Enhanced measurement gap handling for XR

Abstract

An apparatus for a user equipment (UE) includes one or more processors coupled to a memory, the processors being configured at the UE to decode information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) from signaling received from a network (NW) via a base station. At the UE, the processors determine when to perform uplink (UL) transmission during the measurement gap based on whether at least one condition related to buffer delay of at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) is satisfied. The processors can also at the UE encode uplink (UL) data for transmission on an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps, based on at least one condition related to buffer delay of at least one LCH or LCG.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to wireless communication, including means, systems, and methods for processing uplink (UL) transmissions of user equipment (UE) during measurement gaps.

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

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

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

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

[0006] In 5G NR, measurement gaps (MG) can be used by the UE to perform intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) measurements on neighboring cells. For UE mobility between base stations (BSs), measurement gaps are configured to allow the UE to monitor the quality of the data link between the UE and neighboring cells and report measurements to the network (NW) for handover to another BS in one of the neighboring cells. Measurement gap lengths of 1.5 ms, 3 ms, 3.5 ms, 4 ms, 5.5 ms, and 6 ms are defined in NR, with measurement gap repetition periods of 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. During measurement gaps, the UE can perform measurements on the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) of a BS in a neighboring cell. The NW can provide the timing of the neighboring cell SSB using the Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) from the SSB. According to the standard, the UE should not perform uplink (UL) transmission and downlink (DL) reception during the active measurement gap (in some cases, except for the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)). Attached Figure Description

[0007] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1A Example wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0008] Figure 1B Examples of base stations and access points communicating with user equipment (UE) devices according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0009] Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base stations according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0010] Figure 3 Example block diagrams of servers according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0011] Figure 4 Example block diagrams of a UE according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0012] Figure 5 Example block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0013] Figure 6 Examples of baseband processor architectures for UEs according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0014] Figure 7 Example block diagrams illustrating the interface of a baseband circuit according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0015] Figure 8 Examples of UEs communicating with the network via base stations according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0016] Figure 9 An example flowchart illustrating a method for uploading (UL) during a measurement interval (MG) based on a buffer delay, according to some implementation schemes, is provided.

[0017] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uplink (UL) transmission based on unused transmission timing-uplink control information (UTO-UCI) during measurement gaps (MG) according to some implementation schemes is provided.

[0018] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uploading (UL) during measurement gaps (MG) based on the discarding of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) according to some implementation schemes is provided.

[0019] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uploading (UL) during a measurement gap (MG) based on measurement gap priority, according to some implementation schemes.

[0020] Figure 13 This is an illustration of an example of dynamic activation / deactivation of a special measurement gap processing based on explicit instructions from the network, according to some implementation schemes.

[0021] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uploading (UL) during a measurement gap (MG) based on explicit instructions from a network, according to some implementation schemes.

[0022] Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uploading (UL) during a measurement gap (MG) based on a limitation of measurement gap occupancy, according to some implementation schemes.

[0023] Although the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0024] the term The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure: Memory media—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media residing in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0025] Carrier media—such as memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0026] Programmable hardware elements encompass a variety of hardware devices, which consist of multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements can also be referred to as "reconfigurable logic units."

[0027] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0028] User equipment (UE) (or “UE device”) — any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). ™Based on Android ™ Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ This includes laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), extended reality (XR) devices including head-mounted displays (HMDs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0029] Base station—The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0030] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as a user equipment or cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0031] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on the wireless protocol, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, channel bandwidth can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. 5G NR can support scalable channel bandwidths from 5 MHz to 100 MHz in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and up to 400 MHz in FR2. In other radio access technologies, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0032] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0033] Automatic—means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct specification or execution of the action or operation through user input. Therefore, the term "automatically" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system will update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0034] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately could mean a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can be application-dependent. For example, in some implementations, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of a specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or settings of the specific application.

[0035] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that at least partially overlaps. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0036] Extended Reality (XR) refers to environments and human-computer interactions that combine reality and virtuality, generated by computer technology and wearable devices. XR can refer to several different types of reality, including: Virtual Reality (VR), which gives users the feeling of being physically and spatially present in an environment; Augmented Reality (AR), which provides users with additional content overlaid on their environment; and Mixed Reality (MR), which can be a higher form of AR where some virtual elements are inserted and can be interacted with. XR content can be generated by XR engines, which typically include a rendering engine for graphics, an audio engine for sound, and a physics engine for simulating physical laws.

[0037] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad expression generally meaning "having a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Generally, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0038] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0039] The example implementation can be further understood by referring to the following description and related figures, in which the same elements have the same reference numerals. The example implementation involves uploading (UL) transmission and downloading (DL) reception performed by the user equipment (UE) during a measurement gap (MG). Such UL / DL transmission / reception performed by the UE can be used with XR applications.

[0040] Example implementations are described regarding communication between the network and the user equipment (UE). However, references to the network or UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementations can be used with any electronic components that can establish a connection to the network and are configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware to support UL / DL transmission / reception during MG. Therefore, the network or UE described herein is used to refer to any suitable type of electronic component.

[0041] Example implementations are also described regarding fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) networks that can configure the UE to transmit / receive during MG. However, the reference to 5G NR networks is provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementations can be used with any suitable type of network.

[0042] Throughout this specification, various information elements (IEs) are referred to by specific names. It should be understood that these names are merely examples, and the IEs carrying the information referenced throughout this specification may be referenced by various entities under other names.

[0043] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Communication system Figure 1A A simplified example wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 1A The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0044] As shown in the figure, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N, etc., via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0045] 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.

[0046] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE (also known as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), its alternative location may be referred to as "eNodeB" or "eNB". Note that if base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, its alternative location may be referred to as "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0047] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network (NW) 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. Network 100 and / or base station 102A can encode for transmission: the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG; an explicit indication of the NW pre-configured time and / or frequency patterns for uplink (UL) transmissions or downlink (DL) receptions by the UE during one or more MGs; and / or an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

[0048] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B, ..., 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-106N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0049] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1A The illustrated UEs 106A-106N are "serving cells," 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, Figure 1A The illustrated base stations 102A-102B may be macro cells, while base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0050] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0051] 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.

[0052] Figure 1B User equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 and access point 112 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 106 can be a device with cellular and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0053] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any method implementation of the method implementations described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method implementations described herein or any portion thereof.

[0054] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0055] In some implementations, UE 106 may include independent transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including independent antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communication using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0056] Figure 2 Block diagram of a base station Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base station 102 according to some implementation schemes are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 204, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0057] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices, such as UE device 106, as described above in Figure 1 and... Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in the text.

[0058] Network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to couple to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 270 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0059] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0060] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may also be configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 230. Antenna 234 communicates with radio component 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0061] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0062] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 204 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270, the processor 204 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0063] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 204 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 204. Therefore, processor 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0064] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 230 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio component 230. Therefore, radio component 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230.

[0065] In some implementations, the base station or gNB 102 and / or its processor 204 may be able to and configured to encode for transmission: the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG; an explicit indication of the time or frequency pattern of the NW preconfiguration for uplink (UL) transmission or downlink (DL) reception by the UE during one or more MGs; and / or an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

[0066] Figure 3 Server block diagram Figure 3 Example block diagrams of server 104 according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 3 The server shown is merely one example of a possible server. As illustrated, server 104 may include processor 344 capable of executing program instructions for server 104. Processor 344 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 374, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 344 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 364 and read-only memory (ROM) 354) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0067] Server 104 can be configured to provide network access functionality to multiple devices, such as base station 102 and UE device 106, for example, as further described herein.

[0068] In some implementations, server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) access network. In some implementations, server 104 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network.

[0069] As described herein, server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. The processor 344 of server 104 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 344 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 354, 364, and / or 374, the processor 344 of server 104 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0070] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 344 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 344. Therefore, processor 344 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 344. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 344.

[0071] Figure 4 : UE block diagram Figure 4 A simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some implementation schemes is shown. Note that... Figure 4 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to implementations, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC), an extended reality (XR) device including a head-mounted display (HMD), and / or a combination of other devices. As shown, communication device 106 may include a set of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 400 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 400 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of communication device 106.

[0072] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 420 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 460 that may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 430 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ (and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0073] Cellular communication circuitry 430 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435 and 436 shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 437 and 438 shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to antennas 435 and 436 in addition to or instead of being coupled to antennas 437 and 438. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 and / or cellular communication circuitry 430 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0074] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a specific RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0075] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 460 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a 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.

[0076] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 445 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 445. It should be noted that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as one or more UICC cards 445, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that can be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Therefore, a SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or SIM 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), sometimes referred to as "eSIMs" or "eSIM cards"). In some implementations (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more SIMs within the SIM can implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such implementations, a single SIM within the SIM can execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in memory and executed by the processor. In some implementations, UE 106 may include, as needed, a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality). For example, UE 106 may include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also envisioned.

[0077] As noted above, in some implementations, UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 allows UE 106 to support two different phone numbers and allows UE 106 to communicate on two or more corresponding networks. For example, the first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and the second SIM 106 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Other specific implementations and RATs are also possible. In some implementations, when UE 106 includes two SIMs, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDA) functionality. DSDA functionality allows UE 106 to connect to two networks simultaneously (and use two different RATs), or allows two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be maintained simultaneously on the same or different networks. DSDA functionality also allows UE 106 to receive voice calls or data traffic simultaneously on either phone number. In some implementations, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls can be received using LTE-based Voice (VoLTE) technology and / or NR-based Voice (VoNR) technology. In some implementations, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. DSDS functionality allows either of the two SIMs in UE 106 to standby awaiting a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data connection is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some implementations, DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) can be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that performs multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0078] As shown in the figure, the SOC 400 may include a processor 402 and display circuitry 404. The processor executes program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuitry performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 460. The processor 402 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440, which is configured to receive addresses from the processor 402 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read-only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410) and / or into other circuitry or devices (such as display circuitry 404, short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 429, cellular communication circuitry 430, connector I / F 420, and / or display 460). The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as part of the processor 402.

[0079] As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above to communicate a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or further), processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460, processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0080] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 402. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 402.

[0081] Furthermore, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 430 and the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 430, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Similarly, the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429.

[0082] In some implementations, UE 106 and / or its processor 402 may be configured at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Furthermore, baseband circuitry 604 may be used at UE 106 to determine at least one condition associated with: buffer delay of at least one logical channel (LCH) and / or logical channel group (LCG); unused transmission timing-uplink control information (UTO-UCI); and / or when drop based on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) is activated. Furthermore, baseband circuitry 604 can be used at UE 106 to decode: the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG and / or an explicit indication of the time and / or frequency pattern of the NW pre-configured for uplink (UL) transmission by the UE; downlink (DL) reception by the UE during one or more MGs; and / or an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy. Additionally, baseband circuitry 604 can be used at UE 106 to encode uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during active measurement gaps in one or more measurement gaps based on: at least one condition; measurement gap priority; an explicit indication; and / or an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

[0083] Figure 5 Block diagram of cellular communication circuit Figure 5 Simplified block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 5 The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to the implementation, the cellular communication circuit 530 (which may be the cellular communication circuit 430) may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As noted above, 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, as well as other devices.

[0084] The cellular communication circuit 530 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 4Antennas 435a-435b and 436 are shown in the diagram. In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include dedicated receive chains for various RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 530 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0085] 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 535. RF front end 535 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 535 may include receiver circuitry (RX) 532 and transmitter circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 532 may communicate with downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0086] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 communicating with processor 522. Modem 520 may communicate with RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receiving circuitry 542 and transmitting circuitry 544. In some embodiments, receiving circuitry 542 may communicate with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0087] In some implementations, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front-end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 544 to UL front-end 572. UL front-end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state allowing modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 534 and UL front-end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state allowing modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 544 and UL front-end 572).

[0088] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for UL data for time-division multiplexing NSANR operation, as well as various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or additionally), 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 additionally), 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, 535, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336.

[0089] 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.

[0090] For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or further), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336, processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0091] 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.

[0092] Figure 6 Block diagram of the baseband processor architecture for UE Figure 6 Example components of device 600 according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 6 The device described is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any type of UE as needed.

[0093] In some embodiments, device 600 may include application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or more antennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 (at least coupled together as shown). Components of the illustrated device 600 may be included in UE 106 or RAN node 102A. In some embodiments, device 600 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 602, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 600 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0094] Application circuitry 602 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). These processors may be coupled to or may include memory / storage devices and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 600. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0095] Baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 606 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 606. Baseband processing circuitry 604 may interact with application circuitry 602 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 604 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor 604A, a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other existing, under development, or future generations of baseband processors 604D (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 604 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 604A-604D) may process various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processors 604A-604D may be included in modules stored in memory 604G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 604E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), pre-decoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Implementations of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functionality may be included in other embodiments.

[0096] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (“DSPs”) 604F. The audio DSP 604F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry 602 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0097] In some implementations, baseband circuit 604 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 604 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 604 is configured to support radio communication with more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multimode baseband circuits.

[0098] RF circuit 606 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 606 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 606 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 608 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 604. RF circuit 606 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 604 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 608.

[0099] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 606 may include mixer circuit 606a, amplifier circuit 606b, and filter circuit 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 606 may include filter circuit 606c and mixer circuit 606a. RF circuit 606 may also include synthesizer circuit 606d for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 606a in both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 606a in the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 606d. Amplifier circuit 606b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 606c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 604 for further processing. In some implementations, these output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, but this is not necessary. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 606a in the receiving signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0100] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 606d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 608. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 604 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 606c.

[0101] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and quadrature upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0102] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 606 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuit 604 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with RF circuit 606.

[0103] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0104] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a Δ-∑ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0105] Synthesizer circuit 606d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on a frequency input and a divider control input for use by mixer circuit 606a of RF circuit 606. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0106] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not necessary. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 or the application processor 602 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 602.

[0107] The synthesizer circuit 606d of the RF circuit 606 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded collection of tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO period into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO period.

[0108] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0109] FEM circuit 608 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 610, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 606 for further processing. FEM circuit 608 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 606 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 606, only in FEM 608, or in both RF circuit 606 and FEM 608.

[0110] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 608 may include a TX / RX switch for switching between transmit and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA for amplifying the received RF signal and providing the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., provided to RF circuit 606). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying (e.g., provided by RF circuit 606) the input RF signal; and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 610).

[0111] In some implementations, the PMC 612 manages the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 604. Specifically, the PMC 612 controls power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 612 is typically included when the device 600 can be battery powered, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 612 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0112] Although Figure 6A PMC 612 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 604, but in other embodiments, the PMC 612 may be coupled additionally or alternatively to other components such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 602, the RF circuit 606, or the FEM 608, and perform similar power management operations for these other components.

[0113] In some implementations, the PMC 612 may control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if the device 600 is in the Radio Resource Control_Connected (RRC_Connected) state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, it may enter a state called Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 600 may power down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0114] If there is no data traffic activity during the extended period, device 600 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 600 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network, and then powers off again. Device 600 may be unable to receive data in this state, and to receive data, it will transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0115] An additional power-saving mode renders the device unusable for a period exceeding the paging interval (from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and may be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0116] The processor of application circuit 602 and the processor of baseband circuit 604 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuit 604 can be used individually or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functionality, while the processor of application circuit 604 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmit communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 (L3) may include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 (L2) may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 (L1) may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below. Therefore, baseband circuit 604 can be used to encode messages for transmission between the UE and gNB, or to decode messages received between the UE and gNB.

[0117] For example, baseband circuit 604 can be used at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Furthermore, baseband circuit 604 can be used at UE 106 to determine at least one condition associated with: buffer delay of at least one logical channel (LCH) and / or logical channel group (LCG); unused transmission timing-uplink control information (UTO-UCI); and / or when drop based on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) is activated. Additionally, baseband circuit 604 can be used at UE 106 to decode: the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG and / or an explicit indication of the time and / or frequency pattern of the NW pre-configured uplink (UL) transmission by the UE; downlink (DL) reception by the UE during one or more MGs; and / or an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy. Furthermore, the baseband circuit 604 can be used at the UE 106 to encode uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on: at least one condition; measurement gap priority; explicit indication and / or indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

[0118] Figure 7 Block diagram of the baseband circuit interface Figure 7 Example interfaces of baseband circuits according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. Note that... Figure 7The baseband circuit is merely one example of a possible circuit, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of various systems as needed.

[0119] As discussed above, Figure 6 The baseband circuit 604 may include processors 604A-604E and a memory 604G utilized by the processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E may respectively include a memory interface 704A-704E for transferring / receiving data to / from the memory 604G.

[0120] The baseband circuit 604 may further include: one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 712 (e.g., an interface for transferring data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit 604); and an application circuit interface 714 (e.g., for...). Figure 6 The application circuit 602 is an interface for transmitting data / receiving data from the application circuit; the RF circuit interface 716 (e.g., for transmitting data to / from the application circuit) Figure 6 RF circuit 606 is an interface for transmitting / receiving data from / from the RF circuit; wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., for connecting to / from near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth). ® Components (e.g., Bluetooth) ® Low power consumption, Wi-Fi ® Interfaces for transmitting / receiving data from components and other communication components); and power management interface 720 (e.g., an interface for transmitting or receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 612).

[0121] Measuring gap In 5G NR, measurement gaps (MG) can be used for UE measurements within, between, and between radio access technologies (RATs) of neighboring cells. For UE mobility between base stations (BSs), the measurement gap is configured to allow the UE to monitor the quality of the data link between the UE and neighboring cells and report measurements to the network (NW) for handover to another BS in one of the neighboring cells. Measurement gap lengths of 1.5 ms, 3 ms, 3.5 ms, 4 ms, 5.5 ms, and 6 ms are defined in NR, with measurement gap repetition periods of 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. During the measurement gap, the UE can perform measurements on the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the BSs in neighboring cells. The NW can provide the timing of the neighboring cell SSBs using the synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) from the SSB. According to the standard, the UE should not perform uplink (UL) transmission and downlink (DL) reception during the active measurement gap (in some cases, except for the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)).

[0122] According to NR 3GPP standards (e.g., TS 38.321), a UE should not perform uplink (UL) transmission and downlink (DL) reception during an active measurement gap (in some cases, except for the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)). Specifically, during an active measurement gap, the Media Access Control (MAC) entity should, on the serving cell within the corresponding frequency range of the measurement gap configured by the Information Element (IE) measGapConfig (as specified in TS 38.331), perform the following: Do not perform the transmission of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback, Schedule Request (SR), and Channel State Information (CSI); No detection reference signal (SRS) is reported; Transmissions are not made on the UL-SCH except for Msg3 or MsgA payloads as specified in Clause 5.4.2.2; If Random Access (ra) - ResponseWindow, ra - ContentionResolutionTimer, or msgB - ResponseWindow is running: Monitor the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) as specified in Clauses 5.1.4 and 5.1.5; otherwise: PDCCH is not monitored; Received on the downlink shared channel (DL-SCH).

[0123] Although this discussion concerns measurement gaps, the example implementations can be applied to gaps such as Network Controlled Small Gap (NCSG) and SSB-based Radio Resource Management (RRM) Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC Window). Therefore, the term measurement gap, as used herein, includes both NCSG and SMTC Window.

[0124] Figure 8 Measurement gaps in extended reality (XR) Figure 8 This is an illustration of an example diagram of UE 106 communicating with network 100 via a base station (such as gNB 102). UE 106 may be or may include an electronic device configured for cellular communication, including an XR headset. UE 106 may transmit uplink (UL) data, and / or processor 402 may encode the uplink (UL) data for transmission, as indicated at 804. Similarly, UE may receive downlink (DL) data, and / or processor 402 may decode the downlink (DL) data, as indicated at 808.

[0125] XR headsets and devices (referred to as XR UEs) are configured to provide users with highly realistic multimedia experiences. The XR experience can change in near real-time based on the user's movements. An acceptable XR experience can use a frame rate of 60 fps and a resolution of 2K per eye. Immersive experiences can use 90 or even 120 frames per second (fps), with video resolution up to 8K per eye, to provide a realistic visual experience. This translates to a bitrate of tens of megabits per second (Mbps) for the XR UE. Creating content at such bitrates involves using powerful processors that typically cannot be hosted on the XR UE due to limitations such as heat dissipation and battery constraints. To overcome these limitations, the rendering of XR multimedia can be assisted or split across the network. The XR UE can be configured to transmit near real-time sensor data to the cloud in uplink transmissions. Powerful processors in the cloud can perform rendering and generate multimedia data, which can then be transmitted back to the XR device for display in downlink transmissions. Low latency in UL and DL transmissions increases the realism of the XR experience and reduces potential motion sickness for users. To enable XR UEs to transmit data at tens of Mbps with low latency, the NR standard can be improved.

[0126] One reason for latency in UL and DL data transmission is the NW's use of MG. When the NW commands the UE to use MG, the UE typically cannot transmit UL and DL data during the MG period. As previously discussed, the MG period during which the UE cannot transmit UL and DL data can last up to 6 ms, with a repetition periodicity between 20 ms and 160 ms. Since UL / DL data transmission may not be permitted during active measurement gaps, this can potentially lead to latency that could degrade the performance of latency-sensitive XR services. Furthermore, low repetition periodicity can significantly reduce data transmission and reception opportunities, thereby reducing data throughput. Therefore, some enhancements can be introduced for measurement gap handling.

[0127] In some examples, measurement gaps and scheduling constraints can be configured to enable the communication of high-priority data between the UE (such as an XR UE) and the BS. Enhancements can be specified to reduce the impact on capacity and individual UEs, relating to scheduling constraints for inter-frequency radio resource management (RRM) measurements with measurement gaps between FR1 and FR2 frequencies, and intra-frequency measurements within FR2 frequencies without measurement gaps. Some mechanisms for mitigating the impact may include: Delay Status Reporting (DSR); Unused Transmission Timing-Uplink Control Information (UTO-UCI); and / or dropping based on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set Importance (PSI).

[0128] DSR allows the UE (via the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE)) to report the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer for buffered data expires, along with the associated amount of data. This facilitates delay-aware scheduling on the network or gNB side. The UE can be configured to indicate to the network or gNB that it has packets that will be dropped. The network or gNB can then provide resources to the UE to transmit the packets.

[0129] UTO-UCI allows the UE to indicate which subsequent configuration grant (CG) timing it will use or will not use. When the network indicates congestion, PSI-based drop can allow the UE to apply an alternative drop timer (e.g., a shorter timer value) to less critical PDU sets to alleviate UL congestion. Therefore, the UE can request the network or gNB to drop and release resources. These features can be used to adapt measurement gap processing for latency-sensitive XR services, enabling data-intensive and latency-sensitive UEs (such as XR UEs) to communicate at higher transmission rates and reduced latency.

[0130] Measurement gap processing based on buffer delay In one aspect, UL transmission can be permitted during active measurement gaps (e.g., on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) based on at least one condition related to the buffer delay of at least one logical channel (LCH) and / or logical channel group (LCG). Therefore, UE 106 can cover measurement gaps based on the condition of the buffer delay (e.g., remaining time).

[0131] On the other hand, UE 106 may have one or more processors 402 coupled to memory 406, which are configured at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IE) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MG) for, for example, measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Processor 402 may at UE 106 determine when to perform uplink (UL) transmission during the measurement gap based on whether at least one condition associated with a buffer (e.g., buffer delay) of at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) is met.

[0132] In one aspect, processor 402 may encode at UE 106 uplink (UL) data 804 to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps, based on at least one condition associated with the buffer delay of at least one LCH or LCG.

[0133] In one aspect, if the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer for buffered data from at least one LCH / LCG meets a time threshold, UE 106 may perform transmission on UL-SCH resources during the active measurement gap. UE 106 may cover MG based on conditions of buffer delay (e.g., remaining time).

[0134] On the other hand, processor 402 can determine when the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer for buffered data from at least one LCH or LCG meets a time threshold; and when the threshold is met, UL data 804 for transmission on UL-SCH during the active measurement gap can be encoded.

[0135] On the other hand, if the remaining time until the PDCP discard timer for buffered data from at least one LCH / LCG expires meets the data amount threshold, and if the data amount associated with the remaining time (i.e., the amount of delayed critical data) is equal to or greater than the amount threshold, then UE 106 may perform transmission on UL-SCH resources during the active measurement gap.

[0136] In one aspect, processor 402 can determine when the amount of data to be transmitted associated with the remaining time is equal to or greater than a threshold; and when the threshold is met, UL data 804 to be transmitted on UL-SCH during the active measurement gap can be encoded.

[0137] On the other hand, if a Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with at least one LCH / LCG is triggered, the UE can perform transmission on UL-SCH resources during the active measurement gap. Alternatively, if a DSR associated with at least one LCH / LCG is triggered, and if the amount of data associated with the remaining time to be reported in the DSR (i.e., the amount of delay-critical data) is equal to or greater than a certain threshold, the UE can perform transmission on UL-SCH resources during the active measurement gap.

[0138] In one aspect, processor 402 can determine when a Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with at least one LCH or LCG is triggered; and when the DSR is triggered, UL data 804 for transmission on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap can be encoded. Processor 402 can determine when the amount of data for transmission associated with the remaining time to be reported in the DSR is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and when the threshold is met, UL data for transmission on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap can be encoded.

[0139] On the other hand, if a scheduling request (SR) is triggered by a DSR associated with at least one LCH / LCG, the UE can perform SR transmission during the active measurement gap. When the data volume exceeds a threshold, the UE can perform coverage without checking for latency. Alternatively, if an SR is triggered by a DSR associated with at least one LCH / LCG, and the data volume associated with the remaining time to be reported in the DSR (i.e., the amount of latency-critical data) is equal to or greater than a certain threshold, the UE can perform SR transmission during the active measurement gap.

[0140] Processor 402 can determine when a scheduling request (SR) is triggered by a delay status report (DSR) associated with at least one LCH or LCG; and when an SR is triggered by a DSR, it can encode the SR to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap. Processor 402 can determine when the amount of data to be transmitted associated with the remaining time to be reported in the DSR is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and when the threshold is met, it can encode the SR to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap.

[0141] On the other hand, if any data from at least one LCH / LCG that is to be discarded if it is not transmitted during the measurement gap (e.g., if the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer expires during the measurement gap), the UE may perform UL-SCH or Schedule Request (SR) transmission during the active measurement gap. Alternatively, if the amount of data from at least one LCH / LCG that is to be discarded if it is not transmitted during the measurement gap (e.g., the PDCP drop timer expires during the measurement gap) meets a certain threshold, the UE may perform UL-SCH or SR transmission during the active measurement gap.

[0142] In one aspect, processors 402 and 604 can determine when data from at least one LCH or LCG will be discarded; and when data is to be discarded, they can encode UL data 804 to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or a scheduling request (SR) during the active measurement gap. Processor 402 can determine when the amount of data to be discarded from at least one LCH or LCG is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and when the threshold is met, it can encode UL data 804 to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or a scheduling request (SR) during the active measurement gap.

[0143] Processors 402 and 604 can determine when the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer expires during the MG period; and when the PDCP drop timer expires during the MG period, they can encode UL data 804 to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or a scheduling request (SR) for that active measurement gap. Processors 402 and 604 can determine when the amount of data to be dropped from at least one LCH or LCG is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and when the threshold is met, they can encode UL data 804 to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or a scheduling request (SR) for that active measurement gap.

[0144] On the other hand, if a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) is associated with the transmission of at least one LCH / LCG, the UE can perform the transmission of HARQ-ACK during the active measurement gap. Alternatively, if a HARQ-ACK is associated with the transmission of at least one LCH / LCG whose buffered data is related to the transmission of HARQ-ACK and whose remaining time until the PDCP drop timer expires meets a threshold, the UE can perform the transmission of HARQ-ACK during the active measurement gap.

[0145] Processor 402 can determine when a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) is associated with the transmission of at least one LCH or LCG; and when a HARQ-ACK is associated with the transmission of at least one LCH or LCG, it can encode the HARQ-ACK to be transmitted during the active measurement interval. Processor 402 can determine when the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer associated with the buffered data of at least one LCH or LCG meets a time threshold; and when the remaining time meets the threshold, it can encode the HARQ-ACK to be transmitted during the active measurement interval.

[0146] On the other hand, if Channel State Information (CSI) is available for transmission of at least one LCH / LCG, processors 402 and 604 can encode a CSI report for transmission from the UE during an active measurement gap. Alternatively, if CSI is available for transmission of at least one LCH / LCG whose buffered data is associated with a threshold for the remaining time until the PDCP drop timer expires, processors 402 and 604 can encode a CSI report for transmission from the UE during an active measurement gap.

[0147] Processors 402 and 604 can determine when a Channel State Information (CSI) report is used for transmission of at least one LCH or LCG; and when a CSI report is used for transmission of at least one LCH or LCG, they can encode the CSI report used for transmission during the active measurement gap. Processors 402 and 604 can determine when a threshold is met until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer associated with buffered data of at least one LCH or LCG expires; and when the threshold is met, they can encode the CSI report used for transmission during the active measurement gap.

[0148] In one respect, the UE can cover the measurement gap and transmit during the measurement gap. In another respect, the UE can transmit a notification that it will transmit during the measurement gap before transmitting during the measurement gap.

[0149] On the other hand, the network can preconfigure each LCH / LCG regarding whether the UE can cover the measurement gap (MG) if the packet is urgent, and / or distinguish whether the remaining time of data in the LCH / LCG allows UL-SCH or SR transmission during the active MG. On the other hand, based on network preconfiguration, behavior related to UL-SCH transmission may only apply to a specific configuration grant (CG) configuration. (This can be implied based on the LCH that can be mapped to each CG configuration.) On the other hand, based on network preconfiguration, behavior related to SR transmission may only apply to a specific SR or Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) configuration. On the other hand, this behavior only applies when delay-critical data includes a set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) of high importance or when the synchronization requirements of multimodal traffic flows necessitate the delivery of delay-critical data.

[0150] Processors 402 and 604 can, at UE 106, decode pre-configured information elements regarding at least one LCH or LCG from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102. These pre-configured elements grant permission for the UE to transmit UL data 804 or send a scheduling request (SR) on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap, based on a threshold level indicating the remaining time of data in at least one LCH or LCG. Processor 604 can, at UE 106, decode the configuration grant (CG) configuration of NW 100 regarding transmission on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap. Processor 604 can encode the scheduling request (SR) or physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) configuration for transmission during the active measurement gap based on the pre-configuration of NW 100. Processor 402 can determine when UL data 804 includes delay-critical data with a set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) of higher importance. Processor 402 can determine when UL data 804 includes delay-critical data, the delivery of which is required for the synchronization requirements of multimodal service flows.

[0151] On the other hand, UE behavior can further depend on the remaining duration of the instantaneous measurement gap. For example, if the remaining duration of the measurement gap (MG) is still longer than a threshold, the UE can perform UL transmission within the MG. Otherwise, if the remaining duration of the MG is already quite short, the UE can suppress the performance of UL transmission. The threshold or threshold value can be applied collectively to all LCHs / LCGs, or only to a specific set of LCHs / LCGs (e.g., different thresholds for the remaining duration of the MG can be applied depending on which LCH has the data the UE intends to transmit). Processors 402 and 604 can determine the remaining duration of the active measurement gap and, when the duration of the measurement gap is longer than the threshold, encode the UL data to be transmitted during the active measurement gap.

[0152] As described herein, measurement gaps may include network-controlled gaps (NCSG) or SSB-based radio resource management (RRM) measurement timing configurations (SMTC windows).

[0153] As described in this paper, buffer delay-based measurement gap processing can be used in conjunction with protocol data unit (PDU) set importance (PSI)-based dropping, measurement gap priority, explicit indications from the network, and limitations on measurement gap occupancy.

[0154] Figure 9 Flowchart of a method for UL transmission during MG - based on buffer delay Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during a measurement gap (MG) based on buffer delay is provided. Method 900 may include, at user equipment (UE) 106, decoding 904 information elements (IEs) from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102 regarding one or more MGs, for example, for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Method 900 may also include, at UE 106, determining 908 when to perform uplink (UL) transmission during the measurement gap based on whether at least one condition associated with a buffer (e.g., buffer delay) of at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) is satisfied. In one aspect, method 900 may also include, at UE 106, encoding 912 UL data for transmission on an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on at least one condition associated with a buffer delay of at least one LCH or LCG.

[0155] UTO-UCI-based measurement gap processing In one respect, if the UL-SCH resource corresponds to a configuration grant (CG) opportunity that has been indicated as "used" in the Unused Transmission Opportunity (UTO) (UTO-UCI) previously indicated by the Uplink Control Information (UCI) signaled by the UE, then the UE may be allowed to perform transmission on the Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) during the Active Measurement Interval. Therefore, if the UE indicates earlier that it will transmit during the time when the MG occurs, then the UE may be allowed to perform transmission.

[0156] On the other hand, in addition to UTO-UCI, new uplink signaling (e.g., UCI or MACCE) can be introduced for the UE to indicate which UL-SCH resources in the active measurement gap the UE intends to use. The NW can optionally provide feedback to indicate whether the UE's intention can be permitted. If no feedback is received from the NW, the UE can assume that it is permitted.

[0157] On the other hand, the UE can be configured to signal the UTO-UCI only for CG events occurring during the measurement gap. This can be an MG-specific UTO-UCI mechanism, which can be configured separately from existing UTO-UCI schemes.

[0158] On the other hand, the UE can take the measurement gap into account when deriving UTO-UCI, meaning that the CG timing in the measurement gap can always be indicated as "unused" or considered "invalid".

[0159] UE 106 may have processors 402 and 604 coupled to memory 406, which are configured at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Processor 402 may at UE 106 determine at least one condition associated with unused transmission timing-uplink control information (UTO-UCI). Processor 604 may at UE 106 encode uplink (UL) data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during active measurement gaps in one or more measurement gaps, based on the condition associated with UTO-UCI.

[0160] Processor 402 may, at UE 106, determine when the UL-SCH resource corresponds to a configuration grant (CG) time indicated as used in a previous UTO-UCI (such as a previous UTO-UCI signaled by the UE). Processor 604 may, at UE 106, encode UL data 804 for transmission on the UL-SCH during active measurement intervals.

[0161] Processor 402 can determine the UL-SCH resources for intended use during the active measurement gap. Processor 604 can encode the data for the UL-SCH resources for transmission on different UL channels. Furthermore, processor 604 can also decode, at UE 106, an indication of permission to use the UL-SCH resources from signaling received from NW 100.

[0162] Processor 402 can determine when a configuration grant (CG) occurs during an active measurement gap. When the CG occurs during an active measurement gap, processor 604 can encode the UTO-UCI for transmission.

[0163] Processor 402 can determine when a configuration permission (CG) in the measurement gap is indicated as unused or invalid.

[0164] As described in this paper, UTO-UCI-based measurement gap processing can be used in conjunction with Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI)-based discarding, measurement gap prioritization, explicit indications from the network, and limitations on measurement gap occupancy.

[0165] Figure 10 Flowchart of a method for UL transmission during MG - based on UTO-UCI Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uplink (UL) transmission during a measurement gap (MG) based on UTO-UCI is provided. Method 1000 may include, at user equipment (UE) 106, decoding 1004 from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IEs) of one or more MGs for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Method 1000 may also include, at UE 106, determining 1008 at least one condition associated with Unused Transmission Timing-Uplink Control Information (UTO-UCI). Method 1000 may further include, at UE 106, encoding 1012 UL data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on the condition associated with UTO-UCI.

[0166] Measurement gap processing based on PSI-based discarding Whether transmission is permitted during a measurement gap can further depend on whether Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) drop is activated (i.e., PSI-based drop). In one aspect, if PSI-based drop is activated for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data, the UE may not be permitted to transmit data or Media Access Control-Control Elements (MAC CEs) (e.g., Buffer Status Report (BSR) and / or Delay Status Report (DSR)) associated with at least one DRB during the measurement gap. In another aspect, if PSI-based drop is activated for at least one DRB, the UE may not be permitted to transmit data or DSR associated with at least one DRB during the measurement gap unless a high-importance PDU set is buffered in at least one DRB. In yet another aspect, if PSI-based drop is activated for at least one DRB, whether the UE is permitted to transmit data or DSR associated with at least one DRB during the measurement gap may depend on buffer status (such as buffer capacity and / or delay). This can be combined with the buffer delay-based measurement gap processing described herein.

[0167] UE 106 may have processors 604 coupled to memory 406 for decoding, at UE 106, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106 from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102. Processor 402 may, at UE 106, determine at least one condition related to when Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set Importance (PSI) drop is activated. Processor 402 may, at UE 106, encode uplink (UL) data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during active measurement gaps in one or more measurement gaps, based on at least one condition related to the activation of PSI-based drop.

[0168] Processor 402 can determine when to disable PSI-based dropout for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data. Processor 402 can encode UL data to be transmitted on UL-SCH during active measurement intervals or Delay Status Reports (DSRs) associated with at least one DRB.

[0169] Processor 402 can determine when to activate PSI-based drop for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data. Processor 402 can determine when a set of High Importance Protocol Data Units (PDUs) is buffered in at least one DRB. Processor 402 can encode UL data 804 for transmission on UL-SCH during active measurement intervals or Delay Status Reports (DSRs) associated with at least one DRB.

[0170] Processor 402 can determine when to activate Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set Importance (PSI)-based drop for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data. Processor 402 can determine at least one condition related to the buffer delay of at least one Logical Channel (LCH) or Logical Channel Group (LCG). Processor 402 can encode UL data 804 or a Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with at least one DRB for transmission on the UL-SCH during active measurement intervals based on the activated PSI-based drop and the buffer delay of at least one LCH or LCG.

[0171] As described in this paper, PSI-based dropout-based measurement gap handling can be used in conjunction with measurement gap priority, explicit indications from the network, and limitations on measurement gap occupancy.

[0172] Figure 11 Flowchart of a method for UL transmission during MG - based on PSI-based dropout Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uplink (UL) transmission during a measurement gap (MG) based on PSI-based dropout is provided. Method 1100 may include, at user equipment (UE) 106, decoding 1104 from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102 regarding one or more MG information elements (IEs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Method 1100 may include, at UE 106, determining 1108 at least one condition related to when Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) dropout is activated. Method 1100 may include, at UE 106, encoding 1112 UL data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on at least one condition related to the activation of PSI-based dropout.

[0173] Method based on measurement gap priority The UE can be configured with multiple measurement gaps having different priority levels. The configuration and priority levels can be determined by the network. In one aspect, the UE can be configured to perform any of the methods described herein only in low-priority measurement gaps. In another aspect, the UE can be configured to perform any of the methods described herein only in high-priority measurement gaps. In yet another aspect, the UE can be configured to perform any of the methods proposed in this disclosure only in any priority measurement gap, regardless of priority. In yet another aspect, the UE can be configured with priority thresholds to determine which measurements can be considered "low priority" and / or "high priority".

[0174] UE 106 may have one or more processors 604 coupled to memory 406, which are used at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Processor 604 may decode the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG at UE 106. Processor 402 may encode, at UE 106, uplink (UL) data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during active measurement gaps in one or more measurement gaps, based on the measurement gap priority.

[0175] The processor 604 may encode, at the UE 106, UL data 804 to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during an active measurement gap in one or more MGs, with a low priority based on the measurement gap priority.

[0176] The processor 604 can encode UL data 804, which is used to be transmitted on UL-SCH during an active measurement gap in one or more MGs, at the UE 106 with high priority based on the measurement gap priority.

[0177] The processor 604 can encode, at the UE 106, UL data 804 to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during an active measurement gap in one or more MGs, regardless of the measurement gap priority.

[0178] Processor 604 may determine a priority threshold at UE 106. Processor 604 may encode UL data 804 to be transmitted on UL-SCH during an active measurement gap in one or more MGs based on whether the measurement gap priority is lower or higher than the priority threshold.

[0179] Figure 12 Flowchart for a method of UL transmission during MG - Measurement gap priority Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uplink (UL) transmission during a measurement gap (MG) based on measurement gap priority is provided. Method 1200 may include, at user equipment (UE) 106, decoding 1204 from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102 regarding one or more MG information elements (IEs) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Method 1200 may include, at UE 106, decoding 1204 the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG. Method 1200 may include, at UE 106, encoding 1212 UL data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on the measurement gap priority.

[0180] Figure 13 : A method based on explicit instructions from the network Figure 13 This is an illustration of an example of dynamic activation / deactivation of special measurement gap processing based on explicit indications from the network (e.g., allowing UL / DL transmission during an active measurement gap when certain conditions are met). The illustration illustrates an example of time domain 1300 with measurement gap 1304.

[0181] The network can pre-configure a time / frequency pattern 1308 regarding which UL / DL resources the UE can transmit / receive during measurement gap 1304. For example, the network can configure a small time window that allows transmission during measurement gap 1304. Before each measurement gap 1304, the network can dynamically indicate the time / frequency pattern regarding which UL / DL resources the UE 106 can transmit / receive during measurement gap 1304. In one aspect, the network can configure the UE 106 to receive the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) during the active measurement gap 1304 for potential dynamic DL / UL resource assignment. In another aspect, the network can configure whether the UE 106 is allowed to trigger a Random Access Channel (RACH) or a Schedule Request (SR) during the active measurement gap 1304 when certain conditions are met. These conditions can be fixed by specifications or are configurable.

[0182] On the other hand, the network can dynamically activate / deactivate the UE's transmit / receive behavior during the active measurement gap 1304 via downlink control information (DCI) or media access control-control element (MACCE). For example, if the network needs measurements from UE 106, it can decide to activate 1308 or deactivate 1312. For example, the network can dynamically command UE 106 to receive DL-SCH in the upcoming measurement gap 1304 to, for example, handle DL packets that have experienced jitter and therefore could not be transmitted before the start of the measurement gap. In dynamic signaling (e.g., MAC CE), the network can provide more detailed instructions about which UL / DL resources UE 106 should continue to transmit / receive during the active measurement gap 1304. On the other hand, the network can not only activate / deactivate the UE's transmit / receive behavior, but can also provide dynamic signaling to modify / control the UE's behavior during the measurement gap 1304. A minimum offset may exist between the dynamic signaling and the start of the measurement gap 1304. UE 106 can be applied only to the behavior indicated in the dynamic signal transmitted at least X milliseconds (ms) before the measurement gap 1304.

[0183] UE 106 may have one or more processors 402 coupled to memory 406, which are used at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) 1304 for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Processor 604 may also decode, from signaling received from NW 100, explicit indications (e.g., 1308 and / or 1312) regarding NW-preconfigured time and frequency patterns for uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) resources of UE 106 during one or more MGs 1304. At UE 106, processor 604 encodes UL data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during one or more active measurement gaps 1304 based on explicit indications (e.g., 1308 and / or 1312).

[0184] Explicit indications can be dynamic indications prior to each MG 1304.

[0185] The processor 604 can decode data in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) used for dynamic DL / UL resource assignment during the active measurement gap 1304 from signaling received from the NW 100 at the UE 106.

[0186] Processor 604 can decode from signaling received from NW 100 at UE 106 an indication for triggering a random access channel (RACH) or scheduling request (SR) during active MG 1304.

[0187] The processor 604 can decode downlink control information (DCI) or media access control-control element (MAC CE) configured to dynamically activate or deactivate the UE’s transmit or receive behavior during active MG1304 from signaling received from NW 100 at UE 106.

[0188] Figure 14 Flowchart of a method for UL transmission during MG - based on explicit instructions Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during a measurement gap (MG) based on an explicit indication from the network is provided. Method 1400 may include, at user equipment (UE) 106, decoding 1404 from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102 regarding one or more MGs for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 105. Method 1400 may include, at UE 106, decoding 1408 from signaling received from NW 100 regarding an explicit indication of an NW-preconfigured time or frequency pattern for uplink (UL) transmission or downlink (DL) reception by UE 106 during one or more MGs. Method 1400 may include, at UE 106, encoding 1412 UL data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on the explicit indication.

[0189] Limitations on measurement gap occupancy To ensure that measurement gaps are not excessively overwritten by UL / DL transmissions, several limitations can be applied. The network can provide a maximum gap for UE use within each measurement gap. In one aspect, the network can pre-configure a threshold time for the measurement gap interval. The total time for UL or DL ​​transmissions occurring within the measurement gap cannot exceed this threshold time. In another aspect, the network can pre-configure a threshold percentage for the measurement gap interval. The portion of the total time for UL or DL ​​transmissions occurring within this measurement gap cannot exceed this threshold percentage time. In yet another aspect, the network can configure a time window covering more than one measurement gap and can indicate which measurement gap(s) within that window are allowed for DL / UL transmissions. In yet another aspect, the network can configure a time window covering more than one measurement gap and can indicate the maximum number of measurement gaps allowed for DL / UL transmissions within that window. In yet another aspect, the network can configure a time window covering more than one measurement gap and can indicate the maximum total duration allowed for DL / UL transmissions within that window.

[0190] On the other hand, the network can pre-configure certain criteria related to uplink / downlink resources. The UE can perform transmission / reception only on uplink / downlink resources that meet these criteria during the measurement gap. For example, the UE can be configured to perform uplink transmission on resources with a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) duration shorter than a threshold during the measurement gap.

[0191] UE 106 may have one or more processors 604 coupled to memory 406, which are used at UE 106 to decode, from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102, information elements (IE) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MG) for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Processor 604 may also at UE 106 decode, from signaling received from NW 100, an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy. Processor 604 may also at UE 106 encode, based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy, uplink (UL) data 804 to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps.

[0192] Processor 604 can also decode a pre-configured threshold time for the MG interval from signaling received from NW 100 at UE 106. Processor 604 can also encode UL data 804 for transmission on UL-SCH during active measurement gaps in one or more MGs at UE 106 within the threshold time.

[0193] Processor 604 can also decode a pre-configured threshold percentage of the MG interval from signaling received from NW 100 at UE 106. Processor 604 can also encode UL data 804, within the threshold percentage, for transmission on UL-SCH during active measurement gaps in one or more MGs.

[0194] The processor 604 can also decode, at the UE 106, signaling received from the NW 100, a time window covering more than one MG and an indication of which MGs within the time window are permitted for UL transmission.

[0195] The processor 604 can also decode, at the UE 106, a time window covering more than one MG and an indication of the maximum number of MGs allowed for UL transmission within the time window from signaling received from the NW 100.

[0196] The processor 604 can also decode, at the UE 106, signaling received from the NW 100, a time window covering more than one MG and an indication of the maximum total duration allowed for UL transmission within the time window.

[0197] Processor 604 can also decode pre-configured criteria related to UL resources from signaling received from NW 100 at UE 106. When the criteria are met, processor 402 can encode UL data 804 for transmission on UL-SCH during active measurement gaps in one or more MGs at UE 106.

[0198] Figure 15 Flowchart for a method of UL transmission during MG - Limitations on measurement gap occupancy Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for uplink (UL) transmission during a measurement gap (MG) based on a limitation of measurement gap occupancy is provided. Method 1500 may include, at user equipment (UE) 106, decoding 1504 from signaling received from network (NW) 100 via base station 102 regarding one or more MGs for measuring synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of neighboring cells of UE 106. Method 1500 may include, at UE 106, decoding 1508 an indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy from signaling received from NW 100. Method 1500 may include, at UE 106, encoding 1512 uplink (UL) data 804 for transmission on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

[0199] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0200] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any method embodiments of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0201] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of the various forms.

[0202] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0203] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: At the UE, information elements (IEs) regarding one or more measurement gaps (MGs) are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station; and At the UE, the timing of uplink (UL) transmission during the measurement gap is determined based on whether at least one condition associated with the buffer of at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) is met.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in the one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on at least one condition related to the buffer delay of the at least one LCH or LCG.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer for buffered data from at least one LCH or LCG meets the time threshold; and When the threshold is met, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement interval is encoded.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the amount of data to be transmitted, associated with the remaining time, is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and When the threshold is met, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement interval is encoded.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when a Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with at least one LCH or LCG is triggered; and When the DSR is triggered, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement interval is encoded.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the amount of data to be transmitted, associated with the remaining time to be reported in the DSR, is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and When the threshold is met, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement interval is encoded.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when a scheduling request (SR) is triggered by a delay status report (DSR) associated with at least one LCH or LCG; and When the SR is triggered by the DSR, the SR to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap is encoded.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the amount of data to be transmitted, associated with the remaining time to be reported in the DSR, is equal to or greater than a quantity threshold; and When the threshold is met, the SR used to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement interval is encoded.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when data from at least one LCH or LCG will be discarded; and When the data is to be discarded, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or the scheduling request (SR) during the active measurement gap is encoded.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the amount of data from at least one LCH or LCG to be discarded is equal to or greater than a certain threshold; and When the threshold is met, UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or a scheduling request (SR) during the active measurement gap is encoded.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer expires during the MG period; and When the PDCP discard timer expires during the MG period, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or the scheduling request (SR) during the active measurement gap is encoded.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the amount of data from at least one LCH or LCG to be discarded is equal to or greater than a certain threshold; and When the threshold is met, UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or a scheduling request (SR) during the active measurement gap is encoded.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) is associated with the transmission of at least one LCH or LCG; and When the HARQ-ACK is associated with the transmission of at least one LCH or LCG, the HARQ-ACK used for transmission during the active measurement gap is encoded.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer associated with the buffered data of the at least one LCH or LCG meets the time threshold; and When the remaining time meets the threshold, the HARQ-ACK to be sent during the active measurement interval is encoded.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the Channel State Information (CSI) report is used for transmission of the at least one LCH or LCG; and When the CSI report is used for transmission of the at least one LCH or LCG, the CSI report used for transmission during the active measurement interval is encoded.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the threshold is met by the remaining time until the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) drop timer associated with the buffered data of the at least one LCH or LCG; and When the remaining time meets the threshold, the CSI report to be sent during the activity measurement interval is encoded.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, a pre-configured information element regarding the at least one LCH or LCG is decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. The pre-configuration pertains to permission for the UE to transmit the UL data or send a scheduling request (SR) on the UL-SCH during an active measurement gap based on a threshold level of the remaining time of the data in the at least one LCH or LCG.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the configuration grant (CG) configuration of the NW regarding transmission on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap is decoded.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The pre-configuration of the NW is used to encode the scheduling request (SR) or physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) configuration to be sent during the active measurement gap.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the UL data includes latency-critical data with a set of Protocol Data Units (PDUs) of importance higher than a selected threshold; and The UL data to be transmitted during the intervals between the active measurements is encoded.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The UL data is determined to include delay-critical data, the delivery of which is required for the synchronization requirements of the multimodal service flow; and The UL data to be transmitted during the intervals between the active measurements is encoded.

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine the remaining duration of the active measurement gap; and When the duration of the measurement gap is longer than a threshold, the UL data to be transmitted during the active measurement gap is encoded.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more MGs include network-controlled small gaps (NCSG).

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more MGs include an SSB-based Radio Resource Management (RRM) Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC Window).

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when to activate Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI)-based dropping for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data; and The UL data or Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with the at least one DRB is encoded based on the activated PSI-based dropout and the buffer delay of the at least one LCH or LCG.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG is decoded; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the measurement gap priority.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an explicit indication of the time and frequency patterns pre-configured by the NW regarding the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) resources used by the UE during the one or more MGs is decoded from the signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the explicit indication.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an indication limiting measurement gap occupancy is decoded from signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

29. A method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during one or more measurement gaps (MG), the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), information elements (IEs) regarding the one or more MGs used for measurement are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station; and At the UE, the timing of uplink (UL) transmission during the measurement gap is determined based on whether at least one condition associated with the buffer of at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG) is met.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising: At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in the one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on at least one condition related to the buffer delay of the at least one LCH or LCG.

31. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform any of the methods described according to claims 29 to 30.

32. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: At the UE, information elements (IE) about one or more measurement gaps (MG) for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, at least one condition related to the non-use of Transmission Timing-Uplink Control Information (UTO-UCI) is determined; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the conditions associated with the UTO-UCI.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, it is determined when the UL-SCH resource corresponds to a configuration grant (CG) timing that was previously indicated as used in a UTO-UCI signaled by the UE; and At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement interval is encoded.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Identify the UL-SCH resources in the active measurement gap for their intended use; and The data used for the UL-SCH resources is encoded for transmission on different UL channels.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an instruction regarding permission to use the UL-SCH resource is decoded from signaling received from the NW.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when configuration grant (CG) occurs during the active measurement interval; and When the CG occurs during the active measurement gap, the UTO-UCI is encoded for transmission.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when the configuration permission (CG) in the measurement gap is indicated as unused or invalid.

38. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more MGs include network-controlled small gaps (NCSG).

39. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more MGs include an SSB-based Radio Resource Management (RRM) Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC Window).

40. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when to activate Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI)-based dropping for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data; and The UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap or the Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with the at least one DRB is encoded based on the activated PSI-based dropout.

41. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG is decoded; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the measurement gap priority.

42. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an explicit indication of the time and frequency patterns pre-configured by the NW regarding the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) resources used by the UE during the one or more MGs is decoded from the signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the explicit indication.

43. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an indication limiting measurement gap occupancy is decoded from signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

44. A method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during one or more measurement gaps (MG), the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), information elements (IEs) of one or more MGs for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, at least one condition related to the non-use of Transmission Timing-Uplink Control Information (UTO-UCI) is determined; as well as At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the conditions associated with the UTO-UCI.

45. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to claim 44.

46. ​​An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: At the UE, information elements (IE) about one or more measurement gaps (MG) for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, at least one condition is determined related to when drop based on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) is activated; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in the one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on at least one condition related to the PSI-based discard activation.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when to disable PSI-based dropping for at least one data radio bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data; and The UL data or Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with the at least one DRB is encoded for transmission on the UL-SCH during the activity measurement gap.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when to activate PSI-based dropping for at least one data radio bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data; Determine when the set of high-importance protocol data units (PDUs) is buffered in the at least one DRB; and The UL data or Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with the at least one DRB is encoded for transmission on the UL-SCH during the activity measurement gap.

49. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine when to activate the dropping based on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Set Importance (PSI) for at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) carrying user plane data; Determine at least one condition associated with the buffer delay of at least one logical channel (LCH) or logical channel group (LCG); and The UL data or Delay Status Report (DSR) associated with the at least one DRB is encoded based on the activated PSI-based dropout and the buffer delay of the at least one LCH or LCG.

50. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more MGs include network-controlled small gaps (NCSG).

51. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more MGs include an SSB-based Radio Resource Management (RRM) Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC Window).

52. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG is decoded; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the measurement gap priority.

53. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an explicit indication of the time and frequency patterns pre-configured by the NW regarding the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) resources used by the UE during the one or more MGs is decoded from the signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the explicit indication.

54. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an indication limiting measurement gap occupancy is decoded from signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

55. A method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during one or more measurement gaps (MG), the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), information elements (IEs) of one or more MGs for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, at least one condition is determined related to when drop based on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) set importance (PSI) is activated; as well as At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in the one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on at least one condition related to the PSI-based discard activation.

56. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to claim 55.

57. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: At the UE, information elements (IE) about one or more measurement gaps (MG) for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG is decoded; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the measurement gap priority.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, UL data transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in one or more MGs is encoded based on the measurement gap priority having a low priority.

59. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, UL data transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in one or more MGs is encoded with high priority based on the measurement gap priority.

60. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, regardless of the measurement gap priority, the UL data transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in one or more MGs is encoded.

61. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, a priority threshold is determined; and At the UE, UL data transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in one or more MGs is encoded based on whether the measurement gap priority is lower or higher than the priority threshold.

62. A method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during one or more measurement gaps (MG), the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), information elements (IEs) of one or more MGs for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, the measurement gap priority of the NW configuration of the MG is decoded; as well as At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the measurement gap priority.

63. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to claim 62.

64. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: At the UE, information elements (IE) about one or more measurement gaps (MG) for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, an explicit indication of the time and frequency pattern pre-configured by the NW regarding the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) resources used by the UE during the one or more MGs is decoded from the signaling received from the NW. and At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the explicit indication.

65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the explicit indication is a dynamic indication prior to each MG.

66. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, data in the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) used for dynamic DL / UL resource assignment during the active measurement gap is decoded from signaling received from the NW.

67. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, an indication for triggering a random access channel (RACH) or scheduling request (SR) during an active MG is decoded from signaling received from the NW.

68. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, downlink control information (DCI) or media access control-control element (MAC CE) configured to dynamically activate or deactivate the UE's transmit or receive behavior during active MG is decoded from signaling received from the NW.

69. A method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during one or more measurement gaps (MG), the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), information elements (IEs) of one or more MGs for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, an explicit indication of the NW pre-configured time or frequency pattern for uplink (UL) transmissions or downlink (DL) receptions by the UE during the one or more MGs is decoded from the signaling received from the NW. as well as At the UE, UL data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during the active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the explicit indication.

70. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to claim 69.

71. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: At the UE, information elements (IE) about one or more measurement gaps (MG) for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, an indication limiting the occupancy of the measurement gap is decoded from the signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the pre-configured threshold time of the MG interval is decoded from the signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, UL data for transmission on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in the one or more MGs is encoded within the threshold time period.

73. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, a pre-configured threshold percentage of the MG interval is decoded from signaling received from the NW; and At the UE, UL data transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in one or more MGs is encoded within the threshold percentage.

74. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, signaling received from the NW is decoded to cover a time window of more than one MG and an indication of which MGs within the time window are allowed for UL transmission.

75. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the signaling received from the NW is decoded to cover a time window of more than one MG and an indication of the maximum number of MGs allowed for UL transmission within the time window.

76. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, the signaling received from the NW is decoded to cover a time window of more than one MG and an indication of the maximum total duration allowed for UL transmission within the time window.

77. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: At the UE, pre-configuration criteria related to UL resources are decoded from signaling received from the NW; and When the criteria are met, the UL data to be transmitted on the UL-SCH during the active measurement gap in one or more MGs is encoded at the UE.

78. A method for performing uplink (UL) transmission during one or more measurement gaps (MG), the method comprising: At the user equipment (UE), information elements (IEs) of one or more MGs for measuring the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of the neighboring cells of the UE are decoded from signaling received from the network (NW) via the base station. At the UE, an indication limiting the occupancy of the measurement gap is decoded from the signaling received from the NW; as well as At the UE, uplink (UL) data to be transmitted on the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) during an active measurement gap in one or more measurement gaps is encoded based on the indication of limiting measurement gap occupancy.

79. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to claim 78.

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

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

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

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