Devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for early measurements

Abstract

Disclosed are devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for early measurements. A terminal device configured with early measurement reporting (EMR) and enhanced early measurement repo

Description

[001] Various example embodiments relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for early measurements. BACKGROUND

[002] Measurements during idle / inactive mode may be also called as early measurements or measurements for early measurement reporting (EMR), which are specified for example in release (Rei-) 15 for long term evolution (LTE) and in Rei-16 new radio (NR). EMR framework allows network to configure a user equipment (UE) to perform measurements of specific carriers in idle / inactive mode and report the results to the network when coming back to radio resource control (RRC) connected mode. A timer has been defined for the EMR, and when the timer is running, the UE is configured to perform measurements for the EMR. The timer may be referred to as T331. In Rel-18, enhanced EMR (eEMR) is introduced. According to eEMR framework, a UE may use previously obtained measurements, and / or perform new measurements starting from RRC setup / RRC resume procedure, e.g. starting from random access procedure towards the network or reception of paging message from the network. SUMMARY

[003] A brief summary of exemplary embodiments is provided below to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or define scopes of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a preamble for a more detailed description provided below.

[004] In a first aspect, disclosed is a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the terminal device at least to perform: receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running; and determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[005] In a second aspect, disclosed is a network device. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the network device at least to perform: transmitting to a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[006] In a third aspect, disclosed is a method performed by a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting. The method may comprise: receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running; and determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[007] In a fourth aspect, disclosed is a method performed by a network device. The method may comprise: transmitting to a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[008] In a fifth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting may comprise: means for receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running; and means for determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[009] In a sixth aspect, disclosed is an apparatus. The apparatus as a network device may comprise: means for transmitting to a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may comprise program instructions that, when executed by a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, may cause the terminal device at least to perform: receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running; and determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer readable medium may comprise program instructions that, when executed by a network device, cause the network device at least to perform: transmitting to a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the example embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for the early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C show exemplary scenarios to which some embodiments may be implemented.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary scenario to which some embodiments may be implemented.

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 600 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 700 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 800 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 900 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Throughout the drawings, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements. A repetitive description on the same elements would be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Herein below, some example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known circuits, techniques and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the described concepts and features.

[0025] In a case where a UE that supports Rel-16 EMR and Rel-18 eEMR is simultaneously configured with both Rel-18 eEMR and Rel-16 EMR, some of the measurements for the Rel-16 EMR may waste UE resources since the UE is configured to perform unnecessary measurements for the Rel-16 EMR during idle / inactive mode as long as the T331 timer is running.

[0026] Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide an additional indication for a timer such as the timer T331, so that the network can indicate the operation of the timer. Thus, unnecessary measurements for the Rel-16 EMR during idle / inactive mode can be avoided and the UE power may be saved.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary sequence diagram for the early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to the FIG. 1, a UE 110 may represent any terminal device capable of supporting both the EMR and the eEMR and configured with both the EMR and the eEMR in a wireless network. For example, EMR configuration may be referred to as a first configuration and eEMR configuration may be referred to as a second configuration. The second configuration may be associated with a more recent release of a 3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP, standard than the first configuration. A network device 160 and a network device 170 may represent the network side of the wireless network. The network device 160 may function as a primary cell (PCell) serving the UE 110. For example, the network device 160 can support the Rel-16 EMR but cannot support the Rel-18 eEMR. For example, the network device 160 can support the first configuration associated with an earlier release but cannot support the second configuration associated with more recent release than the earlier release. The network device 170 may function as an inter-frequency carrier aggregation (CA) or dual connectivity (DC) target secondary cell (SCell) to serve the UE 110. For example, the network device 170 can support at least the Rel-18 (and / or beyond) eEMR. For example, the network device 170 can support both Rel-16 EMR and Rel-18 eEMR. For example, the network device 170 can support at least the second configuration associated with more recent release (e.g. Rel-18 and / or beyond) than the earlier release (e.g. Rel-16). The network device 160 and the network device 170 may associate with an identical base station (BS) or different BSs. The BS may be for example, an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation node B (gNB), etc.

[0028] Let us consider that initially the UE 110 is in RRC connected mode with the network device 160. Before or when the connection is released, the network device may transmit to the UE 110 a carrier configuration 162 and an additional indication 164 for a timer 166. The UE 110 is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer 166 is running, and the timer 166 may be e.g. the timer T331. The timer T331 may be mandatory for Rel-16 EMR. The additional indication 164 for the timer 166 may be transmitted via e.g. the field meas!dleDuration-rl6 or meas!dleDuration-rl8. For example, the additional indication for the timer may be referred to as T331 extension indication, TEI. For example, the additional indication for the timer may be transmitted in RRC signalling, e.g. in a connection release message. The connection release message may comprise, e.g. carrier configuration 162, the additional indication 164 for the timer 166. The connection release message may be, for example, RRCRelease message.

[0029] The UE 110 is configured to connect to the network device 170 for CA or DC, when entering into idle or inactive mode, in an operation 115, the UE 110 may determine operation of the timer 166 at least based on the additional indication 164 for the timer 166.

[0030] According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the additional indication 164 may include at least one of the following: an indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer 166 by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer 166; or an indication allowing the UE 110 to ignore the timer 166.

[0031] In some embodiments, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166, if in an operation 120, the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, and / or if in an operation 122, the UE 110 finds at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, e.g. the EMR configuration and the eEMR configuration are overlapping, then in an operation 124, the UE 110 may stop the timer 166, and thus in an operation 126, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR. In some embodiments, in the operation 126 the UE 110 may stop performing measurements other than on the overlapping / eEMR carrier.

[0032] In the embodiments, if the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer 166 even if the network device 170 can also support the Rel-16 EMR. The indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166 may be, for example, a value of “disabled” or time value 0 or “SecO” in the additional indication 164. As an option, in the operation 124, the UE 110 may stop the timer 166 and keep the configurations associated with the EMR or the eEMR.

[0033] In some embodiments, in an operation 130 the UE 110 may perform measurements for the eEMR during last or latest connected mode, e.g. when the UE 110 is in RRC connected mode with the network device 160 i.e. before entering the current idle or inactive mode. In this case, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166, if in an operation 132, the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, and / or if in an operation 134, the UE 110 finds at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, e.g. the EMR configuration and the eEMR configuration are overlapping, then in an operation 136, the UE 110 may stop the timer 166, and thus in an operation 138, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR.

[0034] In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, to stop the timer may also refer to not to start the timer. In some embodiments, in the operation 136 the UE 110 may stop the timer on condition that in the operation 132 the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR. Alternatively, in the operation 136 the UE 110 may stop the timer if in the operation 134 the UE 110 finds at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0035] Since the UE 110 has detected the cells and performed some measurements during last connected mode, when the UE 110 goes to the idle / inactive mode, it can be left up to UE implementation to perform the measurements. When the UE 110 transits back to the connected mode, the UE 110 may transmit the result of the measurements it has performed during the last connected mode or the idle / inactive mode to the network device 160. The UE 110 may still perform measurements during the idle / inactive mode, but the UE 110 does not need to perform measurements for carriers which are not overlapping with eEMR carriers or carriers other than the eEMR carriers. When the UE 110 transits from the current idle or inactive mode to the next RRC connected mode, the UE 110 may indicate to the network, e.g. the network device 160, that the timer 166 is not started. For example, the UE 110 may indicate that the timer is not started via an RRC-based indication.

[0036] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C show exemplary scenarios to which some embodiments may be implemented.

[0037] Referring to the FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166, when entering the idle or inactive mode 230, if in the operation 120, the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, and / or if in the operation 122, the UE 110 finds at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, then in the operation 124, the UE 110 may stop the timer 166, and thus during the idle or inactive mode 230, in the operation 126, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR. Upon starting the RRC setup or resume at 235, the UE 110 may perform the measurements for the Rei-18 eEMR during the procedure 250 for setting up or resuming the RRC connection. Thus, when the RRC setup or resume completes at 240, the UE 110 enters into the RRC connected mode 270 and the network can get the eEMR measurement results.

[0038] Alternatively, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to stop the timer 166, if the UE 110 has performed the measurements for the eEMR in the operation 130 during last connected mode 210, during the idle or inactive mode 230, if in the operation 132, the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, and / or if in the operation 134, the UE 110 finds at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, then in the operation 136, the UE 110 may stop the timer 166, and thus during the idle or inactive mode 230, in the operation 138, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR. When the RRC setup or resume completes at 240, the UE 110 enters into the RRC connected mode 270 and the network can get the eEMR measurement results.

[0039] In some embodiments, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication of the value of X for extending the duration of the timer 166, referring back to the FIG. 1, in an operation 140, the UE 110 may extend the duration of the timer by the duration X. As is shown in the FIG. 2A, the timer 166 originally has a duration 215 and terminates at the timer expiration 220, if the additional indication 164 includes the indication of the value of X, the UE 110 may extend the duration 215 by the duration X, and in this case the timer 166 will terminate at the timer expiration 222. For example, the X may indicate seconds or milliseconds. For example, the X may be an integer indicating seconds.

[0040] In some embodiments, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication of the value of Y for postponing the start of the timer 166 by the duration Y, referring back to the FIG. 1, in an operation 142, the UE 110 may postpone the start of the timer by the duration Y. As is shown in the FIG. 2B, the timer 166 originally starts upon the UE 110 entering into the idle or inactive mode 230 and terminates at the timer expiration 220, if the additional indication 164 includes the indication of the value of Y, the UE 110 may postpone the start of the timer by the duration Y, and in this case the timer 166 will terminate at the timer expiration 224. This allows the UE 110 to save power by defaulting to the Rel-18 eEMR framework, but also allows the network to have the UE 110 still use the Rel-16 EMR framework if too long time has passed since the UE 110 was last in the connected mode 210, in which case the regular measurements are more likely to become invalid. For example, the Y may indicate seconds or milliseconds. For example, the Y may be an integer indicating seconds.

[0041] In some embodiments, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes both the indication of the value of X and the indication of the value of Y, the UE 110 may perform both the operation 140 and the operation 142. As is shown in the FIG. 2C, the UE 110 may postpone the start of the timer by the duration Y and extend the duration 215 by the duration X, and in this case the timer 166 will terminate at the timer expiration 226.

[0042] Because in the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE 110 may stop the timer 166 and keep the configurations associated with the EMR or the eEMR, the stop of the timer 166 as well as the ignorance of the timer 166 which will be described later does not contradict to the postponing and / or the extension of the timer 166. The related example embodiments may be combined.

[0043] In some embodiments, in a case where the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to ignore the timer 166, in an operation 150, the UE 110 may start the timer 166 upon entering into idle or inactive mode. In this case, the UE 110 may start to perform the measurements for the Rei-16 EMR. In a case where the UE 110 has detected at least one carrier configured for the eEMR in an operation 152, in an operation 154 the UE 110 may ignore the timer, and thus in an operation 156, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR. For example, the additional indication may comprise a value of “ignored”, or “disable”.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary scenario to which some embodiments may be implemented. Upon entering into the idle or inactive mode 230 at the timing 320, the UE 110 may start the timer 166 in the operation 150 and start to perform the measurements for the Rei-16 EMR. In a case where in the operation 152 the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR at the timing 322, the UE 110 may ignore the timer 166, for example, deeming that the timer 166 expires at the timing 322. Thus, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR by ignoring the timer 166.

[0045] In the embodiments, if the additional indication 164 includes the indication allowing the UE 110 to ignore the timer 166, the UE 110 may refrain from performing the measurements for the EMR by ignoring the timer 166 even if the network device 170 can also support the Rei-16 EMR.

[0046] As an option, if in the operation 152 the UE 110 detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR, the UE 110 may still measure some of the EMR carriers e.g. selected intra-frequency carriers.

[0047] In some embodiments, in the operation 156 the UE 110 refrains from performing the measurements for the EMR on condition that the UE 110 is configured with an eEMR measurement configuration, e.g. measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8 or one of the options listed above the measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8, and an eEMR measurement reporting configuration, e.g. measResultsFR2-Carrier-rl8 or one of the options listed above the measResultsFR2-Carrier-rl 8.

[0048] When the timer 166 expires, the UE 110 may indicate to the network device 160, the detected at least one carrier during next connected mode, e.g. when the RRC setup or resume completes. The detected at least one carrier may be indicated, for example, via fr2-MeasAvailable-rl 8.

[0049] Alternatively or additionally, when the timer 166 expires, the UE 110 may report to the network device 160, measurement results according to the eEMR when resuming connected mode, e.g. in RRCResume message, if the UE 110 has the eEMR measurement results when resuming the RRC connected mode.

[0050] The UE 110 tries to search the carrier configured for the eEMR when the timer 166 is running, and when the timer 166 expires, the UE 110 may determine whether to perform the measurements for the EMR. In some embodiments, the additional indication 164 may include an upper limit for the timer 166, and if the upper limit is reached, the UE 110 may determine whether to perform the measurements for the EMR.

[0051] In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, the refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR may refer to, for example, the UE 110 does not need to perform the measurements specified in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 38.133 section 4.4.2.2: Measurements of inter-frequency CA / DC candidate cells.

[0052] Then, the UE 110 may perform the measurements on the carrier configured in e.g. measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8 after the timer 166, e.g. T331 has expired. The network device 160 and the network device 170 may transmit synchronization signal block (SSB), respectively, to the UE 110, for the UE 110 to perform the SSB based layer 3 (L3) measurements for the carrier. The UE 110 has received the carrier configuration in e.g. RRCRelease, e.g. via MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl6, such that the UE 110 may perform idle / inactive CA / DC measurements on the target SCell associated with the network device 170. The SSB in the present disclosure may also refer to synchronization signal and physical downlink broadcast channel (PBCH) block.

[0053] When the UE 110 receives a paging message from the network device 160, the UE 110 may initiate a random access procedure with the network device 160. The network device 160 may transmit to the UE 110 a request for idle / inactive mode measurement, e.g. idleModeMeasurementReq, via a RRC setup message, e.g. RRCSetup. Receiving the request for idle mode measurement, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 160 a message indicating the idle / inactive measurement is available, e.g. idleMeasAvailable via a RRC setup complete message, e.g. RRCSetupComplete.

[0054] Alternatively or additionally, the network device 160 may transmit to the UE 110 the request for idle / inactive mode measurement, e.g. idleModeMeasurementReq, via a request for UE information, e.g. UEInformationRequest. Receiving the request for UE information, the UE 110 may transmit to the network device 160 the idle / inactive measurement result, e.g. measResultldleNR via a UE information response, e.g. UEInformationResponse.

[0055] Thus, the SCell associated with the network device 170 can be set up based on the reported results.

[0056] According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, an example representing the possible impact of the signaling supporting the Rel-18 eEMR and Rel-16 EMR simultaneously on the specification may be shown as Table 1 below. Table 1 RRCResume message RRCResume-vl8xy-IEs ::= fr2-MeasReportReq-rl 8 OPTIONAL, - Need N nonCriticalExtension OPTIONAL SEQUENCE{ ENUMERATED {true} SEQUENCE {} RRCResumeComplete message RRCResumeComplete-vl8xy-IEs ::= fr2-MeasAvailable-r 18 notAvailable, spare} measResultldleNR-r 18 OPTIONAL, nonCriti calExten si on OPTIONAL SEQUENCE { ENUMERATED {available, ongoing, OPTIONAL, MeasResultIdleNR-rl8 SEQUENCE}} fr2-MeasAvailable Indication that the UE has FR2 measurement report available for measurements continued during RRC connection resume. RRCSetupComplete message RRCSetupComplete-vl8xy-IEs ::= SEQUENCE { fr2-MeasAvailable-rl8 ENUMERATED {available, ongoing, notAvailable, spare} OPTIONAL, nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE}} OPTIONAL } UEInformationResponse message UEInformationResponse-vl 8xy-IEs : := measResultldleNR-r 18 OPTIONAL, nonCriticalExtension OPTIONAL } SEQUENCE{ MeasResultIdleNR-rl8 SEQUENCE {} measResultldleNR NR measurement results performed during RRC INACTIVE or RRC IDLE, or continued during RRC connection setup / resume. - MeasIdleConfig The IE MeasldleConfig is used to convey information to UE about measurements requested to be done while in RRCIDLE or RRCINACTIVE or continued during RRC connection setup / resume. MeasIdleConfig information element - ASN1 START - TAG-MEASIDLECONFIG-START MeasIdleConfigSIB-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { measIdleCarrierListNR-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (l..maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, -NeedS measIdleCarrierListEUTRA-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF Measldl eCarrierEUTRA-r 16 OPTIONAL, -NeedS MeasIdleConfigDedicated-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { measIdleCarrierListNR-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF Measldl eCarri erNR-r 16 OPTIONAL, — NeedN measIdleCarrierListEUTRA-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasIdleCarrierEUTRA-rl6 OPTIONAL, -NeedN measldl eDuration-r 16 ENUMERATED {sec 10, sec30, sec60, secl20, seel80, sec240, sec300, disabled}, validity AreaList-r 16 ValidityAreaList-r 16 OPTIONAL, - Need N [[ — Alt. 1.1: single FR2 carrier, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-rl 8 Measldl eCarri erNR-r 16 OPTIONAL - Need N ]] [[ — Alt. 1.2: single FR2 carrier, new Rel-18 structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-r 18 MeasIdleCarrierNR-r 18 OPTIONAL - Need N ]] — Alt.2.1: List of (FR2) carriers, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF Measldl eCarri erNR-r 16 OPTIONAL —NeedN ]] [[ — Alt.2.2: List of (FR2) carriers, new Rel-18 structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1 ,.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF Measldl eCarri erNR-r 18 OPTIONAL — Need N ]] ValidityCellList ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1.. maxCellMeasIdle-rl6)) OF PCI-Range MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl6 ::= carri erFreq-r 16 s sb Sub carri er Spaci ng-r 16 frequencyBandLi st OPTIONAL, - Need R measCellListNR-rl6 ARFCN-ValueNR, SubcarrierSpacing, MultiFrequencyBandListNR CellListNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, - Need R reportQuantities-rl6 ENUMERATED {rsrp, rsrq, both}, qualityThreshold-rl6 SEQUENCE { idleRSRP-Threshold-NR-rl6 OPTIONAL, - Need R idleRSRQ-Threshold-NR-rl6 RSRP-Range RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL - Need R } OPTIONAL, -- Need R ssb-MeasConfig-rl6 nrofS S-BlocksT o Average-r 16 (2.. maxNrofSS-BlocksTo Average) Need S SEQUENCE { OPTIONAL, absThreshSS-BlocksConsolidation-rl6 ThresholdNR OPTIONAL, - Need S smtc-rl6 OPTIONAL, - Need S s sb -ToMeasure-r 16 OPTIONAL, - Need S deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-rl6 ss-RS SI-Measurement-r 16 OPTIONAL - Need S OPTIONAL, - Need S BOOLEAN, SSB-MTC SSB-ToMeasure SS-RS Si-Measurement beamMeasConfigIdle-rl6 OPTIONAL, - Need R BeamMeasConfigldle-NR-r 16 [[ — Alt. 1.1 or 2.1: Extend existing Rei-16 structure — Validity criteria (contents TBD): validityCriterion OPTIONAL, - Need R ValidityCriteria-FR2-rl8 ValidityCriteria-FR2-rl8 ::= SEQUENCE { — Minimum number of (additional) samples requested for FR2 carrier measurements at connection setup: numberOfSamples-rl 8 INTEGER (l..maxFR2-Samples-rl8) OPTIONAL, - Need R — Quality threshold for FR2 carrier measurements at connection setup to be reported as “valid”: validityThreshold-rl8 SEQUENCE { rsrp-Threshol d-NR-r 18 RSRP-Range OPTIONAL, — Need R r srq-Threshol d-NR-r 18 RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL - Need R } OPTIONAL, - Need R — Maximum number of cells considered for FR2 carrier measurements at connection setup: maxCellMeasIdleFR2-rl 8 INTEGER (L.maxCellMeasIdle-rl6) OPTIONAL, - Need R — Alt. 1.2 or 2.2: New Rel-18 structure MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl 8 ::= SI carri erFreq-r 18 ssbSubcarrierSpacing-rl 8 frequencyBandLi st OPTIONAL, - Need R measCellListNR-r 18 OPTIONAL, - Need R reportQuantities-rl 8 qualityThreshold-rl 8 idleRSRP-Threshol d-NR-r 18 OPTIONAL, - Need R idleRSRQ-Threshold-NR-rl 8 OPTIONAL - Need R } OPTIONAL, - Need R ssb-MeasConfig-r 18 nrofSS-BlocksToAverage-rl 8 (2..maxNrofSS-BlocksToAverage) NeedS absThreshSS-BlocksConsolid; QUENCE { ARFCN-ValueNR, SubcarrierSpacing, MultiFrequencyBandListNR CellListNR-rl6 ENUMERATED {rsrp, rsrq, both}, SEQUENCE{ RSRP-Range RSRQ-Range SEQUENCE{ INTEGER OPTIONAL, i-r!8 ThresholdNR OPTIONAL, - Need S smtc-r!8 OPTIONAL, - Need S s sb -ToMeasure-r 18 OPTIONAL, - Need S deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-r 1 8 ss-RSSI-Measurement-r 18 OPTIONAL - Need S } OPTIONAL, - Need S beamMeasConfigldle-r 18 OPTIONAL, - Need R — Validity criteria (contents TBD): validityCriterion-r 18 OPTIONAL, - Need R BOOLEAN, SSB-MTC SSB-ToMeasure S S -RS SI-Measurem ent BeamMeasConfigldle-NR-r 16 ValidityCriteria-FR2-rl 8 MeasIdleCarrierEUTRA-rl6 ::= carri erF reqEUTR A-r 16 allowedMeasBandwidth-r 16 measCellListEUTRA-r!6 SEQUENCE { ARFCN-ValueEUTRA, EUTRA-All owedMeasB andwi dth, CellListEUTRA-rl6 OPTIONAL, - Need R reportQuantitiesEUTRA-r 16 qualityThresholdEUTRA-r 16 idleRSRP-Threshold-EUTRA-r 16 OPTIONAL, - Need R idleRSRQ-Threshold-EUTRA-r!6 OPTIONAL - Need R } OPTIONAL, - Need S ENUMERATED {rsrp, rsrq, both}, SEQUENCE{ RSRP-RangeEUTRA RSRQ-RangeEUTRA-r 16 MeasResultldleNR The IE MeasResultldleNR covers the NR measurement results performed in RRC1DLE and RRC INACTIVE or continued during RRC connection setup / resume. MeasResultldleNR information element MeasResultldleNR-rl 8 : := SEQUENCE { measResultServingCell-rl6 SEQUENCE { rsrp-Result-rl6 RSRP-Range OPTIONAL, rsrq-Result-r!6 RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL, resultsSSB-Indexes-rl6 ResultsPerSSB-IndexList-rl6 OPTIONAL — Alt. 1.1: single FR2 carrier, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measResultsFR2-Carrier-rl8 MeasResultIdleNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, — Alt. 1.2: single FR2 carrier, newRel-18 structure: measResultsFR2-Carrier-rl 8 MeasResultsFR2-r 18 OPTIONAL, — Alt.2.1: List of (FR2) carriers, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measResultsFR2-CarrierList-r!8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasResultIdleNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, — Alt.2.2: List of (FR2) carriers, new Rel-18 structure: measResultsFR2-CarrierList-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasldleCarrierNR-r 18 OPTIONAL, MeasResultsPerCarrierIdleNR-rl8 ::= SEQUENCE { carri erFreq-r 18 ARFCN-ValueNR, fr2-MeasAvailable-rl8 ENUMERATED {available, ongoing, notAvailable, spare} OPTIONAL, measResultsPerCellListIdleNR-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1 ..maxCellMeasIdleFR2-rl 8)) OF MeasResultsPerCellIdleNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, MeasResultsPerCarrierIdleNR-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { carrierFreq-rl6 ARFCN-ValueNR, measResultsPerCellListIdleNR-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxCellMeasIdle-rl6)) OF MeasResultsPerCellIdleNR-rl6, ..., [[ — Alt. 1.1 / 2.1: single or list ofFR2 carriers, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: fr2-MeasAvailable-rl8 ENUMERATED {available, ongoing, notAvailable, spare} OPTIONAL ]]

[0057] According to the example embodiments of the present disclosure, an example representing the possible impact of receiving the additional indication for the timer on the specification may be shown as Table 2 below. Table 2 MeasIdleConfigDedicated-rl6 ::= SEQUENCE { measIdleCarrierListNR-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, — Need N measIdleCarrierListEUTRA-rl6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1 ,.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasIdleCarrierEUTRA-rl6 OPTIONAL, - Need N measIdleDuration-r!6 ENUMERATED {sec 10, sec30, sec60, sec!20, seel80, sec240, sec300, disabled}, validity AreaList-r 16 ValidityAreaList-r 16 OPTIONAL, - Need N ..., [[ — Alt. 1.1: single FR2 carrier, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8 MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl6 OPTIONAL - Need N ]] [[ — Alt. 1.2: single FR2 carrier, newRel-18 structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-r 18 MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl 8 OPTIONAL - Need N ]] — Alt.2.1: List of (FR2) carriers, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-r 18 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl6 OPTIONAL --Need N ]] [[ — Alt.2.2: List of (FR2) carriers, new Rei-18 structure: measIdleCarrierListNR-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasIdleCarrierNR-rl 8 OPTIONAL -- Need N ]] MeasResultldleNR information element - ASN1 START - TAG-MEASRESULTIDLENR-START MeasResultldleNR-rl6::= SEQUENCE { measResultServingCell-rl6 SEQUENCE { rsrp-Result-rl6 OPTIONAL, rsrq-Result-r!6 OPTIONAL, resultsSSB-Indexes-r!6 RSRP-Range RSRQ-Range ResultsPerS SB-IndexLi st-r 16 OPTIONAL }, measResultsPerCarrierListIdleNR-r!6 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1.. maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasResultsPerCarrierldleNR-r 16 OPTIONAL, MeasResultIdleNR-rl8 ::= SEQUENCE { measResultServingCell-rl6 SEQUENCE { rsrp-Result-rl6 RSRP-Range OPTIONAL, rsrq-Result-rl6 RSRQ-Range OPTIONAL, resultsSSB-Indexes-rl6 ResultsPerSSB-IndexList-rl6 OPTIONAL }, — Alt. 1.1: single FR2 carrier, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measResultsFR2-Carrier-rl 8 MeasResultldleNR-r 16 OPTIONAL, — Alt. 1.2: single FR2 carrier, new Rei-18 structure: measResul tsFR2-Carrier-rl 8 MeasResul tsFR2-r 18 OPTIONAL, — Alt.2.1: List of (FR2) carriers, reuse Rei-16 EMR structure: measResul tsFR2-CarrierList-r 18 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasResultIdleNR-rl6 OPTIONAL, — Alt.2.2: List of (FR2) carriers, new Rel-18 structure: measResultsFR2-CarrierList-r!8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (L.maxFreqIdle-rl6)) OF MeasldleCarrierNR-r 18 OPTIONAL, MeasResultsPerCarrierIdleNR-rl8 ::= SEQUENCE { carri erF req-r 18 ARF CN -V alueNR, fr2-MeasAvailable-rl8 ENUMERATED {available, ongoing, notAvailable, spare} OPTIONAL, measResultsPerCellListIdleNR-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1 ,.maxCellMeasIdleFR2-rl8)) OF MeasResultsPerCellIdleNR-rl6 OPTIONAL,

[0058] The method as disclosed herein enables the network to indicate the timer behaviour to the UE via the additional indication for the timer. The behaviour of the timer or operation of the timer may be determined by the UE when the UE is to connect to a network device, such as the network device 170, functioning as a target cell and enters into an idle or inactive mode.

[0059] FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 400 may be performed for example by a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR such as the UE 110.

[0060] Referring to the FIG. 4, the example method 400 may include an operation 410 of receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer is running; and an operation 420 of determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the eEMR.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the additional indication may comprise at least one of the following: an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; or an indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

[0062] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer in a case where at least one of the following is satisfied: the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR; or at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0063] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer in a case where the terminal device has performed measurements for the eEMR during last connected mode and at least one of the following is satisfied: the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR; or at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0064] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of Y, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: postponing the start of the timer by the duration Y

[0065] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of X, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: extending the duration of the timer by the duration X.

[0066] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: starting the timer upon entering into idle or inactive mode; and refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by ignoring the timer in a case where the terminal device has detected at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the terminal device may be configured with an eEMR measurement configuration and an eEMR measurement reporting configuration.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the example method 400 may further include at least one of the following when the timer expires: an operation of indicating to the first network device, the detected at least one carrier during next connected mode; or an operation of reporting to the first network device, measurement results according to the eEMR when resuming connected mode.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The example method 500 may be performed for example by a network device such as the network device 160.

[0070] Referring to the FIG. 5, the example method 500 may include an operation 510 of transmitting to a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the eEMR.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the additional indication may comprise at least one of the following: an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; or an indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the network device may support the EMR without supporting the eEMR.

[0073] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 600 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR such as the UE 110 in the above examples.

[0074] As shown in the FIG. 6, the example device 600 may include at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 that may store instructions 630. The instructions 630, when executed by the at least one processor 610, may cause the device 600 at least to perform the example method 400 described above.

[0075] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 610 in the example device 600 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Further, the at least one processor 610 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 6.

[0076] In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 620 in the example device 600 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a transitory memory and / or a non-transitory memory. The transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM), a cache, and so on. The non- transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). Further, the at least memory 620 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

[0077] Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 600 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0078] In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 600, including the at least one processor 610 and the at least one memory 620, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and / or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

[0079] It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the UE 110 is not limited to the above example device 600.

[0080] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 700 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device, for example, may be at least part of a network device such as the network device 160 in the above examples.

[0081] As shown in the FIG. 7, the example device 700 may include at least one processor 710 and at least one memory 720 that may store instructions 730. The instructions 730, when executed by the at least one processor 710, may cause the device 700 at least to perform the example method 500 described above.

[0082] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 710 in the example device 700 may include, but not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on for example Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Further, the at least one processor 710 may also include at least one other circuitry or element not shown in the FIG. 7.

[0083] In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 720 in the example device 700 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as a transitory memory and / or a non-transitory memory. The transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a random-access memory (RAM), a cache, and so on. The non- transitory memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). Further, the at least memory 720 may include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

[0084] Further, in various example embodiments, the example device 700 may also include at least one other circuitry, element, and interface, for example at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0085] In various example embodiments, the circuitries, parts, elements, and interfaces in the example device 700, including the at least one processor 710 and the at least one memory 720, may be coupled together via any suitable connections including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring and / or wireless lines, in any suitable ways, for example electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like.

[0086] It is appreciated that the structure of the device on the side of the network device 160 is not limited to the above example device 700.

[0087] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 800 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR such as the UE 110 in the above examples.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 8, the example apparatus 800 may include means 810 for receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer is running; and means 820 for determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the eEMR.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the additional indication may comprise at least one of the following: an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; or an indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

[0090] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer in a case where at least one of the following is satisfied: the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR; or at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0091] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer in a case where the terminal device has performed measurements for the eEMR during last connected mode and at least one of the following is satisfied: the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR; or at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0092] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of Y, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: postponing the start of the timer by the duration Y

[0093] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of X, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: extending the duration of the timer by the duration X.

[0094] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: starting the timer upon entering into idle or inactive mode; and refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by ignoring the timer in a case where the terminal device has detected at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the terminal device may be configured with an eEMR measurement configuration and an eEMR measurement reporting configuration.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the example apparatus 800 may further include means for at least one of the following when the timer expires: indicating to the first network device, the detected at least one carrier during next connected mode; or reporting to the first network device, measurement results according to the eEMR when resuming connected mode.

[0097] In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 800 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 810 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 410 of the example method 400, and an example of means 820 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 420 of the example method 400.

[0098] The example apparatus 800 may further include means comprising circuitry configured to perform the example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

[0099] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 900 for early measurements according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus, for example, may be at least part of a network device such as the network device 160 in the above examples.

[00100] As shown in FIG. 9, the example apparatus 900 may include means 910 for transmitting to a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the eEMR.

[00101] In some example embodiments, the additional indication may comprise at least one of the following: an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; or an indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

[00102] In some example embodiments, the network device may support the EMR without supporting the eEMR.

[00103] In some example embodiments, examples of means in the example apparatus 900 may include circuitries. For example, an example of means 910 may include a circuitry configured to perform the operation 510 of the example method 500.

[00104] The example apparatus 900 may further include means comprising circuitry configured to perform the example method 500. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable function entities.

[00105] The example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR such as the UE 110 in the above examples, may cause the terminal device at least to perform: receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer is running; and determining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the eEMR.

[00106] In some example embodiments, the additional indication may comprise at least one of the following: an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; or an indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

[00107] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer in a case where at least one of the following is satisfied: the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR; or at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[00108] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by stopping the timer in a case where the terminal device has performed measurements for the eEMR during last connected mode and at least one of the following is satisfied: the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the eEMR; or at least one carrier configured for the EMR is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[00109] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of Y, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: postponing the start of the timer by the duration Y

[00110] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of X, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: extending the duration of the timer by the duration X.

[00111] In some example embodiments, in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer may comprise: starting the timer upon entering into idle or inactive mode; and refraining from performing the measurements for the EMR by ignoring the timer in a case where the terminal device has detected at least one carrier configured for the eEMR.

[00112] In some example embodiments, the terminal device may be configured with an eEMR measurement configuration and an eEMR measurement reporting configuration.

[00113] In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may further include instructions that, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further perform: at least one of the following when the timer expires: indicating to the first network device, the detected at least one carrier during next connected mode; or reporting to the first network device, measurement results according to the eEMR when resuming connected mode.

[00114] The example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a network device such as the network device 160 in the above examples, may cause the network device at least to perform: transmitting to a terminal device configured with EMR and eEMR, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the EMR when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the eEMR.

[00115] In some example embodiments, the additional indication may comprise at least one of the following: an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer; an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y; an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; or an indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

[00116] In some example embodiments, the network device may support the EMR without supporting the eEMR.

[00117] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[00118] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the above description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[00119] The term “circuitry” throughout this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processors) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessors), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[00120] Another example embodiment may relate to computer program codes or instructions which may cause an apparatus to perform at least respective methods described above. Another example embodiment may be related to a computer readable medium having such computer program codes or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms such as a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, but not limited to, for example, a RAM, a cache, and so on. The non-volatile memory may include, but not limited to, a ROM, a hard disk, a flash memory, and so on. The non-volatile memory may also include, but are not limited to, an electric, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, apparatus, or device or any combination of the above.

[00121] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

[00122] Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and / or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and / or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and / or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[00123] As used herein, the term "determine / determining" (and grammatical variants thereof) can include, not least: calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, looking up (for example, looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also, "determining" can include receiving (for example, receiving information), accessing (for example, accessing data in a memory), obtaining and the like. Also, "determine / determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[00124] While some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may perform similar functionalities with different components and / or circuit topologies, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and / or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of these blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and actions of the some embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

[00125] Abbreviations used in the description and / or in the figures are defined as follows: 3GPP TS 3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specification BS base station CA carrier aggregation DC dual connectivity early measurement reporting enhanced EMR evolved node B gNB next generation node B UTE long term evolution NR new radio L3 layer 3 PBCH physical downlink broadcast channel PCell primary cell Rei release PRf radio resource control SCell secondary cell SSB synchronization signal block synchronization signal and PBCH block TEI T331 extension indication user equipment

Claims

1. A terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to perform:receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running; anddetermining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the additional indication comprises at least one of the following:an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer;an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y;an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; oran indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:refraining from performing the measurements for the early measurement reporting by stopping the timer in a case where at least one of the following is satisfied:the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting; orat least one carrier configured for the early measurement reporting is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting.

4. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:refraining from performing the measurements for the early measurement reporting by stopping the timer in a case where the terminal device has performed measurements for the enhanced early measurement reporting during last connected mode and at least one of the following is satisfied:the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting; orat least one carrier configured for the early measurement reporting is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting.

5. The terminal device of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of Y, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:postponing the start of the timer by the duration Y.

6. The terminal device of claim 2 to 5, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of X, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:extending the duration of the timer by the duration X.

7. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:starting the timer upon entering into idle or inactive mode; andrefraining from performing the measurements for the early measurement reporting by ignoring the timer in a case where the terminal device has detected at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting.

8. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the terminal device is configured with an enhanced early measurement reporting measurement configuration and an enhanced early measurement reporting measurement reporting configuration.

9. The terminal device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to further perform at least one of the following when the timer expires:indicating to the first network device, the detected at least one carrier during next connected mode; orreporting to the first network device, measurement results according to the enhanced early measurement reporting when resuming connected mode.

10. A network device, comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to perform:transmitting to a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, an additional indication for a timer,wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

11. The network device of claim 10, wherein the additional indication comprises at least one of the following:an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer;an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y;an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; oran indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

12. The network device of claim 10 or 11, wherein the network device supports the early measurement reporting without supporting the enhanced early measurement reporting.

13. A method performed by a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, comprising:receiving from a first network device, an additional indication for a timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running; anddetermining, at least based on the additional indication for the timer, operation of the timer, wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device, and the second network device supports at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional indication comprises at least one of the following:an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer;an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y;an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; oran indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:refraining from performing the measurements for the early measurement reporting by stopping the timer in a case where at least one of the following is satisfied:the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting; orat least one carrier configured for the early measurement reporting is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:refraining from performing the measurements for the early measurement reporting by stopping the timer in a case where the terminal device has performed measurements for the enhanced early measurement reporting during last connected mode and at least one of the following is satisfied:the terminal device detects at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting; orat least one carrier configured for the early measurement reporting is overlapping at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting.

17. The method of any of claims 14 to 16, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of Y, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:postponing the start of the timer by the duration Y.

18. The method of claim 14 to 17, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication of the value of X, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:extending the duration of the timer by the duration X.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein in a case where the additional indication for the timer comprises the indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer, the determining of the operation of the timer comprises:starting the timer upon entering into idle or inactive mode; andrefraining from performing the measurements for the early measurement reporting by ignoring the timer in a case where the terminal device has detected at least one carrier configured for the enhanced early measurement reporting.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the terminal device is configured with an enhanced early measurement reporting measurement configuration and an enhanced early measurement reporting measurement reporting configuration.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, further comprising at least one of the following when the timer expires:indicating to the first network device, the detected at least one carrier during next connected mode; orreporting to the first network device, measurement results according to the enhanced early measurement reporting when resuming connected mode.

22. A method performed by a network device, comprising:transmitting to a terminal device configured with early measurement reporting and enhanced early measurement reporting, an additional indication for a timer,wherein the terminal device is configured to perform measurements for the early measurement reporting when the timer is running, and the additional indication for the timer is for the terminal device to determine operation of the timer, and wherein the terminal device is configured to connect to a second network device supporting at least the enhanced early measurement reporting.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the additional indication comprises at least one of the following:an indication allowing the terminal device to stop the timer;an indication of a value of Y for postponing a start of the timer by a duration Y;an indication of a value of X for extending a duration of the timer; oran indication allowing the terminal device to ignore the timer.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the network device supports the early measurement reporting without supporting the enhanced early measurement reporting.

25. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed bya device, cause the device to at least perform the method of any of claims 13 to 24.

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