Conditional based measurement of neighbor cells

Abstract

This application relates to condition-based measurements of neighboring cells. In the example, the UE is within the beam coverage of the serving cell. Over time, the beam coverage changes, which may cause the UE to determine that the cell quality of the serving cell has degraded even though the UE is still within the serving cell's coverage. Instead of triggering neighboring cell measurements based on cell quality degradation, the UE can be configured with one or more conditions associated with changes in beam coverage. If the configured conditions are not met, the UE may not perform neighboring cell measurements despite the cell quality degradation.

Description

[0001] Cellular communication can be defined in various standards to enable communication between user equipment (UE) and cellular networks. For example, fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) are wireless standards designed to improve data transmission speed, reliability, availability, and more. Cellular coverage is a relevant characteristic for data transmission. Specifically, when a UE is within cell coverage, it can exchange data with the cellular network. Otherwise, the UE may not be able to do so. Attached Figure Description

[0002] Figure 1 Examples of network environments based on some implementation schemes are shown.

[0003] Figure 2 Examples of network access based on cell coverage are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0004] Figure 3 Examples of providing cell coverage and associated beam coverage according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0005] Figure 4 Examples of radio resource management (RRM) measurement models according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0006] Figure 5 Examples of beam coverage variations based on some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0007] Figure 6 Examples of RRM measurements triggered by location-based and / or time-based conditions are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0008] Figure 7 Another example of RRM measurement using multiple threshold triggers according to some implementation schemes is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 8 Further examples of RRM measurements triggered by dynamic signaling using thresholds according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0010] Figure 9 This provides another example of RRM measurements triggered by a timer that is associated with the transition time of beam coverage changes, according to some implementation schemes.

[0011] Figure 10 Additional examples of RRM measurements triggered by measurement offsets are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0012] Figure 11 Examples of operational flow / algorithm structures implemented by user equipment (UE) to perform RRM measurements according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0013] Figure 12 Examples of operational flow / algorithm structures implemented by the network according to some implementation schemes for configuring the UE to perform RRM measurements are illustrated.

[0014] Figure 13 Examples of receiving components according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0015] Figure 14 Examples of UEs according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0016] Figure 15 Examples of base stations based on some implementation schemes are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, specific details, such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth for illustrative and not limiting purposes in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples departing from these specific details. In some instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0018] Generally, when a device is within the network's coverage area, it communicates with that network. Network coverage can be provided via network nodes and may be referred to as cell coverage. Specifically, a network node provides the serving cell to which the device can connect. Neighboring cells can also be available (potentially from different network nodes). Depending on the criteria used, the device can perform measurements related to the serving cell and neighboring cells. The device can connect to a neighboring cell such that the cell becomes a new serving cell based on measurements (e.g., when measurements indicate that a connection to a neighboring cell will have higher quality than an existing connection to the serving cell).

[0019] In some cases, a network node may be physically movable relative to a device. For example, a network node may be implemented as a base station or a repeater in a communications satellite orbiting the Earth. In other cases, a device may be physically movable relative to a network node (e.g., when the device is a mobile device traveling on the Earth's surface). Of course, there may be situations where both the device and the network node are movable relative to each other.

[0020] Given mobility, cell coverage for network nodes can change over time. When cell coverage is no longer available to a device via an existing serving cell (e.g., due to the orbital position of communication satellites and / or the device's geographic location), the device may no longer be able to communicate with the network via that cell. Instead, the device can connect to a neighboring cell (which becomes the new serving cell) to obtain cell coverage. In some cases, the device may perform various measurements to determine whether it should switch its serving cell from the existing cell to a neighboring cell.

[0021] Performing measurements can involve overhead and may interrupt data communications. It may be desirable to reduce or minimize the need to perform measurements. To this end, the device can be configured (e.g., via configuration information transmitted over a network) to perform measurements associated with neighboring cells only if multiple conditions are met; otherwise, such measurements are abandoned. This configuration also allows the device to avoid neighboring cell measurements due to, for example, beam shifts occurring within the existing serving cell, despite a significant degradation in connection quality with the existing serving cell and / or an improvement in connection quality with neighboring cells.

[0022] More specifically, and as further described below, network nodes can provide multiple beams. These beams provide beam coverage associated with the serving cell. Given mobility, beam coverage can change over time. As beam coverage changes, beam measurements can change. Because cell measurements can be based on beam measurements, cell measurements can also change. Therefore, when performing cell measurements on the serving cell, the device can be configured to take into account changes in beam coverage. Thus, even if cell measurements indicate a degradation in connection quality (which may be caused by changes in beam coverage), the device can determine that it is still within the serving cell's cell coverage and can discontinue performing measurements associated with neighboring cells.

[0023] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0024] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes the following: hardware components such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) or memories (shared, dedicated, or grouped), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, programmable system-on-a-chip (SoCs)), digital signal processors (DSPs), etc. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionalities. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) and program code for executing the functionality of that program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0025] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" means, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, or transmitting digital data. The term "processor circuit" may also refer to an application processor, baseband processor, central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit, single-core processor, dual-core processor, triple-core processor, quad-core processor, or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes.

[0026] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" can refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as buses, I / O interfaces, peripheral component interfaces, or network interface cards.

[0027] As used herein, the term "device" means a device having radio communication capabilities, one or more processors, and one or more memories. The device may be configured as a UE supporting one or more configurations.

[0028] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to equipment of a remote user that has radio communication capabilities and can describe network resources in a communication network. Furthermore, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" can be considered synonymous and can refer to a client, device, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Additionally, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can include any type of wireless / wired equipment or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface. A UE may have primary functionality for communicating with another UE or network, and a UE may be integrated with other devices and / or systems (e.g., in a vehicle).

[0029] As used herein, the term "base station" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities, i.e., a device (or more simply, a network) within a communication network, and can be configured as an access node in that network. The UE's access to the communication network can be managed at least partially by the base station, thereby connecting the UE to the base station to access the communication network. Depending on the Radio Access Technology (RAT), a base station may be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), eNodeB (eNB), access point, etc.

[0030] As used herein, the term "computer system" means any type of interconnected electronic device, computer device, or component thereof. Additionally, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing resources or network resources.

[0031] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to physical or virtual devices, physical or virtual components within a computing environment, or physical or virtual components within a specific device, such as computer equipment, mechanical equipment, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU utilization, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or utilization, power supply, input / output operations, port or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory utilization, storage, network, databases and applications, units of workload, etc. "Hardware resource" can refer to computing, storage, or networking resources provided by physical hardware components. "Virtualized resource" can refer to computing, storage, or networking resources provided by virtualization infrastructure to applications, devices, systems, etc. The terms "network resource" or "communication resource" can refer to resources that a computer device / system can access via a communication network. The term "system resource" can refer to any kind of shared entity providing services and can include computing or network resources. System resources can be considered as a coherent set of functions, network data objects, or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0032] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium used to transmit data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent with "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," or any other similar term indicating a means or medium through which data is transmitted. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices used for transmitting and receiving information.

[0033] As used in this article, the terms "instantiate" and "instantiate" refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0034] The term "connection" can refer to an established signaling relationship between two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer through a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0035] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as networked computers, network hardware, network equipment, network nodes, virtualized network functions, etc.

[0036] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual content of an information element, or the data element that contains that content. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0037] Figure 1 A network environment 100 according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. Network environment 100 may include UE 104 and network node 108. Network node 108 may be a base station (or a set of transmit and receive points (TRPs) of that base station) providing a radio access cell; for example, a 3GPP New Radio (NR) cell through which UE 104 can communicate with network node 108. The base station may be a component of a terrestrial network, a component of a non-terrestrial network, or a component distributed between a terrestrial network and a non-terrestrial network. UE 104 and network node 108 may communicate through an interface compatible with 3GPP technical specifications, such as those defining the fifth-generation (5G) NR system standard.

[0038] Network node 108 can transmit information (e.g., data and control signaling) in the downlink direction by mapping logical channels onto transport channels and then mapping the transport channels onto physical channels. Logical channels can transmit data between the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer; transport channels can transmit data between the MAC layer and the PHY layer; and physical channels can transmit information across the air interface. Physical channels may include the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH); the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH); and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0039] The PBCH can be used to broadcast system information that UE 104 can use for initial access to the serving cell. The PBCH can be transmitted together with the Physical Synchronization Signal (PSS) and the Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) in the Synchronization Signal (SS) / PBCH block. The SS / PBCH block (SSB) can be used by UE 104 during the cell search procedure and for beam selection.

[0040] PDSCH can be used to transmit end-user application data, signaling radio bearer (SRB) messages, system information messages (except for MIBs), and paging messages.

[0041] The PDCCH can transmit downlink control information (DCI), which is used by the scheduler of network node 108 to allocate both uplink and downlink resources. The DCI can also be used to provide uplink power control commands, configure time slot formats, or indicate that preemption has occurred.

[0042] Network node 108 can also send various reference signals to UE 104. These reference signals may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH. UE 104 can compare the received version of the DMRS with a known sequence of transmitted DMRS to estimate the impact of the propagation channel. UE 104 can then apply the inverse channel of the propagation channel during the demodulation process transmitted on the corresponding physical channel.

[0043] The reference signal may also include CSI-RS. CSI-RS can be a multipurpose downlink transmitter that can be used for CSI reporting, beam management, connection mode mobility, radio link failure detection, beam failure detection and recovery, and fine-tuning of time and frequency synchronization.

[0044] Reference signals and information from the physical channel can be mapped to resources in the resource grid. For a given antenna port, subcarrier spacing configuration, and transmission direction (e.g., downlink or uplink), there exists a resource grid. The basic unit of the NR downlink resource grid can be a resource element, which can be defined by a subcarrier in the frequency domain and an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain. Twelve consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain can constitute a physical resource block (PRB). A resource element group (REG) can include a PRB in the frequency domain and an OFDM symbol in the time domain, for example, twelve resource elements. A control channel element (CCE) can represent a resource group used to transmit the PDCCH. One CCE can be mapped to multiple REGs; for example, six REGs.

[0045] Transmissions using different antenna ports may traverse different radio channels. However, in some cases, different antenna ports may share common radio channel characteristics. For example, different antenna ports may have similar Doppler drift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread, or spatial receiver parameters (e.g., characteristics associated with the downlink received signal angle of arrival at the UE). Antenna ports sharing one or more of these large-scale radio channel characteristics can be considered quasi-co-located (QCL) with each other. 3GPP has specified four types of QCL to indicate which specific channel characteristics are shared. In QCL type A, antenna ports share Doppler drift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread. In QCL type B, antenna ports share Doppler drift and Doppler spread. In QCL type C, antenna ports share Doppler drift and average delay. In QCL type D, antenna ports share spatial receiver parameters.

[0046] Network node 108 may provide UE 104 with Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) status information to indicate the QCL relationship between antenna ports used for reference signals (e.g., synchronization signals / PBCH or CSI-RS) and downlink data or control signaling (e.g., PDSCH or PDCCH). Network node 108 may use a combination of RRC signaling, MAC control element signaling, and DCI to inform UE 104 of these QCL relationships.

[0047] UE 104 can use physical uplink channels to send data and control information to network node 108. Different types of physical uplink channels are possible, including the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The PUCCH carries control information, such as uplink control information (UCI), from UE 104 to network node 108, while the PUSCH carries data traffic (e.g., end-user application data) and may also carry UCI.

[0048] In the example, communication with network node 108 and / or the base station may utilize channels in frequency range 1 (FR1) bands (between 40 MHz and 7,125 MHz) and / or frequency range 2 (FR2) bands (between 24,250 MHz and 52,600 MHz), but other frequency ranges are also possible (e.g., frequency ranges greater than 52,600 MHz). The FR1 band includes licensed and unlicensed bands. The NR unlicensed band (NR-U) includes spectrum shared with other types of radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., LTE-LAA, WiFi, etc.). A listen-before-speak (LBT) protocol can be used to avoid or minimize conflicts between different RATs in the NR-U, whereby the device applies a free channel assessment (CCA) check before using the channel.

[0049] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, UE 104 may be located within network coverage 110. Specifically, network node 108 may provide signaling to network coverage 110 (e.g., it may be carried by one or more beams). Network coverage 110 may represent a cell or a portion of a cell provided by network node 108. Network coverage 110 may provide network connectivity to multiple UEs similar to UE 104. When these UEs are within network coverage 110, they may communicate with network node 108 on both uplink and downlink based on the channels available to them.

[0050] In the example, UE 104 supports carrier aggregation (CA), allowing UE 104 to simultaneously connect and exchange data with network node 108 via multiple component carriers (CCs). CCs can belong to the same frequency band, in which case they are called intra-band CCs. Intra-band CCs can be continuous or discontinuous. CCs can also belong to different frequency bands, in which case they are called inter-band CCs. A serving cell can be configured for UE 104 to use CCs. The serving cell can be a primary cell (PCell), a primary-secondary cell (PSCell), or a secondary cell (SCell). Multiple SCells can be activated via an SCell activation procedure, where the component carriers of these serving cells can be intra-band continuous, intra-band discontinuous, or inter-band. Serving cells can be co-located or non-co-located.

[0051] UE 104 can also support dual connectivity (DC), where the UE can simultaneously send and receive data from two serving nodes or cell groups (primary node (MN) and secondary node (SN)) on multiple CCs. DC capability can be used with two serving nodes operating with the same RAT or different RATs (e.g., MN operating in NR, and SN operating in LTE). These different DC modes include, for example, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access - New Radio (EN) - DC, NR-DC, and NE-DC (MN is an NR gNB, and SN is an LTE eNB).

[0052] Figure 2 An example of access 200 to network 210 based on cell coverage 250 is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. Network 210 can be accessed by the UE via network node 220 providing cell coverage 250. Generally, cell coverage corresponds to the geographical area in which access to network 210 via TRP is available.

[0053] In the example, network 210 may implement a specific set of radio access technologies (RATs), such as, but not limited to, 5G and / or different generations of 3GPP networks. Network 210 may also be a terrestrial network, in which case network node 220 may be a component of a terrestrial access node, such as a gNB or eNB (or more generally, a terrestrial base station). In another example, network 210 may be at least partially a non-terrestrial network, wherein network node 220 may be implemented on a communication satellite. In this case, network node 220 may be referred to as a non-terrestrial network node, may be implemented as a repeater, and may be coupled to the terrestrial access node (e.g., a base station) of network 210 via gateway 222.

[0054] Generally, network node 220 can cover a large geographical area, which can be divided into a large number of cell coverages (if not thousands, then likely hundreds). UE 204 can be located within the cell coverage (in... Figure 2 The UE 204 is located in cell coverage 250 and can be connected to network node 220 via feeder link 224. Feeder link 224 can use millimeter wave or sub-millimeter wave frequencies (e.g., in S-band or Ka-band). In this way, UE 204 can access network 210 via network node 220 and gateway 222.

[0055] To clarify, various implementation schemes are described below using a communication satellite as an example, serving as network node 220. However, the implementation schemes are not limited to this and are similarly applicable to any other network node belonging to a network in which beam coverage changes over time.

[0056] Generally, NTN refers to a network or segment that uses, for example, space vehicles or air vehicles for transmission. Space vehicles can include low Earth orbit satellites, medium Earth orbit satellites, geostationary satellites, and / or highly elliptical orbit satellites. Air vehicles can include high-altitude platform vehicles (HAPs). NTN can address mobile broadband and public safety needs in unserved or underserved areas. NTN can also address maritime, air, and / or rail connectivity needs.

[0057] NR NTN (e.g., in low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit) can support HAP and air-to-ground (ATG) scenarios. Frequency division duplex (FDD) can be supported, but time division duplex (TDD) can also be supported (e.g., TDD can be applied to relevant scenarios such as HAPS and ATG). The Earth can be divided into fixed tracking areas. The UE can be equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) capabilities. Transparent payloads can be assumed to transmit data. Handheld devices in FR1 (e.g., "Power Category 3") and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) devices with external antennas (RAN1-3 specification) at least in FR2 can support NR NTN connectivity.

[0058] NTN cells typically cover a wider range of radio cells. In NTN, the coverage of a cell or beam is usually much greater than that of a cell in a terrestrial network. The coverage of an NTN cell can span multiple countries.

[0059] Figure 3 Example 300 illustrates providing cell coverage 320 and associated beam coverage 330 according to some implementation schemes. Here, network node 310 ( Figure 2 The example of network node 220 provides a set of beams (illustrated by arrows extending outward from network node 220). Specifically, network node 310 employs beamforming techniques, for example, by using multiple radiating elements to transmit the same signal at a certain wavelength and phase to form a radio frequency (RF) beam focused in a specific direction.

[0060] The serving cell may be geographically associated with cell coverage 320 (e.g., cell coverage 320 corresponds to the serving cell). The serving cell may have an identifier (e.g., cell ID). Each beam in the beam may also be associated with an identifier (e.g., Figure 3 The beam index shown (with values ​​between "1" and "6") is associated with a serving cell identifier. Each beam can be associated with a serving cell identifier. Each beam provides 330° of coverage.

[0061] Each beam coverage 330 can represent a geographical area. When a device is located within beam coverage 330 (e.g., let's say "beam #3"), the device can perform beam measurements on different beams (e.g., let's say "beam #1" through "beam #6"). Among the different beams, the beam corresponding to beam coverage 330 (e.g., let's say "beam #3") has the best beam measurement. Therefore, the device uses this beam (e.g., let's say "beam #3") in its communication with network node 310.

[0062] Cell coverage 320 can represent a geographical area including different beam coverages. When located within cell coverage 320, the device can perform cell measurements related to the serving cell. Cell measurements can be derived at least in part from beam measurements. An example model for performing beam and cell measurements is further described in the next figure.

[0063] Figure 4 An example of a Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement model 400 according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. RRM measurement model 400 indicates the Layer 1 processing to be performed by a UE (e.g., any example of a UE described herein) on signals received from, for example, a network node (e.g., any example network node described herein). The output of the Layer 1 processing may include Layer 1 samples. RRM measurement model 400 also indicates the Layer 3 processing to be performed by the UE on the output of the Layer 1 processing to generate RRM measurements. These RRM measurements may include beam and / or cell-level measurement results.

[0064] In the example of 5G networks, RRM measurement model 400 is defined in 3GPP Technical Specification 38.300 V17.6.0 (2023-09), the full text of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, Section 9.2.4 of 3GPP Technical Specification 38.300 V17.6.0 (2023-09) describes the following.

[0065] In RRC_CONNECTED, the UE measures multiple beams (at least one) of the cell, and the measurement results (power values) are averaged to derive cell quality. In doing so, the UE is configured to consider a subset of the detected beams. Filtering occurs at two distinct levels: at the physical layer for deriving beam quality, and then at the RRC level for deriving cell quality from the multiple beams. For both serving and non-serving cells, the cell quality derived from the beam measurements is derived in the same manner. The measurement report may include... X The measurement results of the optimal beam, if the UE is configured to do so by the gNB.

[0066] Corresponding advanced measurement model in Figure 4 As shown in the diagram, K beams correspond to measurements of SSB or CSI-RS resources configured by the gNB for Layer 3 mobility and detected by the UE at Layer 1. "A" refers to measurements within the physical layer (beam-specific samples). "Layer 1 filtering" refers to internal Layer 1 filtering of the input measured at point A. Accurate filtering is implementation-dependent. How measurements are actually performed in the physical layer by implementation (input A and Layer 1 filtering) is not constrained by 3GPP Technical Specification 38.300 V17.6.0 (2023-09).

[0067] “A 1 "Beam combining / selection" refers to the measurement reported from Layer 1 to Layer 3 after Layer 1 filtering (i.e., beam-specific measurement). "Beam combining / selection" refers to the merging of beam-specific measurements to derive cell quality. The behavior of beam combining / selection is standardized, and the configuration of this module is provided by RRC signaling. The reporting period at point B is equal to that at point A. 1 A measurement period at point B. "B" refers to the measurement derived from the beam-specific measurement reported to Layer 3 after beam combining / selection (i.e., cell quality). "Layer 3 filtering for cell quality" refers to the filtering performed on the measurement provided at point B. The behavior of the Layer 3 filter is normalized, and the configuration of the Layer 3 filter is provided by RRC signaling. The filtering reporting period at point C is equal to a measurement period at point B. "C" refers to the measurement after processing in the Layer 3 filter. The reporting rate is the same as at point B. This measurement is used as input for one or more evaluations for reporting criteria. "Evaluation of reporting criteria" refers to checking whether the actual measurement report at point D is necessary. This evaluation can be based on more than one measurement stream at reference point C (e.g., for comparison between different measurements). This is determined by inputs C and C. 1 Example. The UE should at least whenever at point C, C 1 When reporting new measurement results, the reporting criteria are evaluated. The reporting criteria are standardized and configured using RRC signaling (UE measurement). "D" refers to the measurement report information (message) transmitted over the radio interface. "Layer 3 beam filtering" refers to the filtering applied to point A.1 The filtering is performed on the measurements provided at point E (i.e., beam-specific measurements). The behavior of the beam filter is normalized, and the configuration of the beam filter is provided by RRC signaling. The filtering reporting period at point E is equal to that at point A. 1 A measurement period at point A. "E" refers to the measurement after processing in the beam filter (i.e., beam-specific measurement). Reporting rate and point A. 1 The reporting rate is the same at each point. This measurement is used as input for selecting X measurements to be reported. "Beam selection for beam reporting" refers to selecting X measurements from the measurements provided at point E. The behavior of beam selection is standardized, and the configuration of this module is provided by RRC signaling. "F" refers to the beam measurement information included in the measurement report (transmitted) on the radio interface.

[0068] Layer 1 filtering introduces a certain level of measurement averaging. How and when the UE accurately performs the required measurements is implementation-specific, to the extent that the output at point B meets the performance requirements set out in 3GPP Technical Specification 38.133. The Layer 3 filtering used for cell quality and the associated parameters are specified in 3GPP Technical Specification 38.33 and do not introduce any delay into the sample availability between points B and C. 1 The measurements at this point are the inputs used in the event assessment. Layer 3 beam filtering and the associated parameters used are specified in 3GPP Technical Specification 38.331 and do not introduce any delay into the sample availability between E and F.

[0069] The measurement report is characterized by the following: The measurement report includes the measurement identifier of the associated measurement configuration that triggered the report. The cell and beam measurements to be included in the measurement report are configured by the network. The number of non-serving cells to be reported can be limited by network configuration. Cells belonging to an exclusion list configured by the network are not used in event assessments and reports, and conversely, when an allow list is configured by the network, only cells belonging to that allow list are used in event assessments and reports. The beam measurements to be included in the measurement report are configured by the network (beam identifier only, measurement result and beam identifier, or no beam report).

[0070] Intra-frequency neighbor (cell) measurements and inter-frequency neighbor (cell) measurements are defined as follows. SSB-based intra-frequency measurements refer to measurements defined as SSB-based intra-frequency measurements where the center frequency of the serving cell's SSB is the same as the center frequency of the neighboring cell's SSB, and the subcarrier spacing of the two SSBs is also the same. SSB-based inter-frequency measurements refer to measurements defined as SSB-based inter-frequency measurements where the center frequency of the serving cell's SSB is different from the center frequency of the neighboring cell's SSB, or the subcarrier spacing of the two SSBs is different. For SSB-based measurements, one measurement object corresponds to one SSB, and the UE treats different SSBs as different cells. If a Capability Reduction (RedCap) UE is configured to perform serving cell measurements based on an NCD-SSB configured in its active BWP, then that NCD-SSB is considered the serving cell's SSB in the definitions of intra-frequency and inter-frequency measurements as described above. Intra-frequency measurement based on CSI-RS refers to a measurement defined as such when: the subcarrier spacing of the CSI-RS resources configured for measurement on the neighboring cell is the same as the SCS of the CSI-RS resources indicated for measurement on the serving cell; and for a 40kHz subcarrier spacing, the CP type of the CSI-RS resources configured for measurement on the neighboring cell is the same as the CP type of the CSI-RS resources indicated for measurement on the serving cell; and the center frequency of the CSI-RS resources configured for measurement on the neighboring cell is the same as the center frequency of the CSI-RS resources indicated for measurement on the serving cell. Inter-frequency measurement based on CSI-RS refers to a measurement defined as such when it is not an intra-frequency measurement based on CSI-RS. Extended CPs for CSI-RS-based measurements are not supported in this version. Whether a measurement is non-gap-assisted or gap-assisted depends on the UE's capabilities, the UE's active BWP, and the current operating frequency. For SSB-based inter-frequency measurements, if the UE reports measurement gap requirement information, a measurement gap configuration can be provided based on that information. Otherwise, a measurement gap configuration is always provided if: the UE only supports per-UE measurement gaps; or if the UE supports per-FR measurement gaps, and any serving cell within the serving cell is in the same frequency range as the measurement object. For SSB-based intra-frequency measurements, if the UE reports measurement gap requirement information, a measurement gap configuration can be provided based on that information. Otherwise, a measurement gap configuration is always provided if, in addition to the initial BWP, any UE or RedCap UE configured with a BWP does not contain frequency domain resources for the SSB associated with the initial DL BWP, and for RedCap UEs, no NCD-SSB is configured for serving cell measurements.

[0071] In non-gap-assisted scenarios, the UE should be able to perform such measurements without a measurement gap. In gap-assisted scenarios, it cannot be assumed that the UE can perform such measurements without a measurement gap.

[0072] The network can be accessed via system information or via RRCRelease A dedicated measurement configuration is used to request the UE to measure NR and / or E-UTRA carriers in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE. If the UE is configured to perform NR and / or E-UTRA carrier measurements while in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE, it can... RRCSetupComplete The message provides the gNB with an indication of the availability of the corresponding measurement results. The network can request the UE to report these measurements after security activation. The request for measurements can be transmitted by the network immediately after sending the security mode command (i.e., before receiving a notification from the UE that security mode is complete).

[0073] If the UE is configured to perform NR and / or E-UTRA carrier measurements while in RRC_INACTIVE mode, the gNB can... RRCResume The message requests the UE to provide the corresponding measurement results, and then the UE can... RRCResumeComplete The message includes available measurement results. Alternatively, the UE can... RRCResumeComplete The message provides the gNB with an indication of the availability of the measurement results, and the gNB can then request the UE to provide these measurement results.

[0074] Examples of layer 3 filtering are described in 3GPP Technical Specification 38.331 V17.6.0 (2023-09), the full text of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, Section 4.5.3.2 of 3GPP Technical Specification 38.331 V17.6.0 (2023-09) describes the following.

[0075] For each cell measurement, each beam measurement, each side-link measurement as needed, each CLI measurement performed by the UE, and each candidate L2 U2N relay UE measurement, and in order to evaluate detected NR side-link U2N relay UEs, the UE should filter the measurement results using the following formula before using them for evaluation reporting criteria, for measurement reporting, or for U2N relay (re)selection evaluation: F n = (1 – a ) F n-1 + a M n ,in" Mn "This is the latest measurement result received from the physical layer," F n "This is the updated, filtered measurement result, used for evaluation reporting standards, for measurement reporting, or for U2N relay (re)selection evaluation; and " F n-1 "This is the old, filtered measurement result, where, when the first measurement result from the physical layer is received, F 0 is set to M 1; and for MeasObjectNR , a = 1 / 2 (ki / 4) ,in k i yes quantityConfigNR-List The i-th QuantityConfigNR The corresponding measurement quantity filterCoefficient ,and i Depend on MeasObjectNR In quantityConfigIndex Instructions; for other measurements, a = 1 / 2 (k / 4) ,in k It is by quantityConfig Received corresponding measurement quantity filterCoefficient For UTRA-FDD, a = 1 / 2 (k / 4) , where k is determined by QuantityConfig In quantityConfigUTRA-FDD The received filterCoefficient corresponding to the measurement.

[0076] Returning to the reference RRM measurement model 400 and the communication satellite use case, each communication satellite can have multiple carriers, where each carrier corresponds to a cell. RRM measurements can be the same as in terrestrial networks (i.e., measurements are performed per cell per carrier). Measurement results are maintained and stored for each cell.

[0077] For mobility purposes, the UE performs RRM measurements in the RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_IDLE, and RRC_INACTIVE states. RRM measurements are classified into four types: intra-frequency NR measurements, inter-frequency NR measurements, inter-RAT measurements for E-UTRA, and inter-RAT measurements for UTRA.

[0078] When in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE measures the attributes of the serving cell and neighboring cells to enable the reselection process. The UE's RRM measurements of neighboring cells are based on frequency priority. Specifically, for frequencies of neighboring cells with high priority (e.g., higher priority relative to the serving cell's frequency), the UE performs measurements on that frequency regardless of the serving cell's quality. For frequencies with the same / lower priority, the UE only begins measuring that frequency if the serving cell's quality is below a threshold. This threshold can be configured for the UE (e.g., via RRC signaling). The UE performs RRM measurements based on the SSB according to the idle / inactive DRX period. Measurement gaps may need to be used based on UE capabilities, which could lead to data interruptions.

[0079] When in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE performs measurements according to the measurement configuration provided by the network via UE-specific RRC signaling, and reports the measurement results according to the measurement configuration to the network via an RRC measurement report. The UE always performs measurements on the serving cell, but only begins measuring neighboring cells or frequencies when the cell-level quality of the current serving cell is below a threshold (which may be referred to as "S-measure"). The UE performs RRM measurements based on the connection DRX cycle according to SSB / CSI-RS.

[0080] The UE measures multiple beams (or at least one) of a cell, and the measurement results (power values) are averaged to derive cell quality. In doing so, the UE is configured to consider a subset of the detected beams. Filtering occurs at two distinct levels: at the physical layer to derive beam quality, and at the RRC level to derive cell quality from multiple beams. Cell quality can be derived from beam measurements in the same manner for both serving and non-serving cells. Measurement reports may include measurement results for multiple best beams if the UE is configured to do so by the network node. For neighbor cell measurements, the UE initiates neighbor cell measurements when the serving cell's cell-level quality is below a threshold (e.g., in the RRC_CONNECTED state, or depending on priority in the RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_IDLE states) or periodically (e.g., in the RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_IDLE states, depending on priority). Depending on the UE's capabilities, the UE may use measurement gaps to perform neighbor measurements, which may introduce data interruptions.

[0081] For NTN-specific RRM measurements, different methods exist depending on the state. For NTN RRM measurements in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states, location-based and time-based neighbor measurements can be enabled. Location-based measurements can be configured by the network (e.g., in System Information Block (SIB) 19 (SIB19) message). This configuration can indicate a reference location associated with the serving cell and a threshold distance (distanceThresh). If the distance between the UE and the reference location is greater than the threshold distance, the UE is triggered to perform intra-frequency, inter-frequency, or inter-RAT measurements. Time-based neighbor measurements can also be configured by the network (e.g., in SIB19 message). This configuration can include timing information (e.g., “t-Service”) indicating the time when the serving cell will cease serving a geographic area. The UE is triggered to perform intra-frequency, inter-frequency, or inter-RAT measurements before the timing information expires (e.g., before the time when the serving cell, as indicated by “t-Service”, will no longer serve the geographic area). The exact time before “t-Service” to begin the measurement may depend on the specific UE implementation.

[0082] For NTN RRM measurements in the RRC_CONNECTED state, measurement events can be used to initiate a Conditional Handover (CHO) from the serving cell to a neighboring cell. These events include time-based events (“condEventT1”) and location-based events (“condEventD1”). These events can be configured for CHO triggering along with one of the measurement-based triggering conditions (CHO events A3 / A4 / A5). Additionally, measurement events can be used to trigger measurement reports. For example, a location-based event (“EventD1”) is defined. These events are defined in 3GPP TS 38.331, V17.6.0 (2023-09), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0083] Figure 5 An example of beam coverage variation 500 according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. Here, similar to the network node previously described, network node 510 provides serving cells to multiple UEs. In the illustration, network node 510 is an NTN network node. Cell coverage 520 corresponds to the serving cell and includes different beam coverages, each beam coverage corresponding to one beam. Region 540 (shown as a dashed circle) may fall within one of the beam coverages (shown as within beam coverage 530 with the beam having index "3"). UEs located in region 540 may use the corresponding beam (e.g., "beam #3") in their communication with network node 510.

[0084] Beam coverage 530 can change over time for various reasons. For example, network node 510 can be moved, such as... Figure 5 As illustrated. Other causes may also occur or alternatively (e.g., Earth's rotation, beam scanning, etc.). Therefore, in the first moment (in Figure 5 The beam coverage 530, shown as "T1", corresponds to a specific beam (e.g., "beam #3") and covers an area. However, at the third time (in... Figure 5 (Illustrated as "T3"), beam coverage 530 covers different areas. A transition time 550 exists between the third time and the first time (e.g., it may be equal to the difference between the third time and the first time). Beam coverage change 500 occurs during the transition time. For example, at a second time within the transition time 550 (e.g., between the first time and the third time), beam coverage 300 changes by moving between the two areas.

[0085] During transition time 550, the area 540 where the UE is located undergoes beam coverage change 500. Specifically, at the first time, area 540 is completely contained within beam coverage 530. However, at the third time, area 540 is no longer covered by beam coverage 530 (in... Figure 5 In the third time, the coverage of region 503 now falls within the beam coverage of "beam #1". In the second time (or, for the entire span or part of the transition time 550), region 540 may be partially covered by beam coverage 530 and the coverage of another beam (e.g., the coverage of "beam #1"). Thus, during transition time 550 (or at least a portion thereof), the UE can determine that the beam measurement of "beam #3" is changing (as if the UE is approaching the edge of beam coverage 530 and subsequently outside of beam coverage 530). Specifically, such beam measurement can indicate a degradation in beam quality of "beam #3" relative to the UE.

[0086] As explained above, the serving cell's cell measurement is based on beam measurements. Therefore, because "beam #3" has degraded quality for at least a portion of transition time 550, the serving cell's cell measurement during transition time 550 can also indicate a degraded serving cell quality. Furthermore, because the cell quality degrades for at least a portion of transition time 550, the UE can be triggered to perform RRM measurements on neighboring cells (e.g., when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state and the serving cell's cell measurement is below a threshold (e.g., S-measure) due to degraded quality). However, neighboring cell measurements may not be necessary because the UE remains within the serving cell's cell coverage 520 (e.g., area 540 is still included in cell coverage 520; and by the time transition time 550 expires, area 50 will be within the beam coverage of "beam #1").

[0087] Therefore, during at least a portion of the transition time 550, the UE can be configured to relinquish any RRM measurements from neighboring cells. Doing so reduces overhead and may avoid data interruptions (e.g., by avoiding the measurement gaps required to perform RRM measurements from neighboring cells).

[0088] For illustration, consider an RRM measurement triggered when a UE operates in the RRC_CONNECTED state and experiences a beam coverage change 500 (e.g., its coverage changes from a first beam to a second beam associated with the serving cell). When the serving cell quality is less than S-measure, the UE initiates a neighboring cell measurement. For area 540, the coverage beam changes from "beam #3" (T1) to "beam #1" (T3). During the transition time 550 (which may also be referred to as the coverage beam transition period), the UE can detect that the quality of the coverage beam (e.g., the quality of "beam #3") has deteriorated, leading to the determination that the serving cell quality has also deteriorated (e.g., its cell quality is less than "S-measure"). Since the cell quality may be worse than "S-measure" during transition time 550 (e.g., at "T2"), the UE may begin a neighboring cell measurement. However, after a period of time (e.g., after transition time 550), the cell quality becomes good because the coverage beam has changed (e.g., the UE is now covered by "beam #1"). Therefore, since the UE is still within NTN cell coverage and the coverage beam in a certain area will become good for a period of time, the UE may not need to start neighbor cell measurements during the beam transition period.

[0089] In the following figures, various triggers can be used to allow the UE to abandon neighbor cell measurements when unnecessary, or conversely, to allow the UE to perform neighbor cell measurements when necessary. At least some of these triggers can be configured for the UE by the network (e.g., NTN via Layer 1, Layer 2, and / or Layer 3 signaling). Thus, despite the degradation in cell quality (or beam quality) due to beam coverage changes 500, the UE is also enabled to perform neighbor cell measurements more intelligently by abandoning such measurements when unnecessary. Generally, the UE does not need to initiate neighbor cell measurements when it is still within NTN coverage and not at the cell edge. The benefits of such techniques include power savings for the UE in RRM measurements and avoidance of unnecessary data interruptions (e.g., due to the need for measurement gaps).

[0090] Figure 6Examples of RRM measurements triggered by location-based and / or time-based conditions are illustrated according to some implementation schemes. Generally, a UE may initiate neighbor measurements based solely on location-based and / or time-based conditions. A network providing the serving cell (e.g., an NTN) may configure the UE to enable neighbor measurements based on only one or two conditions and disable serving cell quality-triggered neighbor measurements. However, the use of such conditions may be combined with serving cell quality triggering (e.g., when the serving cell's cell quality is below a threshold such as "S-measure"). These two conditions may be used independently of each other (e.g., performing RRM measurements on neighbor cells when at least one of these conditions is met) or in combination (e.g., performing such RRM measurements only when both conditions are met).

[0091] like Figure 6 As illustrated, UE 670 is located within the cell coverage of serving cell 610. Neighboring cell 620 exists and provides cell coverage adjacent to at least the cell coverage of serving cell 610. Beam coverage change occurs during transition time 650. Figure 6 The top section illustrates the case where RRM measurements for neighboring cell 620 are not performed (labeled as No RRM Measurement 601). Specifically, UE 670 abandons performing RRM measurements for neighboring cell 620 when either or both of the location-based and / or time-based conditions are not met 600. Figure 6 The bottom portion illustrates the execution of RRM measurements for neighboring cell 620 (labeled RRM measurement 603). Specifically, UE 670 performs RRM measurement 603 when either or both of location-based and / or time-based conditions are met 602.

[0092] In the example, the location-based condition indicates the location that triggers a neighboring cell measurement (e.g., an RRM measurement associated with a neighboring cell). Thus, the condition represents an event of a location-based neighboring cell measurement. The network may provide the UE with information about the cell coverage of the current serving cell (e.g., cell coverage 520). This information may be transmitted to the UE as configuration information. Different signaling techniques are possible, including, for example, RRC-specific signaling (e.g., information elements (IEs) specifically designed to provide this information) and / or reuse of SIB19 messages (e.g., by including the information in a SIB19 message). Cell coverage may be represented in the information as {reference location, distance}, where the reference location is a location within the current serving cell (e.g., the cell center location), and the distance may be a threshold distance relative to the reference location (e.g., a radius derived from the cell center location). The UE may initiate a neighboring cell measurement when the distance between the UE's current location and the reference location is near the configured threshold distance (e.g., less than 10 percent or some other predefined percentage) or not less than the configured threshold distance (e.g., greater than the threshold distance).

[0093] Thus, the UE determines its current location (e.g., using its GNSS capabilities and / or other positioning procedures), compares it to a reference location indicated in the information, and determines the distance between the two. The UE can then compare this distance to a threshold distance indicated in the information. If the distance is close to or exceeds the threshold distance, the UE can perform an RRM measurement associated with a neighboring cell. Otherwise, the UE can abandon performing the RRM measurement. Location-based conditions can be configured for the UE to be used when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state (and other RRC states as previously described).

[0094] In the example, the time-based condition indicates the time at which the UE is triggered to perform a neighbor cell measurement (e.g., an RRM measurement associated with a neighbor cell) or a subsequent time. Thus, the condition represents the event of a time-based neighbor cell measurement. The network may provide the UE with information about the service time of the currently serving cell (e.g., cell coverage 520). The service time corresponds to the time during which cell coverage is available to the UE. This information may be transmitted to the UE as configuration information. Different signaling techniques are possible, including, for example, dedicated signaling (e.g., information elements (IEs) specifically designed to provide this information) and / or the reuse of SIB19 messages (e.g., by including this information as “T-service” in a SIB19 message). The UE may begin neighbor cell measurements if the remaining time until the end of the service time is less than a threshold time amount. Specifically, the UE may begin neighbor measurements only if the current time is close to the T-service (e.g., within a few milliseconds before the T-service or within some other predefined time amount) or close to the T-service minus a predefined time amount “Tms”. “Tms” may also be configured by the network as part of the same information or separately from it.

[0095] Thus, the UE determines the current time (e.g., using a clock signal), compares it to the end of the service time indicated in the information, and determines the remaining time until the end. The UE can then compare this remaining time to a threshold time amount indicated in the information. If the remaining time is close to or exceeds the threshold time amount, the UE can perform an RRM measurement associated with a neighboring cell. Otherwise, the UE can abandon performing the RRM measurement. Time-based conditions can be configured for the UE to use when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state (and other RRC states as previously described).

[0096] As explained above, location-based and time-based conditions can be used independently of each other or in combination. Furthermore, one or both of these conditions can be used independently or in combination with other neighboring cell measurement triggers. Such triggers may include, for example, frequency priority triggers (e.g., when a neighboring cell's frequency has a higher priority than the serving cell's frequency), periodic triggers (e.g., performing measurements periodically), and / or serving cell quality triggers (e.g., when the quality is less than a threshold such as "S-measure"), referred to herein as conventional conditions.

[0097] In the example, if a legacy condition is not configured (e.g., "S-measure" is not configured), the UE initiates a neighbor measurement only when the location-based condition and / or the time-based condition is met. If a legacy condition is configured (e.g., "S-measure" is configured), the UE can perform a neighbor measurement only when both the legacy condition and the time / location-based condition are met (e.g., when the serving cell's cell quality is less than "S-measure", and when either or both of the location-based condition and / or the time-based condition are met). Alternatively, if a legacy condition is configured (e.g., "S-measure" is configured), the UE can disable the legacy condition and rely solely on the location-based condition and / or the time-based condition (e.g., if "S-measure" is configured, the UE disables "S-measure" control so that neighbor cell measurements are triggered even when the cell quality is greater than "S-measure" when either or both of the location-based condition and / or the time-based condition are met).

[0098] Figure 7 Another example of RRM measurements triggered using multiple thresholds according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. As shown in the figure, multiple thresholds (e.g., multiple values ​​for "S-measure") can be configured for different scenarios. If the UE is far from the cell edge of the serving cell, the UE can use a first configured threshold (value "S-measure#1") to determine whether to enable neighbor measurement (e.g., determine whether to perform neighbor cell RRM measurement; if the cell quality is less than value "S-measure#1", then trigger neighbor cell measurement; otherwise, do not perform neighbor cell measurement). If the UE is near the cell edge, the UE can use a second configured threshold (value "S-measure#2") to determine whether to enable neighbor measurement. "Far" and "Near" can represent the distance or distance range from a reference location of the serving cell. Such distances or distance ranges, as well as the reference location, can be included in the configuration information transmitted by the NTN to the UE. The configuration information may also include thresholds. Alternatively, the configuration information alone may include thresholds. Configuration information can be transmitted using Layer 1, Layer 2 and / or Layer 3 signaling (including RRC signaling, SIB3, SIB4, SIB5 and / or SIB19 messages).

[0099] exist Figure 7At the top, serving cell 701 provides cell coverage. Configuration information transmitted to the UE indicates a reference location 751 of the serving cell. The configuration information also indicates two distances 752 and 753 relative to the reference location 751 (e.g., radii derived from the reference location 751). The configuration information indicates that: (i) a first threshold 710 is used when the UE using serving cell 701 is at a first distance from the reference location 751, (ii) a second threshold 720 is used when the UE is at a second distance from the reference location 751, and (iii) no threshold is used when the UE is at a third distance from the reference location 751. Here, the first distance is greater than the configured distance 753 (e.g., the UE is close to the cell edge), the second distance is between the configured distances 752 and 753 (e.g., the UE is far from the cell edge), and the third distance is less than the configured distance 752 (e.g., the UE is even further away from the cell edge or closer to the reference location 751). In this exemplary example, the second threshold 720 may be less than the first threshold 710. The no-threshold case corresponds to the UE abandoning any RRM measurements (or possibly, in this case, a very small threshold can be configured).

[0100] Thus, the UE determines its current location and compares it with a reference location 751 to determine its distance from the reference location. The UE then compares this distance with two configured distances 752 and 753. Based on the comparison result, the UE can determine which threshold (if any) to use and apply the determined threshold in a comparison with the cell quality of the serving cell 710. If the cell quality is less than the determined threshold, the UE performs a neighboring cell RRM measurement.

[0101] Granularity can be more than two levels (far and near), and / or more than two thresholds can be defined. Additionally or alternatively, a single threshold (e.g., a single "S-measure" value) can be configured. Here, the NTN can configure one or more offsets to adjust the threshold under different conditions (e.g., the first offset is the threshold adjustment value to be used when the UE is far from the cell edge, while no offset is used when the UE is near the cell edge). Furthermore, as... Figure 7 As illustrated at the bottom, instead of defining a reference location and its distance and associating such a definition with a threshold (or its offset), multiple reference areas within the cell coverage can be defined, and each reference area can be associated with one of the thresholds (or its offset).

[0102] exist Figure 7 At the bottom, serving cell 702 provides cell coverage. The configuration information transmitted to the UE indicates multiple areas within the serving cell's coverage (e.g., each area is defined by a reference location and a radius derived from it, and...). Figure 7(Seen as an ellipse with dashed content). The configuration information also indicates a first threshold 730 to be used when the UE is within cell coverage but outside any of these areas. The configuration information indicates a second threshold 740 to be used when the UE is in any of these areas (or, alternatively, indicates different thresholds, each associated with one or more areas). In this illustrative case, the NTN may know that each of these areas is a weak coverage area, and thus, the second threshold 740 can be set to be less than the first threshold because the cell quality in any of these areas is expected to be relatively less than the remainder of the cell coverage.

[0103] Thus, the UE determines its current location and compares it with the configured areas. Based on the comparison result, the UE can determine which threshold to use and use the determined threshold in the comparison with the cell quality of the serving cell 710 (e.g., if the UE is in any of these areas, then the second threshold 740 is used; otherwise, the first threshold 730 is used). If the cell quality is less than the determined threshold, the UE performs RRM measurements of neighboring cells.

[0104] Figure 8 Further examples of RRM measurements triggered by dynamic signaling using thresholds according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. Here, the network (e.g., NTN) can dynamically (e.g., via RRC signaling or a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE)) change a configured threshold (e.g., the value of the “S-measure”) used in comparisons with the serving cell. For example, the network may know the transition time corresponding to a change in beam coverage and may notify the UE of the change to be used while the UE is in the serving cell and during at least a portion or all of the transition time. This change may be an update to the configured threshold. Generally, the configured threshold is lowered. The network may provide an updated threshold or offset via RRC signaling or MAC CE for the transition time to adjust the configured threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the change may be disabling the use of the configured threshold (e.g., causing no comparison with cell quality to be performed). Here, again, disabling may be via RRC signaling or MAC CE for the transition time.

[0105] exist Figure 8 In the example, serving cell 810 is available to the UE. The transition time 850 for the serving cell's beam coverage change occurs between the first time "T1" and the third time "T3", similar to... Figure 5As described in [the document]. A first threshold 820 (e.g., "S-measure") is configured for the UE. When the UE performs a cell measurement of the serving cell 810 at a first time "T1" or a third time "T3", the cell measurement is compared with the first threshold 820 to determine whether to perform an RRM measurement of a neighboring cell (e.g., perform such a measurement when the cell measurement is less than the first threshold 820). During the transition time 850, the first threshold is deactivated or adjusted to a second threshold (in [the document]). Figure 8 (This is illustrated by using the label "830"). Thus, during the second time "T2" within the transition time 850, the UE may not compare the cell measurement with the first threshold 820 (or may not even perform the cell measurement), or it may compare it with the second threshold (and the result of this comparison may trigger the UE to perform RRM measurements of neighboring cells).

[0106] In the example, for the area covered by the serving cell 819 where the UE is located, the network can dynamically notify the UE to change the "S-measure value" or enable / disable "S-measure" based on the beam coverage situation. Signaling can be delivered via Layer 1, Layer 2, and / or Layer 3 signaling. The signaling can be public to UEs located in the area (e.g., via broadcast to all such UEs) and provided in the broadcast signaling. Alternatively, signaling can be provided to each UE via dedicated signaling to each UE. The network can also or alternatively dynamically control whether the UE starts or stops neighbor measurements (e.g., when the network determines that the UE may be experiencing beam coverage conditions, the network signals the UE to abandon any RRM measurements of neighboring cells).

[0107] refer to Figure 1 An illustrative example: In the first time "T1", the network configures and activates "S-measure". In the second time "T2", the network uses signaling to deactivate it. In the third time "T3", the network uses signaling to activate it. Alternatively, in the first time "T1", the network configures "S-measure". In the second time "T2", the network uses signaling to adjust the value of "S-measure". In the third time "T3", the network uses signaling to instruct the UE to stop adjusting the value.

[0108] Figure 9This example illustrates another instance of RRM measurement triggered by a timer associated with the transition time of beam coverage changes, according to some implementation schemes. In this example, the network providing the serving cell (e.g., NTN) configures the UE to use a threshold (e.g., "S-measure") that can be used to determine whether to perform a neighboring cell measurement. Additionally, the network can configure a timer condition for the UE that can also be used for this termination. When either the threshold-based condition (e.g., the serving cell's cell quality is less than "S-measure") or the timer condition is not met (e.g....), Figure 9 (As illustrated at the top), neighbor cell measurements are not performed. When both conditions are met (e.g.) Figure 9 (As illustrated at the bottom), neighbor cell measurements are performed. Timer conditions can be based on the transition time of beam coverage changes associated with the serving cell.

[0109] For example, in addition to configuring a threshold (e.g., "S-measure"), the network can also configure a maximum transition time "T" for beam coverage changes to the UE. The network can also configure a predefined time amount "Tms" for the UE. The threshold, maximum transition time "T", and predefined time amount "Tms" can be included in the same configuration information transmitted to the UE via Layer 1, Layer 2, and / or Layer 3 signaling (including RRC signaling) (or can be included in separate configuration information). When the UE detects that threshold-based conditions are met for the entire predefined time amount "Tms" (e.g., the serving cell's cell quality is less than "S-measure"), the UE can begin neighbor cell measurement. However, when the UE detects that threshold-based conditions are met only for a time amount less than the predefined time amount "Tms", the UE abandons neighbor cell measurement.

[0110] In the example, the network may provide the UE with a predefined time period “Tms” (e.g., a “predefined time period”) and “S-measure”. When the UE determines that the cell quality is less than “S-measure”, the UE may not immediately enable neighbor measurement. Instead, the UE may continue to perform cell measurement of the serving cell to assess its cell quality during the transition time (which may be the maximum pre-configured transition time period “T”). Later in the “Tms” time period, if the UE consistently determines that the service quality is poor (e.g., the cell quality is consistently less than “S-measure”), the UE initiates neighbor cell measurement. If the UE determines that the service quality has recovered (e.g., the cell quality exceeds “S-measure” during the “Tms” time period), the UE may not enable neighbor measurement.

[0111] For illustration, consider the following scenario. The network configures the time period of "Tms" based on the beam-switching time period "T" in a region. The value of "Tms" can be the minimum, maximum, or average of the beam-switching time. During the beam-switching time (e.g., in...), Figure 5 At “T2”, the UE determines that the serving cell’s cell quality is less than “S-measure”. This threshold condition being met triggers the UE to start a wait timer “WT”. This wait timer is triggered after the beam transition is complete (e.g., at…). Figure 5 At point "T3" in the timeout period, if the waiting timer "WT" expires and the UE determines that the cell quality is still poor or has deteriorated (e.g., remaining below "S-measure"), then the UE initiates neighbor cell measurement. Conversely, if the UE has determined that the cell quality has improved after the waiting timer "WT" expires (e.g., the cell quality is now greater than "S-measure"), the UE may abandon neighbor cell measurement. In both cases, if, during the transition time period (beam transition period "T" has not yet expired), the UE detects an improvement in cell quality (e.g., the cell quality exceeds "S-measure" or increases but has not yet exceeded "S-measure"), the UE may stop the waiting timer and may abandon neighbor cell measurement.

[0112] like Figure 9 As illustrated, UE 970 is located within the cell coverage of serving cell 910. Neighboring cell 920 exists and provides cell coverage adjacent to at least the cell coverage of serving cell 910. Beam coverage change occurs during transition time 950. Figure 9 The top section shows the case where RRM measurements for neighboring cell 920 are not performed (labeled as No RRM Measurement 901). Specifically, UE 970 abandons performing RRM measurements for neighboring cell 920 when either or both of a threshold-based condition and / or a timer-based condition are not met 900. Figure 9 The bottom section shows the execution of RRM measurements for neighboring cells 920 (labeled RRM measurement 903). Specifically, UE970 performs RRM measurement 903 when both a threshold-based condition and a timer-based condition are met 902.

[0113] Figure 10 Additional examples of RRM measurements triggered using measurement offset 1050 are illustrated according to some implementation schemes. Here, the network (NTN) can be configured to use an offset for the UE to perform serving cell-related beam measurements or cell measurements during the transition time of beam coverage changes, instead of changing a threshold (e.g., "S-measure"). Offset 1050 can be configured via Layer 1, Layer 2, and / or Layer 3 signaling.

[0114] In the example, the network configures an offset of 1050 in the measurement configuration used for calculating serving cell beam results and / or cell results during the transition time. The UE may consider the offset of 1050 when generating beam quality and / or cell quality. The offset of 1050 may be beam-specific or applicable to all beams (in which case it may be referred to as beam offset). The offset of 1050 may additionally or alternatively be specific to the serving cell (in which case it may be referred to as cell offset). By design or based on the network's configuration of the UE, the UE may always consider the offset of 1050, or may only consider it for a specific duration (e.g., during a specific portion of the transition area) or in a specific area of ​​the cell coverage area. Once the cell quality is derived (by adjusting one or more beam measurements and / or cell measurements based on the offset of 1050), the UE can compare the cell quality to a threshold (e.g., "S-measure"). Based on the result of this comparison, the UE may perform a neighboring cell measurement (e.g., when the cell quality is less than "S-measure").

[0115] like Figure 10 As illustrated, the network provides a serving cell 1010. A portion of the cell coverage of serving cell 1010 is covered by beam 1020. The network configures UE 1070 to use offset 1050 during transition time 1060 (or at least a portion thereof, where transition time 1060 corresponds to a change in beam coverage) and / or within the area included in the coverage area. During the transition time and / or within the area, UE 1070 performs beam measurement 1040 and cell measurement 1030. UE 1070 also determines the configured offset 1050 and adjusts beam measurement 1040 and / or cell measurement 1030 accordingly to derive adjusted cell measurements. UE 1070 compares the adjusted cell measurements with a configured “S-measure” to determine whether to perform or abandon neighbor cell measurements.

[0116] Return to reference Figures 6 to 10 This describes different techniques for intelligently performing or abandoning neighbor cell measurements. Although described individually, these techniques can be used in combination. More specifically, any combination of these techniques is possible.

[0117] Figure 11 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 implemented by the UE to perform RRM measurements is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. The operational flow / algorithm structure 1100 may be executed or implemented by a component of the UE (e.g., processor 1404).

[0118] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include: at 1102, performing a first measurement associated with the serving cell at a first time. For example, at the first time, the UE may be within the cell coverage of the serving cell, or more specifically, within the beam coverage of the serving cell's beam. The serving cell's beam measurement and cell measurement may be based on... Figure 4 The RRM measurement model 400 is used to perform this measurement. Such measurements may include first beam measurements (which may correspond to a beam) and / or first cell measurements (which may correspond to a serving cell).

[0119] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include: at 1104, performing a second measurement associated with the serving cell at a second time. The change in the serving cell's beam coverage occurs between the first and second times. The second measurement indicates a quality degradation of the serving cell. The second measurement may be a second beam measurement of the beam and / or a second cell measurement of the serving cell. For example, the second time falls within the transition time corresponding to the change in beam coverage. The beam measurement and cell measurement of the serving cell may be based on... Figure 4 The RRM measurement model 400 is executed again at a second time. Such measurements include a second beam measurement (which may also correspond to a beam). The second cell measurement executed at the second time may be based on the second beam measurement. Due to beam coverage changes, the second beam measurement may indicate a beam quality lower than the first beam measurement. Therefore, here, the second cell measurement may indicate a cell quality lower than the cell quality at the first time. This lower cell measurement may correspond to a cell quality degradation caused in part by beam coverage changes. If the cell measurement at the second time is compared with a configured threshold (e.g., “S-measure”), the result of the comparison may indicate whether to perform a neighboring cell measurement.

[0120] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include: at 1106, determining whether a set of conditions is met, which is associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of neighboring cells. For example, Figures 6 to 10 Any technique or combination thereof described herein may be used to determine whether certain configured or dynamically signaled conditions are met or not met (e.g., location-based conditions, time-based conditions, timer-based conditions, updated threshold conditions, deactivated threshold conditions, and / or updated cell measurement conditions are not met). Therefore, when the relevant conditions are met, RRM measurements are not triggered.

[0121] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1100 may include: at 1108, performing RRM measurements of neighboring cells only when a set of conditions is met. Specifically, RRM measurements are performed when the applicable conditions are stratified. Otherwise, the UE abandons performing RRM measurements despite the degradation.

[0122] Figure 12 An example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 implemented by a network to configure a UE to perform RRM measurements is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. The operational flow / algorithm structure 1200 may be executed or implemented by a component of the network (e.g., such a component of a network node, e.g., processor 1504). The network may be an NTN.

[0123] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include: at 1202, transmitting configuration information associated with RRM measurements to the UE. The configuration information may be transmitted via Layer 1, Layer 2, and / or Layer 3 signaling, and may indicate... Figures 6 to 10 One or more conditions described in [the document].

[0124] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1200 may include: at 1204, providing beam coverage to the UE using at least one beam of the serving cell. For example, beam and cell information (and reference signals) are transmitted to the UE, enabling the UE to connect to the serving cell (e.g., connect to a network node) and use the beam to communicate with it for data. Here, the change in beam coverage occurs between a first time and a second time. Configuration information configures the UE to perform a first measurement at the first time and a second measurement at the second time, the first and second measurements being associated with the serving cell. The configuration information indicates a set of conditions associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of neighboring cells, such that the UE is also configured to perform RRM measurements of neighboring cells only when this set of conditions is met.

[0125] Figure 13 A receiver assembly 1300 for a UE 104 according to some embodiments is illustrated. An apparatus may include a similar receiver assembly. The receiver assembly 1300 may include an antenna panel 1304 that includes a plurality of antenna elements. The panel 1304 is shown as having four antenna elements, but other embodiments may include a different number of antenna elements.

[0126] Antenna panel 1304 may be coupled to an analog beamforming (BF) assembly including a plurality of phase shifters 1308(1) to 1308(4). Phase shifters 1308(1) to 1308(4) may be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) chain 1312. RF chain 1312 may amplify received analog RF signals, down-convert RF signals to baseband, and convert analog baseband signals into digital baseband signals that can be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

[0127] In various implementations, control circuitry residing in the baseband processor may provide BF weights (e.g., W1 to W4) to phase shifters 1308(1) to 1308(4) to provide a receive beam at antenna panel 1304; these BF weights may represent phase shift values. These BF weights may be determined based on channel-based beamforming.

[0128] Figure 14 An example of UE 1400 according to some implementation schemes is shown. UE 1400 may be similar to Figure 1 The UE 104 is essentially interchangeable with it. An apparatus may include similar components, including, for example, a processor, memory, and RF interface circuitry.

[0129] Similar to the description above relative to UE 104, UE 1400 can be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, computer, tablet, industrial wireless sensors (e.g., microphones, carbon dioxide sensors, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, laser scanners, fluid level sensors, stock sensors, voltmeters / ammeters, actuators, etc.), video surveillance / monitoring devices (e.g., cameras, camcorders, etc.), wearable devices, or loosely coupled IoT devices. In some implementations, the UE can be a reduced-capacity UE or an NR lightweight UE.

[0130] UE 1400 may include a processor 1404, RF interface circuitry 1408, memory / storage device 1412, user interface 1416, sensor 1420, driver circuitry 1422, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1424, and battery 1428. The components of UE 1400 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of integrated circuits, discrete electronic devices or other modules, logic components, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. Figure 14 The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 1400. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other specific implementations.

[0131] The components of UE 1400 can be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1432, which can represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmit line, trace, optical connection, etc., allowing various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with each other.

[0132] Processor 1404 may include processor circuitry such as baseband processor circuitry (BB) 1404A, central processing unit circuitry (CPU) 1404B, and graphics processing unit circuitry (GPU) 1404C. Processor 1404 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, or functional procedures from memory / storage device 1412) to cause UE 1400 to perform the operations described herein.

[0133] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuit 1404A can access the communication protocol stack 1436 in the memory / storage device 1412 to communicate over a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuit 1404A can access the communication protocol stack to perform user plane functions at the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, and PDU layers; and control plane functions at the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layers. In some implementations, PHY layer operations may additionally / optionally be performed by components of the RF interface circuit 1408.

[0134] The baseband processor circuit 1404A can generate or process baseband signals or waveforms carrying information in a 3GPP-compliant network. In some implementations, the waveforms used for NR can be based on cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink, and Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0135] The baseband processor circuit 1404A can also access group information from the memory / storage device 1412 to determine multiple repeated search space groups in which PDCCH can be sent.

[0136] Memory / storage device 1412 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that can be distributed throughout the UE 1400. In some embodiments, some memory / storage devices 1412 may be located on the processor 1404 itself (e.g., Level 1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage devices 1412 may be located outside the processor 1404 but accessible via a memory interface. Memory / storage device 1412 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0137] RF interface circuitry 1408 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front-end module (RFEM) that allows UE 1400 to communicate with other devices via a radio access network. RF interface circuitry 1408 may include various components arranged in the transmit or receive path. These components may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

[0138] In the receiving path, the RFEM can receive the radiated signal from the air interface via antenna 1450 and continue to filter and amplify the signal (using a low-noise amplifier). This signal can be provided to the receiver of the transceiver, which down-converts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of processor 1404.

[0139] In the transmission path, the transceiver's transmitter up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM can then amplify the RF signal using a power amplifier before it is radiated across the air interface via antenna 1450.

[0140] In various implementations, the RF interface circuit 1408 can be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0141] Antenna 1450 may include multiple antenna elements, each of which converts an electrical signal into radio waves for propagation through the air and converts received radio waves back into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged in one or more antenna panels. Antenna 1450 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication. Antenna 1450 may include microstrip antennas, patch antennas, phased array antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, etc. Antenna 1450 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band included in FR1 or FR2.

[0142] User interface circuitry 1416 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable a user to interact with UE 1400. User interface 1416 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual components for accepting input, particularly one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a head-mounted device, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual components for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positioning, or other similar information). Output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and multi-character visual outputs) or more complex outputs (such as display devices or touchscreens such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), wherein the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc., is generated or produced by the operation of UE 1400.

[0143] Sensor 1420 may include a device, module, or subsystem designed to detect events or changes in its environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to another device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular, inertial measurement units (IMUs) comprising: accelerometers; gyroscopes or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) comprising: triaxial accelerometers; triaxial gyroscopes; or magnetometers; level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless aperture sensors); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detectors); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices; and so on.

[0144] The driving circuitry 1422 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1400. The driving circuitry 1422 may include various drivers that allow other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 1400. For example, the driving circuitry 1422 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device; a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface; a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings from sensor circuitry 1420 and controlling and allowing access to sensor circuitry 1420; a driver for obtaining actuator positioning of electromechanical components or controlling and allowing access to electromechanical components; a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device; and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0145] The PMIC 1424 manages the power supplied to various components of the UE 1400. Specifically, relative to the processor 1404, the PMIC 1424 controls power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0146] In some implementations, the PMIC 1424 can control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the UE 1400. For example, if the platform UE is in the RRC_Connected state, where it remains connected to the RAN node as it anticipates receiving traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform UE can enter a state known as Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX). During this state, the UE 1400 can power down for short intervals, thus saving power. If there is no data traffic activity during a longer period, the UE 1400 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, where it is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The UE 1400 enters a very low-power state and wakes up to listen for paging from the network, and then power down again. The UE 1400 may not receive data in this state; to receive data, the UE must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power-saving modes can render the device unusable from the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (from seconds to hours). During this period, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off or have its RF activity completely shut down. Any data transmitted during this period will result in significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0147] Battery 1428 can power UE 1400, but in some examples, UE 1400 may be installed and deployed in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the power grid. Battery 1428 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery (such as zinc-air batteries, aluminum-air batteries, lithium-air batteries, etc.). In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, battery 1428 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0148] Figure 15 An example of a gNB 1500 according to some implementation schemes is shown. The gNB 1500 can be similar to... Figure 1 The network node is 108, and it is basically interchangeable with it.

[0149] The gNB 1500 may include a processor 1504, a RAN interface circuit 1508, a core network (CN) interface circuit 1512, and a memory / storage device circuit 1516.

[0150] The components of gNB 1500 can be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1528.

[0151] The processor 1504, RAN interface circuit 1508, memory / storage device circuit 1516 (including communication protocol stack 1510), antenna 1550, and interconnect 1528 are compatible with... Figure 14 The similarly named components shown and described are similar.

[0152] The CN interface circuit 1512 provides connectivity to a core network, such as a 5GC using a fifth-generation core network (5GC) compatible network interface protocol (such as Carrier Ethernet) or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to / from the gNB 1500 via fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit 1512 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 1512 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0153] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and users should be clearly informed of the nature of authorized use.

[0154] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods described in the Embodiments section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more embodiments described below. Similarly, circuitry associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc., described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more embodiments described in the Embodiments section below.

[0155] Example Further exemplary implementations are provided in the following sections.

[0156] Example 1 includes a method comprising: performing a first measurement associated with a serving cell at a first time; performing a second measurement associated with the serving cell at a second time, wherein the second measurement indicates a quality degradation of the serving cell; determining whether a set of conditions is met, the set of conditions being associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of a neighboring cell; and performing the RRM measurements of the neighboring cell only if the set of conditions is met.

[0157] Example 2 includes a method comprising: transmitting configuration information associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements to a user equipment (UE); and providing beam coverage to the UE using at least one beam of the serving cell. Wherein: the configuration information configures the UE to perform a first measurement at a first time and a second measurement at a second time, the first measurement and the second measurement being associated with the serving cell, and the configuration information indicates a set of conditions associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of neighboring cells, such that the UE is also configured to perform the RRM measurements of the neighboring cells only when the set of conditions is met.

[0158] Example 3 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further comprising: processing information that configures the execution of RRM measurements, wherein the information associates operation in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connectivity Mode (RRC_CONNECTED) with at least one of a location-based condition or a time-based condition from the set of conditions to perform the RRM measurements of the neighboring cell.

[0159] Example 4 includes the method according to Example 3, wherein the information includes location-based information indicating a reference location associated with the serving cell and a threshold distance and configured to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell when the distance relative to the reference location exceeds the threshold distance.

[0160] Example 5 includes the method according to Example 3, wherein the information includes time-based information indicating the service time of the serving cell and configured to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell when the remaining time until the end of the service time is less than a threshold time amount.

[0161] Example 6 includes the method according to Example 3, wherein the information further configures a serving cell quality-related threshold, the serving cell quality-related threshold being associated with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein the second measurement includes a serving cell measurement, and wherein the method further includes: performing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell based on the serving cell measurement being less than the serving cell quality-related threshold and at least one of the location-based condition or the time-based condition being satisfied.

[0162] Example 7 includes the method according to Example 3, wherein the information further configures a serving cell quality-related threshold, the serving cell quality-related threshold being associated with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, and wherein the method further includes: performing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell based on at least one of the location-based condition or the time-based condition being met, regardless of the quality of the serving cell and the serving cell quality-related threshold.

[0163] Example 8 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further comprising: processing information that associates a plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein each of the thresholds is associated with a corresponding location-based condition in the set of conditions; determining that the location-based condition is satisfied; determining that the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than a serving cell quality-related threshold among the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds, wherein the serving cell quality-related threshold corresponds to the location-based condition; and performing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell based on the cell measurement being less than the serving cell quality-related threshold and the location-based condition being satisfied.

[0164] Example 9 includes the method according to Example 8, wherein the information associates a first threshold of the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a first distance relative to the edge of the serving cell, and wherein the information also associates a second threshold of the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a second distance relative to the edge of the serving cell.

[0165] Example 10 includes the method according to Example 8, wherein the information associates a first threshold among the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a first set of coverage areas of the serving cell.

[0166] Example 11 includes the method according to Example 10, wherein the information also associates a second threshold of the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a second set of coverage areas of the serving cell.

[0167] Example 12 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further comprising: processing information that associates a condition from the set of conditions with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein the condition indicates a threshold of transition time that needs to be met or an update to the threshold; and determining that the condition is not met, wherein, based on the fact that the condition is not met, the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned.

[0168] Example 13 includes the method according to Example 12, wherein the information is received via Layer 1, Layer 2 or Layer 3 signaling.

[0169] Example 14 includes the method according to Example 12, wherein the information is received in broadcast signaling transmitted to a plurality of user equipment (UEs) or in dedicated signaling transmitted only to one of the plurality of UEs.

[0170] Example 15 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further comprising: processing information that configures the use of a threshold in a comparison with cell measurements of the serving cell to determine whether to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell, wherein the information associates the use of the threshold with a condition in a set of conditions, wherein the condition indicates that the use of the threshold is deactivated during a transition time; and determining that the condition is not met, wherein, based on the condition not being met, the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned.

[0171] Example 16 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further comprising: processing information that configures the use of a threshold in a comparison with cell measurements of the serving cell to determine whether to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell, wherein the information further configures a transition time, wherein, based on the threshold and the transition time, the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned.

[0172] Example 17 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 15, the method further comprising: processing information, the information configuring a threshold such that when the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed, wherein the information further configures a maximum time for the quality of the serving cell to be less than the threshold; determining a duration for which the cell measurement is less than the threshold; and determining that the duration has not yet reached the maximum time, wherein based on the fact that the duration has not reached the maximum time, the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned.

[0173] Example 18 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 15, the method further comprising: processing information, the information configuring a threshold such that when the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed, wherein the information further configures a maximum time for the quality of the serving cell to be less than the threshold; determining a duration for which the cell measurement is less than the threshold; determining that the duration has reached the maximum time; and performing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell based on the duration having reached the maximum time.

[0174] Example 19 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 15, the method further comprising: processing information, the information configuring a threshold such that when the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed; determining that a first cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold; starting a timer based on the first cell measurement being less than the threshold; determining whether to stop or reset the timer based on the quality of the serving cell becoming better and not less than the threshold; and performing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell based on the stop or reset of the timer.

[0175] Example 20 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 15, the method further comprising: processing information, the information configuring an offset to be applied to at least one of a beam measurement of the serving cell or a cell measurement of the serving cell; performing a first beam measurement of the beam or a first cell measurement of the serving cell; and generating a second measurement based on the first beam measurement or the first cell measurement and the offset, wherein the second measurement includes the serving cell measurement, wherein based on the serving cell measurement, the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned.

[0176] Example 21 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the information indicates a condition of the set of conditions that need to be satisfied to apply the offset, wherein the condition corresponds to at least one of the following: the device is located in the coverage area when the first measurement is performed, or the transition time of performing the first measurement, wherein the transition time corresponds to a change in beam coverage.

[0177] Example 22 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the configuration information associates operation in Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Mode (RRC_CONNECTED) with at least one of the location-based conditions or time-based conditions in the set of conditions.

[0178] Example 23 includes the method according to any of the foregoing examples, wherein the configuration information associates multiple thresholds with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed.

[0179] Example 24 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the configuration information associates a condition from the set of conditions with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein the condition indicates a threshold of transition time that needs to be exceeded or an update to the threshold.

[0180] Example 25 includes the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the configuration information configures the use of a threshold in a comparison with cell measurements of the serving cell to determine whether to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell, wherein the configuration information also configures a transition time.

[0181] Example 26 includes the method according to any of the foregoing examples, wherein the configuration information configures an offset for at least one of beam measurement or cell measurement of the serving cell to be applied to the beam of the serving cell.

[0182] Example 27 includes a user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the UE to perform the methods described in or related to any of the preceding embodiments.

[0183] Example 28 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed on a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations including those operations described in or related to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0184] Example 29 includes an apparatus comprising one or more elements for performing the methods described in or related to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0185] Example 30 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions to cause a device to perform one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of the embodiments in the foregoing embodiments when the instructions are executed by one or more processors of the device.

[0186] Example 31 includes an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or processing circuitry configured to perform one or more elements of the methods described in or associated with any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0187] Example 32 includes a device, a network, a base station, or a system, wherein the device, network, base station, or system comprises: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0188] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from practice of various embodiments.

[0189] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be obtained from practice of various embodiments.

[0190] 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. A method, the method comprising: Perform the first measurement associated with the serving cell as soon as possible; A second measurement associated with the serving cell is performed at a second time, wherein the second measurement indicates a quality degradation of the serving cell; Determine whether a set of conditions is met, which is associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of neighboring cells; as well as The RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed only if the set of conditions is met.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Processing information, the information configuring the execution of RRM measurements, wherein the information associates operation in Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connected Mode (RRC_CONNECTED) with at least one of a set of conditions, either location-based or time-based, to perform the RRM measurements of the neighboring cell.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information includes location-based information indicating a reference location associated with the serving cell and a threshold distance and configured to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell when the distance relative to the reference location exceeds the threshold distance.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information includes time-based information indicating the service time of the serving cell and configured to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell when the remaining time until the end of the service time is less than a threshold time amount.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the information further configures a serving cell quality-related threshold, the serving cell quality-related threshold being associated with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein the second measurement includes a serving cell measurement, and wherein the method further comprises: The RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed based on the fact that the serving cell measurement is less than the serving cell quality-related threshold and at least one of the location-based condition or the time-based condition is satisfied.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the information further configures a serving cell quality-related threshold, the serving cell quality-related threshold being associated with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, and wherein the method further comprises: Regardless of the quality of the serving cell and the serving cell quality-related threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed based on at least one of the location-based condition or the time-based condition being met.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The information processes information that associates multiple serving cell quality-related thresholds with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein each of the thresholds is associated with a corresponding location-based condition in the set of conditions. The location-based conditions are determined to be met; The cell measurement of the serving cell is determined to be less than a serving cell quality-related threshold among a plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds, wherein the serving cell quality-related threshold corresponds to the location-based condition; as well as The RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed based on the fact that the cell measurement is less than the serving cell quality-related threshold and the location-based condition is met.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information associates a first threshold of the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a first distance relative to the edge of the serving cell, wherein the information also associates a second threshold of the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a second distance relative to the edge of the serving cell.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the information associates a first threshold among the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a first set of coverage areas of the serving cell.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the information further associates a second threshold of the plurality of serving cell quality-related thresholds with a second set of coverage areas of the serving cell.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Processing information, which associates a condition from the set of conditions with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein the condition indicates a threshold of transition time that needs to be met or an update to the threshold; as well as If the condition is determined not to be met, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned based on the fact that the condition is not met.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is received via Layer 1, Layer 2 or Layer 3 signaling.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is received in broadcast signaling transmitted to a plurality of user equipment (UEs) or in dedicated signaling transmitted only to one of the plurality of UEs.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Processing information, the information configuring the use of a threshold in a comparison with cell measurements of the serving cell to determine whether to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell, wherein the information associates the use of the threshold with a condition in a set of conditions, wherein the condition indicates that the use of the threshold is deactivated during transition time; and If the condition is determined not to be met, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned based on the fact that the condition is not met.

15. An apparatus comprising: Processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: Perform the first measurement associated with the serving cell as soon as possible; A second measurement associated with the serving cell is performed at a second time, wherein the second measurement indicates a quality degradation of the serving cell; Determine whether a set of conditions is met, which is associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of neighboring cells; as well as The RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed only if the set of conditions is met.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The information is configured to use a threshold in a comparison with cell measurements of the serving cell to determine whether to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell, wherein the information is further configured to configure a transition time, wherein the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned based on the threshold and the transition time.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The information is configured with a threshold such that when the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed, wherein the information also configures the maximum time during which the quality of the serving cell can be less than the threshold. Determine the duration for which the cell measurement is less than the threshold; as well as If it is determined that the duration has not yet reached the maximum time, then the execution of the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned based on the fact that the duration has not yet reached the maximum time.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: The information is configured with a threshold such that when the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed, wherein the information also configures the maximum time during which the quality of the serving cell can be less than the threshold. Determine the duration for which the cell measurement is less than the threshold; It has been determined that the duration has reached the maximum time; as well as Based on the fact that the duration has reached the maximum time, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: The information is configured with a threshold such that when the cell measurement of the serving cell is less than the threshold, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed. The measurement of the first cell in the serving cell is determined to be less than the threshold. Start a timer if the measurement in the first cell is less than the threshold. The timer is stopped or reset based on the fact that the quality of the serving cell has improved and is not less than the threshold. as well as Based on the stop or reset of the timer, the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is performed.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: Processing information, the information configuration to be applied to at least one of the offset of beam measurement of the serving cell's beam or cell measurement of the serving cell; Perform the first beam measurement of the beam or the first cell measurement of the serving cell; as well as The second measurement is generated based on the first beam measurement or the first cell measurement and the offset, wherein the second measurement includes a serving cell measurement, and the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell is abandoned based on the serving cell measurement.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the information indicates a condition of the set of conditions that need to be satisfied to apply the offset, wherein the condition corresponds to at least one of: the apparatus being located in the coverage area when the first measurement is performed, or the transition time of performing the first measurement, wherein the transition time corresponds to a change in beam coverage.

22. A method comprising: Transmit configuration information associated with performing Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements to User Equipment (UE); as well as At least one beam from the serving cell is used to provide beam coverage to the UE. in: The configuration information configures the UE to perform a first measurement at a first time and a second measurement at a second time, wherein the first and second measurements are associated with the serving cell, and The configuration information indicates a set of conditions associated with performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements of neighboring cells, such that the UE is also configured to perform the RRM measurements of the neighboring cells only when the set of conditions is met.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration information associates operation in Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Mode (RRC_CONNECTED) with at least one of a location-based condition or a time-based condition from the set of conditions.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration information associates a plurality of thresholds with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration information associates a condition from the set of conditions with causing the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell to be performed, wherein the condition indicates a threshold of transition time that needs to be exceeded or an update to the threshold.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration information configures the use of a threshold in a comparison with cell measurements of the serving cell to determine whether to perform the RRM measurement of the neighboring cell, wherein the configuration information further configures a transition time.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration information configures an offset to be applied to at least one of beam measurement of the serving cell or cell measurement of the serving cell.

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