Preconfigured measurement gap extension

Abstract

A method is provided that is performed by a user equipment (UE), the method including: receiving one or more messages including at least one pre-configured pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) from a network (NW) including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), where the UE is dual connected (DC) with the MN and the SN; and determining a respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG from the pre-MG configuration, where the MN includes a master cell group (MCG) and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to pre-configured measurement gap extensions. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use a variety of standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless mobile devices, including the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE), the 5th generation (5G) 3GPP new radio (NR) standard, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, commonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), commonly known to industry groups as Wi-Fi. In a 3GPP radio access network (RAN) of an LTE system, a base station may include a RAN node, such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or an E-UTRAN Radio Network Controller (RNC), which communicates with wireless communication devices known as user equipment (UE). In a fifth generation (5G) wireless RAN, a RAN node may include a 5G node, a new radio (NR) node, or a gNode B (gNB), which communicates with wireless communication devices also known as user equipment (UE). Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided that is performed by a user equipment (UE), the method including receiving one or more messages including at least one pre-MG for pre-configured measurement gaps (pre-MGs) from a network (NW) including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), the UE being dual-connected (DC) with the MN and the SN, and determining a respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG from the pre-MG configuration.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided that is performed by a master node (MN), the method including determining a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) from a pre-MG configuration for the at least one pre-MG, a user equipment (UE) being dual connected (DC) with the MN and a secondary node (SN), the MN including a master cell group (MCG), and the SN including a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0005] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided that is performed by a secondary node (SN), the method including determining a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) configuration for the at least one pre-MG, where a user equipment (UE) is dual connected (DC) with a master node (MN) and an SN, the MN including a master cell group (MCG), and the SN including a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for a user equipment (UE) is provided, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform method steps according to any of the UE-based methods provided herein.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for a master node (MN) is provided, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform method steps according to any of the MN-based methods provided herein.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for a secondary node (SN) is provided, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform method steps according to any of the SN methods provided herein.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform the method steps according to any of the methods provided herein.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for a communication device, the apparatus comprising: means for performing the steps of any of the methods provided herein.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform the method steps according to any of the methods provided herein.

[0012] Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, features of the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system including a base station (BS) and a user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments. [Diagram 2] An application scenario is shown in which a UE has a dual connection (DC) with a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN). [Figure 3A]1 illustrates a scenario illustrating a determination regarding the actual status of a single pre-MG in carrier aggregation (CA). [Figure 3B] 1 illustrates a scenario illustrating a determination regarding the actual status of multiple pre-MGs in a CA. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a method for determination on the actual status of a pre-MG on the UE side according to some embodiments. [Figure 5A] 1 illustrates different DC scenarios for determining the actual status of a pre-MG according to some embodiments. [Figure 5B] 1 illustrates different DC scenarios for determining the actual status of a pre-MG according to some embodiments. [Figure 5C] 1 illustrates different DC scenarios for determining the actual status of a pre-MG according to some embodiments. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a method for determination on the MN side regarding the actual status of a pre-MG according to some embodiments. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a scenario for determining the actual status of a pre-MG of a NW according to some embodiments. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a transmission scenario for determination regarding the actual status of a pre-MG on the NW side according to some embodiments. [Figure 9] 13 illustrates another transmission scenario for determination regarding the actual status of the pre-MG on the NW side according to some embodiments. [Figure 10] 13 illustrates another transmission scenario for determination regarding the actual status of the pre-MG on the NW side according to some embodiments. [Figure 11] 1 illustrates a method for determination regarding the actual status of a pre-MG on the SN side according to some embodiments. [Figure 12] 1 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for a UE according to some embodiments. [Figure 13] 1 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for a MN according to some embodiments. [Figure 14] 1 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for a SN according to some embodiments. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of a device according to some embodiments. [Figure 16] 1 illustrates an example interface of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components in accordance with some example embodiments. [Figure 18] 1 illustrates a system architecture for a network, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] In this disclosure, a "base station" may include an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and / or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and / or a RAN node, such as a 5G node, a new radio (NR) node, or a gNode B (gNB), that communicates with wireless communication devices known as user equipment (UE). Although some examples may be described with reference to either an E-UTRAN Node B, an eNB, an RNC, and / or a gNB, such devices may be substituted for any type of base station.

[0015] A wireless communication system may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations or network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple UEs.

[0016] 1 illustrates a wireless network 100 in accordance with some embodiments. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 101 and a base station 150 connected via an air interface 190.

[0017] The UE 101 and any other UEs in the system may be, for example, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a printer, a machine type device such as a smart meter or a dedicated device for healthcare monitoring, a remote security monitor, an intelligent transportation system, or any other wireless device with or without a user interface. The base station 150 provides the UE 101 with a network connection to a wider network (not shown) via an air interface 190 within the base station coverage area provided by the base station 150. In some embodiments, such a wider network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider or may be the Internet. Each base station coverage area associated with a base station 150 is supported by an antenna integrated with the base station 150. The coverage area is divided into multiple sectors associated with a particular antenna. Such sectors may be physically associated with a fixed antenna or may be assigned to a physical area with tunable antennas or antenna settings that can be adjusted in a beamforming process used to direct signals to a particular sector. One embodiment of the base station 150 , for example, includes three sectors, each covering an area of ​​120 degrees, with an array of antennas aimed at each sector to provide 360 ​​degree coverage around the base station 150 .

[0018] The UE 101 includes a control circuit 105 coupled to a transmit circuit 110 and a receive circuit 115. The transmit circuit 110 and the receive circuit 115 may each be coupled to one or more antennas. The control circuit 105 may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. In some embodiments, the control circuit 105 of the UE 101 may perform calculations or initiate measurements associated with the air interface 190 to determine a channel quality of an available connection to the base station 150. These calculations may be performed in conjunction with the control circuit 155 of the base station 150. The transmit circuit 110 and the receive circuit 115 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively. The control circuit 105 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to the UE. The transmit circuit 110 may transmit multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. The multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed by Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) or Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM). The transmit circuitry 110 may be configured to receive block data from the control circuitry 105 for transmission over the air interface 190. Similarly, the receive circuitry 115 may receive multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface 190 and relay the physical channels to the control circuitry 105. The uplink and downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The transmit circuitry 110 and receive circuitry 115 can transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, videos, etc.) structured in data blocks carried by the physical channels.

[0019] 1 illustrates a base station 150 according to some embodiments. The base station 150 circuitry may include control circuitry 155 coupled to transmit circuitry 160 and receive circuitry 165. The transmit circuitry 160 and receive circuitry 165 may each be coupled to one or more antennas that may be used to facilitate communication over an air interface 190.

[0020] The control circuitry 155 may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. The transmit circuitry 160 and the receive circuitry 165 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, within a narrow system bandwidth that is narrower than a standard bandwidth structured for person-to-person communications. In some embodiments, for example, the transmit bandwidth may be set at or near 1.4 MHz. In other embodiments, other bandwidths may be used. The control circuitry 155 may perform various operations, such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to the base station.

[0021] Within a narrow system bandwidth, the transmission circuitry 160 can transmit multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels. The multiple downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The transmission circuitry 160 may transmit the multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels in a downlink superframe consisting of multiple downlink subframes.

[0022] Within a narrow system bandwidth, the receiver circuit 165 may receive multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. The multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The receiver circuit 165 may receive the multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels in an uplink superframe that is composed of multiple uplink subframes.

[0023] As described further below, the control circuits 105 and 155 may be involved in measuring channel quality for the air interface 190. The channel quality may be based, for example, on physical obstacles between the UE 101 and the base station 150, electromagnetic signal interference from other sources, reflected or indirect paths between the UE 101 and the base station 150, or other such sources of signal noise. Based on the channel quality, a block of data may be scheduled to be retransmitted multiple times such that the transmit circuitry 110 may transmit copies of the same data multiple times and the receive circuitry 115 may receive multiple copies of the same data multiple times.

[0024] In some wireless communication systems, a UE may participate in a dual connection (DC) with multiple base stations or nodes. For example, a first base station may operate as a master node (MN) and a second base station may operate as a secondary node (SN). Both the base station operating as a MN and the base station operating as a SN may be capable of operating in a frequency band range or a first set of bands (e.g., legacy LTE or sub-6 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band ranges).

[0025] 2 illustrates an application scenario 200 in which a UE 230 is dual connected (DC) with a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN) in accordance with some embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the UE 230 is dual connected with a first base station 210 and a second base station 220. The first base station 210 can act as a MN and the second base station 220 can act as a SN. The MN 210 includes a master cell group (MCG) 240 and the SN 220 includes a secondary cell group (SCG) 250.

[0026] In some cases, the UE 230 may be in an E-UTRA NR DC (EN-DC), an NR E-UTRA DC (NE-DC), or an NR DC (NR-DC).

[0027] Sometimes, the UE may need to handover to another cell. While simultaneously transmitting / receiving on the serving cell, the UE may need a measurement gap to perform measurements on the target carrier frequency. For legacy measurement gaps (MG), there are three different measurement gap configurations:

[0028] Per FR1 gap: This MG configuration can only be applied to FR1. It cannot be configured together with Per UE gap. For example, when the UE is in EN-DC and FR1 frequency needs to be measured, the gNB will configure either Per FR1 gap or Per UE gap.

[0029] Per FR2 gap: This MG configuration can only be applied to FR2. Similar to Per FR1 gap, Per FR2 gap cannot be configured together with Per UE gap. For example, when the UE is in EN-DC and FR2 needs to be measured, the gNB configures either Per FR2 gap or Per UE gap. FR1 gap and FR2 gap can be configured (activated) at the same time.

[0030] Per UE gap: This MG configuration may be applied to all frequencies, i.e., FR1 and FR2. If Per UE gap is configured, neither gapFR1 nor gapFR2 may be configured. With this MG configuration, the UE can measure FR1, FR2, and non-NR RATs.

[0031] In case of dual connectivity, the MN MG configuration and the SN MG configuration may need to be coordinated. Table 1 below shows the MN / SN coordination and serving node for measurement gap configuration.

[0032] [Table 1]

[0033] Several problems associated with the current measurement gap design are discussed, as well as several proposals for gap extension.

[0034] In Rel-17, Feature 1: Pre-configured MG (Pre-MG) is provided. Pre-configured MG is activated or deactivated per Bandwidth Partition (BWP). Pre-MG can be per UE, FR1 or FR2 gap. BWP switching can be done via RRC, DCI, on timer expiry or at RACH start. Multi-Radio DC (MR-DC) is deprioritized in Rel-17.

[0035] Feature 2: Simultaneous gaps are provided. Multiple gaps are configured / activated, each gap is associated with one MO / RAT / purpose. MR-DC may also be deprioritized in Rel-17. In case of simultaneous gaps, coordination between MN / SN may follow legacy per UE, FR1, FR2 gaps.

[0036] Feature 3: NCSG Gap. This is designed on top of Rel-16 NeedForGap, which does not support MR-DC.

[0037] Feature 4: MUSIM gap. The UE requests multiple gap pattern(s) from the gNB to allow the UE to perform operations on other SIMs (SIB, paging reception, RRM, etc.), and the gNB configures the UE with per-UE gap (only per-UE gap is supported). MR-DC is not supported, and gap adjustment is not supported. For MUSIM gap, legacy gap adjustment can simply be used.

[0038] Feature 5: FR2 UL gaps do not impact FR1 operation and are likely to be independent from legacy measurement gaps. For FR2 UL gaps, which do not need to have MN-SN coordination in MR-DC, the first three features may or may not support MR-DC scenarios.

[0039] Feature 1: For pre-MG design, some basic frameworks are provided. A pre-configured MG may or may not be activated for each BWP, so that when the UE operates on a particular BWP, the UE does not need to apply MG to save scheduling opportunities.

[0040] A pre-configured MG is applicable to all MO(s), which means that the UE only considers the currently operating BWP to activate / deactivate the pre-configured MG.

[0041] In some cases, the determination regarding the pre-MG status can be made via the NW by indicating the activation / deactivation status to the UE for each BWP, or the UE can determine the pre-MG status when the corresponding principle is met, i.e., when the active BWP bandwidth covers the entire MO, whether the UE supports different SCS between serving cell reception and measurement, etc.

[0042] In some cases, a combined approach between pre-MG and concurrency gaps may be provided. It is possible to configure multiple pre-MG(s), each associated with a different MO / RAT / purpose. For each BWP, there may be multiple associated pre-MG(s).

[0043] In the combined manner, the determination of the pre-MG status can be made via the NW by instructing the UE of the activation / deactivation status for each pre-MG for each BWP, or the UE can determine the status of each pre-MG according to the principle for each BWP.

[0044] FIG. 3A illustrates a scenario showing a determination regarding the actual status of a single pre-MG in carrier aggregation (CA) at 300A. As shown in FIG. 3A, in scenario 310, a UE is configured with multiple component carriers (CCs), and each CC is configured with multiple BWPs. For example, CC1 is configured with BWP1 and BWP2, and CC2 is configured with BWP1 and BWP2. In scenario 310, there is only one pre-MG and one measurement occasion (MO), namely MO1. In some cases, the UE can determine the actual status of a single pre-MG through explicit or implicit indication. In case of explicit indication, the status of the pre-MG is considered to be "off", or in other words deactivated, only when all active BWPs on all CCs are flagged as "off". In case of implicit indication, the status of the pre-MG is considered to be "off" only when all reference signal(s) are covered by active BWP(s) on multiple CCs.

[0045] In some examples, in scenario 310, the NW may configure the UE with CC1: {BWP1 off, BWP2 on} and CC2: {BWP1 off, BWP2 off}. The NW may also configure the UE with absent on pre-MG configuration. For example, MO1 is covered by BWP1 on CC1, and the UE may determine that the pre-MG status for BWP1 on CC1 is off because no measurement gap is needed to perform measurements. On CC2, the off or absent configuration means that there is no measurement task for CC2 RF.

[0046] In scenario 320, there are two MOs: the NW can configure the UE with CC1: {BWP1 off, BWP2 on} and CC2: {BWP1 on, BWP2 off}.

[0047] FIG. 3B illustrates a scenario 300B showing a determination regarding the actual status of multiple pre-MGs in a CA. Referring to FIG. 3B, there are two pre-MGs, namely pre-MG1 and pre-MG2. Note that each pre-MG applies to both CC1 and CC2. In some examples, each pre-MG may be associated with one or more MOs, such as in scenarios 310 or 320. In some implementations, for each pre-MG, it may be considered off only when all associated BWPs on all CCs are off. The determination regarding the status for each pre-MG may be made by applying both explicit and implicit indications. In the following example, Table 2 shows how the UE determines the status of each pre-MG based on the NW configuration.

[0048] [Table 2]

[0049] 3B and Table 2, take pre-MG2 as an example, the active BWPs are BWP2 on CC1 and BWP1 on CC2, and pre-MG2 is configured as "off" for BWP2 on CC1 and as "off" for BWP1 on CC2. In this example, all active BWPs on all CCs are off, and the UE determines the status of pre-MG2 as off.

[0050] In some cases of MR-DC, pre-MG is applied for both MCG and SCG with the principle that per-UE gaps always apply to UE operation in both MCG and SCG. Since the FR1 band is configured with both MCG and SCG, FR1 gaps usually always apply to FR1 UE operation in both MCG and SCG, and for FR2 gaps, if FR2-FR2 NR DC is configured, they apply to FR2 UE operation in both MCG and SCG, otherwise they only apply in the CG where the FR2 band is configured.

[0051] In some cases of MR-DC, it remains open how the pre-MG status is determined from both the NW and UE sides. In other cases, dynamic activation / deactivation of pre-MG is performed at BWP switching time via DCI or timers, which cannot be time-coordinated between MN and SN.

[0052] 4 illustrates a method 400 for determining on a UE side about an actual status of a pre-MG according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG.

[0053] In step 410, the UE receives one or more messages including at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) from a network (NW) including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), and the UE is dual connected (DC) with the MN and the SN.

[0054] In step 420, the UE determines a respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG from the pre-MG configuration.

[0055] In some implementations, the MN includes a Master Cell Group (MCG) and the SN includes a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). The pre-MG configuration includes a pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation ("on") or deactivation ("off") status for at least one pre-MG for at least one Bandwidth Part (BWP) in at least one of the MCG or the SCG, and determining the respective pre-MG status includes determining, for each pre-MG, a respective pre-MG status for a first active BWP in the MCG and a second active BWP in the SCG.

[0056] In some implementations, a pre-MG is considered to be off only when the active BWPs from both CGs (e.g., MCG and SCG) are flagged as "off". In some examples, the UE may determine an individual pre-MG status for one of the at least one pre-MG through an explicit indication or an implicit indication. In some examples, the explicit indication is via a flag indication from the NW configuration. In some embodiments, when all reference signals are covered by the active BWP, the UE may determine that the respective pre-MG status on the active BWP is a deactivated status.

[0057] 5A-5C illustrate different DC scenarios for determining the actual status of a pre-MG according to some embodiments.

[0058] 5A, scenario 500A is NR-DC. In some embodiments, when the UE is in NR-DC (scenario 500A), determining, for each pre-MG, an individual pre-MG status includes determining, from a pre-MG configuration, a pre-MG first status for a first active BWP, determining, from the pre-MG configuration, a pre-MG second status for a second active BWP, and, in response to determining that both the first status and the second status are deactivated statuses, determining that the individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG is deactivated status.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 5A, taking pre-MG2 as an example, when the active BWPs are BWP2 on MCG and BWP1 on SCG, pre-MG2 is configured with "off" for both BWP2 on CC1 and BWP1 on CC2. In this example, all active BWPs on all CGs (MCG and SCG) are off, and the UE determines that the individual status of pre-MG2 is off. In some examples, the flag "off" for pre-MG2 may be indicated by the pre-MG configuration from the NW. In other examples, the flag "off" for pre-MG2 may be implicitly determined when all reference signals are covered by the active BWPs.

[0060] Table 3 shows the respective pre-MG statuses for the two pre-MGs in scenario 500A.

[0061] [Table 3]

[0062] Referring to FIG. 5B, scenario 500B is EN-DC. In some embodiments, when the UE is in EN-DC (scenario 500B), for each pre-MG, determining the individual pre-MG status includes determining a third status of the pre-MG for the second active BWP as the individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG. Taking pre-MG1 as an example, the third status of pre-MG1 for the second active BWP (e.g., BWP1 in the SCG) is "on". In this example, the UE determines the respective pre-MG1 status as "on". In scenario 500B, the MN is an E-UTRAN node, meaning it does not support pre-MG. In some cases, the pre-MG is limited to FR2 gaps in order not to affect the LTE design. In other examples, when the pre-MG is a gap per UE or a FR1 gap, the MN may need to know the pre-MG configuration in the SN to avoid erroneous transmission during the measurement gap.

[0063] Table 4 shows the respective pre-MG statuses for the two pre-MGs in scenario 500B.

[0064] [Table 4]

[0065] Referring to FIG. 5C, scenario 500C is NE-DC. In some embodiments, when the UE is in NE-DC (scenario 500C), for each pre-MG, determining the individual pre-MG status includes determining the fourth status of the pre-MG on the first active BWP as the individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG. Taking pre-MG1 as an example, the fourth status of pre-MG1 for the first active BWP (e.g., BWP2 in MCG) is "off". In this example, the UE determines the respective pre-MG1 status as "off". In some examples, all gaps (including legacy gaps and pre-MG) are configured by the MN. In some implementations, pre-MG can be per UE, per FR1, or per FR2 gap. In some cases, when per MG per UE and per FR1 have status "on", SCG operation is affected and the SCG may need to know the pre-MG configuration in the MN to avoid erroneous transmission during measurement gaps.

[0066] Although the UE may be able to determine the individual pre-MG status based on various information from the MN and / or SN, on the NW side, one CG (e.g., MCG) does not have active BWP information in the other CG (e.g., SCG). In some cases, a method for determining the pre-MG status on the NW side may be needed.

[0067] FIG. 6 illustrates a method for determining on the actual status of a pre-MG on the MN side and the SN side according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6, the method 600 is performed by the MN. The method 600 includes step 610. In step 610, the MN determines a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) configuration for the at least one pre-MG, the UE is dual connected (DC) with the MN and a secondary node (SN), the MN includes a master cell group (MCG), and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0068] In some implementations, the pre-MG configuration includes a first pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status for each BWP in the MCG, and a second pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status for each BWP in the SCG.

[0069] In some implementations, a static assumption may be used for the NW. In some examples, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes, for each pre-MG, determining from the second pre-MG flag indications whether at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications for the pre-MG indicates an activation status, determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is an activation status in response to a determination that at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicates an activation status, and determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a status indicated by the corresponding one of the first pre-MG flag indications for the active BWP in the MCG in response to a determination that all of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicate a deactivation status.

[0070] In some implementations, for one pre-MG that may be in an activated status ("ON") in other CGs, it is always considered to be "ON". Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 shows a scenario 700 for a determination regarding the actual status of a pre-MG for a NW, according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7, for pre-MG1, it may be "ON" or "OFF" in the MCG, and the SCG considers it to be always "ON".

[0071] In some implementations, for one pre-MG that is "off" for all BWP(s) in other CGs, it can be considered "on" or "off" for the corresponding BWP in the current CG. For example, as shown in Figure 7, for pre-MG2, it is "off" in the MCG for two BWP(s), and the SCG can consider it "on" or "off" based on which BWP is active.

[0072] In some implementations, the NW can determine the pre-MG status by dynamic coordination between the MN and the SN. In some implementations, when BWP switching occurs in one CG and leads to a pre-MG status change, it should be notified to other nodes. In some variants, the bwp-inactivity timer is also notified to other nodes to cover timer-based BWP switching.

[0073] In some examples, when the UE is in EN-DC, LTE may not update for pre-MG, and therefore pre-MG is requested by the SN and is only applicable for FR2 gaps.

[0074] In some instances, the FR2 pre-MG is configured only in the SN, and therefore no adjustment is required.

[0075] Table 5 shows how the NW determines the pre-MG status when the UE is in the EN-DC.

[0076] [Table 5]

[0077] In some embodiments, when the UE is in the NE-DC, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes receiving a configuration or reconfiguration request and configuring the first respective pre-MG status in response to receiving the configuration or reconfiguration request.

[0078] In some embodiments, when the UE is in the NE-DC, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes determining the first respective pre-MG status from a pre-MG configuration in response to the BWP switching on on the MN.

[0079] In some embodiments, when the UE is in the NE-DC, the method 600 further includes step 620. In step 620, for each pre-MG that is a per-UE gap or a per-FR1 gap, the MN transmits to the SN a respective pre-MG status of the first respective pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

[0080] Figure 8 illustrates a transmission scenario 800 for determination regarding the actual status of the pre-MG on the NW side (NE-DC) according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 8, the pre-MG status changes when an event 810 occurs. The event 810 may be a configuration or reconfiguration on the MN or a BWP switching on on the MN.

[0081] In some examples, when the MN is configured or reconfigured, the MN informs the SN of each pre-MG, the gapPurpose (per UE or per FR1), and the status indication of the pre-MG of each BWP through message 820. In some examples, message 820 can be RRC signaling. In some variations, the SN may send a gap request to the MN.

[0082] In transmission scenario 800, pre-MG can be per UE, per FR1, or per FR2 gap. In some examples, per FR2 pre-MG is limited to the MN and does not require coordination between the MN and the SN. In some variations, for per UE and per FR1 pre-MG, the MN informs the SN of its configuration (e.g., via message 820).

[0083] In some implementations, when the event 810 is a BWP switching in the MN, the MN informs the SN (eg, via message 820) about the pre-MG per UE and pre-MG per FR1 status every time the pre-MG status changes.

[0084] Table 6 shows how the NW determines the pre-MG status when the UE is in the NE-DC.

[0085] [Table 6]

[0086] In some implementations, when the UE is in NR-DC, determining the first respective pre-MG status further includes receiving, from the SN, a second respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG as the first respective pre-MG status.

[0087] In some implementations, when the UE is in NR-DC, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes determining the first respective pre-MG status from a pre-MG configuration in response to the BWP switching on on the MN. In some examples, the method 600 may further include transmitting the first respective pre-MG status to the SN.

[0088] FIG. 9 illustrates another transmission scenario 900 (NR-DC) for determination regarding the actual status of a pre-MG on the NW side according to some embodiments.

[0089] As shown in Figure 9, the pre-MG status changes when an event 910 occurs. Event 910 may be a configuration or reconfiguration on the MN or a BWP switching on on the MN.

[0090] In some examples, when the MN is configured or reconfigured, the MN informs the SN of each pre-MG, the gapPurpose (per UE or per FR1), and the status indication of the pre-MG for each BWP through message 920. In some examples, message 920 can be RRC signaling. In some variations, the SN may send a gap request to the MN. In some variations, the SN may configure the FR1 / FR2 frequency list to measure.

[0091] In some cases, the SN may further configure the status of the pre-MG to the UE for each BWP (930). In some examples, the SN informs the MN of the status of each pre-MG for each BWP through message 940. In some cases, only the MN may configure the pre-MG, and the pre-MG may be per UE, per FR1 gap, or per FR2 gap.

[0092] In some embodiments, when the UE is in NR-DC, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes receiving, from the SN, a third respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG as the first respective pre-MG status in response to the BWP switching on on the SN.

[0093] Table 7 shows how the NW determines the pre-MG status when the UE is in NR-DC.

[0094] [Table 7]

[0095] In some implementations, when the UE is in NR-DC, determining the respective pre-MG status includes determining the respective pre-MG status from a pre-MG configuration in response to BWP switching on on the SN. In some examples, when BWP switching on on the SN, the SN can transmit the respective pre-MG status to the MN.

[0096] In some embodiments, the UE may notify the MCG or SCG of the pre-MG status change due to BWP switching. In some cases, when the UE switches the BWP on the MN, the UE may send a first reported pre-MG configuration to the SN, including the respective pre-MG status. In some implementations, the UE may send the first reporting pre-MG configuration through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling. In some examples, the first reporting pre-MG configuration may further include a list of pre-MG identities (IDs).

[0097] In other cases, when the UE switches BWP on the SN, the UE may send a second reporting pre-MG configuration to the MN, including the respective pre-MG status. In some implementations, the UE may send the second reporting pre-MG configuration through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling. In some examples, the second reported pre-MG configuration may further include a list of pre-MG identities (IDs).

[0098] In some implementations, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes transmitting one or more of the at least one pre-MG, which is applicable to both the MCG and the SCG, to the UE, and receiving a reported pre-MG configuration from the UE, in response to the BWP switching on on the SN, the reported pre-MG configuration including a set of pre-MG statuses for the one or more pre-MGs. In some implementations, the set of pre-MG statuses is determined by the UE. In some examples, the UE can determine the set of pre-MG statuses by method 400 or any embodiment described therein. For the MN, the corresponding one of the first respective pre-MG statuses for the one or more pre-MGs is the same as the set of pre-MG statuses. In some cases, the MN receives the set of pre-MG statuses determined by the UE as the corresponding one of the first respective pre-MG statuses.

[0099] In some implementations, the reported pre-MG configuration further includes a list of one or more pre-MG identities (IDs).

[0100] In some examples, the reported pre-MG configuration is received through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

[0101] Figure 10 illustrates another transmission scenario 1000 for the determination regarding the actual status of the pre-MG on the NW side according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 10, the MN transmits one or more pre-MGs to the UE (1010), where the one or more pre-MGs are applicable to both the MCG and the SCG. When the BWP switches on the MN (1020), the one or more pre-MG statuses change, and the UE reports the one or more pre-MG statuses via one or more messages (1030).

[0102] In some embodiments, when the BWP turns on the SN (1040) and one or more pre-MG status changes, the UE reports (1050) the one or more pre-MG status via one or more messages.

[0103] In some examples, the UE may report via RRC message / signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling. In some examples, the RRC message / signaling may be a UAI message.

[0104] In some implementations, the NW determines the pre-MG status based on the NW implementation. In the case of an ideal backhaul, all information can be exchanged between the MN and the SN without further specified solutions. In some examples, determining the first respective pre-MG status includes determining the first respective pre-MG status from a network implementation for the MN.

[0105] 11 illustrates a method 1100 for determination regarding an actual status of a pre-MG on an SN side according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 11, the method 1100 includes step 1110. In step 1110, the SN determines a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) configuration for the at least one pre-MG, where a user equipment (UE) is dual connected (DC) with a master node (MN) and an SN, the MN includes a master cell group (MCG), and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0106] Figure 12 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1200 for a UE according to some embodiments. The apparatus 1200 shown in Figure 12 may include one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method 400 shown in combination with Figure 12. As shown in Figure 12, the apparatus 1200 includes a receiving unit 1210 and a determining unit 1220.

[0107] The receiving unit 1210 is configured to receive one or more messages including at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) from a network (NW) including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), and the UE is dual-connected (DC) with the MN and the SN.

[0108] The determining unit 1220 is configured to determine a respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG from the pre-MG configuration.

[0109] Figure 13 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1300 for a MN according to some embodiments. The apparatus 1300 shown in Figure 13 may include one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method 600 shown in combination with Figure 13. As shown in Figure 13, the apparatus 1300 includes a determining unit 1310.

[0110] The determining unit 1310 is configured to determine a first respective pre-MG status of at least one pre-MG from at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG), where a user equipment (UE) is dual connected (DC) with a MN and a secondary node (SN), the MN includes a master cell group (MCG), and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0111] Figure 14 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 1400 for a SN according to some embodiments. The apparatus 1400 shown in Figure 14 may include one or more processors configured to perform steps of the method 1100 shown in combination with Figure 14. As shown in Figure 14, the apparatus 1400 includes a determining unit 1410.

[0112] The determining unit 1410 is configured to determine a first respective pre-MG status of at least one pre-MG from at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG), where a user equipment (UE) is dual connected (DC) with a master node (MN) and an SN, where the MN includes a master cell group (MCG), and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0113] In the embodiments for the determination regarding pre-MG status at the UE, MN and SN sides as described above, the NW can have the same understanding of the pre-MG status as the UE. In some cases, when pre-MG is actually "off" at the UE side, the scheduling opportunities from the NW can be increased. In other cases, when pre-MG is actually "on" at the UE side, the NW stops scheduling during the gap duration.

[0114] FIG. 15 illustrates exemplary components of a device 1500 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 1500 may include an application circuit 1502, a baseband circuit 1504, a radio frequency (RF) circuit (shown as RF circuit 1520), a front-end module (FEM) circuit (shown as FEM circuit 1530), one or more antennas 1532, and a power management circuit (PMC) (shown as PMC 1534), coupled together at least as shown. The illustrated components of the device 1500 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 1500 may include fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize the application circuit 1502 and instead include a processor / controller for processing IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 1500 may include additional elements, such as, for example, memory / storage, a display, a camera, a sensor, or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in two or more devices (e.g., the above circuitry may be included separately in two or more devices for a Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0115] The application circuit 1502 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 1502 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled with or may include memory / storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1500. In some embodiments, the processor of the application circuit 1502 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

[0116] The baseband circuitry 1504 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 1504 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic for processing baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1520 and generating baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1520. The baseband circuitry 1504 may interface with the application circuitry 1502 for generating and processing the baseband signals and for controlling the operation of the RF circuitry 1520. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor (3G baseband processor 1506), a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor (4G baseband processor 1508), a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor (5G baseband processor 1510), or other baseband processor(s) 1512 for other existing, developing, or future generations (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 1504 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors) may process various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more wireless networks via the RF circuitry 1520. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the illustrated baseband processors may be included in modules stored in memory 1518 and executed via a central processing ETnit (CPET 1514). Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1504 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1504 may include convolutional, tail-biting convolutional, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. The embodiments of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

[0117] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 may include a digital signal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSP(s) 1516. The one or more audio DSP(s) 1516 may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. The components of the baseband circuitry may in some embodiments be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or may be located on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1504 and the application circuitry 1502 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0118] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 may provide communications compatible with one or more wireless technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1504 may support communications with an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). An embodiment in which the baseband circuitry 1504 is configured to support wireless communications of two or more wireless protocols may be referred to as a multimode baseband circuit.

[0119] The RF circuitry 1520 can enable communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation over a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1520 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. The RF circuitry 1520 can include a receive signal path that can include circuitry for downconverting an RF signal received from the FEM circuitry 1530 and providing a baseband signal to the baseband circuitry 1504. The RF circuitry 1520 can also include a transmit signal path that can include circuitry for upconverting a baseband signal provided by the baseband circuitry 1504 and providing an RF output signal to the FEM circuitry 1530 for transmission. In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1520 can include a mixer circuitry 1522, an amplifier circuitry 1524, and a filter circuitry 1526. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1520 can include the filter circuitry 1526 and the mixer circuitry 1522. The RF circuitry 1520 may also include a synthesizer circuit 1528 for synthesizing frequencies used by the mixer circuitry 1522 of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1522 of the receive signal path may be configured to downconvert the RF signal received from the FEM circuitry 1530 based on a synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1528. The amplifier circuitry 1524 may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuitry 1526 may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuitry 1504 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1522 of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0120] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1522 of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1528 to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1530. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 1504 and filtered by the filter circuit 1526.

[0121] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1522 in the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1522 in the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and quadrature up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1522 in the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1522 in the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1522 in the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1522 in the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1522 in the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1522 in the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0122] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 1520 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuitry 1504 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuitry 1520.

[0123] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals in each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0124] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1528 may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1528 may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer that includes a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0125] The synthesizer circuit 1528 may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 1522 of the RF circuit 1520 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1528 may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0126] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), but that is not required. The divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 1504 or the application circuitry 1502 (such as an application processor), depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuitry 1502.

[0127] The synthesizer circuit 1528 of the RF circuit 1520 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on the implementation) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some exemplary embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO period into Nd equal-phase packets, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this manner, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0128] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1528 may be configured to generate the carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and may be used in conjunction with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with different phases relative to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 1520 may include an IQ to polar converter.

[0129] The FEM circuitry 1530 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1532, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1520 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1530 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 1520 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1532. In various embodiments, amplification through the transmit or receive signal path may occur only in the RF circuitry 1520, only in the FEM circuitry 1530, or in both the RF circuitry 1520 and the FEM circuitry 1530.

[0130] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 1530 may include a TX / RX switch for switching between transmit and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 1530 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 1530 may include an LNA for amplifying a received RF signal and providing the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1520). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1530 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 1520) and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 1532).

[0131] In some embodiments, the PMC 1534 may manage the power provided to the baseband circuitry 1504. In particular, the PMC 1534 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 1534 may often be included when the device 1500 may be battery powered, for example, when the device 1500 is included in an EGE. The PMC 1534 may improve power conversion efficiency while providing desirable packaging size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0132] 15 shows the PMC 1534 coupled only to the baseband circuitry 1504. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 1534 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to and perform similar power management operations for other components, such as, but not limited to, the application circuitry 1502, the RF circuitry 1520, or the FEM circuitry 1530.

[0133] In some embodiments, the PMC 1534 may control or otherwise be a part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 1500. For example, if the device 1500 is in an RRC connected state and is still connected to a RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity it may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state the device 1500 may power down for a short interval of time, thus saving power.

[0134] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 1500 can transition to an RRC idle state, disconnect from the network, and perform no operations such as channel quality assessment feedback, handover, etc. The device 1500 enters an ultra-low power state, performs paging, wakes up periodically again to listen to the network, and then powers down again. The device 1500 cannot receive data in this state and transitions back to the RRC connected state to receive data.

[0135] In a further power saving mode, the device may be allowed to be unavailable from the network for periods longer than the paging interval (which can range from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device may be completely unable to reach the network and may be completely powered down. Any data transmitted during this time will be significantly delayed, but the delay is deemed acceptable.

[0136] The processor of the application circuit 1502 and the processor of the baseband circuit 1504 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 1504 may be used, alone or in combination, to execute functions of layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1, and the processor of the application circuit 1502 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute functions of layer 4 (e.g., a transmission communication protocol (TCP) layer and a user datagram protocol (UDP) layer). As referred to herein, layer 3 may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, which is described in more detail below. As referred to herein, layer 2 may include a media access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, which are described in more detail below. As referred to herein, layer 1 may include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which is described in more detail below.

[0137] Figure 16 illustrates an example interface 1600 of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuit 1504 of Figure 15 may include a 3G baseband processor 1506, a 4G baseband processor 1508, a 5G baseband processor 1510, other baseband processor(s) 1512, a CPU 1514, and memory 1618 utilized by the processors. As illustrated, each of the processors may include a respective memory interface 1602 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the memory 1618.

[0138] The baseband circuit 1504 may further include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling with other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 1604 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a memory external to the baseband circuit 1604), an application circuit interface 1606 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the application circuit 1502 of FIG. 15), an RF circuit interface 1608 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the RF circuit 1520 of FIG. 15), a wireless hardware connection interface 1610 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving data to / from a near field communication (NFC) component, a Bluetooth® component (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), a Wi-Fi® component, and other communication components), and a power management interface 1612 (e.g., an interface for sending / receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 1534).

[0139] 17 is a block diagram illustrating a component 1700 capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods described herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic diagram of hardware resources 1702 including one or more processors 1712 (or processor cores), one or more memory / storage devices 1718, and one or more communication resources 1720, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 1722. In embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1704 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1702.

[0140] Processor 1712 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1714 and processor 1716.

[0141] The memory / storage devices 1718 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage devices 1718 may include any type of volatile or non-random access, such as, but not limited to, dynamic volatile memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0142] Communications resources 1720 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 1706 or one or more databases 1708 over network 1710. For example, communications resources 1720 may include wired communications components (e.g., for coupling via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communications components, NFC components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communications components.

[0143] The instructions 1724 may include software, programs, applications, applets, apps, or other executable code for causing at least one of the processors 1712 to perform any one or more of the methods described herein. The instructions 1724 may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors 1712 (e.g., within a processor's cache memory), within the memory / storage device 1718, or any suitable combination thereof. Further, any portion of the instructions 1724 may be transferred to the hardware resources 1702 from any combination of the peripheral device 1706 or the database 1708. Thus, the memory of the processor 1712, the memory / storage device 1718, the peripheral device 1706, and the database 1708 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0144] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section.

[0145] 18 illustrates an architecture of a system 1800 of a network according to some embodiments. The system 1800 includes one or more user equipment (UE), shown in this example as UE 1802 and UE 1804. The UE 1802 and UE 1804 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handset, or any computing device that includes a wireless communications interface.

[0146] In some embodiments, any of the UE 1802 and UE 1104 may comprise an IoT UE, which may comprise a network access layer designed for low-power Internet of Things (IoT) applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or MTC to exchange data with a machine-type communication (MTC) server or device over a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor network, or IoT network. The M2M data exchange or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network refers to IoT UEs connecting with each other, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) over short-lived connections. The IoT UE may run background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity of the IoT network. The UE 1802 and the UE 1804 may be configured to connect, e.g., be communicatively coupled, to a Radio Access Network (RAN), shown as RAN 1806. The RAN 1806 may be, for example, an Evolved ETuniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (ETMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a Next Generation RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UE 1802 and the UE 1804 utilize connections 1808 and 1810, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in more detail below).In this embodiment, connection 1808 and connection 1810 are illustrated as air interfaces to enable a communicative coupling and may be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocols, code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocols, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocols, PTT over Cellular (POC) protocols, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols, fifth generation (5G) protocols, new radio (NR) protocols, and the like.

[0147] In this embodiment, the UE 1802 and the UE 1804 may further exchange communication data directly via the ProSe interface 1812. The ProSe interface 1812 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0148] The UE 1804 is shown configured to access an access point (AP), shown as AP 1184, via a connection 1816. The connection 1816 may comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.18 protocol, where the AP 1814 would comprise a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) router. In this example, the AP 1814 may be connected to the Internet without connecting to a core network of a wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0149] The RAN 1806 may include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 1808 and 1810. These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 1806 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., a macro RAN node 1818, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell), e.g., a low power (LP) RAN node, e.g., a LP RAN node 1820. Both the macro RAN node 1818 and the LP RAN node 1820 may terminate air interface protocols and may be the first single point of contact for the UE 1802 and the UE 1804. In some embodiments, either the macro RAN node 1818 or the LP RAN node 1820 may perform various logical functions for the RAN 1806, including radio network controller (RNC) functions such as, but not limited to, radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0150] According to some embodiments, the EGE 1802 and the EGE 1804 may be configured to communicate with each other or with either the macro RAN node 1818 and the LP RAN node 1820 over a multi-carrier communication channel according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. An OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0151] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from either the macro RAN node 1818 and the LP RAN node 1820 to the UEs 1802 and 1804, but uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resources of the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is common in OFDM systems, making the allocation of radio resources intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit of the resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid contains a number of resource blocks, which represent the mapping of a particular physical channel to the resource elements. Each resource block contains a collection of resource elements, which in the frequency domain may represent the smallest amount of resources that can currently be allocated. There are several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.

[0152] A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 1802 and the UE 1804. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry, among other things, information regarding transport format and resource allocation for the PDSCH channel. It may also inform the UE 1802 and the UE 1804 of the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information for the uplink shared channel. In general, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 1804 in a cell) may be performed in either the macro RAN node 1818 or the LP RAN node 1820 based on channel quality information fed back from either the UE 1802 and the UE 1804. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UE 1802 and the UE 1804.

[0153] The PDCCH may carry control information using control channel elements (CCEs). Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets and then permuted using a subblock interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, and each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as a resource element group (REG). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more CCEs depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and the channel conditions. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0154] Some embodiments may use a concept for resource allocation for control channel information that is an extension of the concept above. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). As above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs in some situations.

[0155] The RAN 1806 is communicatively coupled to a core network (CN), denoted as CN 1828, via an Sl interface 1822. In an embodiment, the CN 1828 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the Sl interface 1822 is divided into two parts: an Sl-U interface 1824 that carries traffic data between the macro RAN node 1818, the LP RAN node 1820, and a serving gateway (S-GW), denoted as S-GW 1132, and an Sl-mobility management entity (MME) interface, denoted as Sl-MME interface 1826, which is a signaling interface between the macro RAN node 1818, the LP RAN node 1820, and the MME(s) 1830. In this embodiment, the CN 1828 comprises MME(s) 1830, S-GW 1832, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) (shown as P-GW 1834), and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) (shown as HSS 1836). The MME(s) 1830 may be similar in function to the control plane of a legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). The MME(s) 1830 may manage mobility aspects in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 1836 may comprise a database for network users, including subscription related information to support network entity handling of communication sessions. The CN 1828 may comprise one or more HSSs 1836, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, etc. For example, the HSS 1836 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependency, and the like.

[0156] The S-GW 1832 may terminate the S1 interface 322 towards the RAN 1806 and routes data packets between the RAN 1806 and the CN 1828. In addition, the S-GW 1832 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0157] The P-GW 1834 may terminate an SGi interface toward the PDN. The P-GW 1834 may route data packets between the CN 1828 (e.g., an EPC network) and an external network, such as a network including an application server 1842 (alternatively referred to as an application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface (shown as an IP communication interface 1838). Generally, the application server 1842 may be an element that provides applications that use IP address bearer resources with a core network (e.g., ETMTS packet service (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW 1834 is shown communicatively coupled to the application server 1842 via the IP communication interface 1838. The application server 1842 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UE 1802 and the UE 1804 via the CN 1828.

[0158] The P-GW 1834 may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) (denoted as PCRF 1840) is the policy and charging control element of the CN 1828. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the ETE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 1840 may be communicatively coupled to an application server 1842 via the P-GW 1834. The application server 1842 may signal the PCRF 1840 to indicate the new service flow and select appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 1840 can provision this rule to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) along with the appropriate Traffic Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Class of Identifier (QCI), which initiates the QoS and charging specified by the application server 1842.

[0159] Further Examples For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section.

[0160] The following examples relate to further embodiments.

[0161] Example 1 is a method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving one or more messages including a pre-MG configuration for at least one pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) from a network (NW) including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), the UE being dual-attached (DC) with the MN and the SN, the MN including a master cell group (MCG), and the SN including a secondary cell group (SCG); determining a respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG from the pre-MG configuration.

[0162] Example 2 is the method of example 1, wherein the pre-MG configuration includes a pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status for at least one pre-MG for at least one bandwidth portion (BWP) in at least one of the MCG or SCG, and determining the respective pre-MG status includes: For each pre-MG, determining a respective pre-MG status for a first active BWP in the MCG and a second active BWP in the SCG.

[0163] Example 3 is the method of example 2, wherein the UE is in NR-DC, and determining an individual pre-MG status for each pre-MG includes: determining a pre-MG first status for a first active BWP from the pre-MG configuration; determining a pre-MG second status for a second active BWP from the pre-MG configuration; In response to determining that both the first status and the second status are deactivated statuses, determining that a respective pre-MG status for the pre-MG is deactivated status.

[0164] Example 4 is the method of example 2, wherein the UE is in an EN-DC, and determining, for each pre-MG, an individual pre-MG status includes: Determining a third status of the pre-MG for the second active BWP as an individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

[0165] Example 5 is the method of Example 4, in which pre-MG is per RF2 gap.

[0166] Example 6 is the method of example 2, wherein the UE is in a NE-DC, and determining, for each pre-MG, a separate pre-MG status includes: Determining a fourth status of the pre-MG on the first active BWP as an individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

[0167] Example 7 is the method of example 6, in which the pre-MG is a gap per UE, per FR1, or per FR2.

[0168] Example 8 is the method of example 1, wherein all reference signals are covered by an active BWP, and determining each pre-MG status includes: Determining that each pre-MG status on the active BWP is in a deactivated status.

[0169] Example 9 is the method of example 1, wherein the at least one pre-MG is applicable to both MCG and SCG, and the method further comprises: The method further includes sending a first pre-MG configuration for reporting to the SN, the first pre-MG configuration including the respective pre-MG status, in response to the BWP switching on on the MN.

[0170] Example 10 is the method of Example 9, in which the first reporting pre-MG configuration is sent through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

[0171] Example 11 is the method of example 1, wherein the at least one pre-MG is applicable to both MCG and SCG, and the method further comprises: The method further includes sending a second pre-MG configuration for reporting to the MN, the second pre-MG configuration including the respective pre-MG status, in response to the BWP switching on on the SN.

[0172] Example 12 is the method of Example 9, in which the second reporting pre-MG configuration is sent through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

[0173] Example 13 is a method performed by a master node (MN), comprising: The method includes determining a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG), wherein a user equipment (UE) is dual connected (DC) with a MN and a secondary node (SN), the MN includes a master cell group (MCG), and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0174] Example 14 is the method of Example 13, wherein the pre-MG configuration includes a first pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the MCG, and a second pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the SCG.

[0175] Example 15 is the method of example 14, wherein determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: For each pre-MG, determining, from the second pre-MG flag indication, whether at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications for the pre-MG indicates an activation status; determining, in response to determining that at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicates an activated status, that a pre-MG status for the pre-MG is an activated status; In response to determining that all of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicate a deactivated status, determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a status indicated by a corresponding one of the first pre-MG flag indications for the active BWP in the MCG.

[0176] Example 16 is the method of example 14, wherein the UE is in a NE-DC or an NR-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: Receiving a configuration or reconfiguration request; and configuring the first respective pre-MG status in response to receiving the configuration or reconfiguration request.

[0177] Example 17 is the method of example 14, wherein the UE is in a NE-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: In response to the BWP switching on on the MN, determining a first respective pre-MG status from the pre-MG configuration.

[0178] Example 18 is the method of example 16 or 17, wherein the UE is in the NE-DC, and the method includes: For each pre-MG, which is a gap per UE or a gap per FR1, The method further includes transmitting, to the SN, a respective pre-MG status of the first respective pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

[0179] Example 19 is the method of example 16, wherein the UE is in NR-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: The method further includes receiving, from the SN, a second respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG as the first respective pre-MG status.

[0180] Example 20 is the method of example 14, wherein the UE is in NR-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: In response to the BWP switching on on the MN, determining a first respective pre-MG status from the pre-MG configuration.

[0181] Example 21 is the method of example 20, The method further includes transmitting the first respective pre-MG status to the SN.

[0182] Example 22 is the method of example 14, wherein the UE is in NR-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: and receiving, from the SN, a third respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG as the first respective pre-MG status in response to the BWP switching on on the SN.

[0183] Example 23 is the method of example 13, wherein determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: transmitting one or more pre-MGs of the at least one pre-MG applicable to both the MCG and the SCG to the UE; In response to the BWP switching on on the SN, receiving from the UE a reported pre-MG configuration including a set of pre-MG statuses for one or more pre-MGs, the set of pre-MG statuses being determined by the UE and a corresponding one of a first respective pre-MG status for the one or more pre-MGs being the same as the set of pre-MG statuses.

[0184] Example 24 is the method of example 23, wherein the reported pre-MG configuration further includes a list of identities (IDs) of the one or more pre-MGs.

[0185] Example 25 is the method of Example 23, in which the reported pre-MG configuration is received through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

[0186] Example 26 is the method of example 13, wherein determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: Determining a first respective pre-MG status from a network implementation for the MN.

[0187] Example 27 is a method performed by a secondary node (SN), comprising: The method includes determining a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG), wherein a user equipment (UE) is dual connected (DC) with a master node (MN) and an SN, the MN includes a master cell group (MCG), and the SN includes a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0188] Example 28 is the method of Example 27, wherein the pre-MG configuration includes a first pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the SCG, and a second pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the MCG.

[0189] Example 29 is the method of example 28, wherein determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: For each pre-MG, determining, from the second pre-MG flag indication, whether at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications for the pre-MG indicates an activation status; determining, in response to determining that at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicates an activated status, that a pre-MG status for the pre-MG is an activated status; In response to determining that all of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicate a deactivated status, determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a status indicated by a corresponding one of the first pre-MG flag indications for the active BWP in the MCG.

[0190] Example 30 is the method of example 28, wherein the UE is in an EN-DC, and the second pre-MG flag indication includes a corresponding pre-MG flag indication for each pre-MG that is for each FR2 gap, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: Determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a status indicated by a corresponding pre-MG flag indication for the pre-MG.

[0191] Example 31 is the method of example 28, wherein the UE is in a NE-DC, and for each pre-MG that is a gap per UE or a gap per FR1, determining a first respective pre-MG status includes: The method includes receiving, from the MN, a corresponding one of the second respective pre-MG statuses for the pre-MG as a corresponding first pre-MG status for the pre-MG in response to the BWP switching on on the MN or configuration or reconfiguration on the MN.

[0192] Example 32 is the method of example 28, wherein the UE is in NR-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: The method includes receiving, from the MN as the first respective pre-MG status, a third respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG in response to the BWP switching on on the MN or configuration or reconfiguration on the MN.

[0193] Example 33 is the method of example 32, configuring a first respective pre-MG status in response to a configuration or reconfiguration on the MN; and transmitting the configured first respective pre-MG status to the MN.

[0194] Example 34 is the method of example 28, wherein the UE is in NR-DC, and determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: Determining a first respective pre-MG status from the pre-MG configuration in response to the BWP switching on on the SN.

[0195] Example 35 is the method of example 34, The method further includes transmitting the first respective pre-MG status to the MN.

[0196] Example 36 is the method of example 27, wherein determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: In response to the BWP switching on on the MN, receiving from the UE a reported pre-MG configuration including a set of pre-MG statuses for one or more pre-MGs, the set of pre-MG statuses being determined by the UE and a corresponding one of a first respective pre-MG status for the one or more pre-MGs being the same as the set of pre-MG statuses.

[0197] Example 37 is the method of example 36, wherein the reported pre-MG configuration further includes a list of identities (IDs) of the one or more pre-MGs.

[0198] Example 38 is the method of Example 36, in which the reported pre-MG configuration is received through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

[0199] Example 39 is the method of example 27, wherein determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: Determining a first respective pre-MG status from a network implementation for the SN.

[0200] Example 40 is an apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: The method comprises one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 12.

[0201] Example 41 is an apparatus for a master node (MN), comprising: The method includes one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 13 to 26.

[0202] Example 42 is an apparatus for a secondary node (SN), comprising: The method includes one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 27 to 39.

[0203] Example 43 is a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 39.

[0204] Example 44 is an apparatus for a communication device, comprising means for performing the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 39.

[0205] Example 45 is a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform the steps of the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 39.

[0206] Any of the above-described embodiments can be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) unless otherwise stated. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0207] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, split into multiple systems, or otherwise split or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters / attributes / aspects / etc. of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. It is appreciated that parameters / attributes / aspects / etc. are described in one or more embodiments for clarity only, and that parameters / attributes / aspects / etc. may be combined or substituted with parameters / attributes / etc. of another embodiment, unless specifically disclaimed herein.

[0208] It is understood that use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of permitted uses should be clearly indicated to users.

[0209] Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Thus, the present embodiments should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the description should not be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving one or more messages including at least one pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG) from a network (NW) including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), the UE being in dual connection (DC) with the MN and the SN, the MN including a master cell group (MCG), and the SN including a secondary cell group (SCG); and determining a respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG from the pre-MG configuration.

2. The pre-MG configuration includes a pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status for the at least one pre-MG for at least one Bandwidth Part (BWP) in at least one of the MCG or the SCG, and the determining of the respective pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 1 , comprising: for each pre-MG, determining a respective pre-MG status for a first active BWP in the MCG and a second active BWP in the SCG.

3. The UE is in a NR-DC, and for each pre-MG, determining the individual pre-MG status includes: determining a first status of the pre-MG for the first active BWP from the pre-MG configuration; determining a second status of the pre-MG for the second active BWP from the pre-MG configuration; 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining that the individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a deactivated status in response to determining that both the first status and the second status are a deactivated status.

4. The UE is in an EN-DC, and for each pre-MG, determining the individual pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a third status of the pre-MG for the second active BWP as the individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pre-MG is per RF2 gap.

6. The UE is in a NE-DC, and for each pre-MG, determining the individual pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a fourth status of the pre-MG on the first active BWP as the individual pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the pre-MG is per UE, per FR1, or per FR2 gap.

8. All reference signals are covered by the active BWP, and determining each pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 1 , comprising determining that the respective pre-MG status on the active BWP is a deactivated status.

9. The at least one pre-MG is applicable to both the MCG and the SCG, and the method comprises: The method of claim 1 , further comprising: sending a first reporting pre-MG configuration to the SN, the first reporting pre-MG configuration including the respective pre-MG status, in response to a BWP switching on on the MN.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first reporting pre-MG configuration is sent through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

11. The at least one pre-MG is applicable to both the MCG and the SCG, and the method comprises: The method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to a BWP switching on on the SN, sending a second reporting pre-MG configuration to the MN, the second reporting pre-MG configuration including the respective pre-MG status.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second reporting pre-MG configuration is sent through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

13. A method performed by a master node (MN), comprising: A method comprising: determining a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG), wherein a user equipment (UE) is in dual connection (DC) with the MN and a secondary node (SN), the MN comprising a master cell group (MCG), and the SN comprising a secondary cell group (SCG).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pre-MG configuration includes a first pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the MCG, and a second pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the SCG.

15. The determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: For each pre-MG, determining, from the second pre-MG flag indications, whether at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications for the pre-MG indicates an activation status; determining, in response to determining that the at least one corresponding second pre-MG flag indication indicates an activated status, that a pre-MG status for the pre-MG is an activated status; 15. The method of claim 14, comprising: in response to a determination that all of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicate a deactivated status, determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a status indicated by a corresponding one of the first pre-MG flag indications for an active BWP in the MCG.

16. The UE is in a NE-DC or a NR-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: Receiving a configuration or reconfiguration request; and configuring the first respective pre-MG status in response to receiving the configuration or reconfiguration request.

17. The UE is in a NE-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 14 , comprising determining the first respective pre-MG status from the pre-MG configuration in response to a BWP switching on on the MN.

18. The UE is in a NE-DC, and the method includes: For each pre-MG, which is a gap per UE or a gap per FR1, 18. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising transmitting to the SN a respective pre-MG status of the first respective pre-MG status for the pre-MG.

19. The UE is in a NR-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving, from the SN, a second respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG as the first respective pre-MG status.

20. The UE is in a NR-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 14 , comprising determining the first respective pre-MG status from the pre-MG configuration in response to a BWP switching on on the MN.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising: transmitting the first respective pre-MG status to the SN.

22. The UE is in a NR-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

15. The method of claim 14, comprising receiving, from the SN, a third respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG as the first respective pre-MG status in response to a BWP switching on on the SN.

23. The determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: transmitting to the UE one or more pre-MGs of the at least one pre-MG that are applicable to both the MCG and the SCG; 14. The method of claim 13, comprising: receiving, from the UE, in response to a BWP being switched on on the SN, a reported pre-MG configuration including a set of pre-MG statuses for the one or more pre-MGs, the set of pre-MG statuses being determined by the UE, and a corresponding one of the first respective pre-MG statuses for the one or more pre-MGs being the same as the set of pre-MG statuses.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the reported pre-MG configuration further comprises a list of identities (IDs) of the one or more pre-MGs.

25. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the reported pre-MG configuration is received through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

26. The determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: The method of claim 13 , comprising determining the first respective pre-MG status from a network implementation for the MN.

27. A method performed by a secondary node (SN), comprising: A method comprising: determining a first respective pre-MG status for at least one pre-MG from at least one pre-MG for a pre-configured measurement gap (pre-MG), wherein a user equipment (UE) is in dual connection (DC) with a master node (MN) and the SN, the MN including a master cell group (MCG), and the SN including a secondary cell group (SCG).

28. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the pre-MG configuration includes a first pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the SCG, and a second pre-MG flag indication indicating an activation or deactivation status of each BWP in the MCG.

29. The determining the first respective pre-MG status includes: For each pre-MG, determining, from the second pre-MG flag indications, whether at least one of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications for the pre-MG indicates an activation status; determining, in response to determining that the at least one corresponding second pre-MG flag indication indicates an activated status, that a pre-MG status for the pre-MG is an activated status; 29. The method of claim 28, comprising: in response to a determination that all of the corresponding second pre-MG flag indications indicate a deactivated status, determining that the pre-MG status for the pre-MG is a status indicated by a corresponding one of the first pre-MG flag indications for an active BWP in the MCG.

30. The UE is in an EN-DC, the second pre-MG flag indication includes a corresponding pre-MG flag indication for each pre-MG that is for each FR2 gap, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

30. The method of claim 28, comprising determining a pre-MG status for the pre-MG to be a status indicated by a corresponding pre-MG flag indication for the pre-MG.

31. The UE is in a NE-DC, and for each pre-MG that is a gap per UE or a gap per FR1, the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

29. The method of claim 28, comprising receiving from the MN a corresponding one of second respective pre-MG statuses for the pre-MG as a corresponding first pre-MG status for the pre-MG in response to a BWP switching on on the MN or a configuration or reconfiguration on the MN.

32. The UE is in a NR-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

29. The method of claim 28, comprising receiving, from the MN as the first respective pre-MG status, a third respective pre-MG status for the at least one pre-MG in response to a BWP switching on on the MN or a configuration or reconfiguration on the MN.

33. configuring the first respective pre-MG status in response to the configuration or reconfiguration on the MN; 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: transmitting the configured first respective pre-MG status to the MN.

34. The UE is in a NR-DC, and the determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

30. The method of claim 28, comprising determining the first respective pre-MG status from the pre-MG configuration in response to a BWP switching on on the SN.

35. 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting the first respective pre-MG status to the MN.

36. The determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

28. The method of claim 27, comprising: receiving, in response to BWP switching on on the MN, from the UE, a reported pre-MG configuration including a set of pre-MG statuses for the one or more pre-MGs, the set of pre-MG statuses being determined by the UE, and a corresponding one of the first respective pre-MG statuses for the one or more pre-MGs being the same as the set of pre-MG statuses.

37. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the reported pre-MG configuration further comprises a list of identities (IDs) of the one or more pre-MGs.

38. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the reported pre-MG configuration is received through RRC signaling, MAC CE, or physical layer signaling.

39. The determining the first respective pre-MG status includes:

28. The method of claim 27, comprising determining the first respective pre-MG status from a network implementation for the MN.

40. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: Apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

41. An apparatus for a master node (MN), comprising: Apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 13 to 26.

42. An apparatus for a secondary node (SN), comprising: Apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 27 to 39.

43. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 39.

44. Apparatus for a communication device, comprising means for carrying out the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 39.

45. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 39.

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