MUSIM gap configuration

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for configuring a multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap. In an example method, a terminal device receives, from a network device, a configuration of at least one MUSIM gap. The configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap. The terminal device communicates with the network device based on the configuration. In this way, based on the above mentioned configuration, both the network device and the UE can be aware of any scheduling restriction(s), while minimizing change to MUSIM operations and having minimum impact to corresponding signalling.

Description

FIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communication, and in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and a computer readable medium for configuring a multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap. BACKGROUND

[0002] A communication network can be seen as a facility that enables communications between two or more communication devices, or provides communication devices access to a data network. A mobile or wireless communication network is one example of a communication network.

[0003] Such communication networks operate in accordance with standards, such as those promulgated by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Examples of such standards include the so-called 5G (5th Generation) standard or other standards promulgated by 3GPP. SUMMARY

[0004] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for configuring a multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, especially for enhancements to MUSIM gap handling for dual RX UEs by inverse MUSIM gaps.

[0005] In a first aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device at least to: receive, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and communicate with the network device based on the configuration.

[0006] In a second aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device at least to: transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and communicate with the terminal device based on the configuration.

[0007] In a third aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and communicating with the network device based on the configuration.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and communicate with the terminal device based on the configuration.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and means for communicating with the network device based on the configuration.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and means for communicating with the terminal device based on the configuration.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least method of the above third aspect or fourth aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of the above third aspect or fourth aspect.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminal device comprises: receiving circuitry configured to receive, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and communicating circuitry configured to communicated with the network device based on the configuration.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises: transmitting circuitry configured to transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and communicating circuitry configured to communicate with the terminal device based on the configuration.

[0015] It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates example MUSIM operations when a MUSIM gap is configured for a MUSIM device;

[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates example gapless MUSIM operations of a MUSIM device;

[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates definitions of a MUSIM gap and a MUSIM inverse gap in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates example MUSIM operations when a MUSIM inverse gap is configured for a MUSIM device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example method implemented at a network device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0031] It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. 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.

[0033] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” 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) and (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 processor(s) 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 microprocessor(s), that requires software (for example, firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0034] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, 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 particular 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.

[0035] As used herein, the term “network”, “communication network” or “data network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as long term evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), narrow band Internet of things (NB-IoT), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device / element in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the future fifth generation (5G), IEEE 802.11 communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0036] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device receives services (e.g., positioning services) therefrom. The network device may refer to a core network device or access network device, such as base station (BS) or an access point (AP) or a transmission and reception point (TRP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a WiFi device, a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In the following description, the terms “network device”, “AP device”, “AP” and “access point” may be used interchangeably.

[0037] 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), a station (STA) or station device, 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 (for example, remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (for example, 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. In the following description, the terms “station”, “station device”, “STA”, “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0038] Principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which illustrates an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The system 100 includes a plurality of network devices, such as a network device 111 and a network device 112. The network devices 111, 112 serve respective areas 101 and 102 (also called as cells 101 and 102) using different frequency bands in both DL and LL Such a frequency band may also be referred to as an operating frequency band of the corresponding network device.

[0039] The system 100 also includes one or more terminal devices, such as terminal devices 120, 121, 122. The terminal devices 120, 121, 122 are capable of connecting and communicating in an UL and DL with either or both of the network devices 111, 112 as long as the terminal devices located within the corresponding cells. In communication systems, an UL refers to a link in a direction from a terminal device to a network device, and a DL refers to a link in a direction from the network device to the terminal device. In addition to communicating the terminal devices 120, 121, 122, the network devices 111, 112 may also communicate with each other, for example, via a backhaul link.

[0040] It is to be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The system 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it would be appreciated that one or more terminal devices may be located in the cell 101 or 102.

[0041] Communications in the communication system 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol(s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and on the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0042] The coverage ranges of the cells 102, 104 of the network devices 111 is tightly related to the operating frequency bands of the network devices 111,112. FIG. 1 shows an example where the operating frequency bands of the network devices 111, 113 are different, with the operating frequency band of the network device 111 higher than the operating frequency band of the network device 112. It is very possible that the coverage range of the cell 101 is smaller than that of the cell 102, due to a more serious path-loss situation in the high frequency band system. In the shown example, the cell 101 is overlapped with the cell 102. The large cell 102 may sometimes be referred to as a macro cell and the network device 112 may be referred to as a macro base station, while the relatively small cell 101 may sometimes be referred to as a small cell and the network device 111 may be referred to as a small base station. As a specific example, the network device 111 may be operating at sub6GHz, such as 3.5 GHz, while the network device 112 may be operating at a millimetrewave (mmW) frequency band, such as at 28 GHz. It is to be understood that other operating frequency bands are also possible for the network devices 111,112.

[0043] In some scenarios, the cell 101 and / or the cell 102 may have an asymmetric UL and DL budget. Such asymmetric budget easily happens in a cell with a high frequency band. For example, in a case of operating at the mmW frequency band, the different budget between the UL and DL may be up to 25 dB. FIG. 1 shows that the asymmetric UL and DL in the cell 101. For example, the cell 101 includes an UL coverage area 103 and a DL coverage area that is the same as the range of the cell 101. The UL coverage area 103 is smaller than the DL coverage area. For example, up to 25 dB budget difference may lead to a situation where the UL coverage area is only about 1 / 4 of the DL coverage area. The main reasons are the small UL transmission power of terminal devices and / or smaller UL transmission beamforming gain, as compared with the DL case.

[0044] Due to the UL / DL coverage asymmetry in the cell 101, there may be a situation where a terminal device is still communicating with the network device 101 in a DL with a high quality while the UL from that terminal device to the network device 101 is worse. For example, the terminal device 120 was previously in the coverage area 103 and had both UL and DL connections with the network device 111. After movement, the terminal device 120 is still in the cell 101 of the network device 111 and can work in the DL with the network device 111. However, at this time, the UL quality from the terminal device 120 to the network device 111 is decreased. For the terminal device 121 within the coverage area 103, the UL and DL with the network device 111 both works well. For the terminal device 122 outside the cell 101 but within the cell 102, it may establish a connection with the network device 112 in both UL and DL. To enable UL communication of the terminal device 120, as mentioned above, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal device 120 is allowed to switch only its UL to the network device 112 and still maintain its DL with the network device 111.

[0045] It would be appreciated that although the frequency band of the network device 111 has been described as being higher than that of the network device 112, in some other cases, the frequency band of the network device 112 may be higher than or equal to that of the network device 111. In these cases, there may also occur when a terminal device has a good DL and a worse UL with one of the network devices 111, 112 and may thus switch the UL to the other one of the network devices 111,112.

[0046] Generally, terminal device products operate in Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) mode or Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) mode. In DSDA mode, the device may establish and maintain two active connections in parallel, one for each SIM. The two connections operate independently, but of course, the dual TX operation may affect cross SIM. In DSDS mode, the device can maintain a full idle mode of both SIMs in parallel and have the capability of establishing and maintaining connected mode on one of the SIMs at a time while maintaining idle mode on the other SIM. This mode comes in many flavors in different products.

[0047] For example, in DSDS single receive mode, the device needs to prioritize each activity between the SIMs. As an example, if both SIMs want to listen to incoming pagings at the same time, that is not physically possible in a single- receiver (RX) device and therefore, only one of the pagings may be received. The scheme to prioritize is proprietary for each device vendor. On the other hand, in DSDS dual receive mode, the device is capable of receiving for both SIMs in parallel while transmitting for only one SIM at a time, because connected mode is only supported on one SIM at a time.

[0048] In some scenarios, it is assumed that MUSIM devices are using the same Rx for the operation on two networks. In this approach, the UE is assumed to be in radio resource control (RRC) connected mode on one network (e.g., Network A 260 as illustrated in FIGS. 2-3 and 6), whereas it is assumed to be in RRC idle on another network (e.g., Network B 280 as illustrated in FIGS. 2-3 and 6). Therefore, gaps are introduced in connected mode for the DSDS case, and the gaps are defined for supporting MUSIM operations as follows. Table 1: MUSIM Gap Pattern Configurations MUSIM Gap Pattern Id MUSIM Gap Length (MGL, ms) MUSIM Gap Repetition Period (MGRP, ms) 0 6 40 1 6 80 2 3 40 3 3 80 4 6 20 5 6 160 6 4 20 7 4 40 8 4 80 9 4 160 10 3 20 11 3 160 12 10 80 13 20 160 14 6 320 15 6 640 16 6 1280 17 6 2560 18 10 320 19 10 640 20 10 1280 21 10 2560 22 20 320 23 20 640 24 20 1280 25 20 2560 26 20 5120 27 10 NA 28 20 NA Note 1: Measurement gap pattern #27, #28 are the aperiodic gap pattern without MGRP.

[0049] Moreover, connected mode on both SIMs may also be supported. In some implementations, corresponding parameters for MUSIM are included in the 5 UEAssistancelnformation RRC message, corresponding parameters for MUSIM and measurement gap interruptions are included in the RRCReconfiguration RRC message, and corresponding parameters for MUS IM and measurement gap interruptions are also included in the RRCReconfigurationComplete RRC message.

[0050] Furthermore, for MUSIM measurements, the UE should also be allowed to be configured with gaps that can be used on Network B (e.g., Network B 280 as illustrated in FIGS. 2-3 and 6), where there may be activities switching between activities on two SIMs.

[0051] FIG. 2 illustrates example MUSIM operations when a MUSIM gap 205 is configured for the MUSIM device (i.e., the UE 240), where when having an additional RX chain available as introduced for MUSIM, it is necessary to configure one of the defined MUSIM gaps when performing idle mode activities 207 on the idle SIM 242 on network B 280 if the UE 240 requests MUSIM gaps. As illustrated in FIG. 2, normal downlink (DL) traffics are transferred at 201 and 208, and normal uplink (UL) traffics are transferred at 202 and 209.

[0052] However, as illustrated in FIG. 2, MUSIM capable devices only have the option to ask for MUSIM gaps with full length(s) while performing various MUSIM activities on the idle SIM 242. The reason is, for example, multi-RX capable devices are only considered for connected / connected case, rather than for the connected / idle case. Hence, configuring MUSIM gaps is a way that the network is able to know the scheduling restrictions during 205 of FIG. 2. As can be seen in FIG 2, a multi-RX capable device (i.e., the UE 240) with two RX chains to have both the connected and idle SIMs 241 and 242 in parallel will cause interruption(s) 206 when enabling the second RX at 203 and / or disabling the second RX at 204.

[0053] Therefore, even though it is possible in theory to handle the operations of the two SIMs 241-242 in parallel, the UE 204 has to ask for gaps with full length(s), so as not to cause un-scheduled interruptions for the network. If the gaps are not configured, the situation in FIG 3 is incurred, where there are un-scheduled interruptions 302 and 306 in communication during activities 301, 302, 305, and 306 of idle activities 307 performed on the second SIM 342.

[0054] FIG. 3 illustrates example gapless MUSIM operations of a MUSIM device (i.e., the UE 304), where gapless MUSIM operations are applied in the case the UE 340 suffers interruptions 302 and 306 on the connected SIM 341 while retuning RX chains at 301 and 305 on the idle SIM 342. As illustrated in FIG. 3, normal DL traffic is transferred at 303, and normal UL traffic is transferred at 304.

[0055] Hence, there is a need for both the network device and the UE to be aware of any scheduling restriction(s), while minimizing change to MUS IM operations and having minimum impact to corresponding signaling.

[0056] Therefore, some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution for MUSIM gap configuration. In this solution, a terminal device receives, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap. The configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap. The restricted scheduling means that the terminal device is not required to receive in DL or transmit in UL.

[0057] In addition, the terminal device communicates with the network device based on the configuration. By implementing the example embodiments of the present disclosure, based on the above mentioned configuration, both the network device and the UE can be aware of any scheduling restriction(s), while minimizing change to MUSIM operations and having minimum impact to corresponding signaling.

[0058] For illustrative purposes, principles and example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 10. However, it is to be noted that these embodiments are given to enable the skilled in the art to understand inventive concepts of the present disclosure and implement the solution as proposed herein, and not intended to limit scope of the present application in any way.

[0059] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the process flow 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. It would be appreciated that although the process flow 400 has been described referring to the communication network 100 of FIG. 1, this process flow 400 may be likewise applied to other similar communication scenarios.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 4, at 402, a network device 460 may transmit, to a terminal device 440, a configuration 404 of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap. For example, the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap. Accordingly, at 406, the terminal device 440 may receive, from the network device 460, the configuration 404. Thereafter, at 412, the terminal device 440 may communicate with the network device 460 based on the configuration 404. Accordingly, at 414, the network device 460 may communicate with the network device 440 based on the configuration 404.

[0061] In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration. In some embodiments, lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined. In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0062] Additionally, in some embodiments, prior to receiving the configuration from the network device, the terminal device may transmit, to the network device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device. The request may be associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising: one or more MUSIM gaps, or one or more MUSIM inverse gaps, both.

[0063] In some embodiments, the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through: a capability of the terminal device, or at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message, at least one extension in RRC connection setup message, at least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0064] FIG. 5 illustrates definitions of a MUSIM gap 510 and a MUSIM inverse gap 520 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the MUSIM inverse gap 520 is introduced, keeping the configuration of the MUSIM gap 510, while adding additional field(s) for each MUSIM gap Id, which indicates whether there is scheduling restri ction(s) during the entirety of the gap 510 / 520, or indicates there are scheduling restrictions only during durations 521 and 522 at the start and end of the gap 520. As such, it can be seen that, for the MUSIM inverse gap 520, there is also a third duration without scheduling restriction between the duration 521 and the duration 522.

[0065] FIG. 6 illustrates example MUSIM operations 601-609 and 611-612 when a MUSIM inverse gap 610 is configured for a MUSIM device (i.e., a UE 640, having two SIMs 641-642) in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure, where scheduling restrictions are reduced to minimum by introducing the MUSIM inverse gap 610. As illustrated in FIG. 6, normal DL traffics are transferred at 601, 605, and 611, and normal UL traffics are transferred at 602, 606, and 612.

[0066] Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 6, The MUSIM inverse gap 610 will allow the alignments of scheduling restrictions with a duration 604 of retuning / power on and a duration 609 of retuning / power off, where the scheduling restrictions correspond to MUSIM interruptions 603 and 608.

[0067] To introduce the MUSIM inverse gap, a Boolean is needed for each MUSIM Gap Id, which can be defined in at least one information element (IE) (e.g., at least one RI8 IE). For example, such IE may be a non critical extension (nonCriticalExtension) in a RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message and / or UE assistance information message.

[0068] One array of MUSIM gap types to each MUSIM Gap Id may be defined as follows. UEAssistanceInformation-vl800-IEs ::= SEQUENCE { musim-GapTypes-rl8 SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..4) OF MUSIM-GapTypes-rl8 OPTIONAL nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE {} } MUSIM-GapTypes-rl8 ENUMERATED { normal, inverse }

[0069] The definition of the MUSIM interruption length(s) as illustrated in FIG. 5 may be predefined (e g., defined as a fixed value in the specifications), and may also be added as parameters in the extensions above. Moreover, the MUSIM interruption lengths as illustrated in FIG. 5 may be the same for both durations 521-522, or the MUSIM interruption lengths may be separate lengths for the start and end of the MUSIM gap length.

[0070] In some other scenarios, the UE may request more gaps with a mixture of at least one MUSIM gap 510 and at least one MUSIM inverse gaps 520. In addition, when requesting more gaps, the UE may also indicate its support for the MUSIM inverse gap through: a capability of the UE, at least one extension in UE assistance information message, at least one extension in RRC connection setup message, at least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling, or any combination thereof. Thus, the network can be aware of the support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the UE.

[0071] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the method 700 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 440 with reference to FIG. 4.

[0072] At block 710, the terminal device may receive, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap. At block 720, the terminal device may communicate with the network device based on the configuration.

[0073] In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration. In some embodiments, lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined. In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0074] Additionally, in some embodiments, the terminal device may further transmit, to the network device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device, and wherein the request is associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising: one or more MUSIM gaps, or one or more MUSIM inverse gaps, or both.

[0075] In some embodiments, the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through: a capability of the terminal device, at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message, at least one extension in RRC connection setup message, at least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises a user equipment (UE), and the network device comprises a base station (BS).

[0076] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a network device in accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the method 800 will be described from the perspective of the network device 460 with reference to FIG. 4.

[0077] At block 810, the network device may transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MU SIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap. At block 820, the network device may communicate with the terminal device based on the configuration.

[0078] In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration. In some embodiments, lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined. In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0079] Additionally, in some embodiments, the network device may further receive, from the terminal device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device, and wherein the request is associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising: one or more MUSIM normal gaps, one or more MUSIM inverse gaps, or both.

[0080] In some embodiments, the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through: a capability of the terminal device, at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message, at least one extension in RRC connection setup message, at least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises a user equipment (UE), and the network device comprises a base station (BS).

[0081] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the method 700 (for example, the terminal device 440) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 700. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[0082] In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises means receive, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and means for communicating with the network device based on the configuration.

[0083] In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration. In some embodiments, lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined. In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0084] Additionally, in some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting, to the network device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device; and wherein the request is associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising: one or more MUSIM gaps, one or more MUSIM inverse gaps, or both.

[0085] In some embodiments, the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through: a capability of the terminal device, at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message, at least one extension in RRC connection setup message, at least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0086] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 700. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

[0087] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the method 800 (for example, the network device 460) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 800. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

[0088] In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; and means for communicating with the terminal device based on the configuration.

[0089] In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration. In some embodiments, lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined. In some embodiments, the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0090] Additionally, in some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving, from the terminal device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device, and wherein the request is associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising: one or more MUSIM normal gaps, one or more MUSIM inverse gaps, or both.

[0091] In some embodiments, the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through: a capability of the terminal device, at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message, at least one extension in RRC connection setup message, at least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling, or any combination thereof.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of the method 800. In some embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the apparatus.

[0093] FIG. 9 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device 900 that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the terminal device 440 or the network device 460 as shown in FIG. 4. As shown, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0094] The communication module 940 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0095] The processor 910 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 900 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0096] The memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 924, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[0097] A computer program 930 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 may be stored in the ROM 924. The processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0098] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 930 so that the device 900 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the program 930 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium which may be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 900. The device 900 may load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

[00100] FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 1000 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer-readable medium 1000 has the program 1030 stored thereon. It is noted that although the computer-readable medium 1000 is depicted in form of CD or DVD in FIG. 10, the computer-readable medium 1000 may be in any other form suitable for carry or hold the program 1030.

[00101] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[00102] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the method 700 or 800 as described above with reference to FIG. 7 or 8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[00103] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[00104] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer-readable medium, and the like.

[00105] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. 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).

[00106] Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

[00107] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal 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:receive, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; andcommunicate with the network device based on the configuration.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device.

3. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration.

4. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined.

5. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

6. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further caused to: transmit, to the network device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device, and wherein the request is associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising at least one of the following:one or more MUSIM gaps; orone or more MUSIM inverse gaps.

7. The terminal device of claim 6, wherein the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through at least one of the following:a capability of the terminal device;at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message;at least one extension in RRC connection setup message; orat least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling.

8. The terminal device of any of claims 1-7, wherein the terminal device comprises a user equipment (UE), and the network device comprises a base station (BS).

9. 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 network device at least to:transmit, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; andcommunicate with the terminal device based on the configuration.

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the MUSIM inverse gap is indicated for one or more radio frequency (RF) carriers for the terminal device.

11. The network device of claim 9, wherein the MUSIM inverse gap further comprises a third duration without restricted scheduling between the first duration and the second duration.

12. The network device of claim 9, wherein lengths of the first duration and the second duration are predefined.

13. The network device of claim 9, wherein the MUSIM inverse gap is configured in at least one extension in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the network device is further caused to: receive, from the terminal device, a request for restricted scheduling during at least one communication activity at the terminal device, and wherein the request is associated with one or more MUSIM gaps comprising at least one of the following:one or more MUSIM normal gaps; orone or more MUSIM inverse gaps.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the request further indicates support for the MUSIM inverse gap by the terminal device through at least one of the following:a capability of the terminal device;at least one extension in user equipment (UE) assistance information message;at least one extension in RRC connection setup message; orat least one extension to UE MUSIM gap request signaling.

16. The network device of any of claims 9-15, wherein the terminal device comprises a user equipment (UE), and the network device comprises a base station (BS).

17. A method comprising:receiving, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; andcommunicating with the network device based on the configuration.

18. A method comprising:transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; andcommunicate with the terminal device based on the configuration.

19. An apparatus comprising:means for receiving, from a network device, a configuration of at least one multiuniversal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; andmeans for communicating with the network device based on the configuration.

20. An apparatus comprising:means for transmitting, to a terminal device, a configuration of at least one multiuniversal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, wherein the configuration indicates a MUSIM inverse gap comprising a first duration related to restricted scheduling at a start of the MUSIM gap and a second duration related to restricted scheduling at an end of the MUSIM gap; andmeans for communicating with the terminal device based on the configuration.

21. Anon-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least method of claim 17 or 18.

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