measurement before adding scell to pcell in fragmented carrier configuration

By measuring secondary cell and inter-cell interference in parallel during measurement, and configuring channel filters and local oscillators using a single RX chain, the problems of SCell activation delay and measurement inaccuracy in fragmented carrier configuration are solved, ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of carrier aggregation.

CN122269353APending Publication Date: 2026-06-23NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
Filing Date
2025-12-19
Publication Date
2026-06-23

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Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to measurements prior to adding an SCell to a PCell in a fragmented carrier configuration. An apparatus is disclosed configured to perform measurements of at least an SCell and intra-gap interference during a measurement occasion, wherein the SCell consists of at least one component carrier that is non-contiguous with component carriers that make up the PCell, and transmit a report to a base station providing the PCell based at least in part on the measurements of at least the SCell and intra-gap interference. An apparatus is configured to transmit a configuration to at least one user equipment for performing measurements of at least an SCell and intra-gap interference during a measurement occasion, wherein the SCell consists of at least one component carrier that is non-contiguous with component carriers that make up the PCell, and receive a report from the at least one user equipment based at least in part on the measurements of at least the SCell and intra-gap interference.
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Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority and interest in U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 736870, filed December 20, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments generally relate to fragmented carriers, and more specifically, to the measurement of carriers in a fragmented configuration. Background Technology

[0003] In carrier aggregation configurations, the use of a single receiver chain is known. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following description is intended to be illustrative only. It is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0005] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: perform measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with a component carrier of a primary serving cell constituting the apparatus; and transmit a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell, at least in part based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0006] According to one aspect, a method includes: performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference using a user equipment during a measurement timing period, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes the secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment; and transmitting a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0007] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for: performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference during a measurement timing period, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with a component carrier of a primary serving cell constituting the apparatus; and transmitting a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell that is at least partially based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0008] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing a user equipment to measure at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes the secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with a component carrier constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment; and causing a report to be transmitted to a base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0009] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the apparatus; and receive from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0010] According to one aspect, a method includes: transmitting, via a base station, a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement period to at least one user equipment, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with a component carrier constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and receiving, from the at least one user equipment, a report based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0011] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for: transmitting to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with a component carrier constituting a primary serving cell provided by the apparatus; and receiving from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0012] According to one aspect, a computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing a base station to transmit a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with a component carrier constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and causing the at least one user equipment to receive a report from the at least one user equipment based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0013] The subject matter of the independent claims is provided in several respects. Other aspects are defined in the dependent claims. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 This is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example system in which exemplary embodiments can be practiced; Figure 2A and 2B This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 6A and 6B This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating the features described in this article; Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps described herein; and Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps described in this article. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The following abbreviations, which can be found in the instruction manual and / or accompanying drawings, are defined as follows: 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project 5G fifth generation Core Network BW bandwidth CA carrier aggregation CC component carrier CSI Channel Status Information DL downlink eNB (or eNodeB) evolved NodeB (e.g., LTE base station) The en-gNB or en-gNB provides NR user plane and control plane protocols to the UE and acts as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity. E-UTRA evolved universal terrestrial radio access, i.e., LTE radio access technology FR frequency range gNB (or g NodeB) is a base station used for 5G / NR, that is, a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and connects to the 5GC via the NG interface. HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Media Access Control NC discontinuous NCCA discontinuous carrier aggregation NC IB CA Non-continuous In-Band Carrier Aggregation Dual connection ng or NG next generation ng-eNB or NG-eNB next-generation eNB NR New Radio N / W or NW network PCell main cell PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol PHY physical layer RAN Radio Access Network RF radio frequency RLC Radio Link Control RRC Radio Resource Control RS reference signal RSRP reference signal received power SCell Auxiliary Community SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol SI Research Project SINR signal versus interference plus noise ratio SP-CSI-RS Semi-Persistent Channel State Information Reference Signal SSB Synchronization Signal Block TCI transmission configuration indication UE (User Equipment) (e.g., wireless, typically mobile devices) UL uplink.

[0016] Turn Figure 1 This figure illustrates a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example of an example in which practices can be carried out. It depicts a user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and (multiple) network elements 190. Figure 1In the example, User Equipment (UE) 110 wirelessly communicates with Wireless Network 100. The UE is a wireless device that can access Wireless Network 100. UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected via one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic cables, or other optical communication devices. "Circuit" may include dedicated hardware or hardware associated with executable software thereon. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer-readable code 123. UE 110 includes a module 140 that includes one or both of portions 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in various ways. Module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as as part of one or more processors 120. Module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer-readable code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, one or more memories 125 and computer-readable code 123 may be configured to enable user equipment 110 to perform one or more operations as described herein using one or more processors 120. UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via radio link 111.

[0017] In this example, RAN node 170 is a base station that provides access from wireless devices (such as UE 110) to wireless network 100. RAN node 170 can be, for example, a base station for 5G, also known as New Radio (NR). In 5G, RAN node 170 can be an NG-RAN node, which is defined as a gNB or ng-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC (such as, for example, multiple network elements 190) via an NG interface. An ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface. An NG-RAN node can include multiple gNBs, and can also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and multiple distributed units (DUs) (gNB-DUs), where DU 195 is shown. Note that a DU can include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB or the en-gNB. The gNB-CU controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates at the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. The F1 interface is shown as reference numeral 198, although reference numeral 198 also illustrates the link between remote elements of RAN node 170 and centralized elements of RAN node 170 (such as between gNB-CU 196 and gNB-DU 195). The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and the operation of the gNB-DU is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or more cells. A cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates at F1 interface 198 connected to the gNB-CU. Note that DU 195 is considered to include transceiver 160, for example, as part of an RU, but some examples may have transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, for example, under the control of DU 195 and connected to DU 195. RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long Term Evolution), or any other suitable base station, access point, access node, or node.

[0018] RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected via one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer-readable code 153. CU 196 may include processor(s) 152, memories 155, and network interfaces 161. Note that DU 195 may also include its own memories / multiple memories and processor(s) and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0019] RAN node 170 includes module 150, which includes one or both of portions 150-1 and / or 150-2, which can be implemented in various ways. Module 150 can be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of one or more processors 152. Module 150-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 150 can be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer-readable code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, one or more memories 155 and computer-readable code 153 are configured to enable RAN node 170 to perform one or more operations as described herein using one or more processors 152. Note that the functionality of module 150 can be distributed, such as distributed between DU 195 and CU 196, or implemented only in DU 195.

[0020] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network (such as via links 176 and 131). Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, for example, link 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless, or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0021] One or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic or other optical communication devices, wireless channels, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a Remote Radio Header (RRH) 195 for LTE or a Distributed Unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation for 5G, wherein other elements of the RAN node 170 may be physically located in a different location from the RRH / DU, and one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented, for example, as fiber optic cables or other suitable network connections to connect other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., Central Unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates those suitable network links(s).

[0022] Note that the description in this document indicates that a "cell" performs a function, but it should be clear that the equipment forming the cell will perform the function. A cell is part of a base station. That is, each base station can have multiple cells. For example, for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, there can be three cells, each covering one-third of a 360-degree area, such that the coverage area of ​​a single base station is approximately elliptical or circular. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier, and a base station can use multiple carriers. Therefore, if there are three 120-degree cells for each carrier and two carriers, the base station has a total of six cells.

[0023] Wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functions and provide connectivity to other networks (such as telephone networks and / or data communication networks (e.g., the Internet)) via one or more links 181. Such core network functions for 5G may include (multiple) Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) and / or (multiple) User Plane Functions (UPF) and / or (multiple) Session Management Functions (SMF). Such core network functions for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions. These are merely exemplary functions that may be supported by (multiple) network elements 190, and it should be noted that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. RAN node 170 is coupled to network element 190 via link 131. Link 131 may be implemented as, for example, an NG interface for 5G, or an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. Network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 180 interconnected via one or more buses 185. One or more memories 171 include computer-readable code 173. The one or more memories 171 and computer-readable code 173 are configured to cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations using one or more processors 175.

[0024] Wireless network 100 can implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity (virtual network). Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as external, combining many networks or parts of networks into virtual units or internal, thereby providing network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. For example, a network can be deployed in a remote cloud, where Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) run on, for example, data center servers. For example, network core functions and / or (multiple) radio access networks (e.g., cloud RAN, open radio access network, edge cloud) can be virtualized. Note that the virtualized entities resulting from network virtualization are still implemented to some extent using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and such virtualized entities also create technical effects.

[0025] It should also be noted that the operation of the example embodiments of this disclosure can be performed by multiple collaborating devices (e.g., cloud access networks).

[0026] Computer-readable storage devices 125, 155, and 171 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed storage, and removable storage. Computer-readable storage devices 125, 155, and 171 can be components for performing storage functions. As a non-limiting example, processors 120, 152, and 175 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Processors 120, 152, and 175 can be components for performing functions such as controlling UE 110, RAN node 170, and other functions described herein.

[0027] Generally speaking, various exemplary embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, cellular phones such as smartphones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with wireless communication capabilities, portable computers with wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras with wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices with wireless communication capabilities, music storage and recycle bins with wireless communication capabilities, internet-connected appliances that allow wireless internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals combining such functions. Furthermore, various embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, capability reduction (RedCap) devices, devices integrated into vehicles, infrastructure associated with vehicle operation, wearable devices used by pedestrians or other non-vehicle users of the road, user equipment unrelated to traffic users, and user equipment configured to participate in lateral movement scenarios, such as public safety user equipment and / or other commercial user equipment.

[0028] A suitable, but non-limiting, technical context for practicing exemplary embodiments of this disclosure has thus been introduced, and the exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail.

[0029] The features described herein can typically involve fragmented carriers. Fragmented carriers are in-band discontinuous component carriers (e.g., component carriers separated by gaps) used together to provide carrier aggregation (CA).

[0030] In carrier aggregation, in addition to the primary cell (PCell), the UE can be configured with one or more secondary / serving cells (SCells). Both PCells and SCells can be considered serving cells. SCells can be downlink-only cells and may not be used to carry PUCCH signaling.

[0031] At the 102nd 3GPP RAN meeting, a group of operators submitted a new research project (SI) proposal in RP-233374 to evaluate the feasibility of using a single receiver (Rx) chain on fragmented in-band blocks in downlink (DL) CA, while investigating near-far issues and undesirable emissions impacts. This proposal was part of the Rel-19 RAN4 work item package discussion, as documented in RP-240019. This SI was submitted in RP-241360 for approval at the 104th RAN meeting and is now referred to as FS_NR_FR1_Frag_Carrier. The scope of the proposed research project at the 104th RAN meeting regarding R19 fragmented carriers is as follows: The objectives of this study are as follows: - For inter-operator co-location scenarios, identify methods for reducing the number of UE Rx chains required (e.g., 1 or 2) for a single DL band with a frequency span of ≤100 MHz (which contains two non-contiguous CCs within a CA combination), taking into account: -Which RF requirements can be adjusted for co-located BS scenarios between operators, such as existing UE RF requirements, like adjacent channel selectivity [RAN4]; - The ability to semi-statically switch hardware resources (i.e., Rx chains) between frequency bands [RAN4, RAN2 - see note 2]; - Up to 6 dB of DL power spectral density imbalance between two discontinuous CCs [RAN4]; -Impact on DL performance[RAN4]; - This refers to the component that informs the network of the new CA configuration that the UE can support under the adjusted RF requirements [RAN4, RAN2 - see note 2].

[0032] Note 1: No RAN1 impact is expected; Note 2: If necessary, RAN2 operation will be triggered by RAN4 LS; Note 3: When the study is completed, consider using the identified solutions to define the standardization work for the core requirements.

[0033] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may or may not involve a UE with a hardware configuration that enables the reception of multiple fragmented in-band blocks using a single RX chain.

[0034] Now for reference Figure 2A and 2B This illustrates an example of fragmented carriers. Figure 2AExamples illustrating n25, n66, and n7 in Canada are provided, where different colors indicate different operator spectrum ownership. In the example of n25 (210), two different operator-accessible spectrum blocks (e.g., 5 MHz wide) are illustrated. In the example of n7 (220), three different operator-accessible spectrum blocks are illustrated. In the example of n66 (230), four different operator-accessible spectrum blocks are illustrated. Figure 2B This illustrates an example of n26 / n5 in Australia, where different colors indicate different operator spectrum ownership. In the urban (240) and regional (250) areas, both n26 and n5 are divided into operator frequency blocks belonging to different operators, as well as unallocated blocks.

[0035] As in Figure 2A and 2B As illustrated in the examples, interference sources within a gap can be several channels and even originate from more than one other operator. When operators use channels allocated adjacent to another operator, they can be considered sources of interference in gaps between channels licensed by that other operator. More than one block in a gap between operator blocks can potentially cause interference to the operator, and those blocks within the gap can correspond to multiple other operators. Some information about channel usage can be provided through inter-operator communication / coordination. However, this information is provided at a general level and does not provide any explicit information about instantaneous usage and power levels.

[0036] In this disclosure, in-gap interference provided by an in-gap interference source may include interference or noise caused by one or more blocks operated by one or more operators located in the gap between in-band discontinuous carriers that operate in or will operate in a fragmented carrier configuration.

[0037] The features described herein can typically involve secondary cell (SCell) activation, such as in FR1. Before an SCell is activated, the NW (e.g., PCell) can configure the UE to perform measurements about a candidate SCell. In example embodiments, the PCell can also configure the UE to measure inter-gap interference sources or inter-gap interference. The duration of performing these measurements can contribute to the delay used to activate the SCell.

[0038] In FR1, the delay used to activate the SCell can be determined in a different way than in the case of a known SCell when the SCell is unknown. Given that the fragmented carrier case uses a non-contiguous in-band delay to activate the SCell, the fragmented carrier usage case has the same type.

[0039] Unknown SCell activation delay uses the following format: If the semi-persistent Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is used for Channel State Information (CSI) reporting, the format is: -6ms + T FirstSSB_MAX + T SMTC_MAX + T rs + T L1-RSRP, measure + T L1-RSRP,report + T HARQ + max(T uncertainty_MAC + T FineTiming + 2ms, T uncertainty_SP ); If periodic CSI-RS is used for CSI reporting, the format is: -3ms + T FirstSSB_MAX + T SMTC_MAX + T rs + T L1-RSRP, measure + T L1-RSRP,report + max(T HARQ + T uncertainty_MAC +5ms +T FineTiming , T uncertainty_RRC + T RRC_delay ).

[0040] Now for reference Figure 3 This illustrates an example of SCell activation for an unknown SCell. Before the SCell activation command, the UE can perform SCell measurements. At 305, the PCell can receive the SCell activation command regarding the SCell. At T... HARQ After time (310), PCell can transmit Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) acknowledgments (ACKs). This can be done at time T. FirstSSB_MAX +T SMTC_MCAX +T rs Cell detection (325) is performed during (320). Then, it can be performed at time T. L1_RSRP、measure (335) During this period, the reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement is performed. At time T... L1_RSRP,report (340) After that, PCell can transmit the L1_RSRP report (345) about SCell. At time T uncertainty_MAC During (360), the PCell can receive a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) (350) and a Semi-Persistent Channel State Information Reference Signal (SP-CSI-RS) activation (355). The SP-CSI-RS can be used to provide information for network understanding of the channel conditions between the base station (gNB) and the user equipment (UE). Unlike periodic scheduling, which transmits signals at fixed intervals, semi-persistent scheduling allows transmissions to be turned on and off based on network needs. During time T... CSI,reportingDuring (365), the CSI of SCell can be measured and reported by PCell (370).

[0041] If the SCell is known, time / frequency tracking may be required. In cases of longer measurement durations, one or more samples may be needed for automatic gain control (AGC). If the SCell is known and belongs to FR1, the SCell activation delay T... activation_time as follows: If the measurement duration of the activated SCell is equal to or less than 2400ms, then the SCell activation delay T activation_time It is T FirstSSB + 5ms.

[0042] If the measurement duration of the activated SCell is greater than 2400ms, then the SCell activation delay T activation_time It is T FirstSSB_MAX + T rs + 5ms.

[0043] Now for reference Figure 4 This illustrates examples of known SCell activation where the measurement duration is greater than 2400ms (405) and where the measurement duration is less than 2400ms (410). The UE can perform SCell measurements before the SCell activation command.

[0044] When the measurement period is greater than 2400ms (405), the PCell can receive the SCell activation command (415), and at time T HARQ After (420), PCell can transmit HARQ ACK (425). At time T... FirstSSB_MAX +T rs During (430), time / frequency tracking and AGC (435) can be performed. Then, the PCell can transmit the L1_RSRP report (450). The PCell can then transmit the report at time T. uncertainty_MAC (465) During this period, receive the TCI instruction (455) and SP-CSI-RS activation (46). At time T... CSI,reporting During this period, RS (470) can be measured, and then CSI report (475) can be executed.

[0045] When the measurement period is less than 2400ms (410), the PCell can receive the SCell activation command (415), and at time T HARQ After (420), PCell can transmit HARQ ACK (425). At time T... FirstSSBDuring (440), time / frequency tracking (445) can be performed. Then, the PCell can transmit the L1_RSRP report (450). The PCell can then transmit the report at time T. uncertainty_MAC (465) During this period, receive the TCI instruction (455) and SP-CSI-RS activation (46). At time T... CSI,reporting During this period, RS (470) can be measured, and then CSI report (475) can be executed.

[0046] In the absence of components for attenuating interference between fragmented carriers, in-gap interference can cause problems receiving fragmented carriers. In other words, in-gap interference may prevent the UE from distinguishing the power received from the fragmented carrier from the power of the in-gap interference source. For example, the power of the in-gap interference may exceed that of the candidate SCell, making the SCell measurement inaccurate or even undetectable. Additionally or alternatively, the power of the in-gap interference may exceed that of the PCell, rendering the signaling between the UE and the PCell invalid, which may optionally lead to carrier release of the PCell. During the establishment / activation of (multiple) carriers, there are two strategies to avoid such problems: directly moving to the fragmented carrier setup (see, for example...) Figure 5 ), or assess whether interference within the gap will cause reception problems for the carrier (see, for example) Figure 7-9 ).

[0047] Now for reference Figure 5 This illustrates an example of configuring end-channel filters for established fragmented carrier pairs. Figure 5 In the example, the channel filter (540) and local oscillator (LO) settings (550) have been selected based on centering the downlink operation and based on the power of CC1 (510), the interfering sources within the gap (520), and CC2 (530). The LO centers the downconversion frequency of the channel filter from the RF frequency to a low or zero intermediate frequency (IF) frequency, which also allows the channel filter to be presented at the RF frequency. Figure 5 In the example, either CC1 (510) or CC2 (530) can be PCell.

[0048] If in-gap interference is not assessed before establishing fragmented carrier aggregation, carrier pair establishment in a fragmented carrier configuration may fail. For example, if the received power of in-gap interference is too high (e.g., above a threshold), the PCell may fail to activate the SCell due to interference. This trial-and-error strategy is not a network vendor preference; it tends to favor more predictable outcomes.

[0049] Example embodiments of this disclosure may involve measuring both SCells and in-gap interference in fragmented carrier aggregation (CA) by activating only one SCell. The technical advantage of example embodiments of this disclosure compared to activating SCells that do not operate in fragmented carrier aggregation is that such measurements can be performed without affecting timing (i.e., without increasing the amount of time required to perform the measurement before the SCell activation command).

[0050] In an example embodiment, measurements can be performed before activating (multiple) SCells in fragmented carrier aggregation. In an example embodiment, the first active cell can be the PCell itself, and fragmented carrier aggregation can be implemented by adding SCells to the PCell in a fragmented carrier configuration. In this use case, one of the fragments / carriers in fragmented carrier aggregation can be the PCell, i.e., the cell hosting signaling for the UE. A technical advantage of the example embodiments of this disclosure is that it ensures the accuracy of measurements on the PCell is not compromised.

[0051] When the UE does not estimate the interference power within the gap, the UE can configure one analog channel filter on the PCell carrier and another analog channel filter on the combination of the SCell and the interference source within the gap. This is in Figure 6A and 6B The diagram shows the effect of simulating a low-channel filter at the RF level, where CC1 (610) is considered as PCell and CC2 (630) is considered as SCell. Figure 6A This describes a channel filter (640) with an LO setting (650) configured only for CC1 (610), where the LO setting (650) represents the UE down-conversion frequency placed at the center of the down-conversion bandwidth determined by the analog low-pass filter. Figure 6B The diagram illustrates a channel filter (660) with an LO setting (670) configured for CC2 (630) and an in-gap interference source (620), the LO setting (670) representing the UE down-conversion frequency placed at the center of the down-conversion bandwidth determined by the analog low-pass filter. When CC2 (630) is measured before activating the SCell (CC2 in the example below), Figure 6B An example embodiment is shown in the figure.

[0052] Before establishing CC2 (630) for this example, measurements are performed on CC2. However, if CC1 (610) is a PCell, then due to interference within the gap, when using... Figure 5 There is a risk of degrading CC1 performance when using this configuration (i.e., a wide analog low-channel filter). Figure 6BThe configuration shown, combining the Scell ​​and in-gap measurements, can achieve the following technical effect: parallel measurement of CC2 (630) enables the prediction of in-gap interference (620). This parallel measurement can also ensure that, in fragmented carrier aggregation, activating a fragmented SCell does not introduce delay compared to a non-fragmented SCell above the PCell (i.e., measurements prior to SCell activation in fragmented CA may not take longer than in non-fragmented CA), because a single measurement (e.g., using a single measurement configuration) can provide information on both the Scell ​​and the interference level (e.g., in-gap interference), which, if the fragmented carrier configuration is applied, will be supplemented with information on the interference level.

[0053] Alternatively, if the devices do not support parallel operation Figure 6A and 6B With this configuration, measurements of interference sources and SCells within the measurement gap can be completed. Parallel measurements require support for non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation from the UE, and because fragmented carrier aggregation is not limited to configurations that also support non-contiguous intra-band CA combinations, the UE may not be able to perform measurements in parallel.

[0054] In the 3GPP 5G NR Release 18 standard, a UE may require measurement gaps or interruptions to identify and measure co-frequency and / or inter-frequency and / or inter-RAT E-UTRAN cells (i.e., for handover or CA purposes). A gap can be defined as a time window in which neither the UE is expected to receive active data from the network nor transmit active data to the network, including PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH, and SRS. Gap or interruptions can be configured by RRC. The configuration of a gap or interruption includes the measurement repetition duration, gap length, and gap offset. The measurement gap length can be as short as 1.5ms or as long as 20ms, and the gap repetition duration can be as short as 20ms or as long as 160ms. An interruption is 0.5ms for FR2 and 0.7ms for FR1, and the UE receives the measurement gap configuration from the network via RRC signaling. During these measurements, the UE stops transmitting and receiving (i.e., communicating) with the serving cell and measures neighboring cells. In other words, during the measurement gap, the UE tunes its RF module to a specified frequency (as configured) and then restores its connection to the serving cell after the measurement gap.

[0055] Devices that do not support in-continuous-band CA can include capability-reduced (RedCap) devices. RedCap UEs can have reduced capabilities, such as: a bandwidth (BW) of 20 MHz for frequency range 1 (FR1), a BW of 50 MHz or 100 MHz for frequency range 2 (FR2), a reduced number of antennas (e.g., 1 Tx antenna, 1 Rx antenna, or 2 Rx antennas depending on FR and band), limited peak data rates, and restricted modulation levels (e.g., 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) in downlink (DL) and 16 QAM and / or optional half-duplex frequency division duplex (FDD) in uplink (UL). RedCap devices can include devices with relatively low complexity, cost, and / or size. For RedCap... Use cases for the UE and example embodiments of this disclosure may include, but are not limited to, industrial Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, wireless sensors, video surveillance equipment, IoT devices, wearable devices, and / or devices for transportation, tracking, infrastructure, agriculture, smart cities, etc. Wearable devices may include sensors that come into contact with or are close to the skin, smart fabrics, heart rate monitors, temperature monitors, etc. A RedCap UE may be deployed with only a minimal number of RF chains (i.e., a single RF chain). Because the purpose of the fragmented carrier configuration is to reduce the number of Rx RF chains to a single chain, this configuration allows RedCap devices with a single RF chain to also receive fragmented carriers, and therefore also receive non-contiguous in-band carriers.

[0056] One of the conditions for enabling gapless measurements by a UE is that it has available receivers that are not used for other activities. This can occur when the UE is able to receive more component carriers than configured by the gNB. In this case, unoccupied / idle (multiple) Rx chains can be used to perform measurements without affecting operation on the active component carriers. Even if the impact of using unoccupied Rx chains on the active component carriers is minimized, some interruptions due to radio frequency (RF) retuning (RRT) may still exist. For this reason, some interruptions can be expected in certain UE architectures when performing gapless measurements.

[0057] The availability of additional RF chains from the UE side can depend on its capabilities (i.e., the total number of available chains) and the configuration used by the network. In some UE architectures, the UE may include several RF chains to support a given number of component carriers in carrier aggregation. Therefore, depending on the number of configured component carriers, the UE may have an amount of additional RF chains available. And for this reason, the ability to perform measurements without gaps may depend on the UE configuration.

[0058] In another example embodiment, a non-contiguous in-band CA configuration with separate channel filters and LO settings for each carrier can be used, and a third measurement configuration can be used to measure in-gap interference. The only advantage of doing so may be better reception of CCS (630). However, if in-gap interference will cause problems during measurement, then when the entire fragmented carrier aggregation configuration has a wide analog channel filter (e.g. Figure 4 As shown in the diagram, this can also cause problems. Depending on how many measurements the device / UE can perform in parallel, this can also lead to latency in SCell activation.

[0059] The technical effect of the example embodiments of this disclosure that perform measurements in parallel can be to avoid introducing relaxation or time extension associated with SCell activation, while also taking into account interference within the gap.

[0060] In an example embodiment, the SCell can be measured before SCell activation is performed as part of the fragmented CA configuration. These measurements can be configured by the PCell and performed and reported by the UE. Measurements can be measurements of reference signal, RSRP, power, peak power, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc. As part of the SCell addition process, this configuration can be transmitted by the PCell and received by the UE before the PCell receives the SCell activation command.

[0061] Now for reference Figure 7 This illustrates an example of measurements of SCell (730) and interfering sources (720) within a gap in fragmented carrier aggregation, using a measurement gap (740) on PCell (710). The measurement gap (740) can be a time period during which the UE is not configured to receive from PCell (710), but is configured to perform measurements regarding SCell (730) and / or interfering sources (720) within the gap. Interruptions may occur when the UE switches between measuring PCell (710) and measuring SCell (730) and interfering sources (720) within the gap. Figure 7 In the example, a measurement gap (740) can be created to measure the SCell (730) and the interference source (720) within the gap. For this measurement, a different LO setting and channel filter configuration (760) can be used than the channel filter configuration used for the PCell channel bandwidth (710). Figure 7In the example, the UE can be configured to receive / measure PCell (710) from PCell (710) at the measurement timing extended from PCell channel filter (750) by solid line, and the UE can be configured to receive / measure SCell (730) and interfering source (720) in the gap at the measurement timing extended from SCell and interfering source channel filter (760) in gap by dashed line.

[0062] According to Figure 7 After the configuration shown performs the measurement, the UE can transmit a report based on the performed measurement to the PCell. The report may include a measurement report, which may include the results of the performed measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the report may include an interference measurement report, which may include an indication of the ratio between the SCell and the interference source within the gap, based at least in part on the performed measurement.

[0063] Figure 7 Examples can optionally be implemented using devices with reduced capabilities for equivalent non-continuous in-band CA configuration that do not support fragmented carrier CA configuration.

[0064] Now for reference Figure 8 This illustrates an example of gapless measurement of SCell (830) including an in-gap interference source (820) in fragmented carrier aggregation. The UE can be configured to continuously measure PCell (810) and can be configured to measure SCell (830) and in-gap interference source (820) during measurement opportunities (840) where PCell (810) can also be measured. PCell channel filter (850) and SCell and in-gap interference channel filter (860) can be configured to be used simultaneously (i.e., in parallel), or PCell channel filter (850) can be used by itself. PCell channel filter configuration (850) can be centered at a downconversion frequency with a LO setting determined for PCell (810), while SCell and in-gap interference source channel filter configuration (860) can be centered at a downconversion frequency with a LO setting determined for both SCell (830) and in-gap interference (820). A second RX chain can be activated to enable the parallel use of both channel filter (850) and channel filter (860).

[0065] exist Figure 8In the example, the UE can be configured to receive / measure PCell (810) from PCell (810) at the measurement timing extended from the PCell channel filter (850) by the solid line, and the UE can be configured to receive / measure PCell (810), SCell (830) and the gap interference source (820) from PCell (810), SCell (830) and the gap interference source (820) at the measurement timing extended from the combination of the channel filter (850) and the channel filter (860) by the dashed line.

[0066] According to Figure 8 After the configuration shown performs the measurement, the UE can transmit a report to the PCell based on the performed measurement. The report may include a measurement report, which may include the results of the performed measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the report may include an interference measurement report, which may include, at least in part, an indication of the ratio between the SCell and the interference source within the gap, based on the performed measurement.

[0067] exist Figure 8 In the example, the UE must support the equivalent non-contiguous in-band CA configuration of the fragmented CA configuration, but the non-contiguous in-band CA configuration does not include the frequency range within the gap, but only the two carrier bandwidths at each receive chain.

[0068] Now for reference Figure 9 This section illustrates an example of measuring SCell (930) and the inter-gap interference source (920) using a fully fragmented carrier configuration based on prior knowledge and evaluation of in-gap interference. The UE can be configured to continuously measure PCell (910) and can be configured to measure SCell (930) and the inter-gap interference source (920) during a measurement opportunity (940), during which PCell (910) can also be measured (i.e., in parallel). A channel filter configured for PCell (950) or a channel filter configured for PCell, the inter-gap interference source, and SCell (960) can be used. The PCell channel filter configuration (950) can be centered at a down-conversion frequency with a LO setting determined for PCell, while the wide channel filter configuration (960) can be centered at a down-conversion frequency with a LO setting determined for PCell, SCell, and the inter-gap interference.

[0069] exist Figure 9In the example, the UE can be configured to receive / measure PCell (910) from PCell (910) at the measurement timing extended from the PCell channel filter (950) by the solid line, and the UE can be configured to receive / measure PCell (910), SCell (930) and the interfering source (920) in the gap at the measurement timing extended from the wide filter (960) by the dashed line.

[0070] Figure 9 The configuration described herein can be implemented, where some information about interference sources within the gap is already known. For example, when using Figure 9 Before the wide-channel filter (960) described in the text (i.e., including PCell), the narrow-channel filter (i.e., excluding PCell) may have been used to perform measurements of the SCell and the interference sources within the gap.

[0071] In an example embodiment, the trial-and-error process can utilize... Figure 9 The configuration is used to perform this, although this may pose a risk to the measurement accuracy of PCell (910) when measuring SCell (930) which includes interference sources (920) within the gap.

[0072] In the example embodiment, the in-gap interference (920) can be measured first, and if the in-gap interference (920) is within an acceptable range for receiving a carrier in a fragmented CA, then it can be used. Figure 9 The configuration (i.e., during subsequent measurement opportunities). However, if the in-gap interference (920) is not within acceptable limits for receiving a carrier in a fragmented CA (e.g., the power of the in-gap interference may be higher than a threshold level / value), then the in-gap interference may have to be monitored and evaluated before using a wide-channel filter (960).

[0073] In the example embodiment, execution can proceed as long as the interference within the gap is not within an acceptable range (i.e., when the interference within the gap is higher than a threshold level / value). Figure 7 The switching between channel filter 750 and channel filter 760 can be performed when the interference within the gap is within an acceptable range (i.e., below a threshold level / value) for receiving a carrier in a fragmented CA configuration. Figure 9 Switching between channel filter 950 and channel filter 960.

[0074] According to Figure 9After the configuration shown performs the measurement, the UE can transmit a report based on the performed measurement to the PCell. The report may include a measurement report, which may include the results of the performed measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the report may include an interference measurement report, which may include an indication of the ratio between the SCell and the interference source within the gap, based at least in part on the performed measurement.

[0075] If in Figure 7-9 If the example implementation described herein is not implemented, the duration before SCell activation may be longer than the duration in a non-fragmented CA configuration, such as... Figure 10 As described, the UE can measure the SCell (1030) and the interfering source within the gap (1020) during a separate measurement opportunity (1040) during which the UE is not configured to receive from the PCell (1010). This subsequent measurement of the SCell and the interfering source within the gap may take longer than the measurement of the SCell in the case of an unfragmented CA configuration.

[0076] Example embodiments of this disclosure may be performed, for example but not limited to FR1, which includes a frequency band below 6 GHz.

[0077] Figure 11 The potential steps of example method 1100 are illustrated. Example method 1100 may include: performing a measurement of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes the secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with the component carrier constituting the primary serving cell 1110; and transmitting a report 1120 to the base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on the measurement of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference. Example method 1100 may be performed, for example, using a UE.

[0078] Figure 12 The potential steps of example method 1200 are illustrated. Example method 1200 may include: transmitting to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with the component carrier constituting a primary serving cell 1210; and receiving from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference 1220. Example method 1200 may be performed, for example, using a base station, gNB, network node, network entity, etc.

[0079] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: perform measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with component carriers of a primary serving cell constituting the apparatus; and transmit a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell that is at least partially based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The example apparatus may also be configured to: receive from the primary serving cell a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein the configuration may include instructions for at least one of: the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for in-gap interference. The report may be at least partially based on the received configuration. The configuration may include configurations associated with enabling fragmented carrier configurations for the secondary cell and the primary serving cell. The report may include at least one of the following: a measurement report or an interference measurement report. The inter-gap interference may be associated with one or more operators different from the primary serving cell and the secondary cell. The measurement timing may include a measurement gap relative to the primary serving cell. The example apparatus may also be configured to: during another measurement timing, perform a measurement of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein the first channel filter configuration may be at least partially different from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and inter-gap interference during the measurement timing. The example apparatus may also be configured to: determine, at least in part, to perform measurements of the secondary cell and inter-gap interference during the measurement timing using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting, based on determining that the inter-gap interference is above a threshold. The example apparatus may also be configured to: during a measurement timing, perform a measurement of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein measurements of the secondary cell and inter-gap interference are performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The example apparatus may include at least: a first receiver chain for performing measurements of interference in the secondary cell and the gap, and a second receiver chain for performing measurements of the primary serving cell.Performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement opportunity may include an example apparatus further configured to: perform measurements of the secondary cell, inter-gap interference, and primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting during the measurement opportunity. The example apparatus may also be configured to: perform measurements of the primary serving cell using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting during another measurement opportunity. The example apparatus may also be configured to: determine, at least in part, to perform measurements of the secondary cell, inter-gap interference, and primary serving cell using the first channel filter configuration during the measurement opportunity based on determining that the inter-gap interference is below a threshold.

[0080] According to an example embodiment, an example method may be provided, comprising: performing measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference using a user equipment during a measurement timing period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell of the user equipment; and transmitting a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell that is at least partially based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The example method may further include: receiving from the primary serving cell a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during the measurement timing period, wherein the configuration may include an indication of at least one of: the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for in-gap interference. The report may be at least partially based on the received configuration. The configuration may include a configuration associated with enabling fragmented carrier configuration for the secondary cell and the primary serving cell. The report may include at least one of: a measurement report or an interference measurement report. In-gap interference may be associated with one or more operators different from the primary serving cell and the secondary cell. Measurement timing may include a measurement gap relative to the primary serving cell. The example method may further include: during another measurement timing, performing a measurement of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein the first channel filter configuration may be at least partially different from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and in-gap interference during the measurement timing. The example method may further include: determining, at least partially based on determining that the in-gap interference is above a threshold, to perform measurements of the secondary cell and in-gap interference using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting during the measurement timing. The example method may further include: during a measurement timing, performing a measurement of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein measurements of the secondary cell and in-gap interference are performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The user equipment may include at least a first receiver chain for performing measurements of the secondary cell and in-gap interference, and a second receiver chain for performing measurements of the primary serving cell. Performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement opportunity may include: performing measurements of the secondary cell, inter-gap interference, and primary serving cell at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting using a first channel filter configuration during the measurement opportunity. The example method may also include: performing measurements of the primary serving cell at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting during another measurement opportunity using a second channel filter configuration.The example method may also include: determining, at least in part, to perform measurements of the secondary cell, the inter-gap interference, and the primary serving cell during the measurement timing, using a first channel filter configuration based on determining that the in-gap interference is below a threshold.

[0081] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: circuitry configured to perform the following operations: during a measurement period, using a user equipment to perform measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with the component carriers constituting a primary serving cell of the user equipment; and circuitry configured to transmit a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0082] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: processing circuitry; and memory circuitry including computer-readable code, the memory circuitry and the computer-readable code being configured to utilize the processing circuitry to enable the apparatus to: perform measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with the component carrier of the primary serving cell constituting the apparatus; and transmit a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell, at least in part based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0083] As used herein, the terms “circuit” or “component” may refer to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation in analog, digital, and / or quantum circuits) and (b) a combination of (multiple) hardware circuits and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of (multiple) analog, digital, and / or quantum hardware circuits with software / firmware; and (ii) any or all portions of (multiple) hardware processors (including (multiple) digital and / or quantum processors) and (multiple) memories having software that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile device, computing device, or server) to perform various functions; and (c) any or all portions of (multiple) hardware circuits (such as (multiple) microprocessors, (multiple) processors, and / or (multiple) quantum processors) that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when operation does not require it. This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term herein, including in any claim. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also encompasses only hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors), or portions of hardware circuitry or a server, and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, where applicable to certain claim elements, the term "circuit" also encompasses baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0084] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include components for: performing measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with component carriers of a primary serving cell constituting the apparatus; and transmitting a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell that is at least partially based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The components may also be configured to: receive from the primary serving cell a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during the measurement timing, wherein the configuration may include indications of at least one of: the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for in-gap interference. The report may be at least partially based on the received configuration. The configuration may include configurations associated with enabling fragmented carrier configurations for the secondary cell and the primary serving cell. The report may include at least one of: a measurement report or an interference measurement report. Interference within the gap may be associated with one or more operators different from the primary serving cell and the secondary cell. Measurement timing may include a measurement gap relative to the primary serving cell. The component may also be configured to: during another measurement timing, perform measurements of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein the first channel filter configuration may be at least partially different from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap during the measurement timing. The component may also be configured to: determine, at least partially based on determining that interference within the gap is above a threshold, to perform measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap during the measurement timing using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The component may also be configured to: during a measurement timing, perform measurements of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap are performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The example apparatus may include at least: a first receiver chain for performing measurements of secondary cell and in-gap interference, and a second receiver chain for performing measurements of the primary serving cell. Components configured to perform measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement opportunity may include components configured to perform measurements of the secondary cell, in-gap interference, and primary serving cell at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting during the measurement opportunity, using a first channel filter configuration.The component can also be configured to: perform measurements of the primary serving cell at a second down-conversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting during another measurement opportunity using a second channel filter configuration. The component can also be configured to: determine, at least in part, to perform measurements of the secondary cell, inter-gap interference, and primary serving cell during a measurement opportunity using a first channel filter configuration, based on determining that the in-gap interference is below a threshold.

[0085] A processor, memory, and / or an example algorithm (which may be encoded as instructions, a program, or code) may be provided as an example component for providing or causing the execution of an operation.

[0086] According to one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed using at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: measure at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference using a user equipment during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment; and to transmit a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell, at least in part based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0087] According to one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing a user equipment to measure at least a secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute the secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment; and causing a report to be transmitted to a base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on the measurements of at least the secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing the following: causing a configuration to be received from the primary serving cell for performing measurements of at least the secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein the configuration may include instructions for at least one of: the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for the in-gap interference. The report may be based at least in part on the received configuration. The configuration may include configurations associated with enabling fragmented carrier configurations for the secondary and primary serving cells. The report may include at least one of the following: a measurement report or an interference measurement report. In-gap interference may be associated with one or more operators different from the primary and secondary serving cells. Measurement timing may include measurement gaps relative to the primary serving cell. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing the following: causing the primary serving cell to be measured at a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting during another measurement timing, using a first channel filter configuration, wherein the first channel filter configuration may be at least partially different from a second channel filter configuration for performing measurements of the secondary cell and in-gap interference during the measurement timing. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing the following: determining, at least in part, based on determining that in-gap interference is above a threshold, to perform measurements of the secondary cell and in-gap interference during the measurement timing using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing the following: during a measurement period, measuring the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configured to a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein measurements of secondary cells and inter-gap interference are performed using a second channel filter configured to a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The user equipment may include at least a first receiver chain for performing measurements of secondary cells and inter-gap interference, and a second receiver chain for performing measurements of the primary serving cell.The program instructions stored thereon for performing measurements of at least the secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement opportunity may include program instructions for performing the following: causing the secondary cell, in-gap interference, and primary serving cell to be measured during the measurement opportunity using a first channel filter configured to a first down-conversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing the following: causing the primary serving cell to be measured during another measurement opportunity using a second channel filter configured to a second down-conversion frequency having a second local oscillator setting. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing the following: determining, at least in part, to perform measurements of the secondary cell, in-gap interference, and primary serving cell during the measurement opportunity using a first channel filter configuration based on determining that the in-gap interference is below a threshold.

[0088] According to one example embodiment, a machine-readable (non-transitory) program storage device may be provided, which tangibly embodies machine-executable instructions for operations including: causing a user equipment to measure at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment; and causing a report to be transmitted to a base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0089] According to one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: causing the user equipment to measure at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference during a measurement timing period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment; and causing a report to be transmitted to a base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0090] According to one example embodiment, a computer-implemented system includes: at least one processor and at least one (non-transitory) memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least: measure at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference using a user equipment during a measurement opportunity, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carriers constituting a primary serving cell of the user equipment; and transmit a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell that is at least partially based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0091] According to one example embodiment, a computer-implemented system includes: components for measuring at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference using a user equipment during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with the component carrier constituting a primary serving cell of the user equipment; and components for transmitting a report to a base station providing the primary serving cell, at least in part based on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference.

[0092] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of at least a secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the apparatus; and receive from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of at least the secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The configuration may include indications of at least one of: the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for in-gap interference. The report may be at least partially based on the received configuration. The example apparatus may also be configured to: determine, at least partially based on the received report, whether to activate the secondary cell and primary serving cell in a fragmented carrier configuration. The report may include a measurement report or an interference measurement report. Interference within the gap may be associated with one or more operators different from the primary serving cell and the secondary cell. Measurement timing may include a measurement gap relative to the primary serving cell, wherein the configuration may include at least an instruction to perform measurements of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration during another measurement timing, the first channel filter configuration being different from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap during the measurement timing. The configuration may include at least: an instruction to perform measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap during the measurement timing using a first receiver chain and the first channel filter configuration; and an instruction to perform measurements of the primary serving cell during the measurement timing using a second receiver chain and the second channel filter configuration. The configuration may include at least: an instruction to perform measurements of the secondary cell, interference within the gap, and the primary serving cell during the measurement timing using the first channel filter configuration; and an instruction to perform measurements of the primary serving cell during a separate measurement timing using the second channel filter configuration.

[0093] According to an example embodiment, an example method may be provided, comprising: transmitting, via a base station, a configuration for performing measurements of at least a secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and receiving from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of at least the secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The configuration may include indications of at least one of the following: at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for in-gap interference.

[0094] Example methods may also include: determining, at least in part, whether to activate the secondary and primary serving cells in a fragmented carrier configuration based on the received reports.

[0095] The report may include at least one of the following: a measurement report or an interference measurement report.

[0096] Interference within the gap can be associated with one or more operators that are different from the operators of the primary serving cell and the secondary serving cell.

[0097] Measurement timing may include a measurement gap relative to the primary serving cell, wherein the configuration may include at least an indication that during another measurement timing, measurements of the primary serving cell are performed using a first channel filter configuration, which may differ from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of secondary cells and inter-gap interference during the measurement timing.

[0098] The configuration may include at least: instructions to perform measurements of secondary cell and inter-cell interference during a measurement opportunity using a first receiver chain and a first channel filter; and instructions to perform measurements of the primary serving cell during a measurement opportunity using a second receiver chain and a second channel filter.

[0099] The configuration may include at least: instructions to perform measurements of the secondary cell, inter-gap interference, and primary serving cell during a measurement period using a first channel filter configuration; and instructions to perform measurements of the primary serving cell during a separate measurement period using a second channel filter configuration.

[0100] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: circuitry configured to perform: transmitting via a base station to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of interference in at least a secondary cell and a gap during a measurement timing period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and circuitry configured to perform: receiving from at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of interference in at least a secondary cell and a gap.

[0101] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include: processing circuitry; memory circuitry including computer-readable code; the memory circuitry and the computer-readable code are configured to utilize the processing circuitry to enable the apparatus to: transmit to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the apparatus; and receive from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0102] According to one example embodiment, an apparatus may include components for: transmitting to at least one user equipment a configuration for performing measurements of at least a secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement timing, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the apparatus; and receiving from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on the measurements of at least the secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The configuration may include indications of at least one of the following: at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for the in-gap interference. The components may also be configured to: determine, at least partially based on the received report, whether to activate the secondary cell and the primary serving cell in a fragmented carrier configuration. The report may include at least one of the following: a measurement report or an interference measurement report. The in-gap interference may be associated with one or more operators that may be different from the operators of the primary serving cell and the secondary cell. Measurement timing may include measurement gaps relative to the primary serving cell, wherein the configuration may include at least an indication to perform measurements of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration during another measurement timing, the first channel filter configuration being different from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of secondary cells and in-gap interference during the measurement timing. The configuration may include at least an indication to perform measurements of secondary cells and in-gap interference using the first channel filter configuration with a first receiver chain during the measurement timing; and an indication to perform measurements of the primary serving cell using the second channel filter configuration with a second receiver chain during the measurement timing. The configuration may also include at least an indication to perform measurements of secondary cells, in-gap interference, and the primary serving cell using the first channel filter configuration during the measurement timing; and an indication to perform measurements of the primary serving cell using the second channel filter configuration during another measurement timing.

[0103] According to one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, which, when executed using at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: transmit a configuration via a base station to at least one user equipment for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and cause the at least one user equipment to receive a report from the at least one user equipment based at least in part on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0104] According to one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium includes program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing a base station to transmit a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and causing the at least one user equipment to receive a report from the at least one user equipment based at least in part on measurements of at least secondary cell and in-gap interference. The at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell may be in-band discontinuous with component carriers constituting the primary serving cell. The configuration may include indications of at least one of the following: at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell, at least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator including an in-gap interference source, one or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or one or more measurements to be performed for in-gap interference. The example computer-readable medium may also include program instructions stored thereon for performing: determining, at least in part, whether to activate the secondary cell and primary serving cell in a fragmented carrier configuration based on a received report. The report may include at least one of the following: a measurement report or an interference measurement report. Interference within the gap may be associated with one or more operators different from the primary serving cell and the secondary cell. Measurement timing may include a measurement gap relative to the primary serving cell, wherein the configuration may include at least an instruction to perform measurements of the primary serving cell using a first channel filter configuration during another measurement timing, the first channel filter configuration being different from a second channel filter configuration used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap during the measurement timing. The configuration may include at least: an instruction to perform measurements of the secondary cell and interference within the gap during the measurement timing using a first receiver chain and the first channel filter configuration; and an instruction to perform measurements of the primary serving cell during the measurement timing using a second receiver chain and the second channel filter configuration. The configuration may include at least: an instruction to perform measurements of the secondary cell, interference within the gap, and the primary serving cell during the measurement timing using the first channel filter configuration; and an instruction to perform measurements of the primary serving cell during a separate measurement timing using the second channel filter configuration.

[0105] According to one example embodiment, a machine-readable (non-transitory) program storage device may be provided, tangibly embodying machine-executable instructions for performing operations including: causing a base station to transmit a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carrier constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and causing a report to be received from at least one user equipment based at least in part on the measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0106] According to one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a means, cause the means to perform at least the following: causing a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement period to be transmitted to at least one user equipment via a base station, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with the component carrier constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and causing a report to be received from the at least one user equipment based at least in part on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0107] According to one example embodiment, a computer-implemented system includes: at least one processor and at least one (non-transitory) memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to at least: transmit via a base station a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement period, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier may be discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and receive from the at least one user equipment a report at least partially based on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0108] According to one example embodiment, a computer-implemented system includes: components for enabling the transmission of a configuration for performing measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference during a measurement period to at least one user equipment using a base station, wherein at least one component carrier may constitute a secondary cell, the at least one component carrier being discontinuous with component carriers constituting a primary serving cell provided by the base station; and components for enabling the receiving from the at least one user equipment of a report based at least in part on measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-gap interference.

[0109] As used herein, the term “non-transitory” refers to the limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM compared to ROM).

[0110] As used herein, the terms “at least one” and “one or more” mean “any one of at least one” and “any one of one or more”, respectively.

[0111] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only. Those skilled in the art can devise various alternatives and modifications. For example, features recited in the various dependent claims can be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). Furthermore, features from the different embodiments described above can be selectively combined to form new embodiments. Therefore, this specification is intended to cover all such alternatives, modifications, and variations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: During the measurement period, measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference are performed, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes the secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier is discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the apparatus. as well as A report is transmitted to the base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on measurements of interference within at least the secondary cells and the gap.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell and the component carrier constituting the primary serving cell are in-band discontinuous.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: Receive from the primary serving cell a configuration for performing measurements of at least the secondary cell and the inter-cell interference during the measurement timing, wherein the configuration includes an indication of at least one of the following: The at least one component carrier that makes up the secondary cell. At least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator, including interference sources within the gap. One or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or One or more measurements to be performed in response to interference within the gap.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the report is at least in part based on the received configuration.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the configuration includes a configuration associated with enabling fragmented carrier configuration for the secondary cell and the primary serving cell.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the report comprises at least one of the following: a measurement report or an interference measurement report.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inter-gap interference is associated with one or more operators that are different from the operators of the primary serving cell and the secondary cell.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement timing includes a measurement interval relative to the primary serving cell.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: During another measurement opportunity, the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed using a first channel filter configuration at a first downconversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein the first channel filter configuration is at least partially different from a second channel filter configuration, the second channel filter configuration being used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and the inter-gap interference during the measurement opportunity.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The measurement of the secondary cell and the interference within the gap is determined, at least in part, during the measurement period based on the determination that the interference within the gap is higher than a threshold. This is achieved by using the second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: During the measurement period, the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency with a first local oscillator setting, wherein the measurement of the secondary cell and the inter-gap interference is performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus comprises at least: A first receiver chain for performing measurements of interference in the secondary cell and the gap, and a second receiver chain for performing measurements of the primary serving cell.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein performing the measurement of at least the secondary cell and the interference within the gap during the measurement timing includes the at least one memory storing instruction, the instruction causing the apparatus to: During the measurement period, measurements of the secondary cell, the inter-gap interference, and the primary serving cell are performed using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency with a first local oscillator setting.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: During another measurement opportunity, the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second downconversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed using the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: The determination is based at least in part on the fact that the interference within the gap is below a threshold, and that the measurement of the secondary cell, the interference within the gap, and the primary serving cell is performed using the first channel filter configuration during the measurement timing.

16. A method for communication, comprising: During the measurement period, measurements of at least secondary cell and inter-cell interference are performed using the user equipment, wherein at least one component carrier constitutes the secondary cell, and the at least one component carrier is discontinuous with the component carriers constituting the primary serving cell of the user equipment. as well as A report is transmitted to the base station providing the primary serving cell, based at least in part on measurements of interference within at least the secondary cells and the gap.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one component carrier constituting the secondary cell is in-band discontinuous with the component carrier constituting the primary serving cell.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: Receive from the primary serving cell a configuration for performing measurements of at least the secondary cell and the inter-cell interference during the measurement timing, wherein the configuration includes an indication of at least one of the following: The at least one component carrier that makes up the secondary cell. At least one channel bandwidth from at least one operator, including interference sources within the gap. One or more measurements to be performed for the secondary cell, or One or more measurements to be performed in response to interference within the gap.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the report is at least in part based on the received configuration.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the configuration includes a configuration associated with enabling fragmented carrier configuration for the secondary cell and the primary serving cell.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the report comprises at least one of the following: a measurement report, or an interference measurement report.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the inter-gap interference is associated with one or more operators that are different from the operators of the primary serving cell and the secondary cell.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the measurement timing includes a measurement interval relative to the primary serving cell.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising: During another measurement opportunity, the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed using a first channel filter configuration at a first downconversion frequency having a first local oscillator setting, wherein the first channel filter configuration is at least partially different from a second channel filter configuration, the second channel filter configuration being used to perform measurements of the secondary cell and the inter-gap interference during the measurement opportunity.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: The measurement of the secondary cell and the interference within the gap is determined, at least in part, during the measurement period based on the determination that the interference within the gap is higher than a threshold. This is achieved by using the second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising: During the measurement period, the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency with a first local oscillator setting, wherein the measurement of the secondary cell and the inter-gap interference is performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second down-conversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the measurement of the secondary cell and the interference within the gap is performed by a first receiver chain, and the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed by a second receiver chain.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein performing measurements of at least the secondary cell and the interference within the gap during the measurement timing comprises: During the measurement period, measurements of the secondary cell, the inter-gap interference, and the primary serving cell are performed using a first channel filter configuration at a first down-conversion frequency with a first local oscillator setting.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: During another measurement opportunity, the measurement of the primary serving cell is performed using a second channel filter configuration at a second downconversion frequency with a second local oscillator setting.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising: The determination is based at least in part on the fact that the interference within the gap is below a threshold, and that the measurement of the secondary cell, the interference within the gap, and the primary serving cell is performed using the first channel filter configuration during the measurement timing.

31. A computer-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 30.