Method and apparatus for fractional measurement gap

Abstract

A method and apparatus for configuring fractional measurement gaps are disclosed. As described herein, a fractional gap pattern in which a measurement gap duration is divided into N portions (where N is an integer greater than 1) can reduce scheduling latency and / or pre-scheduling. In this regard, for a measurement gap occasion, one fractional measurement gap can be used for measurement, and / or other fractional measurement gaps can be used for scheduling. Subdivision of the measurement gap into N portions can be such that there can be overlap between one or more subdivisions. The measurement gap duration can be subdivided based on dynamically determined criteria, e.g., if a baseline measurement gap coincides with data arrival and / or allocation, the gap pattern can be further subdivided into additional portions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The example embodiment generally relates to the fraction measurement gap. Background Technology

[0002] Various wireless communications rely on measurements and / or measurement gaps. For example, measurements allow user equipment mobility. Configured measurement gaps prevent user equipment from being scheduled during the duration of the measurement gap, which can lead to increased transmission latency.

[0003] Scheduling latency can increase due to measurement gaps. For example, if data arrives shortly before a measurement gap, the network may only be able to schedule user equipment (UE) to receive the data in the next downlink time slot after the measurement gap. This can lead to consequences such as the network being unable to react dynamically to new information, such as the arrival of new, higher-priority downlink data during or shortly before the measurement gap. Therefore, UE latency can add a significant portion of the total latency budget across various use cases, which may be particularly relevant in cases with tight latency budgets, such as in extended reality (XR) use cases. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A method and apparatus for configuring fractional measurement gaps are disclosed. As described herein, a fractional gap pattern, in which the duration of the measurement gap is divided into N parts (where N is an integer greater than 1), can reduce scheduling latency and / or pre-scheduling. In this respect, for the timing of the measurement gap, one fractional measurement gap can be used for measurement, and / or other fractional measurement gaps can be used for scheduling. Subdividing the measurement gap into N parts allows for overlap between one or more subdivisions. The duration of the measurement gap can be subdivided based on dynamically determined criteria; for example, if the baseline measurement gap coincides with data arrival and / or allocation, the gap pattern can be further subdivided into additional parts.

[0005] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: (i) receive a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. The at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). The at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). The at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: receive fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: receive fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: use different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: receive two or more fractional measurement gap configurations from a base station, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments. Two or more fractional measurement gaps are configured to alternate, such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to: use a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission, the first portion not overlapping with an activated fractional measurement gap segment; and use a second portion of at least one measurement window for radio resource management (RRM) measurements, the second portion overlapping with an activated fractional measurement gap segment timing.

[0006] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: (i) transmit a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration to a second apparatus, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) activate at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example embodiment, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example embodiment, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example embodiment, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to activate at least one subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: transmit fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: transmit fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: use different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: transmit two or more fractional measurement gap configurations to a second device, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments. Two or more fractional measurement gaps are configured to alternate, such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to instruct a second device to use a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0007] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising: (i) receiving a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receiving an indication of activation of at least one of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments being used to measure at least one reference signal included by at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmitting uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segments. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The method further comprises: receiving an indication of activation of at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The method further includes receiving a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. The method also includes receiving a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The method further includes using different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. The method further includes receiving two or more fractional measurement gap configurations from a base station, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments. The two or more fractional measurement gap configurations are configured to alternate such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. The method further includes using a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0008] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising: (i) transmitting a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from one device to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) activating at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment; and (iii) scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The method further comprises: activating at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing. The method also includes transmitting fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. The method also includes transmitting fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The method also includes using different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. The method further includes transmitting two or more fractional measurement gap configurations to a second device, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments. The two or more fractional measurement gap configurations are configured to alternate such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. The method also includes instructing a second device to use a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0009] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further includes components for: (i) receiving a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receiving an indication to activate at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmitting uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The apparatus further includes components for receiving an indication to activate at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The method further includes receiving a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. The apparatus also includes components for receiving the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The apparatus also includes components for using different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. The apparatus further includes components for receiving two or more fractional measurement gap configurations from a base station, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments. The two or more fractional measurement gap configurations are configured to alternate such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. The apparatus also includes components for using a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0010] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further includes components for: (i) transmitting a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from the apparatus to a second apparatus, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) activating at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The apparatus further includes components for activating at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The apparatus further includes components for transmitting fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. The apparatus further includes components for transmitting fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The apparatus further includes components for using different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. The apparatus further includes components for transmitting two or more fractional measurement gap configurations to a second device, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments. The two or more fractional measurement gap configurations are configured to alternate such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. The apparatus further includes components for instructing the second device to use a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0011] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: (i) receive a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and divides the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: receive an instruction regarding activation, whereby activation is performed to activate at least one subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to receive a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to receive a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to use different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: receive two or more fractional measurement gap configurations from a base station, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and divide the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments. Two or more fractional measurement gaps are configured to alternate, such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete measurement gap segment. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: use a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission, and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0012] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: (i) transmit a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from the device to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) activate at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The computer instructions further include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: activate at least a subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to transmit a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to transmit a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to use different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to: transmit two or more fractional measurement gap configurations to a second device, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments. Two or more fractional measurement gaps are configured to alternate, such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap, where N is an integer. The computer instructions also include computer instructions that, when executed by the device, instruct the device to instruct a second device to use a first portion of at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0013] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: (i) receive a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a fractional measurement gap length, a fractional measurement gap repetition period, and a number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the index of a measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment from a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment from the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0014] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: (i) transmit a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration to a second apparatus, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a fractional measurement gap length, a fractional measurement gap repetition period, and a number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the index of a measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) activate at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0015] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising: (i) receiving a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the FMG configuration indicates a fractional measurement gap length, a fractional measurement gap repetition period, and a number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on an index of a measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) receiving an indication to activate at least one of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmitting uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0016] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising: (i) transmitting a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from one device to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a fractional measurement gap length, a fractional measurement gap repetition period, and a number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on an index of a measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0017] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further includes components for: (i) receiving a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the fractional measurement gap length, the fractional measurement gap repetition period, and the number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) receiving an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) components for transmitting uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segments. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0018] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further includes components for: (i) transmitting a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration to a second apparatus, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the fractional measurement gap length, the fractional measurement gap repetition period, and the number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during at least one measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0019] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: (i) receive a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the FMG configuration indicates a fractional measurement gap length, a fractional measurement gap repetition period, and a number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the index of a measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment among the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0020] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: (i) transmit a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a fractional measurement gap length, a fractional measurement gap repetition period, and a number of fractional measurement gap segments, wherein the index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the index of a measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments; (ii) activate at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iii) schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during at least one measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The fractional measurement gap configuration also indicates that the nth fractional measurement gap is used for the nth measurement window timing, where n is at least one value from 1, 2 to N, and N is the total number of segment subdivisions of the measurement gap segment. The index of the fractional measurement gap to be used is determined based on the modulus of the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of fractional measurement gap segments. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the system frame number (SFN) and the period of the measurement window. The index of the measurement window timing is determined based on the modulus of the system frame number (SFN) divided by the period of the measurement window by the duration of the system frame.

[0021] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: (i) receive a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receive at least one control signal from the base station, the at least one control signal indicating skipping a subset of the two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. At least one control signal further includes an indication to skip a full measurement window timing. At least one control signal includes at least one downlink control information (DCI). At least one control signal includes at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE). At least one control signal further includes an indication to skip an upcoming measurement window timing. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to skip subsets of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an indication that skipping should cease. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to skip subsets of two or more measurement gap segments for an upcoming M-window, where M is an integer. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to skip subsets of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an indication that skipping should cease. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to receive an indication regarding activation, activating at least one subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by said at least one subset of said plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to receive a fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap.At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to receive fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that a measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The fractional measurement gap configurations also include at least one indication for indicating that different fractional measurement gap segments among the two or more fractional measurement gap segments will be used for each of at least one measurement window timing. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: receive two or more fractional measurement gap configurations from a base station, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments.

[0022] In an example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: (i) transmit a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration to a second apparatus, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates a number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) transmit to the second apparatus an instruction to skip a subset of the two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) activate at least one of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment; and (iv) schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments also includes an indication to skip the timing of a full measurement window. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: transmit at least one downlink control information (DCI), the at least one DCI including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: transmit at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal also includes an indication to skip the timing of an upcoming measurement window. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for an upcoming M windows, where M is an integer. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to: skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur. At least one memory is also configured, together with at least one processor, to enable the device to activate at least one subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments.At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to transmit fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to transmit fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein the fractional measurement gap configurations indicate that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments. The fractional measurement gap configurations also include at least one indication for indicating that different fractional measurement gap segments among the two or more fractional measurement gap segments will be used for each of at least one measurement window timing. At least one memory is further configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to: transmit two or more fractional measurement gap configurations, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments.

[0023] In an example embodiment, a method is provided comprising: (i) receiving a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receiving from the base station an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) receiving an indication regarding activation, activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) transmitting uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segments. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments also includes an indication to skip the entire measurement window timing. The method also includes receiving at least one downlink control information (DCI) including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The method also includes receiving at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal also includes an indication of when to skip an upcoming measurement window. Skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments occurs until the device receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur. The method also includes skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for an upcoming M windows, where M is an integer. The method also includes skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur.

[0024] In an example embodiment, a method is provided, comprising: (i) transmitting a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from one device to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) transmitting to the second device an indication to skip a subset of the two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The indication to skip a subset of the two or more measurement gap segments also includes an indication to skip the entire measurement window timing. The method also includes transmitting at least one downlink control information (DCI) including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The method also includes transmitting at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal also includes an indication of when to skip an upcoming measurement window. Skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments occurs until the device receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur. The method also includes skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for an upcoming M windows, where M is an integer. The method also includes skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur.

[0025] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further includes components for: (i) receiving a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receiving from the base station an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) receiving an indication regarding activation, activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) transmitting uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segments. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments also includes an indication to skip the entire measurement window timing. The apparatus further includes: components for receiving at least one downlink control information (DCI), the at least one DCI including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The apparatus also includes components for receiving at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal further includes an indication of when to skip an upcoming measurement window. Skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments occurs until the apparatus receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur. The apparatus also includes components for skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for M upcoming windows, where M is an integer. The apparatus also includes components for skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the apparatus receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur.

[0026] In an example embodiment, an apparatus further includes components for: (i) transmitting a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from the apparatus to a second apparatus, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) transmitting to the second apparatus an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during at least one measurement window timing and outside of the activated fractional measurement gap segments. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments also includes an indication to skip the entire measurement window timing. The apparatus further includes: components for transmitting at least one downlink control information (DCI), the at least one DCI including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The apparatus also includes components for transmitting at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an indication to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal also includes an indication of when to skip an upcoming measurement window. Skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments occurs until the apparatus receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur. The apparatus also includes components for skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for M upcoming windows, where M is an integer. The apparatus also includes components for skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the apparatus receives an indication that skipping should no longer occur.

[0027] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: (i) receive a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from a base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and divides the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) receive from the base station an instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) receive an instruction regarding activation, activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for measuring at least one reference signal included by at least one fractional measurement gap segment among a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments also includes an instruction to skip the timing of a full measurement window. The computer instructions further include, when executed by the device, causing the device to: receive at least one downlink control information (DCI), the at least one DCI including an instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The computer instructions further include, when executed by the device, causing the device to: receive at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal also includes an instruction to skip the timing of an upcoming measurement window. Skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments occurs until the device receives an instruction that skipping should no longer occur. The computer instructions further include, when executed by the device, causing the device to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for an upcoming M windows, where M is an integer. The computer instructions further include, when executed by the device, causing the device to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an instruction that skipping should no longer occur.

[0028] In an example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes computer instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: (i) transmit a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from the device to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, dividing the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; (ii) transmit to the second device an instruction to skip a subset of the two or more measurement gap segments; (iii) activate at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; and (iv) schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during the at least one measurement window timing and outside the activated fractional measurement gap segment. In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a synchronization signal block (SSB). In one example, the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). In one example, the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing. The instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments also includes an instruction to skip the timing of a full measurement window. The computer instructions also include, when executed by the device, causing the device to: transmit at least one downlink control information (DCI), the at least one DCI including an instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The computer instructions also include, when executed by the device, causing the device to transmit at least one media access control (MAC) control element (CE), the at least one MAC CE including an instruction to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. At least one control signal also includes an instruction to skip the timing of an upcoming measurement window. Skipping a subset of two or more measurement gap segments occurs until the device receives an instruction that skipping should no longer occur. The computer instructions also include, when executed by the device, causing the device to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments for an upcoming M windows, where M is an integer. The computer instructions also include, when executed by the device, causing the device to skip a subset of two or more measurement gap segments until the device receives an instruction that skipping should no longer occur. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described in general terms, and reference will be made below to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: Figure 1 This is a diagram of an example communication system; Figure 2This is a block diagram of an apparatus specifically configured according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 3 It represents the division of fractional measurement intervals within the measurement window; Figure 4 It is a representation of the formula used to determine the index of the measurement gap; Figure 5 It is a formula used to determine the timing of the measurement window; Figure 6 It is a representation of fractional measurement gap division applied to various measurement window timings; Figure 7A It is a representation of the reduced delay in the fractional measurement gap division, where the fractional measurement gap covers the first timing of one or more first time slots used for the reference signal; Figure 7B It is a representation of the reduced delay in the fractional measurement gap division, where the fractional measurement gap covers the second timing of one or more last time slots used for the reference signal; Figure 8 It is shown that such as by Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the process by which the device performs the operation of dividing the gaps for applying fractional measurements; Figure 9 It is shown that such as by Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the process by which the device performs the operation of dividing the gaps for applying fractional measurements; Figure 10 It is shown that such as by Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the process by which the device performs the operation of dividing the gaps for applying fractional measurements; Figure 11 It is shown that such as by Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the process by which the device performs the operation of dividing the gaps for applying fractional measurements; Figure 12 It is shown that such as by Figure 2 A flowchart of the apparatus performing the operation of dividing the gap for applying fractional measurement; and Figure 13 This illustrates an example embodiment of the present disclosure, such as that provided by... Figure 2 The flowchart describes the process by which the device performs the operation of dividing the gaps for applying fractional measurement. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Some embodiments of this disclosure will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate some, but not all, of the embodiments of this disclosure. In fact, various embodiments of this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein; rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The same reference numerals throughout refer to the same elements. As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information,” and similar terms are used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received, and / or stored according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the use of any such terms should not be construed as limiting the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0031] Additionally, as used herein, the term "circuit" means (a) a hardware circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) a combination of a circuit and (multiple) computer program products, the computer program products comprising software and / or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media, which work together to enable a device to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) a circuit, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions thereof, which require software or firmware to operate even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term herein, including in any claim. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and / or portions thereof, along with accompanying software and / or firmware. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also includes, for example, baseband integrated circuits or application processor integrated circuits for mobile phones, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, other network devices (such as core network devices), field-programmable gate arrays, and / or other computing devices.

[0032] Figure 1 An example of a communication system 10 in which example embodiments can be deployed is depicted. Figure 1 The system can be used for a variety of applications. For example, the communication system 10 may include at least one core network 12, at least one base station 14 (e.g., gNB, NodeB, etc.) and / or at least one user equipment 16 (16a, b, ... N) (e.g., user equipment (UE), radio equipment, user terminal, terminal equipment, etc.).

[0033] exist Figure 1In this configuration, User Equipment 16a and User Equipment 16b are configured to wirelessly connect to an Access Node (such as a NodeB) 14 providing the cell on one or more communication channels within the cell. The physical link from the User Equipment to the NodeB is referred to as an uplink or reverse link, while the physical link from the NodeB to the User Equipment is referred to as a downlink or forward link. It should be understood that a NodeB, or its functionality, can be implemented using any node, host, server, or access point (AP) and / or other entities suitable for this purpose.

[0034] Communication systems typically include more than one NodeB, which can also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links can be used for signaling purposes. A NodeB is a computing device configured to control the resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. A NodeB can also be referred to as a base station, access point, or any other type of interface device, including relay stations capable of operating in a wireless environment.

[0035] User equipment illustrates a type of apparatus to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and therefore any features of user equipment described herein can be used with corresponding apparatuses (such as...). Figure 2 This is achieved through a device.

[0036] User equipment (UE) generally refers to portable computing devices that include wireless mobile communication devices with or without a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, devices using wireless modems (such as alarm or measuring devices), laptops and / or touchscreen computers, tablets, game consoles, laptops, and multimedia devices. It should be understood that UE can also be a virtually exclusive uplink-only device, an example of which is a camera or camcorder that loads images or video clips onto a network. UE can also be a device capable of operating in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, a scenario in which the ability to transmit data over a network to objects is provided without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction is required. UE is configured to perform one or more UE functions. UE may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, or user equipment (UE), with only a few names or devices mentioned here.

[0037] While the example embodiments can be deployed in various types of communication systems, this document describes 5G communication systems by way of example and not limitation, and the methods and apparatus of the example embodiments can be used in conjunction with other communication systems, such as 5G-Advanced, 6G, etc. 5G enables the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites that cooperate with smaller stations and employ various radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases, and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different data sharing methods, and various forms of machine-type applications, including vehicle safety, different sensors, and real-time control. 5G can have various radio interfaces, namely sub-6 GHz, centimeter waves, and millimeter waves, and can also be integrated with existing legacy radio access technologies such as LTE. Integration with LTE can be implemented, at least initially, as a system where macro coverage is provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access is obtained from small cells through aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G is planned to support inter-RAT interoperability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI interoperability (inter-radio interface interoperability, such as sub-6GHz with centimeter wave, and sub-6GHz with centimeter wave with millimeter wave). One of the concepts thought to be used in 5G networks is network slicing, where multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnetworks (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0038] The current architecture in LTE networks is entirely distributed across radios and entirely centralized in the core network. Low-latency applications and services in 5G require bringing content closer to the radio, leading to local outages and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analytics and knowledge generation to occur at the data source. This approach requires leveraging resources that may not be discontinuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for hosting applications and services. It also has the ability to store and process content near cellular subscribers for faster response times. Edge computing encompasses a wide range of technologies, such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analytics, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer self-organizing networking and processing, and can also be categorized as local cloud / fog computing and grid / grid computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, micro-cloud, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, the Internet of Things (IoT) (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), and critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, and healthcare applications).

[0039] The communication system 10 is also capable of communicating with other networks such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilizing services provided by them. The communication network 10 is also capable of supporting the use of cloud services; for example, at least a portion of the core network operation can be performed as a cloud service. The communication system may also include a central control entity, etc., which provides facilities for different operators' networks to collaborate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0040] Edge cloud can be brought into the radio access network (RAN) by leveraging Network Functions Virtualization (NVF) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Using edge cloud can mean at least partially performing access node operations in servers, hosts, or nodes operatively coupled to a remote radio head or base station, including the radio portion. Node operations can also be distributed across multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. The application of cloudRAN architecture enables the execution of real-time RAN functions on the RAN side and the centralized execution of non-real-time functions.

[0041] It should also be understood that the labor distribution between core network operations and base station operations may differ from, or even not exist, in LTE. Some other technological advancements that can be used are big data and all-IP, which can change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or New Radio (NR)) networks are designed to support multiple hierarchical structures, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and base stations or nodeBs (gNBs). It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0042] 5G can also leverage satellite communications to enhance or supplement 5G service coverage, for example, by providing backhaul. Possible use cases include providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on transportation, or ensuring the availability of critical communications and future rail / sea / air communications. Satellite communications can utilize geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but can also utilize low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, particularly mega-constellations (systems deploying hundreds of (nanometer) satellites). Each satellite in a mega-constellation can cover a network entity of several supporting satellites that create a terrestrial cell. Terrestrial cells can be created via ground-based relay nodes or by gNBs located on the ground or in satellites.

[0043] The system described is only one of the systems that can be deployed. Figure 1This is an example of a radio access system as part of System 10, and in practice, the system may include multiple NodeBs, user equipment may access multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. At least one of the NodeBs may be a home NodeB. Additionally, multiple different types of radio cells and multiple radio cells may be provided within the geographical area of ​​the radio communication system. Radio cells may be macrocells (or umbrella cells), which are large cells typically with diameters up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells such as microcells, femtocells, or picocells. Figure 1 A NodeB can provide any type of cell. Cellular radio systems can be implemented as multi-layered networks comprising several types of cells. Typically, in a multi-layered network, one access node provides one type of cell, thus requiring multiple NodeBs to provide this network structure.

[0044] To meet the need for improved deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug-and-play" NodeBs was introduced. Typically, in addition to home NodeBs (HnodeBs), networks capable of using "plug-and-play" NodeBs also include home NodeB gateways or HNB-GWs. HNB gateways (HNB-GWs), typically installed within the operator's network, can aggregate traffic from a large number of HNBs back to the core network. Although... Figure 1 An example communication system 10 in which an example embodiment can be deployed is described, but systems of other example embodiments can be deployed in other types of systems, whether for supporting communication or otherwise.

[0045] Figure 2 An example of an apparatus 20 that can be configured to function as a core network 12, a base station 14, and / or a user equipment 16 is depicted. Figure 2 As shown, the device includes, is associated with, or communicates with processing circuitry 22, memory 24, and communication interface 26. The processing circuitry may communicate with the memory device via a bus for transferring information between components of the device. The memory device may be non-transitory and may include, for example, one or more volatile and / or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the memory device may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium) including gates configured to store data (e.g., bits) that can be retrieved by a machine (e.g., a computing device, such as processing circuitry). The memory device may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, etc., for enabling the device to perform various functions according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For example, the memory device may be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processing circuitry. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device may be configured to store instructions for execution by the processing circuitry.

[0046] Figure 2 Examples of simplified block diagrams of apparatuses according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown, and the implementation of the apparatus may differ from that shown. Figure 2 The connections shown are logical connections; the actual physical connections may differ. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the system typically includes, in addition to... Figure 2 Other functions and structures besides those shown.

[0047] In some embodiments, device 20 may be embodied in various computing devices as described above. However, in some embodiments, the device may be embodied as a chip or chipset. In other words, the device may include one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) that include materials, components, and / or wires on structural components (e.g., substrates). The structural components may provide physical strength, size savings, and / or electrical interaction constraints for the component circuitry included thereon. Thus, in some cases, the device may be configured to implement embodiments of this disclosure on a single chip or as a single “system-on-a-chip.” Thus, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute components for performing one or more operations to provide the functions described herein.

[0048] The processing circuitry 22 can be implemented in a variety of different ways. For example, the processing circuitry can be embodied as one or more of various hardware processing components, such as a coprocessor, microprocessor, controller, digital signal processor (DSP), processing element with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other circuits including integrated circuits, such as, for example, ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), microcontroller unit (MCU), hardware accelerator, dedicated computer chip, etc. Thus, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry 22 may include one or more processing cores configured to execute independently. Multi-core processing circuitry can implement multiple processing within a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processing circuitry may include one or more processors configured in series via a bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelines, and / or multiple threads.

[0049] In an example embodiment, processing circuitry 22 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory device 24 or otherwise accessible to processing circuitry. Alternatively or additionally, processing circuitry may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. Thus, whether configured by hardware or software methods or a combination thereof, processing circuitry may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to embodiments of this disclosure when appropriately configured. Thus, for example, when processing circuitry is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA, etc., processing circuitry may be hardware specifically configured to perform the operations described herein. Alternatively or additionally, as another example, when processing circuitry is embodied as an executor of instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein when executing the instructions. However, in some cases, processing circuitry 22 may be a processor of a particular device (e.g., an image or video processing system) configured to employ embodiments of this disclosure by further configuring processing circuitry with instructions for performing the algorithms and / or operations described herein. Processing circuitry 22 may include a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and logic gates configured to support the operations of processing circuitry.

[0050] Communication interface 26 can be any component, such as a device or circuit embodied in hardware or a combination of hardware and software, configured to receive and / or transmit data, including media content in the form of video or image files, one or more audio tracks, etc. In this regard, the communication interface may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and / or software for enabling communication with a wireless communication network. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface may include circuitry for interacting with the antenna(s) to transmit signals via or process signals received via the antenna(s). In some environments, the communication interface may alternatively or also support wired communication. Thus, for example, the communication interface may include a communication modem and / or other hardware / software for supporting communication via cable, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Universal Serial Bus (USB), or other mechanisms.

[0051] Now for reference Figure 3 This provides a representation of the fractional measurement gap division within the measurement window. The fractional measurement gap configuration can indicate that the measurement gap will be divided into N segments, where N is an integer (e.g., greater than 1). Figure 3 In the examples, the segments are shown as having equal sizes; however, they can have equal and / or different sizes. For example, if N=4, four segments can be used for a single measurement window timing (e.g., SMTC timing). In some examples, the fractional measurement gaps can overlap each other within the measurement window timing, such as... Figure 3As shown. For example, this overlap may occur due to the additional time allowed for user devices (e.g., UE, wireless devices, etc.) to retune to their center frequency and / or adjust their radio frequency (RF) settings to perform the measurement before and / or after the reference signal measurement.

[0052] In some examples, skipping fraction measurement gap segments can offer advantages in further leveraging the trade-off between scheduling and RRM measurement opportunities. Figure 3 In the example, the measurement window timing for the complete measurement gap can be subdivided into four fractional gaps of the measurement window timing. In this example, the four fractional gaps are designed to have some overlap between each segment of the measurement window timing.

[0053] By defining the structure of fractional measurement gaps, the dynamic scheme for network control to skip measurement gaps (described further herein) can be extended to include information in control signaling (e.g., DCI, MAC-CE) skip commands to explicitly indicate to the user equipment which fractional measurement gaps to skip. In an example of masked Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration masking, the user equipment can prioritize scheduling over RRM measurements, which can be configured such that fractional measurement gaps overlapping with the RRC mask used for scheduling priority are skipped. RRC can be used to inform the user equipment to cycle through different fractional measurement gaps (e.g., one by one) within different measurement window timings, such that after a certain number of measurement window timings (e.g., four SMTC timings), the user equipment may have performed measurements during one or more (e.g., up to all) of the fractional measurement gaps, equivalent to having measured the entire measurement window timing.

[0054] Now for reference Figure 4 This provides a formula for determining the index of the measurement gap. Different fractional measurement gaps can be used for different parts of the measurement window timing. To determine the index of the fractional measurement gap, a formula based on... Figure 4 The mathematical operations of the formula. In some examples, the base station determines the index of the fractional measurement gap. In some examples, the base station signals the index of the fractional measurement gap to the user equipment. Figure 4 In the example: n_gap is the index of the fraction measurement gap, n_SMTC is the index of the measurement window timing (e.g., the SMTC timing), N is the total number of fraction measurement gap subdivisions, and mod(a,b) is the modulo operation between a and b (where a = n_SMTC and b = N). To determine n_SMTC, another quantity may be relied upon, as discussed in this paper. Figure 5 As stated above.

[0055] Now for reference Figure 5This provides a formula for determining the index of the measurement window timing. In some examples, the base station determines the index of the measurement window timing. In some examples, the base station signals the index of the measurement window timing to the user equipment. When n_SMTC is the index of the measurement window timing (e.g., the SMTC timing), the system frame number (SFN) can be used to determine n_SMTC. Figure 5 In the example: n_SMTC is the index of the measurement window timing (e.g., SMTC timing), SFN is the system frame number, SMTC period is the period of the measurement window timing (e.g., SMTC timing), and mod(a, b) is the modulo operation between a and b (where a = SFN and b = SMTC period).

[0056] Now for reference Figure 6 It provides a representation of fractional measurement gap divisions applicable to various measurement window timings. Figure 6 Examples can illustrate how it can be used in practice. Figure 3 Example. In Figure 6 The example illustrates four consecutive measurement window timings (e.g., SMTC timings). However, based on this example (and / or any other example described herein), any number of measurement window timings (e.g., any number of consecutive measurement window timings) can be used. For one or more measurement window timings, one or more corresponding fractional measurement gaps can be used. For example, fractional measurement gap 1 can be used for the first measurement window timing, fractional measurement gap 2 can be used for the second measurement window timing, fractional measurement gap 3 can be used for the third measurement window timing, fractional measurement gap 4 can be used for the fourth measurement window timing, and so on. This pattern can be based on... Figure 4 and / or Figure 5 The rules (e.g., formulas) are applied to various architectures.

[0057] exist Figure 6 In the example, for at least one measurement window timing, a first portion of the at least one measurement window timing may be used for data transmission and / or a second portion of the at least one measurement window timing may be used for measurement (e.g., RRM measurement). In one example, the first portion of the at least one measurement window timing may be approximately 75% of the at least one measurement window timing and / or the second portion of the at least one measurement window timing may be approximately 25% of the at least one measurement window timing.

[0058] In some examples, when combining measurement information from any number of measurement window moments (e.g., any number of consecutive measurement window moments), the user equipment may collect a portion (e.g., up to all) of one or more SSB indices included within any number of measurement window moments.

[0059] Figures 7A-7BThe diagram illustrates a representation of the delay reduction in fractional measurement gap divisions where the fractional measurement gaps cover one or more time slots used for the reference signal at various points. Figures 7A-7B A continuous time-slot sequence is shown, with some slots used for downlink (D) transmission and others for uplink (U) transmission. Some D slots contain SSBs, which user equipment can use for RRM measurements. Figures 7A-7B In this example, data arrival may enable the network (e.g., base station, gNB, etc.) to send control signaling (e.g., DCI, MAC-CE, etc.) for scheduling user equipment in the last downlink (D) time slot before the start of the measurement gap. In this example, the measurement gap is divided into two fractional measurement gaps, although it can be divided into any number of fractional measurement gaps.

[0060] Now for reference Figure 7A This provides a representation of the delay reduction in the fractional measurement gap division, where the fractional measurement gap covers the first timing of one or more first time slots used for the reference signal. Figure 7A In this example, data arrival can occur at the gNB before (e.g., immediately before) the first of two fractional measurement gaps used during the measurement gap timing. In this example, the DCI can be transmitted in the last DL time slot before the fractional measurement gap, and / or the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) can be scheduled in the S time slot after the fractional measurement gap (e.g., immediately after and / or shortly after the fractional measurement gap). In this example, the scheduling delay can be reduced to, for example, six time slots. For example, if the overlap between the two fractional measurement gaps is small (e.g., approximately a few symbols), the user equipment can be scheduled in the SSB time slot before the S time slot.

[0061] Now for reference Figure 7B This provides a representation of the delay reduction in the fractional measurement gap division, where the fractional measurement gap covers one or more of the last time slots of the reference signal in a second timing manner. Figure 7B In this example, data arrival can occur at gNB before the start of the second fractional measurement gap out of two fractional measurement gaps. In this example, a portion of the measurement gap (e.g., approximately the first half of the measurement gap) is available for scheduling, in which case the scheduling delay can be reduced to, for example, three time slots. In this instance, this reduction is essentially equivalent to the absence of any additional delay due to the measurement gap.

[0062] exist Figures 7A-7BIn the example, if fractional measurement gaps are used, the scheduling effect of measurement gaps can be reduced from five additional time slots to a range from zero to three time slots (e.g., zero time slots, zero time slots or more time slots, three or fewer time slots, three time slots, etc.).

[0063] In some examples, the user equipment may be configured with, for example, one or more alternating fractional measurement gap patterns, such that at least one fractional measurement gap may have a period of approximately N times that of a full measurement gap (e.g., when N=2, the period of the measurement gap segment is 80 ms compared to the period of a full measurement gap of 40 ms). In some examples, the start of the alternating fractional measurement gap patterns may be offset relative to each other by a portion of the fractional measurement gap period (e.g., half of the fractional measurement gap period), such that different fractional measurement gaps alternate. In some examples, the fractional measurement gap may be defined based on an initial offset and / or duration relative to an initial time slot, for example, based on the period. In some examples, the fractional measurement gap may be, for example, determined as two or more independent fractional measurement gap patterns having a periodic additional offset and / or a time slot offset relative to the start of the fractional measurement gap.

[0064] In some examples, the definition of a fractional measurement gap pattern can be used for schemes that dynamically skip measurement gaps with network control, such as via control signaling from the gNB to the user equipment (e.g., DCI signaling, MAC-CE signaling, etc.). In some examples, the control signaling for skipping measurement gaps can indicate whether to skip the entire measurement gap (e.g., measurement window timing) and / or whether to skip a subset of fractional measurement gaps (e.g., at least one predefined fractional measurement gap). The gNB can know before the scheduling window begins whether scheduling is successful or whether the gNB needs to schedule the user equipment in what would otherwise be an upcoming "scheduling constraint window". In examples of DCI-based signaling, the user equipment may have been configured with periodic RRM measurements that cause scheduling constraints. Before one of these scheduling constraints, the gNB can decide to send a DCI to notify the user equipment to skip the upcoming scheduling constraint window, thereby allowing the gNB to also schedule the user equipment during that window.

[0065] In an example of a dynamic indication that includes skipping a gap due to scheduling constraints, the transmission of a skip command (e.g., via control signaling such as DCI and / or MAC-CE) can occur before the start of a measurement gap that is otherwise configured, allowing the user device to react and skip the measurement gap.

[0066] In one example, the gNB can configure a time mask for the user equipment (UE) in which it schedules data transmissions. For example, if this mask conflicts with a window of scheduling constraints, the scheduling constraints can be skipped. The signaling used to enable this functionality can be RRC signaling. For example, the UE can be configured with a mask of a window in which it can prioritize scheduling (e.g., skipping potential RRM measurements that might lead to scheduling constraints). The gNB can configure such a mask for the UE according to the expected arrival time of frames (e.g., extended reality (XR) video frames) and / or the expected time for scheduling these frames, which may include potential uncertainties, such as those due to jitter variations. In one example, for instance, if one or more (e.g., two) RRM measurement timings with scheduling constraints overlap with a mask of a window that the UE can prioritize scheduling (e.g., configured by the gNB for the UE), one or more RRM measurement timings can be skipped.

[0067] In the example, user equipment (UE) can autonomously skip measurement gaps (e.g., UE autonomous fractional measurement gap skipping). For example, if scheduling activity (e.g., intensive scheduling activity) already exists before the start of a scheduling constraint window (e.g., measurement window timing), further scheduling may be beneficial. The UE can autonomously determine whether it can skip the next scheduling constraint window and / or a portion of the scheduling window. Such autonomous determination may include the UE prioritizing decoding of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and / or Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) transmissions, thereby effectively skipping the scheduling constraint window and / or fractional scheduling window. For example, if more than N DCIs are received in T seconds before the start of the next scheduling constraint window and / or fractional scheduling constraint window, the UE can skip the window and / or fraction of the scheduling constraint (RRM measurement). In another example, for example, if UE feedback has already been transmitted before the scheduling constraint window, the UE can autonomously skip measurement gaps and / or fractional measurement gaps.

[0068] Figures 8-13 This is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed to configure, apply, and utilize fractional measurement gap division. Now refer to... Figure 8 It provides examples such as those shown by Figure 2The flowchart illustrates the apparatus performing operations to apply fractional measurement gap (FMG) segmentation. In the example flowchart, a user equipment (e.g., UE, wireless device, etc.) can be configured with a FMG. As shown in box 80, the user equipment can receive a FMG configuration from a base station (e.g., network, gNB, etc.). The FMG configuration can indicate the number of segments, based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more FMG segments. The example apparatus also includes components for receiving the FMG configuration, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. The FMG configuration and / or its reception can be performed as described above. Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0069] As shown in box 82, the user equipment can receive an indication of activation for at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments at at least one measurement window timing (e.g., SMTC timing) for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components such as processing circuitry 22 for receiving an indication of activation of at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. Receiving the indication of activation of the fractional measurement gap segment can be as follows: Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0070] As shown in box 84, the user equipment can transmit uplink and / or downlink data during the measurement window and / or outside the activated fractional measurement interval segment. The example apparatus also includes components such as processing circuitry 22 for transmitting uplink and / or downlink data outside the activated fractional measurement interval segment. Uplink and / or downlink data transmission can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0071] Now for reference Figure 9 It provides examples such as those shown by Figure 2The flowchart illustrates the apparatus performing operations to apply fractional measurement gap (FMG) segmentation. In the example flowchart, a network (e.g., a base station, gNB) can configure the FMG. As shown in box 90, the network can transmit the FMG configuration to a second device (e.g., to a user equipment), where the FMG configuration indicates the number of segments based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more FMG segments. The example apparatus also includes components for transmitting the FMG configuration, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. The FMG configuration and / or its transmission can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0072] As shown in box 92, the network can activate at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing (e.g., SMTC timing) to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components for activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments, such as processing circuitry 22, etc. The activation of the fractional measurement gap segment can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0073] As shown in box 94, the network can schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during at least one measurement window and / or outside of an active fractional measurement interval segment. The example apparatus also includes components for scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling, such as processing circuitry 22. The scheduling of one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0074] Now for reference Figure 10 It provides examples such as those shown by Figure 2The apparatus described herein executes a flowchart of operations to apply fractional measurement gap (FMG) partitioning. In the example flowchart, a user equipment (e.g., UE, wireless device, etc.) may be configured with FMGs. As shown in box 100, the user equipment may receive a FMG configuration from a base station, wherein the FMG configuration indicates the FMG length, FMG repetition period, and number of FMG segments, wherein the index of the FMG to be used is determined based on the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of FMG segments. The example apparatus also includes components for receiving the FMG configuration, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. The FMG length, FMG repetition period, number of FMG segments, index of the FMG to be used, index of the measurement window timing, total number of FMG segments, and / or other quantities (e.g., SFN) may be as described herein. Figure 4-5 And / or any other example described herein.

[0075] As shown in box 102, the user equipment can receive an activation instruction that activates at least one of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments at a time of at least one measurement window for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components, such as processing circuitry 22, for receiving an activation instruction for at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. Receiving the activation instruction for the fractional measurement gap segment can be as follows: Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0076] As shown in box 104, the user equipment can transmit uplink and / or downlink data during measurement window timings (e.g., SMTC timings) and / or outside of activated fractional measurement interval segments. The example apparatus also includes components for transmitting uplink and / or downlink data, such as processing circuitry 22, etc. Uplink and / or downlink data transmission can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0077] Now for reference Figure 11 It provides examples such as those shown by Figure 2The flowchart illustrates the operation of a device to apply fractional measurement gap (FMG) partitioning. In the example flowchart, a network (e.g., a base station, gNB) can configure the FMG. As shown in box 110, the network can transmit the FMG configuration to a second device (e.g., a user equipment), wherein the FMG configuration indicates the FMG length, FMG repetition period, and number of FMG segments, wherein the index of the FMG to be used is determined based on the index of the measurement window timing and the total number of FMG segments. The example device also includes components for receiving the FMG configuration, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. The FMG length, FMG repetition period, number of FMG segments, index of the FMG to be used, index of the measurement window timing, total number of FMG segments, and / or other quantities (e.g., SFN) can be as described herein. Figures 4-5 And / or any other example described herein.

[0078] As shown in box 112, the network can activate at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components for activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments, such as processing circuitry 22, etc. The activation of the fractional measurement gap segment can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0079] As shown in box 114, the network can schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during at least one measurement window and / or outside of an active fractional measurement interval segment. The example apparatus also includes components for scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling, such as processing circuitry 22. The scheduling of one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0080] Now for reference Figure 12 It provides examples such as those shown by Figure 2The flowchart illustrates the apparatus performing operations to apply fractional measurement gap (FMG) segmentation. In the example flowchart, a user equipment (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, etc.) can be configured with a FMG. As shown in box 120, the user equipment can receive a FMG configuration from a base station, where the FMG configuration indicates the number of segments based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more FMG segments. The example apparatus also includes components for receiving the FMG configuration, such as processing circuitry 22, a communication interface 26, etc. The FMG configuration and / or its reception can be performed as described above. Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0081] As shown in box 122, the user equipment can receive from the base station an indication to skip at least a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components for receiving the indication to skip at least a subset of two or more measurement gap segments, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. Skipping at least a subset of one or more measurement gaps and / or its configuration can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 As described. Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0082] As shown in box 124, the user equipment can receive an indication of activation that activates at least a subset of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components, such as processing circuitry 22, for receiving an indication of activation of at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. Receiving the indication of activation of the fractional measurement gap segment can be as follows: Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0083] As shown in box 126, the user equipment can provide uplink and / or downlink data transmission during measurement window timings (e.g., SMTC timings) and / or outside of active fractional measurement interval segments. The example apparatus also includes components for transmitting uplink and / or downlink data, such as processing circuitry 22, etc. Uplink and / or downlink data transmission can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0084] Now for reference Figure 13It provides examples such as those shown by Figure 2 The flowchart illustrates the apparatus performing operations to apply fractional measurement gap (FMG) segmentation. In the example flowchart, a network (e.g., a base station, gNB) can configure the FMG. As shown in box 130, the network can transmit the FMG configuration to a second device (e.g., a user equipment), where the FMG configuration indicates the number of segments, based on which the measurement gap is divided into two or more FMG segments. The example apparatus also includes components for transmitting the FMG configuration, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. The FMG configuration and / or its transmission can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0085] As shown in box 132, the network can transmit to the second device an indication regarding skipping at least a subset of two or more measurement gap segments. The example device also includes components for transmitting the indication of skipping at least a subset of two or more measurement gap segments, such as processing circuitry 22, communication interface 26, etc. Skipping at least a subset of one or more measurement gaps and / or its configuration can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 As described. Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0086] As shown in box 134, the network can activate at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for at least one measurement window timing to measure at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments. The example apparatus also includes components for activating at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments, such as processing circuitry 22, etc. The activation of the fractional measurement gap segment can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0087] As shown in box 136, the network can schedule one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling during at least one measurement window and / or outside of an active fractional measurement interval segment. The example apparatus also includes components for scheduling one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling, such as processing circuitry 22. The scheduling of one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling can be as described regarding... Figure 3 , Figure 6 , Figures 7A-7B And / or any other example described herein.

[0088] As described above, a method and apparatus for configuring the fraction measurement gap are disclosed, wherein the apparatus may be device 20, and the method may be... Figures 8-13 Any of the methods. By providing reduced measurement gap scheduling impact, such as in extended reality (XR) applications, devices can enjoy reduced latency.

[0089] Appendix Figures 8-13 A flowchart depicting a method according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart and combinations of blocks in the flowchart can be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, processors, circuitry, and / or other communication devices associated with the execution of software including one or more computer program instructions. For example, one or more of the processes described above can be embodied by computer program instructions. In this regard, computer program instructions embodying the processes described above can be stored by a memory device of an apparatus employing embodiments of the present disclosure and executed by a processor. As will be understood, any such computer program instructions can be loaded onto a computer or other programmable device (e.g., hardware) to produce a machine, such that the resulting computer or other programmable device performs the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct the computer or other programmable device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of art, the execution of which performs the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable device to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable device provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.

[0090] Therefore, the boxes in a flowchart support combinations of components used to perform a specified function, as well as combinations of operations used to perform the specified function. It will also be understood that one or more boxes in a flowchart, and combinations of boxes in a flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based computer system or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions that performs the specified function.

[0091] With the help of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will conceive of many modifications and other embodiments set forth herein. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

[0092] Furthermore, while the foregoing description and related figures describe certain exemplary embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be understood that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, combinations of elements and / or functions different from those explicitly described above are also contemplated as being set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terminology is used herein, it is used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for limiting purposes.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to perform at least the following: Receive fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and divide the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; Receive an instruction regarding activation, the activation being performed at least one of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments at at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; as well as Uplink and / or downlink data are transmitted during the measurement window and outside the activated fractional measurement interval segment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises a synchronization signal block (SSB).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement window timing includes the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: receive an instruction regarding activation, the activation being to activate at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for a specified measurement window timing, for measuring the at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: receive the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: receive the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to enable the apparatus to use different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: receive two or more fractional measurement gap configurations from the base station, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and to divide the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the two or more fractional measurement gaps are configured to alternate such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to: use a first portion of the at least one measurement window timing for data transmission, the first portion not overlapping with an activated fractional measurement gap segment, and use a second portion of the at least one measurement window for radio resource management (RRM) measurements, the second portion overlapping with an activated fractional measurement gap segment timing.

12. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to perform at least the following: The fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration is transmitted to the second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; For at least one measurement window timing, at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments is activated for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; as well as During the at least one measurement window and outside the activated fractional measurement interval segment, one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling are scheduled.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises a synchronization signal block (SSB).

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one reference signal includes a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one measurement window timing includes a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to enable the apparatus to: activate at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for measuring the at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments at the at least one measurement window timing.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: transmit the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fractional measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fractional measurement gap.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: transmit the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to enable the apparatus to use different segments of the fractional measurement gap for each measurement window timing.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: transmit two or more fractional measurement gap configurations to the second apparatus, wherein each of the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates a number of segments, and to divide the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the two or more fractional measurement gaps are configured to alternate such that each fractional measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fractional measurement gap.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory is further configured, together with the at least one processor, to instruct the apparatus to: instruct the second apparatus to use a first portion of the at least one measurement window timing for data transmission, and to use a second portion of the at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

23. A method comprising: Receive fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration from base station, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and divide the measurement gap into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; Receive an instruction regarding activation, the activation being performed at least one of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments at at least one measurement window timing, for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; as well as Uplink and / or downlink data are transmitted during the measurement window and outside the activated fractional measurement interval segment.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises a synchronization signal block (SSB).

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one measurement window timing includes the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising: Receive an instruction regarding activation, said activation being, for the at least one measurement window timing, activating at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments for measuring the at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising: Receive the fraction measurement gap configuration, wherein the fraction measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fraction measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fraction measurement gap.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising: Receive the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising: For each measurement window, different segments of the measurement gap are used.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising: The base station receives two or more fractional measurement gap configurations, each of which indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the two or more fraction measurement gap configurations are configured to alternate such that each fraction measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fraction measurement gap.

33. The method of claim 23, further comprising: The first portion of the at least one measurement window is used for data transmission, and the second portion of the at least one measurement window is used for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

34. A method comprising: The device transmits a fractional measurement gap (FMG) configuration to a second device, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments; For at least one measurement window timing, at least one fractional measurement gap segment of a plurality of fractional measurement gap segments is activated for measuring at least one reference signal included by the at least one fractional measurement gap segment of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments; as well as During the at least one measurement window and outside the activated fractional measurement interval segment, one or more uplink and / or downlink transmission signaling are scheduled.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises a synchronization signal block (SSB).

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one reference signal comprises a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one measurement window timing includes the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) timing.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising: For the at least one measurement window timing, at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments is activated for measuring the at least one reference signal included by the at least one subset of the plurality of fractional measurement gap segments.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising: Transmit the fraction measurement gap configuration, wherein the fraction measurement gap configuration indicates that at least one first fraction measurement gap overlaps with at least one second fraction measurement gap.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising: Transmit the fractional measurement gap configuration, wherein the fractional measurement gap configuration indicates that the measurement gap will be divided into two or more segments.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising: For each measurement window, different segments of the measurement gap are used.

42. The method of claim 34, further comprising: Two or more fractional measurement gap configurations are transmitted to the second device, wherein each fractional measurement gap configuration in the two or more fractional measurement gap configurations indicates the number of segments, and the measurement gap is divided into two or more fractional measurement gap segments based on the number of segments.

43. The method of claim 34, wherein the two or more fraction measurement gap configurations are configured to alternate such that each fraction measurement gap segment comprises approximately N times the periodicity of the complete fraction measurement gap.

44. The method of claim 34, further comprising: The second device is instructed to use a first portion of the at least one measurement window timing for data transmission and a second portion of the at least one measurement window timing for radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

Images