Intra-frequency measurements on deactivated secondary component carriers

Abstract

This application relates to devices and components, including apparatuses, systems, and methods, for intra-frequency measurements on a deactivated secondary component carrier (SCC). In one example, a network can configure a UE to perform an LTM procedure. Corresponding configuration information can be stored by the UE and can indicate that the UE is to perform an intra-frequency measurement of a target cell as part of an LTM procedure using a relaxed measurement gap and / or perform the intra-frequency measurement during a configured measurement gap. The intra-frequency measurement can be performed on a reference signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on a component carrier of the target cell, where the component carrier has the same configuration as a SCC of a deactivated SCell.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Cellular communication can be defined in various standards to enable communication between user equipment and cellular networks. For example, fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) are wireless standards designed to improve data transmission speed, reliability, availability, power consumption, and more. In such networks, measurements of component carriers can be performed to improve communication between the network and user equipment (UE). Attached Figure Description

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

[0003] Figure 2 An example sequence diagram of an L1 / L2-triggered inter-cell mobility (LTM) process according to some implementation schemes is shown.

[0004] Figure 3 Examples of frequency measurements are illustrated according to some implementation schemes in the case of a deactivated secondary cell (SCell).

[0005] Figure 4 Another example of a frequency measurement under a given deactivated SCell is illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0006] Figure 5 Examples of interrupting the active serving cell under a given frequency measurement scenario are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0007] Figure 6 Examples of different types of measurements are given in the case of a deactivated SCell, according to some implementation schemes.

[0008] Figure 7 Examples of measurements performed at frequencies during measurement intervals, depending on whether the SCell is deactivated, are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0009] Figure 8 Examples of operational flow / algorithm structures for frequency measurements under a given deactivated SCell are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0010] Figure 9 Another example of the operational flow / algorithm structure for frequency measurement under a given deactivated SCell, according to some implementation schemes, is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 10 Examples of receiving components according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0012] Figure 11 Examples of UEs according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0013] Figure 12 Examples of base stations based on some implementation schemes are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Implementations of this disclosure relate to intra-frequency measurements of a deactivated secondary component carrier (SCC), etc. In one example, the user equipment and network implement a Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 2 (L2) triggered inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure (also referred to as a lower-layer inter-cell mobility procedure). Typically, the LTM procedure can achieve serving cell change via L1 / L2 signaling without altering the upper-layer configuration and / or minimizing the lower-layer configuration change. As part of the LTM procedure, the network can configure the UE to perform intra-frequency measurements (e.g., intra-frequency L1 reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement) on a component carrier of the target cell when the secondary cell (SCell) is deactivated for that UE, where the component carrier is the same as the SCC of the SCell (e.g., the component carrier is a deactivated SCC). Depending on the UE capabilities, this configuration can enable the UE to perform relaxed intra-frequency measurements (e.g., by having a longer time interval and / or measurement period relative to when the SCell is active) and / or either or a combination of intra-frequency measurements during measurement intervals. The UE can report in-frequency measurements to the network, enabling the LTM process to be completed (e.g., to complete the handover to the target cell).

[0015] The embodiments disclosed herein provide several technical improvements. For example, when the SCell is deactivated, the embodiments enable support for in-frequency measurements to support the LTM process. By doing so, cell coverage can be improved (e.g., by performing handover as needed), while minimizing configuration changes (e.g., the benefits of the LTM process) and reducing power consumption (e.g., because in-frequency measurements can be relaxed and / or performed during measurement intervals).

[0016] The embodiments of this disclosure are described in conjunction with 5G networks. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto, and are similarly applicable to other types of communication networks, including other types of cellular networks.

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

[0019] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes 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, or programmable system-on-chips (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 aforementioned functionalities. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and program code for executing the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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, network interface cards, etc.

[0022] 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 term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may refer to a client, 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.

[0023] As used herein, the term "base station" refers to a device with radio communication capabilities that is a network component of a communication network (or more simply, a network) and can be configured as an access node within the communication 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), the base station may be referred to as a gNodeB (gNB), eNodeB (eNB), access point, etc.

[0024] As used herein, the term "network" refers to a communication network comprising a set of network nodes configured to provide communication capabilities to multiple user equipments via one or more base stations. For example, a network may be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) implementing one or more communication technologies, including, for example, 5G communication.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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, database, and application or workload units, 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 computer equipment / systems 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 accessible through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and are clearly identifiable.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] The term "information element" refers to a structured element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual content of an information element, or a data element that contains content. An information element may include one or more additional information elements.

[0032] The term "3GPP access" refers to access (e.g., radio access technologies) specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. Generally speaking, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0033] The term "non-3GPP access" refers to any access technology (e.g., radio access technologies) not specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP access can be categorized into two types: "trusted" and "untrusted." Trusted non-3GPP access can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or 5G Core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP access interoperates with the EPC / 5GC via network entities such as the Evolved Packet Data Network Gateway and / or the 5G NR Network Gateway. Generally speaking, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0034] Figure 1 A network environment 100 according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. Network environment 100 may include UE 104 and gNB 108. gNB 108 may be a base station providing a radio access cell, for example, UE 104 may communicate with gNB 108 through a 3GPP New Radio (NR) cell. UE 104 and gNB 108 may communicate through an air interface compatible with 3GPP technical specifications, such as those defining the fifth-generation (5G) NR system standard.

[0035] The gNB 108 transmits information (e.g., data and control signaling) in the downlink direction by mapping logical channels to transport channels and transport channels to physical channels. Logical channels transmit data between the Radio Link Control (RLC) and MAC layers; transport channels transmit data between the MAC and PHY layers; and physical channels 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).

[0036] 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. During the cell search process (including cell selection and reselection) and for beam selection, UE 104 can use the SS / PBCH block (SSB).

[0037] PDSCH can be used to transmit end-user application data, signaling radio bearer (SRB) messages, system information messages (other than MIBs), and paging messages.

[0038] The PDCCH can transmit DCIs used by the gNB 108 scheduler to allocate both uplink and downlink resources. DCIs can also be used to provide uplink power control commands, configure time slot formats, or indicate that preemption has occurred.

[0039] gNB 108 can also transmit 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 the transmitted known DMRS sequence 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.

[0040] The reference signal may also include a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). The 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] UE 104 can use physical uplink channels to send data and control information to gNB 108. Different types of physical uplink channels are possible, including, for example, the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The PUCCH carries control information from UE 104 to gNB 108, such as uplink control information (UCI), while the PUSCH carries data traffic (e.g., end-user application data) and may carry UCI.

[0043] UE 104 and gNB 108 can perform beam management operations to identify and maintain the desired beams for transmission in both the uplink and downlink directions. Beam management can be applied to both PDSCH and PDCCH in the downlink direction and both PUSCH and PUCCH in the uplink direction.

[0044] In one example, communication with the gNB 108 and / or the base station may use channels in frequency range 1 (FR1) and / or frequency range 2 (FR2) bands. The FR1 band includes licensed and unlicensed frequency 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) process can be used to avoid or minimize conflicts between different RATs in the NR-U, whereby the device should apply a free channel assessment (CCA) check before using the channel.

[0045] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, network environment 100 may also include base station 110 to which UE 104 can also connect. Base station 110 supports the same RAT as gNB 108 (e.g., base station 110 is also a gNB). Additionally or alternatively, base station 110 supports a different RAT (e.g., a Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNB). In one example, both gNB 108 and base station 110 may be transmit and receive points (TRPs) of the same network (e.g., the same base station).

[0046] In one example, UE 104 supports carrier aggregation (CA), allowing UE 104 to simultaneously connect and exchange data with gNB 108 and / or base station 110 via multiple component carriers (CCs). CCs can belong to the same frequency band, in which case they are referred to as intra-band CCs. Intra-band CCs can be continuous or discontinuous. CCs can also belong to different frequency bands, in which case they are referred to as inter-band CCs. Serving cells can be configured for UE 104 to use CCs. Serving cells can be primary cells (PCell), primary-secondary cells (PSCell), or secondary cells (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.

[0047] exist Figure 1In the example, gNB 108 provides SCell 120 to UE 104, while base station 110 provides target cell 130 (e.g., a neighboring cell) for handover. Handover can be performed using an LTM procedure. The handover can proceed from SCell 120 (an example of a serving cell) to target cell 130 (an example of a neighboring cell). Furthermore, handover can be triggered using L1 or L2 signaling instead of RRC reconfiguration signaling. For LTM purposes, L1 measurements of neighboring cells are supported. L1 measurements of both intra-frequency carriers and inter-frequency carriers are supported.

[0048] When UE 104 moves through a network coverage area, a handover can be performed to move UE 104's communication from SCell 120 to target cell 130. This handover can be an inter-frequency handover (e.g., the two cells 120 and 130 use the same frequency band) or an intra-frequency handover (e.g., the two cells 120 and 130 use different frequency bands).

[0049] exist Figure 1 In the example, SCell 120 is deactivated. Its deactivation state can span the entire duration or a portion of the LTM procedure. Specifically, SCell 120 is deactivated when a measurement is performed on a component carrier and / or when a reference signal is transmitted on a component carrier to make the measurement possible. Deactivation of SCell 120 may correspond to the deactivation of the RF chain of UE 104 (e.g., switched to off, placed in standby mode, etc.), so that no transmission or communication that would otherwise occur on SCC 109 of SCell 120 takes place. Figure 1 SCC 109 is illustrated with a dashed line to indicate that SCC 109 is not used for transmission or communication between gNB 108 and UE 104 when SCell 120 is deactivated.

[0050] When SCell 120 is deactivated, in target cell 130, base station 110 can transmit reference signal 132 (e.g., SSB, CSI-RS, etc.) on a component carrier corresponding to SCC 109 (e.g., within the same frequency band and / or possibly having the same center frequency, bandwidth, and / or subcarrier spacing). From the perspective of UE 104, this component carrier can also be the same as SCC 109 (and therefore, from the perspective of UE 104, it can be considered a deactivated SCC). UE 104 can measure the reference signal 132 received on this SCC. These measurements can correspond to in-frequency measurements (e.g., in-frequency L1-RSRP measurements). In one example, if the center frequency of the SSB of the serving cell (e.g., SCell 120) indicated for the L1-RSRP measurement is the same as the center frequency of the SSB of the adjacent cell (e.g., target cell 130), and the subcarrier spacing of the two SSBs is also the same, then the in-frequency L1-RSRP measurement can be defined as an SSB-based in-frequency L1-RSRP measurement. In contrast, if inter-frequency L1 RSRP measurement is not defined as intra-frequency L1-RSRP measurement, it can be defined as inter-frequency L1-RSRP measurement.

[0051] In one example, UE 104 stores configuration information 106 associated with the LTM procedure. This configuration information 106 may be received from the network (or more specifically, gNB 108) and may configure UE 104 to perform intra-frequency measurements, etc., when SCell 120 is deactivated. Intra-frequency measurements may include SSB-based intra-frequency L1-RSRP measurements of SSBs (example of reference signal 132) transmitted by base station 110 on component carriers corresponding to the deactivated SCC 109. Once the intra-frequency measurements have been performed, UE 104 may report them to the network (e.g., gNB 108 using a different serving cell (such as PCell or another active SCell)) to enable the LTM procedure to be completed and may perform a handover from SCell 120 to target cell 130.

[0052] Figure 2 An example sequence diagram 200 for an LTM procedure is illustrated according to some implementation schemes. LTM procedure 210 may involve one or more components of UE 210 (e.g., UE 104 as an example) and network 220. An example component is a base station (e.g., gNB 108) providing a set of serving cells. The LTM procedure can be performed when an SCell (an example of a serving cell) is deactivated. In this case, another active SCell is used for communication between UE 210 and network 220.

[0053] In one example, in the first step of sequence diagram 200, UE 210 transmits a measurement report to network 220. The measurement report may include measurement results of reference signals received on intra-component carriers and / or inter-component carriers (e.g., L1 RSRP measurement results of SSB and / or CSI-RS). Based on this report, network 220 may decide to use LTM and initiate LTM candidate preparation. The LTM candidate cell may be a target cell (e.g., a neighboring cell) for handover, where the handover may be from a deactivated SCell to the target cell, such that the target cell becomes the new serving cell upon completion of the handover.

[0054] In the second step of sequence diagram 200, network 220 may (e.g., in an RRCReconfiguration message) send an RRC reconfiguration to UE 210. This configuration may indicate the configuration of one or more LTM candidate cells (e.g., target cell 130). In the third step of sequence diagram 200, UE 210 stores the configuration information of the LTM candidate cells and (e.g., by transmitting an RRCReconfigurationComplete message) indicates the completion of the configuration to network 220.

[0055] In the fourth step of sequence diagram 200, UE 210 and network 220 may perform DL and / or UL synchronization and timing advance (TA) acquisition using LTM candidate cells before receiving an LTM cell handover command. In the fifth step of sequence diagram 200, UE 210 performs measurements on the configured LTM candidate cells. These measurements may include in-frequency measurements. UE 210 then sends an LTM measurement report to network 220. The LTM measurement report may include the in-frequency measurement results.

[0056] In the sixth step of sequence diagram 200, network 220 determines, based on the LTM measurement report, whether to trigger an LTM cell handover to one of the measured LTM candidate cells. If so, network 220 may send a MAC CE to UE 210, thereby triggering the LTM cell handover. UE 210 is then configured to hand over to an LTM candidate cell.

[0057] In step seven of sequence diagram 200, UE 210 may perform a Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure for an LTM candidate cell. If the TA is unavailable, the RACH procedure may be performed. In step seven of sequence diagram 200, UE 210 may successfully complete an LTM cell handover to an LTM candidate cell.

[0058] Figure 3Example 300 illustrates an in-frequency measurement 330 in a given deactivated SCell, according to some implementation schemes. A UE (e.g., UE 210) may be configured to perform an LTM procedure, including performing the in-frequency measurement 330. During the execution of the LTM procedure, or at least during the in-frequency measurement 330, the SCell 310 may be in a deactivated state. The in-frequency measurement 330 may be performed on one or more reference signals transmitted on component carriers of the same target cell (e.g., an LTM candidate cell) as the SCC of the SCell 310. Figure 3 The measurement 330 is within a frequency range, as indicated by the use of a horizontal line labeled "frequency". Thus, both SCell 310 and target cell 310 use the same characteristics (e.g., center frequency, subcarrier spacing, etc.) for component carriers.

[0059] In one example, configuration information may indicate that in-frequency measurement 330 can be a “relaxed” measurement. The “relaxed” indication used herein, relative to when SCell 310 is active, may be associated with longer measurement intervals (also known as measurement cycles), measurement periods (e.g., the duration for which a measurement is completed), and / or other measurement characteristics that require fewer UE resources to complete (and thus save power relative to measurements that can be performed when SCell 310 is active).

[0060] For example, configuration information may correspond to a new network configuration from the base station to the UE at a measurement interval (e.g., an L1 measurement interval). The measurement interval corresponds to the time interval between two measurements (e.g., two intra-frequency L1 measurements). For example, a parameter called "L1MeasCycleSCC" may be defined to configure the value of the measurement interval according to possible values. These values ​​may be enumerated as defined using multiple subframes (e.g., "ENUMERATED{sf160,sf256,sf320,sf512,sf640,sf1024,sf1280}").

[0061] The parameter L1MeasCycleSCC can only be used when measurements of the target cell (e.g., LTM candidate cell L1 measurement) are configured on any SCell frequency and the SCell is in an inactive state. The value sf160 corresponds to 160 subframes (e.g., one sample per 160 subframes), the value sf256 corresponds to 256 subframes, and so on.

[0062] The L1MeasCycleSCC parameter can be configured by the UE. For example, this parameter is added to an information element (IE) included in the LTM configuration (e.g., "LTM-Config"). Once the IE is configured, it applies to all measurements for all SCCs (e.g., L1 measurements for all LTM candidate cells for all SCCs). In other words, the L1MeasCycleSCC parameter can configure the UE to perform multiple measurements corresponding to different target cells (e.g., measurements within a first frequency on a first SCC of a first LTM candidate cell, measurements within a second frequency on a second SCC of a second LTM candidate cell, etc., where these SCCs may correspond to, but do not necessarily correspond to, the SCCs of deactivated cells).

[0063] An example of this configuration is as follows:

[0064]

[0065]

[0066] Figure 4 Another example 400 illustrates an in-frequency measurement 430 under a given deactivated SCell, according to some implementation schemes. Here, the in-frequency measurement is configured by resource identifier (ID) (while... Figure 3 In this context, measurements are taken within the frequency configured by the UE. A resource can be a target cell (e.g., an LTM candidate cell). A resource ID can correspond to multiple resources (e.g., multiple LTM candidate cells associated with that resource ID).

[0067] like Figure 4 As illustrated, SCell 410 may be in an inactive state during the execution of the LTM procedure or at least during in-frequency measurement 430. Multiple target cells 420A, 420B through 420K may be configured as candidate LTM cells and may be associated with the same resource ID. A maximum number of target cells configured on the same component carrier can be predefined (e.g., eight). Target cell-resource ID associations may be configured (e.g., this configuration may indicate target cells 420A, 420B, and 420K, but no other target cells are associated with the same resource ID).

[0068] In one example, the configuration information may correspond to a new network configuration from the base station to the UE over a measurement interval (e.g., an L1 measurement interval). Similar to... Figure 3 The parameter L1MeasCycleSCC can be used. (And...) Figure 3Unlike other methods, the L1MeasCycleSCC parameter can be configured by resource ID. Once configured, this IE applies to L1 measurements of all LTM candidate cells on the same carrier. It's important to note that the network can configure, but does not need to configure, the same L1MeasCycleSCC parameter for different IDs on the same carrier (e.g., two sets of target cells corresponding to two resource IDs could be configured with sf256, or one could be configured with sf256 while the other is configured with sf1024).

[0069] An example of this configuration is as follows:

[0070]

[0071]

[0072] Return to reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The parameter L1MeasCycleSCC can relax the measurement interval. Given a relaxed measurement interval, specific UE behavior can be expected. UE behavior can involve the measurement period (e.g., duration) during which in-frequency measurements (e.g., L1 frequency measurements) are expected to be completed. The measurement period can be based on the measurement interval (e.g., the value of the measurement period can be a function of the configured value of the measurement interval). Of course, different functions can be used based on multiple factors. These factors can include whether the deactivated SCC belongs to FR1 or FR2, whether discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles are used or not, the duration of the DRX cycle (if used), and / or UE capabilities. Below is an example table including possible functions.

[0073]

[0074] Table 1.

[0075]

[0076]

[0077] Table 2.

[0078]

[0079] Table 3.

[0080]

[0081] Table 4.

[0082] Table 1 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR1 for the deactivated SCC within the frequency range for UEs that cannot be measured using real-time differential (RTD) greater than the cyclic prefix (CP) (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra Table 2 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR1 for the deactivated SCC frequency of a UE that can be measured using (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra Table 3 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR2 for the deactivated SCC frequency of the UE that cannot be measured using (RTD>CP). Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB Table 4 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR2 for the deactivated SCC frequency of the UE that can be measured using (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra The above table and functions may be applicable when no Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object is configured on the SCC.

[0083] When configuring an L3 RRM measurement object on an SCC, the measurement period can be based on multiple parameters. These parameters may include the parameter L1MeasCycleSCC. Additionally, these parameters may include values ​​for a second measurement interval (e.g., values ​​used for measuring the SCell when it is active, such as the value of the parameter "measCycleSCell"). Below is an example table of possible functions included when configuring an L3 RRM measurement object on an SCC. In these tables, the function (func) can be the maximum value of the parameters measCycleSCell and L1MeasCycleSCC (e.g., max(measCycleSCell, L1MeasCycleSCC)) or the minimum value of the parameters measCycleSCell and L1MeasCycleSCC (e.g., min(measCycleSCell, L1MeasCycleSCC)).

[0084]

[0085] Table 5.

[0086]

[0087] Table 6.

[0088]

[0089] Table 7

[0090]

[0091]

[0092] Table 8.

[0093] Table 5 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR1 for the deactivated SCC within the frequency range for UEs that cannot be measured using real-time differential (RTD) greater than the cyclic prefix (CP) (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra Table 6 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR1 for the deactivated SCC frequency of a UE that can be measured using (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra Table 7 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR2 for the deactivated SCC within the frequency range, for UEs that cannot be measured using (RTD>CP). Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB Table 8 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR2 for the deactivated SCC frequency of the UE that can be measured using (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra The above table and functions may be applicable when no Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object is configured on the SCC.

[0094] Figure 5 Example 500 illustrates an interruption 512 of an active serving cell in a given frequency measurement 540 according to some implementation schemes. The UE may include multiple radio frequency (RF) chains, such as a first RF chain 510 and a second RF chain 520. The first RF chain 510 can be used with a first serving cell (in...) Figure 5 In the example shown as PCell 512 (although the cell could be PSCell or SCell), communication is used to tune the first RF chain 510 to the frequency of at least the component carrier of the first serving cell. Similarly, the second RF chain 520 can be used to communicate with the second serving cell (in... Figure 5 Communication is illustrated as SCell 522, thereby tuning the second RF chain 520 to the frequency of at least one component carrier of the second serving cell (its SCC). In one example, the state of SCell 522 may change over time (e.g., between an active state and a deactivated state). When SCell 522 is deactivated, the second RF chain 520 may be switched off (or transitioned to standby mode). In contrast, when SCell 522 is activated, the second RF chain 520 may be switched on (or transitioned to full power mode).

[0095] Target cell 530 (e.g., a configured LTM candidate cell) may have the same component carrier configuration as SCell 522. In-frequency measurement 540 can be performed using a reference signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on the configured component carriers of target cell 530. To perform this measurement 540, the second RF chain 520 needs to switch from an off state to an on state (or, from standby mode to full power mode). This switching / transition may cause an interruption 550 in communication with PCell 512, which uses the first RF chain 510. The interruption 550 may be due to some tuning performed in the second RF chain 520, and due to some components shared by both RF chains and susceptible to this tuning.

[0096] When no L3 RRM measurement object is configured on the SCC, the UE may follow the L1MeasCycleSCC parameter as described above. In this case, when the configured L1MeasCycleSCC is equal to or greater than a threshold (e.g., 640 ms or longer), an interruption 550 to PCell 512 (or other active SCell or active primary / secondary cell (PSCell)) due to L1 measurement on the same carrier as the dedicated SCell (e.g., SCell 522) is allowed up to a missed ACK / NACK probability (e.g., 0.5%). This probability and / or threshold may be predefined in the technical specifications followed by the UE, configured by the network, and / or specific to the UE implementation.

[0097] When an L3 RRM measurement object is configured on the SCC, the UE can use a function of the parameters measCycleSCell and L1MeasCycleSCC for both L1 and L3 measurements. In this case, when the configured func(measCycleSCell, L1MeasCycleSCC) is equal to or greater than a threshold (e.g., 640ms or longer), an interruption 550 to PCell 512 (or other active SCell or active primary / secondary cell (PSCell)) due to L1 measurements on the same carrier as the dedicated SCell (e.g., SCell 522) (e.g., SCell 522) with a missed ACK / NACK probability of up to 0.5%. This probability and / or threshold may be the same as or different from when no L3 RRM measurement object is configured, and may be predefined in the technical specifications followed by the UE, configured by the network, and / or implemented specifically by the UE.

[0098] Figure 6Example 600 illustrates different types of measurements under a given deactivated SCell, according to some implementation schemes. In Example 600, these measurements include L1 and L3 measurements, such as intra-frequency L1 measurements and intra-frequency L3 measurements of a reference signal transmitted by the target cell on a component carrier having the same configuration as the SCC of the deactivated SCell. Also in Example 600, it is assumed that there is no L3 RRM measurement object configured on the SCC. In this example, the UE may use the parameter measCycleSCell for L3 measurements and the parameter L1MeasCycleSCC for L1 measurements. Tables 1 through 4 are applicable to L1 measurements (and may be applicable to L3 measurements).

[0099] exist Figure 6 In the example, assume that parameter L1MeasCycleSCC indicates a first value for a first measurement interval (e.g., 160 ms) applicable to L1 measurements, while parameter measCycleSCell indicates a second larger value for a second measurement interval (e.g., 320 ms) applicable to L3 measurements. In this case, reference signals are measured at different times (exemplified as measurement results from a first SSB 610, a second SSB 610B, a third SSB 610C, and a fourth SSB 610D). At the first time, L1 and L3 measurement results 620A are generated based on SSB 610A. At the second time, given a first value for the first measurement interval and a second value for the second measurement interval, only L1 measurement result 630A is generated based on SSB 610B. In contrast, at the third time, given a first value for the first measurement interval and a second value for the second measurement interval, L1 and L3 measurement results 620B are generated based on SSB 610C. In the fourth time interval, given a first value for the first measurement interval and a second value for the second measurement interval, only L1 measurement result 630B is generated based on SSB610C. This pattern of generating L1 and L3 measurement results at intervals corresponding to the fact that the first value is half of the second value. Of course, different patterns are possible depending on these two values.

[0100] exist Figure 6 In the meantime, when no L3 RRM measurement object is configured on the SCC, it can be used with... Figure 5 The interruption mechanism described herein is similar to the interruption mechanism described above. Different options exist. In the first option, the parameters measCycleSCell and L1MeasCycleSCC are considered together. In the second option, either of these two parameters is considered. In both options, the probabilities and / or thresholds can be the same or different, and can be predefined in the technical specifications followed by the UE, configured by the network, and / or implemented specifically for the UE.

[0101] In the example of the first option, when both the configured measCycleSCell and L1MeasCycleSCC are equal to or greater than a threshold (e.g., 640 ms or longer), an outage to the PCell (or other active SCell or active primary / secondary cell (PSCell)) due to L1 measurements of an LTM candidate cell on the same carrier as the dedicated SCell is allowed up to a missed ACK / NACK probability (e.g., 1%). In the example of the second option, when only one of the configured measCycleSCell and L1MeasCycleSCC is equal to or greater than a threshold (e.g., 640 ms or longer), an outage to the PCell (or other active SCell or active primary / secondary cell (PSCell)) due to L1 measurements of an LTM candidate cell on the same carrier as the dedicated SCell is allowed up to a missed ACK / NACK probability (e.g., 0.5%).

[0102] Figure 7 Example 700 illustrates a frequency-based measurement 730 performed during a measurement gap, depending on whether the SCell is deactivated, according to some implementation schemes. The SCell can be configured for the UE. The SCell can be in an active state (in... Figure 7 Examples of active SCC 701 are shown in the example (or in a deactivated state). Figure 7 The example shown is with SCC deactivation 702). The measurement gap (MG) can also be configured for the UE associated with the SCell. For example, the UE can receive measurement gap configuration information from the network, where the configuration includes different characteristics of the measurement gap to be used when measuring the reference signal (in... Figure 7 (Example: SSB). These characteristics may include measurement gap mode, gap offset, measurement gap repetition period (MGRP), and other features.

[0103] In the active state, the SCell may have an active bandwidth portion (BWP) 705. A reference signal can be received on a target cell (e.g., an LTM candidate cell) using component carriers with the same configuration as the SCC 701. In this case, the reference signal is measured at a measurement timing that does not conflict with measurement gaps (e.g., complete or partial overlap). Figure 7In the example, four SSBs are received over time when the SCell is activated: SSB 710A, SSB 710B, SSB 710C, and SSB 710D. Two instances of the configured measurement gap occur during the same time period: MG 720A and MG 720B. MG 720A conflicts with SSB 710B, while MG 720B conflicts with SSB 710D. Therefore, the UE uses SSB 710A and SSB 710C (e.g., SSBs received outside the measurement gap) to perform in-frequency measurement 730 (e.g., in-frequency L1 measurement).

[0104] Assume the same settings apply when the SCell is in a deactivated state. In this case, there is no active BWP 706 for the deactivated SCell. However, here, the UE is configured to perform in-frequency measurement 760 (e.g., in-frequency L1 measurement) during the measurement interval. Figure 7 In the example, four SSBs are received over time when the SCell is deactivated: SSB 740A, SSB 740B, SSB 740C, and SSB 740D. Two instances of the configured measurement gap occur during the same time period: MG 750A and MG 750B. MG 750A conflicts with SSB 740B, while MG 750B conflicts with SSB 750D. Therefore, the UE uses SSB 740B and SSB 740 (e.g., SSBs received within the measurement gap) to perform in-frequency measurement 760 (e.g., in-frequency L1 measurement).

[0105] The aforementioned UE behavior can be defined in the technical specifications followed by the UE. For example, the technical specifications may require the UE to perform LTM candidate L1 measurements during measurement intervals. Each L1 measurement on a deactivated SCC can be counted using a carrier-specific scaling factor (e.g., CSSF). inter ).

[0106] Because in-frequency measurements of LTM candidate cells on the same carrier as the dedicated SCell are performed during the measurement interval, interruptions due to such measurements are not permitted. In other words, return to reference. Figure 5 When the UE is configured to perform in-frequency measurements during measurement intervals, the interrupt mechanism described herein may not be used.

[0107] Except for using MGRP instead of L1MeasCycleSCC, the measurement periods can be similar to those defined in Tables 1 through 4. In other words, the measurement periods can be based on MGRP. Below is an example table including possible functions.

[0108]

[0109]

[0110] Table 9.

[0111]

[0112] Table 10.

[0113]

[0114] Table 11.

[0115]

[0116]

[0117] Table 12.

[0118] Table 9 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR1 for the deactivated SCC frequency for UEs that cannot be measured using real-time differential (RTD) greater than the cyclic prefix (CP) (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra Table 10 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR1 for the deactivated SCC frequency of a UE that can be measured using (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra Table 11 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR2 for the deactivated SCC frequency of a UE that cannot be measured using (RTD>CP). Intra_L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB Table 12 above corresponds to the L1-RSRP measurement period T in FR2 for the deactivated SCC frequency of a UE that can be measured using (RTD>CP). L1-RSRP_Measurement_Period_SSB_intra .

[0119] Return to reference Figures 3 to 7 The various example techniques described herein can be used in combination. For example, when no L3 RRM measurement object is configured on the SCC, and when the UE is configured for both relaxed in-frequency measurement and measurement gap configuration, the UE can perform relaxed in-frequency measurement during the configured measurement gap.

[0120] Whether to use relaxed in-frequency measurements and / or whether to perform measurements during measurement gaps may depend on the UE's UE capabilities. For example, the UE may transmit UE capability information to the network (e.g., network 220) to indicate its support for using relaxed in-frequency measurements and / or performing measurements during measurement gaps. For example, UE capability "X1" may be defined as indicating support for the configuration of parameter L1MeasCycleSCC and the corresponding measurement behavior. Similarly, UE capability "X2" may be defined as indicating support for gap-based LTM candidate cell L1 measurements on a deactivated SCC. The UE may signal its X1 and / or X2 capabilities to the network in the UE capability information.

[0121] Figure 8 Examples of operational flow / algorithm structures 800 for measurements within a given deactivated SCell, according to some embodiments, are illustrated. Operational flow / algorithm structures 800 may be implemented by a UE (e.g., executed by its components, including, for example, the UE's processor). The UE may be any of the UEs described herein. In some embodiments, operational flow / algorithm structures 800 may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the UE's memory. Although operational flow / algorithm structures 800 are described using a specific order of steps, it should be understood that the steps described herein are contemplated to be performed in a different order than illustrated, and that some described steps may be omitted or not performed at all.

[0122] In one example, the operation flow / algorithm structure 800 includes: at 802, determining, based on configuration information received from the network, a configuration associated with performing intra-frequency measurements on a component carrier of the target cell supporting a Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure. This component carrier of the target cell corresponds to a secondary component carrier (SCC) of a secondary serving cell (SCell) (e.g., it may have the same configuration as the SCC and / or may have the same center frequency and subcarrier spacing). The SCell is deactivated. The configuration indicates at least one of the following: measurement interval or measurement gap. The configuration may depend on the indicated UE capability. This configuration information may be received via RRC signaling on the active serving cell and may represent the LTM configuration.

[0123] In one example, the operation flow / algorithm structure 800 includes, at 804, performing an in-frequency measurement on the target cell based on the configuration. For example, the UE receives a reference signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on the component carrier and uses the reference signal to perform an in-frequency L1 measurement.

[0124] In one example, the operation flow / algorithm structure 800 includes, at 806, reporting the in-frequency measurement to the network as part of the LTM procedure. For example, the UE may transmit an LTM measurement report including the in-frequency measurement on the active serving cell.

[0125] Figure 9 Another example of an operational flow / algorithm structure 900 for measuring within a frequency range given a deactivated SCell, according to some embodiments, is illustrated. The operational flow / algorithm structure 900 may be implemented by a network (e.g., by its base station and / or the processor of that base station). This network may be any of the networks described herein. In some embodiments, the operational flow / algorithm structure 900 may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory of the base station. Although the operational flow / algorithm structure 900 is described using a specific order of steps, it should be understood that the steps described herein are contemplated to be performed in a different order than illustrated, and that some described steps may be omitted or not performed at all.

[0126] In one example, the operation flow / algorithm structure 900 includes: at 902, transmitting configuration information to the User Equipment (UE) indicating a configuration associated with performing intra-frequency measurements on a component carrier of a target cell supporting a Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure. The component carrier of the target cell corresponds to a secondary component carrier (SCC) of a secondary serving cell (SCell) (e.g., it may have the same configuration as the SCC and / or may have the same center frequency and subcarrier spacing). This configuration is applicable when the SCell is deactivated. The configuration indicates at least one of the following: measurement interval or measurement gap. This configuration may depend on the indicated UE capability. The configuration information may be received via RRC signaling on the active serving cell and may represent an LTM configuration.

[0127] In one example, the operation flow / algorithm structure 900 includes, at 904, transmitting to the UE a reference signal to be measured on the SCC. For example, the reference signal (e.g., SSB) is transmitted on the component carrier and corresponds to a configured L1 measurement object, and may correspond to a configured L3 RRM measurement object.

[0128] In one example, the operation flow / algorithm structure 900 includes, at 906, receiving the in-frequency measurement of the reference signal from the UE as part of the LTM procedure. For example, the network may receive an LTM measurement report including the in-frequency measurement from the UE on the active serving cell.

[0129] Figure 10A receiver assembly 1000 for a UE 104 according to some embodiments is illustrated. The receiver assembly 1000 may include an antenna panel 1004 that includes a plurality of antenna elements. The panel 1004 is shown as having four antenna elements, but other embodiments may include other numbers.

[0130] Antenna panel 1004 may be coupled to an analog beamforming (BF) assembly including a plurality of phase shifters 1008(1)–1008(4). Phase shifters 1008(1)–1008(4) may be coupled to a radio frequency (RF) chain 1012. RF chain 1012 may amplify received analog RF signals, down-convert RF signals to baseband, and convert analog baseband signals to digital baseband signals that can be provided to a baseband processor for further processing.

[0131] In various implementations, control circuitry residing in the baseband processor may provide BF weights (e.g., W1-W4) to phase shifters 1008(1)-1008(4) to provide a receive beam at antenna panel 1004; these BF weights may represent phase shift values. These BF weights may be determined based on channel-based beamforming.

[0132] Figure 11 An example of UE 1100 according to some implementation schemes is shown. UE 1100 may be similar to Figure 1 The UE 104 is essentially interchangeable with it. Specifically, the UE 1100 can receive and store configuration information (e.g., Figure 6 Configuration information 106) is used to perform the LTM procedure. This configuration information can configure UE 1100 to perform intra-frequency measurements on the target cell using a relaxed measurement interval as part of the LTM procedure and / or to perform the intra-frequency measurements during the configured measurement interval. The intra-frequency measurements can be performed on a reference signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on a component carrier of the target cell, wherein the component carrier has the same configuration as the SCC of the deactivated SCell.

[0133] Similar to the description above relative to UE 104, UE 1100 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-Light UE.

[0134] UE 1100 may include a processor 1104, RF interface circuitry 1108, memory / storage device 1112, user interface 1116, sensor 1120, drive circuitry 1122, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1124, and battery 1128. The components of UE 1100 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 11 The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 1100. 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.

[0135] The components of UE 1100 can be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1132, which can represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmit line, trace, optical connector, etc., allowing various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with each other.

[0136] Processor 1104 may include processor circuitry such as baseband processor circuitry (BB) 1104A, central processing unit circuitry (CPU) 1104B, and graphics processing unit circuitry (GPU) 1104C. Processor 1104 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 processes from memory / storage device 1112) to cause UE 1100 to perform the operations described herein.

[0137] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuit 1104A can access the communication protocol stack 1136 in the memory / storage device 1112 to communicate over a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuit 1104A 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 operation may additionally / optionally be performed by components of the RF interface circuit 1108.

[0138] The baseband processor circuit 1104A 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.

[0139] The baseband processor circuit 1104A can also access group information from the memory / storage device 1112 to determine multiple repeated search space groups in which PDCCH can be sent.

[0140] The memory / storage device 1112 may include any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that can be distributed throughout the UE 1100. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage devices 1112 may be located on the processor 1104 itself (e.g., L1 cache and L2 cache), while other memory / storage devices 1112 may be located external to the processor 1104 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage device 1112 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.

[0141] The RF interface circuit 1108 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front-end module (RFEM), which allows the UE 1100 to communicate with other devices via a radio access network. The RF interface circuit 1108 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.

[0142] In the receiving path, the RFEM can receive the radiated signal from the air interface via antenna 1150 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 1104.

[0143] 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 1150.

[0144] In various implementations, the RF interface circuit 1108 can be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technology.

[0145] Antenna 1150 may include multiple antenna elements, each of which converts an electrical signal into radio waves to travel 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 1150 may have omnidirectional, directional, or combinations thereof antenna panels to enable beamforming and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication. Antenna 1150 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. Antenna 1150 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band included in FR1 or FR2.

[0146] User interface circuitry 1116 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable users to interact with UE 1100. User interface circuitry 1116 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual components for accepting input, particularly including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphone, scanner, or headset, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual components for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). Output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, particularly including 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 (e.g., 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 1100.

[0147] Sensor 1120 may include devices, modules, or subsystems intended to detect events or changes in their environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular,: inertial measurement units including accelerometers; gyroscopes; or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including: 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 apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detectors, etc.); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other similar audio capture devices; and so on.

[0148] The driving circuitry 1122 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 1100. The driving circuitry 1122 may include various drivers that allow other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may exist within or be connected to the UE 1100. For example, the driving circuitry 1122 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 acquiring sensor readings of the sensor circuitry 1120 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuitry 1120; a driver for acquiring actuator positions 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.

[0149] The PMIC 1124 manages the power supplied to various components of the UE 1100. Specifically, relative to the processor 1104, the PMIC 1124 controls power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0150] In some implementations, the PMIC 1124 can control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the UE 1100. 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, it can enter a state known as Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the UE 1100 can power down for short intervals to conserve power. If there is no data traffic activity over a longer period, the UE 1100 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The UE 1100 enters a very low-power state and performs paging, in which it periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then power down again. The UE 1100 may not receive data in this state; to receive data, the platform 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. Any data transmitted during this time will cause significant delays, which are assumed to be acceptable.

[0151] Battery 1128 can power UE 1100, but in some examples, UE 1100 may be mounted in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the power grid. Battery 1128 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, and a lithium-air battery. In some specific implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, battery 1128 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0152] Figure 12 An example of a gNB 1200 according to some implementation schemes is shown. The gNB 1200 may be similar to... Figure 1 The gNB 108 is essentially interchangeable with it. Specifically, the gNB 1200 can transmit configuration information to the UE (e.g., Figure 6 Configuration information 106 is transmitted to configure the UE to perform an LTM procedure. This configuration information is transmitted on the active serving cell of the gNB 1200 and may define a relaxed measurement interval for performing in-frequency measurements on the target cell as part of the LTM procedure, and / or indicate to perform the in-frequency measurement during the configured measurement interval. The gNB 1200 (or another similar gNB) may also transmit a reference signal (e.g., SSB) on a component carrier of the target cell, wherein the component carrier has the same configuration as the SCC of the deactivated SCell.

[0153] The gNB 1200 may include a processor 1204, a RAN interface circuit 1208, a core network (CN) interface circuit 1212, and a memory / storage device circuit 1216.

[0154] The components of gNB 1200 can be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 1228.

[0155] The processor 1204, RAN interface circuit 1208, memory / storage device circuit 1216 (including communication protocol stack 1210), antenna 1250, and interconnect 1228 can be similar to those relative to... Figure 11 Elements with similar names as shown and described.

[0156] The CN interface circuit 1212 can provide connectivity to a core network (e.g., a 5GC using a fifth-generation core network (5GC) compatible network interface protocol (such as Carrier Ethernet protocol) or some other suitable protocol). Network connectivity can be provided to / from the gNB 1200 via fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit 1212 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 1212 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0157] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0158] For one or more embodiments, at least one component 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 as described in the Examples 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 examples 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 examples set forth in the Examples section below.

[0159] Example

[0160] Further exemplary implementations are provided in the following sections.

[0161] Example 1 includes a method comprising: determining, based on configuration information received from a network, a configuration associated with performing intra-frequency measurements on a component carrier of a target cell in a Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure triggered therein, wherein: the component carrier of the target cell corresponds to a secondary component carrier (SCC) of a secondary serving cell (SCell), the SCell is deactivated, and the configuration indicates at least one of the following: a measurement interval or measurement gap; performing the intra-frequency measurements on the target cell based on the configuration; and reporting the intra-frequency measurements to the network as part of the LTM procedure.

[0162] Example 2 includes a method comprising: transmitting configuration information to a user equipment (UE) indicating a configuration associated with performing an in-frequency measurement on a component carrier of a target cell in a Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2)-triggered inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure, wherein: the component carrier of the target cell corresponds to a secondary component carrier (SCC) of a secondary serving cell (SCell), the configuration being applicable when the SCell is deactivated, and the configuration indicating at least one of the following: a measurement interval or measurement gap; transmitting a reference signal to be measured on the SCC to the UE; and receiving the in-frequency measurement of the reference signal from the UE as part of the LTM procedure.

[0163] Example 3 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 2, wherein the configuration information indicates parameters applicable when the in-frequency measurement is configured for the SCC and the SCell is deactivated, and wherein the parameters indicate the value of the measurement interval from a predefined plurality of values.

[0164] Example 4 includes the method according to Example 3, wherein the parameters are configured per User Equipment (UE) in the Information Element (IE) of the LTM configuration and are applicable to the in-frequency measurement and the second measurement, wherein the second measurement can be performed on a second component carrier of the second target cell, and wherein the second component carrier corresponds to or is different from the SCC.

[0165] Example 5 includes the method according to Example 3, wherein the parameters are configured in the Information Element (IE) of the LTM configuration by resource identifier and are applicable to the in-frequency measurement and the second measurement, wherein the resource identifier corresponds to a plurality of target cells associated with the SCC.

[0166] Example 6 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 5, wherein when no Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object is configured on the SCC, the measurement period of the in-frequency measurement is based on the value of the measurement interval.

[0167] Example 7 includes the method according to Example 6, wherein when the value of the measurement interval is equal to or greater than a predefined threshold, interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are allowed up to a predefined probability of missed acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK).

[0168] Example 8 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 7, wherein the value and the measurement interval are a first value and a first measurement interval, respectively, and wherein when configuring a Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object on the SCC, the measurement period of the in-frequency measurement is based on the first value of the first measurement interval and a second value of a second measurement interval, wherein the second measurement interval is configured for the SCell and is applicable when the SCell is deactivated.

[0169] Example 9 includes the method according to Example 8, wherein when the output of the function applied to the first value and the second value is equal to or greater than a predefined threshold, interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are allowed up to a predefined probability of missed acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK).

[0170] Example 10 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 9, wherein the value and the measurement interval are respectively a first value and a first measurement interval, and wherein when no Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object is configured on the SCC, the measurement period of the in-frequency measurement is based on the first value of the first measurement interval, wherein the L3 measurement on the SCC for the target cell is based on the second value of the second measurement interval, wherein the second measurement interval is configured for the SCell and is applicable when the SCell is deactivated.

[0171] Example 11 includes the method according to Example 10, wherein when only one or each of the first value and the second value is equal to or greater than a predefined threshold, interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are allowed up to a predefined probability of missed acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK).

[0172] Example 12 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 11, wherein the configuration information indicates a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) for the measurement gap of the SCell, and wherein the in-frequency measurement is performed during the measurement gap based on the MGRP.

[0173] Example 13 includes the method according to Example 12, wherein the measurement period measured within the frequency is based on the MGRP.

[0174] Example 14 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 12, wherein interruption of the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement is not permitted.

[0175] Example 15 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 13, the method further comprising: instructing the network of user equipment (UE) capabilities to support in-frequency measurements during the measurement gap, wherein the configuration information is received based on the UE capabilities.

[0176] Example 16 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 14, the method further comprising: indicating to the network, based on the measurement interval, a user equipment (UE) capability that supports the in-frequency measurement, wherein the configuration information indicates a value of the measurement interval from a predefined plurality of values ​​and is received based on the UE capability.

[0177] Example 17 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 16, wherein the configuration information indicates the value of the measurement interval from a predefined plurality of values ​​to be used as part of the LTM process.

[0178] Example 18 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 17, wherein the configuration information indicates the Measurement Gap Repetition Period (MGRP) of the measurement gap to be used as part of the LTM process.

[0179] Example 19 includes the method according to any of the preceding Examples 1 to 18, wherein the configuration information is transmitted based on UE capability information received from the UE, the UE capability information indicating that the UE supports at least one of the following: performing the in-frequency measurement based on the measurement interval or performing the in-frequency measurement during the measurement interval.

[0180] Example 20 includes a user equipment (UE) or device comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the UE or device to perform the method according to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0181] Example 21 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed on a user equipment (UE) or device, cause the UE or device to perform operations including those operations described in or related to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0182] Example 22 includes an apparatus comprising one or more elements for performing the methods described in or related to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0183] Example 23 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the device, cause the device to perform one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0184] Example 24 includes an apparatus comprising one or more elements of a logic component, module, or processing circuit configured to perform a method described or associated with any of the preceding embodiments.

[0185] Example 25 includes an apparatus, network, base station, or system comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media including 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.

[0186] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the embodiments described above 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 the practice of various embodiments.

[0187] 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: The configuration associated with performing intra-frequency measurements on the component carriers of the target cell for an inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure triggered in Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) is determined based on configuration information received from the network, wherein: The component carrier of the target cell corresponds to the secondary component carrier (SCC) of the secondary serving cell (SCell). The SCell is deactivated, and The configuration indicates at least one of the following: measurement interval or measurement gap; Based on the configuration, perform the intra-frequency measurement on the target cell; and The frequency measurements are reported to the network as part of the LTM process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information indicates parameters applicable when the in-frequency measurement is configured for the SCC and the SCell is deactivated, and wherein the parameters indicate a value of the measurement interval from a predefined plurality of values.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameters are configured per user equipment (UE) in the information element (IE) of the LTM configuration and are applicable to the in-frequency measurement and the second measurement, wherein the second measurement can be performed on a second component carrier of the second target cell, and wherein the second component carrier corresponds to or is different from the SCC.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameters are configured in the Information Element (IE) of the LTM configuration by resource identifier, and are applicable to the in-frequency measurement and the second measurement, wherein the resource identifier corresponds to a plurality of target cells associated with the SCC.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein when a Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object on the SCC is not configured, the measurement period of the in-frequency measurement is based on the value of the measurement interval.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when the value of the measurement interval is equal to or greater than a predefined threshold, interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are allowed up to a predefined probability of missed acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK).

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the value and the measurement interval are a first value and a first measurement interval, respectively, and wherein when a Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object on the SCC is configured, the measurement period of the in-frequency measurement is based on the first value of the first measurement interval and a second value of the second measurement interval, wherein the second measurement interval is configured for the SCell and is applicable when the SCell is deactivated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein when the output of the function applied to the first value and the second value is equal to or greater than a predefined threshold, interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are allowed up to a predefined probability of missed acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK).

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the value and the measurement interval are a first value and a first measurement interval, respectively, and wherein when a Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurement object on the SCC is not configured, the measurement period of the in-frequency measurement is based on the first value of the first measurement interval, wherein the L3 measurement on the SCC for the target cell is based on a second value of a second measurement interval, wherein the second measurement interval is configured for the SCell and is applicable when the SCell is deactivated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein when only one or each of the first value and the second value is equal to or greater than a predefined threshold, interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are allowed up to a predefined probability of missed acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK).

11. An apparatus comprising: Receiver; Transmitter; as well as Processing circuitry, communicatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, and configured to: The configuration associated with performing intra-frequency measurements on the component carriers of the target cell for an inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedure triggered in Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) is determined based on configuration information received from the network, wherein: The component carrier of the target cell corresponds to the secondary component carrier (SCC) of the secondary serving cell (SCell). The SCell is deactivated, and The configuration indicates at least one of the following: measurement interval or measurement gap; Based on the configuration, perform the intra-frequency measurement on the target cell; and The frequency measurements are reported to the network as part of the LTM process.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the configuration information indicates a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) for the measurement gap of the SCell, and wherein the in-frequency measurement is performed during the measurement gap based on the MGRP.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the measurement period of the frequency measurement is based on the MGRP.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein interruptions to the primary cell (PCell), active SCell, or active primary-secondary cell (PSCell) due to the in-frequency measurement are not permitted.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: indicate to the network a user equipment (UE) capability to support measurements within the frequency range during the measurement gap, wherein the configuration information is received based on the UE capability.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: indicate to the network, based on the measurement interval, a user equipment (UE) capability supporting the in-frequency measurement, and wherein the configuration information indicates a value of the measurement interval from a predefined plurality of values ​​and is received based on the UE capability.

17. A method, the method comprising: Configuration information is transmitted to the User Equipment (UE) indicating a configuration associated with performing in-frequency measurements on the component carriers of the target cell in support of Layer 1 / Layer 2 (L1 / L2) triggered inter-cell mobility (LTM) procedures, wherein: The component carrier of the target cell corresponds to the secondary component carrier (SCC) of the secondary serving cell (SCell). The configuration applies when the SCell is deactivated, and The configuration indicates at least one of the following: measurement interval or measurement gap; Transmit the reference signal to be measured on the SCC to the UE; and The frequency measurement of the reference signal received from the UE is part of the LTM process.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration information indicates a value of the measurement interval from a predefined plurality of values ​​to be used as part of the LTM process.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration information indicates the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) of the measurement gap to be used as part of the LTM process.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration information is transmitted based on UE capability information received from the UE, the UE capability information indicating that the UE supports at least one of the following: performing the in-frequency measurement based on the measurement interval or performing the in-frequency measurement during the measurement interval.

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