Simultaneous measurement of multiple carriers within a measurement gap

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) in communication with a network can perform multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap. The UE can transmit an indication of support for multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap to the network. The UE can measure a first carrier during a first occasion of the measurement gap, the first carrier being a primary component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network. The UE can measure a second carrier during the first occasion of the measurement gap, the second carrier being transmitted from a second cell of the network. The UE can perform a handover, carrier aggregation, or other network operation using the multi-carrier measurements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to wireless technology, and more specifically to the simultaneous measurement of multiple carriers within a measurement interval. Background Technology

[0002] Fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) are wireless standards designed to improve data transmission speed, reliability, availability, and other aspects. Wireless standards include numerous processes that can be implemented by transmitting or receiving devices to improve the latency, speed, and reliability of uplink and downlink transmissions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to 5G new radios (NR) that operate in licensed spectrum or in shared and unlicensed spectrum (NR-U).

[0004] In one aspect, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) communicating with a network includes: transmitting to the network an indication of support for multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap; measuring a first carrier, a primary component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network, during a first timing period of the measurement gap; and measuring a second carrier transmitted from a second cell of the network during the first timing period of the measurement gap.

[0005] The indication of support for measurement may be UE-specific and may include a first indication indicating support for a first frequency range (e.g., frequency range 1 (FR1)) and a second indication indicating support for a second frequency range (e.g., frequency range 2 (FR2)).

[0006] The method may include: receiving from a network a request for support for multi-carrier measurements associated with a target frequency band; and, in response to receiving the request, transmitting to the network a second indication associated with support for the multi-carrier measurements for the target frequency band. The method may also include: generating a measurement report based on measurements of a first carrier and measurements of a second carrier; transmitting the measurement report to the network; and performing a handover to a second cell based on the measurement report.

[0007] The method may also include: selecting a second cell as a secondary carrier component (SCC) based on measurements of a first carrier and a second carrier; and performing carrier aggregation (CA) using PCC and SCC.

[0008] The network can scale the period of the measurement gap using a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF), which is reduced in response to the UE's indication of support for multi-carrier measurements. The UE can measure carriers (e.g., the first carrier, the second carrier, and / or other carriers) at multiple times during the measurement gap, where one or more modes may vary depending on the specific implementation.

[0009] In one example, during a first timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures a first carrier using a first RF chain and a second carrier using a second RF chain; during a second timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures a third carrier using the first RF chain and a fourth carrier using the second RF chain; and during a third timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures a first carrier using the first RF chain.

[0010] In another example, in response to when Primary and Secondary Component Carriers (PSCC) are not configured in the UE, the method may include measuring a first carrier using a first radio frequency (RF) chain in an alternating manner during each timing of the measurement gap and measuring a second carrier and an additional carrier that is not the first carrier using a second RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap. In response to when PSCC is configured, the method may include measuring the first carrier using the first RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap and using the second RF chain: i) measuring the second carrier and the additional carrier during half of the measurement gap, and ii) measuring the first carrier during the other half of the measurement gap.

[0011] The transmission of a second indication associated with support for multi-carrier measurements in a target frequency band may include the transmission of a first and a second frequency band in the target frequency band that do not support multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap.

[0012] In one aspect, a method performed by a network communicating with a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving from the UE an indication of support for multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap; configuring the timing of the measurement gap based on the indication of support; transmitting a first carrier during a first timing period of the measurement gap, the first carrier being a principal component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network; and transmitting a second carrier during the first timing period of the measurement gap from a second cell of the network.

[0013] The method may further include: sending a request to the UE for support for multicarrier measurements associated with the target frequency band; and receiving from the UE a second indication associated with support for multicarrier measurements associated with the target frequency band.

[0014] The method may further include: receiving from the UE a measurement report generated based on measurements of a first carrier and a second carrier; and performing a handover to a second cell based on the measurement report.

[0015] The method may further include: receiving from the UE a selection of a second cell as a secondary carrier component (SCC) based on measurements of a first carrier and a second carrier; and sending one or more downlink messages to the UE via PCC and SCC for the UE to perform carrier aggregation (CA) using PCC and SCC.

[0016] In one example, configuring the timing of the measurement gap based on the indication of support includes scaling the period of the measurement gap by a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) specific to the indication of support.

[0017] In one aspect, a base station includes: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform the methods described herein from a network perspective.

[0018] In one aspect, the UE's processor (e.g., a baseband processor) is configured to perform the methods described herein from the UE's perspective.

[0019] Other technical features will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following figures, description and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited to the figures in the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals indicate similar elements.

[0021] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is illustrated based on some aspects.

[0022] Figure 2 Examples of uplink and downlink communication based on some aspects are given.

[0023] Figure 3 Example block diagrams are shown based on some aspects of user equipment (UE).

[0024] Figure 4 Example block diagrams of base stations (BS) based on some aspects are shown.

[0025] Figure 5 An example block diagram of a cellular communication circuit is shown, based on some aspects.

[0026] Figure 6 An example of a UE communicating with a network based on some aspects is shown.

[0027] Figure 7 An example procedure for performing multicarrier measurements within a single measurement gap is illustrated, based on several aspects.

[0028] Figure 8 An example process is illustrated for providing a network to support multi-carrier measurements within a single measurement gap, based on several aspects.

[0029] Figure 9 A diagram illustrating example operations for performing multicarrier measurements during measurement gaps, based on several aspects, is shown.

[0030] Figure 10 A diagram illustrating example operations for performing multicarrier measurements in a measurement gap with specified target frequency band support is shown.

[0031] Figure 11 An example is shown that supports band-specific multicarrier measurements based on several aspects.

[0032] Figure 12 An example of multicarrier measurement in a measurement gap with a first measurement mode is shown, according to some aspects.

[0033] Figure 13 An example of multi-carrier measurement in a measurement gap with a second measurement mode is shown, according to some aspects. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Methods and apparatus relating to wireless communication between a UE and a network, and to providing multi-carrier measurements during each measurement interval, are described. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that aspects of this disclosure can be implemented without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components (e.g., network and UE components), structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0035] In this specification, the reference to "some aspects" or "aspect" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that aspect may be included in at least one aspect of this disclosure. The phrase "some aspects" appearing in various places throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same aspect.

[0036] In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and “connected” and their derivatives may be used. “Coupled” is used to indicate that two or more elements may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, and cooperate or interact with each other. “Connected” is used to indicate the establishment of communication between two or more elements coupled to each other.

[0037] The processes illustrated in the following figures are executed by processing logic, which includes hardware (e.g., circuitry, special-purpose logic, etc.), software (such as software running on a general-purpose computer system or a special-purpose machine), or a combination of both. While these processes are described below in a certain order, it should be understood that some of the operations described may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, some operations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.

[0038] The terms “server,” “client,” and “device” are intended to refer generally to a data processing system, rather than to specific constituent elements of a server, client, and / or device.

[0039] Figure 1 A simplified example of a wireless communication system is illustrated based on some aspects. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The system described is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0040] As shown in the figure, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N, etc., via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE).

[0041] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UE 106A to UE 106N.

[0042] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Network nodes can be interchanged with base stations or cells. Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in an LTE environment, its alternative location may be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". It should also be noted that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, its alternative location may be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0043] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various telecommunications capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0044] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base station 102B...102N) operating under the same or different cellular communication standards can thus provide a network as a cell, which can provide continuous or near-continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-106N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0045] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1 The example illustrates the "serving cell" of UEs 106A-106N, but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-102N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells". Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing a service area size. For example, in Figure 1 The base stations 102A-102B shown in the example can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0046] In some respects, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In some respects, the gNB may connect to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0047] It should be noted that UE 106 may be able to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) other than at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.)). If desired, UE 106 may also be configured, or alternatively, to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H) and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0048] Figure 2 An example is shown of a UE 106A that can communicate with base station 102 via uplink and downlink communication, according to some aspects. The UE can be a cellular communication-capable device, such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0049] The UE may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE may perform any of the method aspects described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may include programmable hardware elements, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) configured to perform any of the method aspects described herein or any portion thereof.

[0050] The UE may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some aspects, the UE may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio component and / or GSM or LTE using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processors, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among various wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0051] In some aspects, the UE may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate with it. As another possibility, the UE may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE may include shared radio components for communicating using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0052] Figure 3 A simplified block diagram illustrating a communication device 106 according to some aspects is shown. Note that... Figure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. Depending on the aspects, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a UE device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 300 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 300 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.

[0053] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 360 that can be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ (And WLAN circuitry). In some aspects, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0054] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336 shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338 shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to antennas 335 and 336 in addition to or instead of being coupled to antennas 337 and 338. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0055] In some aspects, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple radio access technologies (RATs) (including and / or coupled to (e.g., a communication ground; directly or indirectly) a dedicated processor and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). Furthermore, in some aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0056] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 360 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of the touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0057] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 345 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) 345.

[0058] As shown in the figure, the SOC 300 may include a processor 302 and a display circuit 304. The processor executes program instructions of the communication device 106, and the display circuit performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 360. The processor 302 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 302 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read-only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310)) and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices (such as the display circuit 304, short-range wireless communication circuitry 229, cellular communication circuitry 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360). The MMU 340 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some aspects, the MMU 340 may be included as part of the processor 302.

[0059] As noted above, communication device 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits. Communication device 106 can also be configured to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for user equipment and base stations. Furthermore, communication device 106 can be configured to select and group CCs from the wireless link, and determine virtual CCs from the selected CC groups. The wireless device can also be configured to perform physical downlink resource mapping based on an aggregation resource matching mode for CC groups.

[0060] As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the aforementioned features for determining physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for communication device 106 and a base station. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or further), processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, processor 302 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0061] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 302.

[0062] Furthermore, as described herein, both the cellular communication circuit 330 and the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 330. Similarly, the short-range wireless communication circuit 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range wireless communication circuit 329.

[0063] Figure 4 An example block diagram of base station 102 is shown, illustrating some aspects. It should be noted that... Figure 4The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 404, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 404 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 404 and translate these addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 460 and read-only memory (ROM) 450), or to other circuitry or devices.

[0064] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 470. Network port 470 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access rights as described above. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The telephone network described herein includes multiple devices such as UE device 106.

[0065] Network port 470 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 470 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0066] In some respects, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In such respects, base station 102 may connect to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs. In some respects, the base station may operate in 5G NR-U mode.

[0067] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 434, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 434 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 430. Antenna 434 communicates with radio component 430 via communication link 432. Communication link 432 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 430 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, 5G NR-U, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0068] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR and 5G NR-U. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0069] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 404 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 404 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 430, 432, 434, 440, 450, 460, 470, the processor 404 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0070] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 404 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 404. Therefore, processor 404 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 404. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 404.

[0071] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 430 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, radio component 430 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, radio component 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 430.

[0072] Figure 5A simplified block diagram illustrating an example of a cellular communication circuit based on some aspects is shown. Note that... Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. Depending on the aspects, the cellular communication circuit 330 may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As noted above, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of devices.

[0073] Cellular communication circuit 330 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 3 Antennas 335a-335b and 336 are shown in the diagram. In some aspects, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communication ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 330 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0074] As shown, modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and memory 516 communicating with processors 512. Modem 510 may communicate with radio frequency (RF) front end 530. RF front end 530 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 530 may include receiver circuitry (RX) 532 and transmitter circuitry (TX) 534. In some aspects, receiver circuitry 532 may communicate with downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0075] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 communicating with processor 522. Modem 520 may communicate with RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receiving circuitry 542 and transmitting circuitry 544. In some aspects, receiving circuitry 542 may communicate with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0076] In some aspects, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front-end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 544 to UL front-end 572. UL front-end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state allowing modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 534 and UL front-end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 330 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state allowing modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 544 and UL front-end 572).

[0077] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for determining a physical downlink shared channel for user equipment and base stations, as well as for various other technologies described herein. For example, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or further), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein in conjunction with one or more of other components 530, 532, 534, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336.

[0078] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0079] As described herein, modem 520 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above to determine physical downlink shared channel scheduling resources for user equipment equipment and base stations, as well as for various other technologies described herein. For example, processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or additionally), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein in conjunction with one or more of other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335, and 336.

[0080] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 522. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0081] 5G supports multi-antenna transmission, beamforming, and simultaneous transmission from multiple geographically separated sites. The channels associated with different antenna ports of the UE can differ, for example, in terms of radio channel attributes. QCL antenna ports can be geographically separated.

[0082] 5G physical channels provide flexible communication between 5G base stations and UEs. 5G NR has specified physical channels for 5G networks that can be used for downlink or uplink communication. 5G NR physical channels for uplink communication include the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). Uplink signals such as DM-RS, PT-RS, and SRS are also supported. 5G NR supports simultaneous transmission on both PUSCH and PUCCH. PUSCH is typically used to carry user data and optionally uplink control information (UCI). PDSCH stands for Physical Downlink Shared Channel and is the channel used to deliver data from the base station (e.g., gNb) to the user equipment (UE) in the downlink direction. PDSCH supports high data rates and low latency for a wide range of applications and services. PDSCH uses advanced modulation and decoding schemes and multi-antenna techniques such as MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) to maximize spectral efficiency and improve overall network performance. PDSCH is also used in conjunction with other channels, such as the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH), to support features such as channel state information reporting, data packet scheduling and retransmission, and HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) feedback. PDSCH enables the delivery of high-speed data and low-latency services to users in the downlink direction and supports a range of advanced features and capabilities that promote efficient and reliable network operation.

[0083] Carrier aggregation (CA) is a technology that mobile operators can use to increase network capacity and speed. CA operation may involve using or combining multiple carriers simultaneously to create wider channels for data transmission and reception, which can result in increased data throughput and reduced latency. CA can be performed by splitting and combining signals at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, while Dual Connectivity (DC) uses traffic splitting at the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0084] As discussed, the UE can change its physical location within the network. The network may include multiple cells (e.g., base stations). When the UE moves from one location to another, the network can designate different cells as the UE's primary or serving cell. During handover, the UE can transmit a measurement report with neighboring cell PCI and signal strength to the serving cell. The network can review various conditions (e.g., triggering events) and, if one of the conditions is met for a triggering event, initiate a handover process to the optimal target cell based on the triggering event. The target cell of the network can complete the handover process with the UE. The target cell can be within the same Radio Access Technology (RAT) or a different RAT.

[0085] Generally, networks can configure UEs via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. How a network configures a UE can depend on various factors, including network conditions (e.g., bandwidth, coverage, network capabilities, etc.) and UE conditions (e.g., UE capabilities, UE model, UE location, UE status, etc.).

[0086] Figure 6 An example of a UE 602 communicating with network 620 according to one aspect is shown. UE 602 may correspond to UE 106, as described in other sections. Network 620 may include multiple base stations (e.g., 612, 614, 616, 618), each base station may be referred to as a cell. Each base station may be a different physical cell and has a dedicated Physical Cell ID (PCI).

[0087] A UE can register to one of the cells, which may be referred to as the serving cell. For example, UE 602 can register to cell 612 and pre-occupy that cell. Cells 614, 616, and 618 may be referred to as neighboring cells. The UE can perform cell measurements of its serving cell (e.g., 612) and neighboring cells 614, 616, and 618. Depending on the measurements, the UE can perform one or more network operations, such as carrier aggregation, handover (e.g., handover to a neighboring cell or another RAT), or other network operations.

[0088] For example, the UE can measure the signal quality or signal strength of the serving cell and neighboring cells. Based on comparing these measurements with one or more thresholds, for example, if the measured signal quality or strength of a neighboring cell is a threshold better than the measured signal quality or strength of the serving cell, this can trigger the UE to transmit a measurement report to network 620 (e.g., via serving cell 612). Based on the measurement report, if one or more conditions are met, network 620 can signal to UE 602 and coordinate with neighboring cells to perform a handover. These conditions can involve various factors, such as bandwidth / load on each cell, signal quality / signal measurements of the corresponding cell (e.g., events A1-A6, B1-B2, I1, C1-C2, etc.), and are defined in 3GPP standards.

[0089] Additionally or alternatively, the UE may measure the quality of neighboring cells to determine which cell and which carrier from a given cell will be used as the secondary component carrier (SCC) for carrier aggregation (CA). The UE may use a carrier from the serving cell as the primary component carrier (PCC) and combine the payloads from both the PCC and SCC components to obtain a more reliable or faster downlink. When carrier components (e.g., 612, 614, 616, 618) from different physical cells (e.g., 604, 606, 608, 610) are combined by the UE, CA may be referred to as non-co-located carrier aggregation (NC-CA).

[0090] Typically, a UE can measure carriers from a cell (which may be referred to as component carriers or synchronization signal blocks (SSBs)) to measure cell signal quality or strength. The measured signal quality or strength may include Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or other measurements indicating signal quality or strength. The UE may include one or more radio frequency (RF) chains (such as 622 and 624) to perform such measurements. In one example, the UE includes two or more RF chains to simultaneously measure different carriers within the same time window (e.g., the same measurement interval). Each RF chain may include components such as attenuators, switches, amplifiers, detectors, synthesizers and other RF analog components, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and the software / firmware associated with such components.

[0091] Generally, when UE 602 cannot simultaneously transmit and receive on the serving cell (e.g., 604) to measure the target carrier frequency, the UE can use measurement gaps to measure the network cell. Measurement gaps can refer to time-domain resources (e.g., time duration). Measurement gaps can have a period of repetitive timing. Measurements can be gap-assisted (e.g., network-configured measurement gaps) or non-gap-assisted. Measurement gaps can be utilized for intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT measurements. During a measurement gap, UE 602 can perform measurements on reference signals (e.g., 612, 614, 616, 618) from the corresponding cells 604, 606, 608, and 610. The reference cell can be a synchronization signal block (SSB) or other reference signal. Network 620 can provide the timing of the cell reference signal to UE 602, for example, using an SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC). The UE can configure the measurement gap and SMTC duration so that the UE can identify and measure the reference signal within the SMTC window. The network can use Measurement Object (MO) configuration and / or other signaling (e.g., in the RRC layer) to configure a specified measurement gap for the UE.

[0092] Traditionally, the UE measures a single carrier during each measurement gap. For example, consider the measurement gap in Section 9.3.5 of TS 38 133 (see the table below).

[0093]

[0094] CSSF inter This represents the scaling factor when multiple carriers are configured in the Measurement Object (MO) configuration, with the remaining terms covering the measurement delay on one carrier. CSSF inter It is a carrier-specific scaling factor, and according to CSSF within_gapTo determine (for measurements taken within the measurement gap, see Clause 9.1.5.2 of TS38.133).

[0095] A UE with CA capability can support data reception or measurement on multiple active carriers. (According to CSSF) outside_gap The design allows the UE to simultaneously measure at least two active secondary component carriers (SCCs). A UE with CA capability should be able to perform measurements on multiple carriers within a single MG timing. What is currently lacking in UE and network operations is detail on how to support such multi-carrier measurements.

[0096] Information regarding whether a given UE supports multi-carrier measurements can be used by the network to improve network operations, such as for MO configuration, gap-sharing schemes, etc. Therefore, what is currently lacking in UE and network operations is the operation performed by the UE or network to help support multi-carrier measurements during each MG timing, such as how to configure measurement gaps and SMTCs for these measurements. The SMTC duration should be sufficiently long to accommodate all SSBs being transmitted (e.g., at least as long as the longest transmitted SSB), and the measurement gaps should allow the UE 602 to manage and internally configure one or more of its RF chains to perform measurements.

[0097] UE 602 may transmit to the network an indication of support for multicarrier measurements within a single measurement gap. The indication may be a field (e.g., one or more bits) in signaling transmitted from UE 602 to network 620 (e.g., to serving cell 604). In some aspects, the signaling described between the UE and the network may be performed using existing Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, but may include additional or modified fields. UE 602 may encode this field to indicate whether it supports multicarrier measurements or not.

[0098] Network 620 may receive an indication and transmit carriers (e.g., SSB or other reference signals) based on whether UE 602 supports multi-carrier measurements. For example, in response to a UE indication of support for multi-carrier measurements, the network may adjust the measurement gap (e.g., its period and / or duration). The period and duration of the measurement gap may be increased to give UE 602 more time to adjust its RF chain between measurement gaps, while the duration may be increased to at least be as long as the longest duration of the transmitted carriers (e.g., 612, 614, 616, 618). The network may transmit carriers 612, 614, 616, 618 at the corresponding cell during the same measurement gap for UE 602 to measure.

[0099] UE 602 can simultaneously measure at least two carriers in a single measurement gap (e.g., a single timing of the measurement gap). UE 602 can measure a first carrier (e.g., 612) during a first timing of the measurement gap, which is a primary component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network (e.g., 604). UE 602 can measure a second carrier (e.g., one of 612, 614, 616, or 618) transmitted from a second cell of the network during the first timing of the measurement gap. UE 602 can dedicate RF chain 622 to measuring the first carrier and RF chain 624 to measuring the second carrier.

[0100] The measurement gaps can be repeated periodically (e.g., with a period determined based on CSSF). During each timing of a measurement gap, the UE can simultaneously measure at least two carriers. The mode of carrier measurement by the UE 602 from one timing to another can vary, as described in other sections (e.g., see [link to other sections]). Figure 11 or Figure 12 ).

[0101] Figure 7 An example procedure 700 for performing multicarrier measurements within a single measurement interval, according to one aspect, is illustrated. Although the example procedure 700 depicts a sequence of operations, this sequence may be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, some of the depicted operations may be performed in parallel or in a different order that does not substantially affect the functionality of procedure 700. In other examples, different components of the example device or system implementing procedure 700 may perform functions substantially simultaneously or in a particular order. Procedure 700 may be executed by the processing logic of the UE. The processing logic may include a combination of hardware (e.g., passive or active electronic components, programmable logic, processor, etc.) and software (e.g., machine-executable instructions stored in computer-readable memory).

[0102] At box 702, the processing logic transmits an indication to the network of support for multicarrier measurements within a single measurement gap. This indication may be a field storing an agreed-upon value indicating whether the UE supports multicarrier measurements. Some UEs may have the necessary components (e.g., antenna panel, RF chain, software, etc.) to enable them to receive individual signals simultaneously. Other UEs may not have the necessary components. The processing logic may examine UE settings, UE hardware, software, or configuration to determine whether the UE is capable of performing multicarrier measurements within a single measurement gap.

[0103] At block 704, the processing logic measures a first carrier during a first opportune moment in the measurement gap. This first carrier is a principal component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network. For example, the processing logic may dedicate a first RF chain to measuring the signal quality or signal strength of the SSB associated with the first carrier.

[0104] At block 706, the processing logic measures a second carrier transmitted from a second cell in the network during a first timing period of the measurement gap. For example, the processing logic may dedicate a second RF chain to measuring the signal quality or signal strength of the SSB associated with the second carrier. Blocks 704 and 706 may be executed simultaneously during the same timing period of the measurement gap.

[0105] Boxes 704 and 706 can be repeated for subsequent timings of the measurement gap. UE 602 can be used, for example, by […] during each timing period (see…) Figure 13 ) or in every other instance (see Figure 12 ) Measure PCC to do so in a prioritized manner.

[0106] In one example, the UE can measure carriers in a non-prioritized manner by measuring different sets of carriers from one timing point to another until all carriers are measured and then repeating the measurements. For example, during the second timing point of the measurement gap, the UE measures the third carrier using the first RF chain and the fourth carrier using the second RF chain, and during the third timing point of the measurement gap, the UE measures the first carrier using the first RF chain (e.g., see...). Figure 11 ).

[0107] In one example, in response to the absence of Primary and Secondary Component Carriers (PSCC) configured in the UE, the processing logic may alternately measure the first carrier using a first RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap and measure the second carrier and an additional carrier (not the first carrier) using a second RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap. In response to the configuration of PSCC, the processing logic may measure the first carrier using the first RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap and use the second RF chain: i) to measure the second carrier and the additional carrier during half of the measurement gap, and ii) to measure the first carrier during the other half of the measurement gap. The network can configure the UE's PSCC via network signaling.

[0108] The processing logic can use PCC and other carrier measurement information to perform handover or carrier aggregation, as described in other sections. Operations described in other figures may correspond to or be added to these figures. Figure 7 The operation shown.

[0109] Figure 8 An example process 800 is illustrated, according to one aspect, for a network to support multicarrier measurements within a single measurement gap. Although the example process 800 depicts a sequence of operations, this sequence may be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, some of the depicted operations may be performed in parallel or in a different order that does not substantially affect the functionality of process 800. In other examples, different components of the example device or system implementing process 800 may perform their functions substantially simultaneously or in a particular order.

[0110] Process 800 may be executed by the network’s processing logic (e.g., one or more network components or one or more processors of a corresponding base station), which may include a combination of hardware (e.g., passive or active electronic components, programmable logic, processors, etc.) and software (e.g., machine-executable instructions stored in a computer-readable memory).

[0111] At block 802, the processing logic receives from the user equipment an indication of support for multi-carrier measurements within a single measurement gap. This indication may include whether the UE has the capability to measure multiple carriers from different cells within a single measurement gap. The indication may include multiple indications per frequency range (e.g., FR1, FR2), and / or indications per frequency band within a given frequency range. For example, the indication may include a first indication indicating whether the UE supports multi-carrier measurements in a first frequency range (e.g., FR1), and a second indication indicating whether the UE supports multi-carrier measurements in a second frequency range (e.g., FR2).

[0112] At block 804, the processing logic configures the timing of the measurement gap based on an indication of support. This configuration includes scaling the period of the measurement gap using a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) specific to the indication of support. The processing logic may determine the measurement gap period and duration based on an indication from the UE, such that the period provides the UE with sufficient time to switch between measuring different carriers between measurement gaps, and that the duration of the measurement gap is at least as long as the longest carrier transmitted by the network. For example, based on frequency ranges, supported bands within each frequency range, UE type, or other information, the processing logic may determine an appropriate CSSF to use for determining the period of the measurement gap and schedule the serving cell and base station to transmit carriers accordingly.

[0113] At box 806, during a first timing period of the measurement gap, the processing logic transmits a first carrier, which is a primary component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network. The first cell may be referred to as the serving cell of the UE.

[0114] At box 808, during the first timing of the measurement gap, the processing logic transmits a second carrier sent from a second cell in the network. The second cell may be referred to as a neighboring cell, and the second carrier is a target for handover or for carrier aggregation.

[0115] In addition, as described in other sections, the processing logic may receive additional signaling from the UE, such as measurement reports. For example, if one or more thresholds are met to trigger a handover, the network may initiate a handover based on the measurement reports.

[0116] In carrier aggregation, the network can receive from the UE a selection of a second cell as the second carrier component (SCC), selected based on measurements of the first and second carriers. The UE can select the second carrier as the SCC based on measured signal quality or signal strength (e.g., the second carrier has higher or higher signal quality or strength relative to other measured carriers from neighboring cells). The network's processing logic can transmit one or more downlink messages via PCC and SCC for the UE to perform carrier aggregation. The network and UE can coordinate via signaling which carriers will be used as PCC and SCC.

[0117] Figure 9 A diagram illustrating example operations for performing multicarrier measurements during measurement gaps, based on several aspects, is shown. User equipment 902 may be coupled to a network that may include one or more base stations, such as base station 904 and base station 906. Base station 904 may be referred to as the serving cell, and base station 906 may be referred to as the neighboring cell. Coverage of UE 902 from base stations 904 and 906 may overlap. Base station 906 represents multiple neighboring base stations.

[0118] User equipment 902 can perform operations such as those described with respect to process 700. Similarly, the network can perform operations such as those described with respect to process 800.

[0119] At operation 910, user equipment 902 may transmit an indication of multi-carrier measurement support to base station 904, which indicates to the network whether the UE supports multi-carrier measurement. In one example, support may be per-UE (e.g., UE name, manufacturer model, or other UE identifier).

[0120] At operation 912, the network can look up which specific frequency ranges or bands are supported for a UE based on that UE. For example, the network can refer to lookup tables, services, etc., to determine which frequency ranges and bands within a given frequency range the UE supports for multicarrier measurements.

[0121] At operation 916, the network may transmit a carrier in a specific frequency range or band determined at operation 916 based on an indication of support received at operation 910. Base station 904 may transmit a first carrier (e.g., PCC), and base station 906 may transmit a second carrier.

[0122] At operation 908, the UE can simultaneously measure the first carrier and the second carrier within the same measurement gap. The UE can dedicate the first RF chain to the first carrier and the second RF chain to measuring the second carrier (as well as other carriers that are not the first carrier).

[0123] At operation 914, if measurements meet one or more thresholds, the UE may select a second carrier as the SCC to perform carrier aggregation, or select the second carrier as a candidate to hand over (during the handover process). The network may determine whether to perform carrier aggregation based on when one or more thresholds are met (e.g., bandwidth and availability based on the PCC, and the combined bandwidth and availability of the PCC and the selected SCC). Similarly, the network may trigger a handover to the second carrier if one or more conditions are met, such as, for example, if the signal quality of the second carrier is better than that of the first carrier by a threshold amount, or other triggering events as described in other sections.

[0124] Figure 10 A diagram illustrating example operations for performing multicarrier measurements in a measurement gap with specified target frequency band support is shown. Figure 10 The aspects shown can be compared with Figure 9 The aspects shown correspond to each other. For example, user equipment 1002 may be coupled to a network that may include one or more base stations, such as base station 1004 and base station 1006. Base station 1004 may be referred to as the serving cell, and base station 1006 may be referred to as a neighboring cell. Coverage of UE 1002 from base stations 1004 and 1006 may overlap. Base station 1006 may represent multiple neighboring base stations.

[0125] User equipment 1002 can perform operations such as those described with respect to process 700. Similarly, the network can perform operations such as those described with respect to process 800.

[0126] At operation 1010, user equipment 1002 may transmit an indication to base station 1004 of support for multi-carrier measurement, the indication indicating whether the UE supports multi-carrier measurement.

[0127] At operation 1012, the network may request the UE to indicate whether it supports multi-carrier measurement support for one or more specified target frequency bands.

[0128] At operation 1014, UE 1002 may respond by transmitting to the network one or more indications for each of the specified target frequency bands, indicating whether multi-carrier measurement is supported for the specified one or more target frequency bands. Operations 1008, 1018, and 1016 may correspond to operations 908, 916, and 914, respectively.

[0129] Figure 11An example of band-specific multicarrier measurement support based on several aspects is shown. UE 1102 can communicate with network 1104. UE 1102 may have multiple RF chains, such as RF chain 1, RF chain 2, and RF chain 3. The available spectrum of the network can be divided into frequency bands (e.g., low, medium, and high). Each frequency band may have different capabilities. For example, compared to other frequency bands, the low frequency band (e.g., less than 1 GHz) may have more coverage but lower speed. The medium frequency band (e.g., 1 GHz to 6 GHz) provides a balance between coverage and speed. The high frequency band (e.g., 24 GHz to 40 GHz) provides higher speed (compared to the low and medium frequency bands) but a smaller coverage area.

[0130] In one example, the ability or availability of UE 1102 to operate the RF chain to measure carriers may be band-dependent. For instance, the UE may have a first RF chain capable of measuring a single carrier in one frequency band, and a second RF chain capable of measuring single carriers in different frequency bands. In this case, UE 1102 may not be able to measure two component carriers within the same frequency band in the same measurement interval.

[0131] For example, RF chain 1 can be dedicated to the low-frequency band. RF chain 2 can be dedicated to the mid-frequency band. RF chain 3 can be dedicated to the high-frequency band. In this example, UE 1102 may not have the ability to simultaneously measure multiple carrier components (e.g., CC1 and CC2, or CC3 and CC4, or CC5 and CC6) on the same frequency band group. However, the UE can simultaneously measure two component carriers from different frequency band groups (e.g., CC1+CC3, CC2+CC3, CC4+CC6, etc.).

[0132] UE 1102 may indicate general support for multicarrier measurements within a measurement gap (e.g., operation 910 or 1010). Network 1104 may request the UE to provide support for one or more given target frequency bands (e.g., operation 1012). UE 1102 may transmit a second indication to network 1104 for each target frequency band (e.g., operation 1014). In one example, the second indication includes a first frequency band and a second frequency band within the target frequency bands that do not support multicarrier measurements within a single measurement gap. The first and second frequency bands may be referred to as a band group. The UE may include one or more band groups in the second indication, wherein each of these groups indicates a lack of simultaneous measurements for carriers within that band.

[0133] For example, UE 1102 may transmit a band group including bands A and B to the network, thereby indicating that UE 1102 does not support simultaneous (within the same measurement gap) measurements of carriers in bands A and B. The UE may transmit a second band group including bands C and D, and a third band group including bands E and F. In response to the indication, network 1104 may schedule the carriers to be transmitted in each opportunity based on the UE's capabilities. For example, if the UE indicates a lack of simultaneous measurements for bands A and B, the network may transmit component carriers in that band group (bands A and B) at different opportunities within the measurement gap, which can improve the efficiency and speed of measuring different component carriers.

[0134] Figure 12 An example of multi-carrier measurement in a measurement gap with a first measurement mode is shown, based on several aspects. The UE and network may follow a defined CSSF (e.g., CSSF). within_gap_enh This allows the UE to measure two carriers simultaneously. The network can scale the period of the measurement interval using a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF), which is reduced in response to the UE's indication of support for multi-carrier measurements. Scaling can be performed with reference to guidance from TS 38.133 (see Tables 9.3.5-1, 9.3.5-2, 9.3.5-3, 9.3.5-4, or 9.3.5-5), where the CSSF... within_gap_enh Compatible with CSSF inter Interchangeable. In one example, CSSF within_gap_enh = ceil(0.5 * CSSF within_gap ), where CSSF within_gap It is conventional and can be defined according to Section 9.1.5.2 of TS 38.133.

[0135] Figure 12The example measurement mode 1200 shown can be referred to as a non-priority measurement mode. During a first timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures a first carrier (e.g., PCC) using a first RF chain and a second carrier (e.g., carrier 2) using a second RF chain. During a second timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures a third carrier (e.g., carrier 3) using the first RF chain and a fourth carrier (e.g., carrier 4) using the second RF chain. During a third timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures the first carrier using the first RF chain and may measure the remaining carriers (e.g., carrier 5) using the second RF chain. During a fourth timing, the UE may measure the second and third carriers. In each timing period, the UE may simultaneously measure those carriers that have not yet been measured or have been the longest unmeasured. For example, at timing 4, assuming all carriers have been measured, the UE may measure the second and third carriers because they are the longest unmeasured (at timings 2 and 3), while PCC, carrier 4, and carrier 5 are more recently measured (at timings 2 and 3).

[0136] In another example, the UE can prioritize the measurement of the PCC at every other measurement interval. For example, during timing 1, the UE can measure the PCC and a second carrier that is not the PCC. In timing 2, the UE can measure two non-PCC carriers, thus prioritizing based on those carriers that have not yet been measured and / or have been the longest-lasting. In timing 3, the UE can again measure the PCC and another non-PCC carrier, thus prioritizing based on those carriers that have not yet been measured and / or have been the longest-lasting. At timing 4, the UE can measure any two non-PCC carriers, thus prioritizing based on those carriers that have not yet been measured and / or have been the longest-lasting, and so on.

[0137] Figure 13 An example of multicarrier measurement in a measurement gap with a second measurement mode is shown, according to one aspect.

[0138] In one implementation, when the primary and secondary component carriers (PSCCs) are not configured, the UE can fix the first RF chain to the PCC and then use the second RF chain for other (non-PCC) component carriers. In this case, as shown in example mode 1300, the PCC is measured once per opportunity. The prioritization of measurements for non-PCC component carriers can be described in other sections. The CSSF can be defined as follows:

[0139] CSSF within_gap_enh_PCC = 1.CSSF within_gap_enh_non_PCC = CSSF within_gap - 1.

[0140] When configuring PSCC, the UE can fix the first RF chain to the PCC, fix 50% of the second RF chain to the PSCC, and then fix the remaining 50% of the second RF chain to other carriers (non-PSCC component carriers). CSSF can be defined as follows:

[0141] CSSF within_gap_enh_PCC = 1, CSSF within_gap_enh_PSCC = 2, CSSF within_gap_enh_non_PCC / PSCC =2*(CSSF within_gap - 2).

[0142] On the one hand, the network can configure the UE's PSCC via signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). On the other hand, PSCC can be configured internally within the UE as a setting (e.g., without input from the network) or based on the UE model or hardware. PSCC can be configured when the UE and / or the network are capable of performing carrier aggregation.

[0143] On the one hand, networks can use tags to... Figure 12 The described measurement modes and in relation to Figure 13 The UE measurement behavior switches back and forth between the described measurement modes. For example, the network may transmit signaling to the UE with a flag, which, when set, informs the UE based on information about... Figure 12 The measurement is performed using one of the described modes. When the network transmits flags with different values, the UE can then base its measurement on the... Figure 13 Measurements are performed using one of the described modes, depending on whether PSCC is configured. The UE can measure the carrier from one timing point to another based on the measurement mode.

[0144] Parts of the content described above can be implemented using logic circuits such as dedicated logic circuits or processing cores that execute program code instructions, such as microcontrollers or other forms of processors. Thus, the processes taught in the above discussion can be executed using program code such as machine-executable instructions, which cause the machine to execute these instructions to perform certain functions. In this context, "machine" can be a machine that translates intermediate (or "abstract") instructions into processor-specific instructions (e.g., abstract execution environments such as "virtual machines" (e.g., Java Virtual Machines), interpreters, Common Language Runtimes, high-level language virtual machines, etc.), and / or electronic circuits disposed on semiconductor chips (e.g., "logic circuits" implemented using transistors), which are designed to execute instructions, such as general-purpose processors and / or dedicated processors. The processes taught in the above discussion can also be executed (as an alternative to or in conjunction with a machine) by electronic circuits designed to execute processes (or parts thereof) without executing program code.

[0145] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. This apparatus may be specifically configured for a desired purpose, or may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in a computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk, including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards or optical cards, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each of which is coupled to a computer system bus.

[0146] Machine-readable media include any means by which information is stored or transmitted in a machine-readable (e.g., computer) form. For example, machine-readable media include read-only memory (“ROM”); random access memory (“RAM”); disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; and so on.

[0147] A baseband processor (also known as a baseband radio processor, BP, or BBP) is a device (a chip or part of a chip) in a network interface that manages radio functions, such as communication over the antenna (e.g., TX and RX).

[0148] The article of manufacture may be used to store program code. The article of manufacture storing program code may be implemented as, but is not limited to, one or more memories (e.g., one or more flash memories, random access memories (static, dynamic, or other)), optical discs, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic cards or optical cards, or other types of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. Program code may also be downloaded from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by means of data signals contained in a transmission medium (e.g., via a communication link (e.g., a network connection)).

[0149] The foregoing detailed description has been presented according to the algorithms and symbolic representations used to manipulate data bits within computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are tools used by those skilled in the art of data processing, and these tools are also the most effective means of communicating the essence of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm here and generally refers to a self-consistent sequence of operations that leads to a desired result. These operations are those that require physical manipulation of physical quantities. Often, but not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc., primarily for general reasons.

[0150] However, it should be remembered that all these and similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to those quantities. Unless otherwise specifically stated, it is evident from the foregoing discussion that throughout this specification, the use of terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “select,” “determine,” “receive,” “form,” “group,” “aggregate,” “generate,” “remove,” etc., refers to the actions and processing of computer systems or similar electronic computing devices that can manipulate data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the registers and memories of the computer system and convert them into other data similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system’s memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0151] The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other device. Various general-purpose systems can be used with programs based on the teachings herein, or they may prove convenient for constructing more specialized devices to perform the described operations. The necessary structures for various such systems will be apparent from the description below. Furthermore, the invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It should be understood that a variety of programming languages ​​can be used to implement the teachings of the invention as described herein.

[0152] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0153] The foregoing discussion has described only some exemplary aspects of the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from these discussions, drawings, and claims that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) communicating with a network, the method comprising: Transmit to the network an indication of support for multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap; During a first timing interval of the measurement gap, a first carrier is measured, the first carrier being a principal component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network. as well as During the first timing of the measurement gap, a second carrier transmitted from a second cell of the network is measured.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of support for measurement is specific to the UE and includes a first indication indicating support for a first frequency range and a second indication indicating support for a second frequency range.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receive a request from the network for support for multi-carrier measurements associated with the target frequency band; as well as In response to receiving the request, a second indication associated with the support for multi-carrier measurements for the target frequency band is transmitted to the network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the second indication associated with the support for multi-carrier measurements in the target frequency band includes transmitting a first frequency band and a second frequency band in the target frequency band that do not support multi-carrier measurements in the single measurement gap.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A measurement report is generated based on the measurements of the first carrier and the measurements of the second carrier; The measurement report is transmitted to the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network scales the period of the measurement gap using a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF), the carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) being reduced in response to the UE indicating support for multi-carrier measurements, and wherein... During the first timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures the first carrier using the first RF chain and measures the second carrier using the second RF chain. During the second timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures the third carrier using the first RF chain and measures the fourth carrier using the second RF chain, and During the third timing of the measurement gap, the UE uses the first RF chain to measure the first carrier.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to the absence of a primary and secondary component carrier (PSCC) in the UE, the first carrier is measured using a first radio frequency (RF) chain in an alternating manner during each timing of the measurement gap, and the second carrier and an additional carrier that is not the first carrier are measured using a second RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap; as well as In response to the PSCC being configured, the first carrier is measured using the first RF chain at each time point of the measurement gap, and the second RF chain is used to: i) measure the second carrier and the additional carrier at one half of the measurement gap, and ii) measure the first carrier at the other half of the measurement gap.

8. A user equipment (UE) for communicating with a network, the UE including a processor coupled to a non-transitory computer memory storing instructions, the instructions causing the processor to perform operations when executed by the processor, the operations including: Transmit to the network an indication of support for multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap; During a first timing interval of the measurement gap, a first carrier is measured, the first carrier being a principal component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network. as well as During the first timing of the measurement gap, a second carrier transmitted from a second cell of the network is measured.

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the indication of support for measurement is specific to the UE and includes a first indication indicating support for a first frequency range and a second indication indicating support for a second frequency range.

10. The UE according to claim 8, wherein the operation further comprises: Receive a request from the network for support for multi-carrier measurements associated with the target frequency band; as well as In response to receiving the request, a second indication associated with the support for multi-carrier measurements for the target frequency band is transmitted to the network.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein transmitting the second indication associated with the support for multi-carrier measurements in the target frequency band includes transmitting a first frequency band and a second frequency band in the target frequency band that do not support multi-carrier measurements in the single measurement gap.

12. The UE according to claim 8, wherein the operation further comprises: A measurement report is generated based on the measurements of the first carrier and the measurements of the second carrier; The measurement report is transmitted to the network.

13. The UE of claim 8, wherein the network scales the period of the measurement gap using a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF), the carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) being reduced in response to the UE indicating support for multi-carrier measurements, and wherein... During the first timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures the first carrier using the first RF chain and measures the second carrier using the second RF chain. During the second timing of the measurement gap, the UE measures the third carrier using the first RF chain and measures the fourth carrier using the second RF chain, and During the third timing of the measurement gap, the UE uses the first RF chain to measure the first carrier.

14. The UE of claim 8, wherein the operation further comprises: In response to the absence of a primary and secondary component carrier (PSCC) in the UE, the first carrier is measured using a first radio frequency (RF) chain in an alternating manner during each timing of the measurement gap, and the second carrier and an additional carrier that is not the first carrier are measured using a second RF chain during each timing of the measurement gap; as well as In response to the PSCC being configured, the first carrier is measured using the first RF chain at each time point of the measurement gap, and the second RF chain is used to: i) measure the second carrier and the additional carrier at one half of the measurement gap, and ii) measure the first carrier at the other half of the measurement gap.

15. A method performed by a network communicating with a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive instructions from user equipment for support of multi-carrier measurements in a single measurement gap; The timing of the measurement gap is configured based on the indicated support. During a first timing period of the measurement gap, a first carrier is transmitted, the first carrier being a principal component carrier (PCC) transmitted from a first cell of the network. as well as During the first timing of the measurement gap, a second carrier transmitted from the second cell of the network is transmitted.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication of support for measurement is specific to the UE, and includes a first indication indicating support for a first frequency range and a second indication indicating support for a second frequency range.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: Send a request to the UE for support for multi-carrier measurements associated with the target frequency band; as well as The UE receives a second indication associated with the support for multi-carrier measurements for the target frequency band.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second indication associated with the support for multi-carrier measurements in the target frequency band includes a first frequency band and a second frequency band in the target frequency band that do not support multi-carrier measurements in the single measurement gap.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: The UE receives a measurement report generated based on the measurements of the first carrier and the second carrier; as well as The handover to the second cell is triggered based on the measurement report.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: Receive the measurement report of the second cell from the UE on the secondary carrier component (SCC); as well as The PCC sends one or more downlink messages to the UE so that the UE can use the PCC and the SCC to perform carrier aggregation (CA).

21. The method of claim 15, wherein configuring the timing of the measurement gap based on the indication of the support comprises scaling the period of the measurement gap by a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) specific to the indication of the support.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage memory that stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE) or network, cause the processor to perform the method or operation according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A network node configured to perform the method or operation according to any one of claims 15 to 21.

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