UE 104, TX processor 368, or controller / processor 359 executing inter-band measurement component 140 or status component 146 may provide components for transmitting UE assistance information that updates the status of all frequency bands in the frequency band set measured by the UE without measurement gaps.

[0099] The following numbered clauses provide an overview of various aspects of this disclosure.

[0100] Clause 1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a query for the UE’s capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands; determining a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without a measurement gap; instructing the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured; receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap; and sending a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap.

[0101] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the UE cannot measure at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap.

[0102] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 1, the method further comprising performing gapless measurements on said portion of said frequency band set.

[0103] Clause 4. The method according to Clause 1, wherein determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps includes determining that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in the advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell.

[0104] Clause 5. The method according to Clause 1, wherein determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap comprises: determining that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap when previously acquired cell records indicate that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap.

[0105] Clause 6. The method according to Clause 5, wherein the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is less than the first threshold but greater than the second threshold, and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap plus one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap without a previously acquired cell record are greater than the first threshold.

[0106] Clause 7. The method according to Clause 1, the method further comprising performing measurements on one or more frequency bands, wherein the UE cannot measure the one or more frequency bands without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle.

[0107] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 1, the method further comprising sending UE assistance information, the UE assistance information updating the UE's ability to measure all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps.

[0108] Clause 9. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the state of the UE is indicated based on a power-saving mode or a low-mobility mode.

[0109] Clause 10. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: one or more memories storing, individually or in combination, computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured, individually or in combination, to execute the instructions to: receive a query for the UE’s capabilities regarding a set of frequency bands; determine a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without a measurement gap; instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured; receive a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap; and transmit a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap.

[0110] Clause 11. The apparatus according to Clause 10, wherein the UE cannot measure at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap.

[0111] Clause 12. The apparatus of Clause 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to perform gapless measurements on the portion of the set of frequency bands.

[0112] Clause 13. The apparatus according to Clause 10, wherein, in order to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to determine that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in an advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell.

[0113] Clause 14. The apparatus according to Clause 10, wherein, in order to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to: determine that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, when a previously acquired cell record indicates that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap.

[0114] Clause 15. The apparatus of Clause 14, wherein the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is less than the first threshold but greater than the second threshold, and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, plus one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap without a previously acquired cell record, is greater than the first threshold.

[0115] Clause 16. The apparatus of Clause 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to perform measurements of one or more frequency bands, wherein the UE cannot measure the one or more frequency bands without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle.

[0116] Clause 17. The apparatus of Clause 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to transmit UE assistance information that updates the UE's ability to measure all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without measurement gaps.

[0117] Clause 18. The apparatus according to Clause 10, wherein the indication of the state of the UE is based on a power-saving mode or a low-mobility mode.

[0118] Clause 19. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for receiving a query for the UE regarding its capabilities of a set of frequency bands; means for determining a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without a measurement gap; means for instructing the UE to measure the state of all frequency bands in the set without a measurement gap when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured; means for receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap; and means for transmitting a measurement report for inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap.

[0119] Clause 20. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the UE cannot measure at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap.

[0120] Clause 21. The apparatus according to Clause 19, the apparatus further comprising a component for performing gapless measurements on said portion of said frequency band set.

[0121] Clause 22. The apparatus according to Clause 19, wherein the component for determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is configured to determine that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in a advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the main cell.

[0122] Clause 23. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the component for determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is configured to: determine that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap when a previously acquired cell record indicates that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap.

[0123] Clause 24. The apparatus according to Clause 23, wherein the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is less than the first threshold but greater than the second threshold, and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, plus one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap without a previously acquired cell record, is greater than the first threshold.

[0124] Clause 25. The apparatus according to Clause 19 further includes components for performing measurements of one or more frequency bands, wherein the UE cannot measure the one or more frequency bands without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle.

[0125] Clause 26. The apparatus according to Clause 19, the apparatus further comprising means for transmitting UE assistance information, the UE assistance information updating the UE's ability to measure all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without measurement gaps.

[0126] Clause 27. The apparatus according to Clause 19, wherein the component for indicating the state of the UE is configured to indicate the state based on a power-saving mode or a low-mobility mode.

[0127] Clause 28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a query regarding the UE's capabilities for a set of frequency bands; determine a portion of the set of frequency bands that can be measured without measurement gaps; instruct the UE to measure the status of all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without measurement gaps when the portion of the set of frequency bands is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Receive (CDRX) is configured; receive a configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; and send a measurement report for the inter-band measurements, the measurement report not containing measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

[0128] Clause 29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 28, wherein the instructions for determining a portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps include instructions for determining that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in a advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell.

[0129] Clause 30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 28, wherein the instructions for determining a portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap include instructions for determining that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap when previously acquired cell records indicate that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap. As used herein, the phrase “at least one item” in a list of items means any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0130] The various exemplary logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the specific implementations disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been broadly described in terms of functionality and illustrated in the aforementioned exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0131] Hardware and data processing means for implementing the various exemplary logic, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described herein can be implemented or executed using general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some specific implementations, specific processes and methods can be performed by circuitry specific to a given function.

[0132] In one or more aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuits, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents or any combination thereof. Specific implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing apparatus or for controlling the operation of the data processing apparatus.

[0133] If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted through a computer-readable medium. The processes of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor-executable software module that can reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium capable of transferring a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection may be properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include compact optical discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically magnetically reproduce data, while optical discs optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. In addition, the operation of a method or algorithm may reside as a set of code and instructions or any combination of code and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium that may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0134] Various modifications to the specific embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0135] Additionally, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the terms “upper” and “lower” are sometimes used to facilitate the description of the drawings and to indicate relative positioning on a correctly oriented page corresponding to the orientation of the drawings, and may not reflect the correct orientation of any device as implemented.

[0136] Some features described in this specification in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in that single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. Furthermore, although features may be described above as operating in certain combinations and even originally claimed in this way, in some cases, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed from that combination, and the claimed combination may involve sub-combinations or variations thereof.

[0137] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a specific order in the figures, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or to perform all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the figures may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of flowcharts. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some contexts, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments, but rather should be understood as meaning that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive queries regarding the UE's capabilities with respect to a set of frequency bands; Determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps; When a portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured, the UE is instructed to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps. Receive configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; as well as Send a measurement report for inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE cannot measure at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing gapless measurement on said portion of said frequency band set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps comprises determining that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in an advertised frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap comprises: When previously acquired cell records indicate that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap, it is determined that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is less than the first threshold but greater than the second threshold, and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, plus one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap without a previously acquired cell record, is greater than the first threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing measurements on one or more frequency bands, wherein the UE cannot measure the one or more frequency bands without a measurement gap during a closed portion of the CDRX cycle.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending UE assistance information, the UE assistance information updating the UE's ability to measure all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of the UE is indicated based on a power-saving mode or a low-mobility mode.

10. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more memories, which individually or in combination store computer-executable instructions; and One or more processors, individually or in combination, are configured to execute the instructions to: Receive queries regarding the UE's capabilities with respect to a set of frequency bands; Determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps; When a portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured, the UE is instructed to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps. Receive configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; as well as Send a measurement report for inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the UE cannot measure at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to perform gapless measurements on the portion of the frequency band set.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in order to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to determine that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in an announced frequency band combination with the frequency band of the primary cell.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in order to determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to: determine that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, when a previously acquired cell record indicates that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is less than the first threshold but greater than the second threshold, and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, plus one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap without a previously acquired cell record, is greater than the first threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to perform measurements of one or more frequency bands, wherein the UE cannot measure the one or more frequency bands without a measurement gap during the off portion of the CDRX cycle.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to transmit UE assistance information, the UE assistance information updating the state of the UE measuring all frequency bands in the set of frequency bands without measurement gaps.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the indication of the state of the UE is based on a power-saving mode or a low-mobility mode.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: A component for receiving queries regarding the UE's capabilities with respect to a set of frequency bands; A component for determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps; The component is used to instruct the UE to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps when a portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured. Components for receiving a configuration for inter-band measurements without a measurement gap; and The component is used to send a measurement report for inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without a measurement gap.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the UE cannot measure at least one frequency band in the set of frequency bands without a measurement gap.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a component for performing gapless measurement on said portion of said frequency band set.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the component for determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is configured to determine that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in an announced frequency band combination with the frequency band of the main cell.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the component for determining the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is configured to: determine that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap when a previously acquired cell record indicates that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap is less than the first threshold but greater than the second threshold, and the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap, plus the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap without a previously acquired cell record, is greater than the first threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising components for performing measurements of one or more frequency bands, wherein the UE cannot measure the one or more frequency bands without a measurement gap during a closed portion of the CDRX cycle.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a component for transmitting UE assistance information, the UE assistance information updating the UE's ability to measure all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the component for indicating the state of the UE is configured to indicate the state based on a power-saving mode or a low-mobility mode.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, said instructions causing the UE to: Receive queries regarding the UE's capabilities with respect to a set of frequency bands; Determine the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps; When a portion of the frequency band set is greater than a first threshold or when Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) is configured, the UE is instructed to measure the state of all frequency bands in the frequency band set without measurement gaps. Receive configuration for inter-band measurements without measurement gaps; as well as Send a measurement report for inter-band measurements, the measurement report not including measurements for one or more frequency bands that the UE cannot measure without measurement gaps.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the instructions for determining a portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps include instructions for determining that each frequency band in the frequency band set that can be measured without measurement gaps is in a advertised frequency band combination with a frequency band of the primary cell.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the instructions for determining a portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap include instructions for performing the following operations: determining that the one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap are included in the portion of the frequency band set that can be measured without a measurement gap when previously acquired cell records indicate that there are no cells in one or more frequency bands that cannot be measured without a measurement gap.

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