Measurement requirements for energy conservation

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for measurement requirements for energy saving. The method includes determining a relaxed measurement period associated with a measurement performed by a first device according to a determination that DTX is enabled by a second device, and performing the measurement based on the relaxed measurement period or a non-relaxed measurement period. In this manner, by introducing the relaxed measurement period, required measurement accuracy can be achieved in a terminal device even when energy saving is enabled in a network device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to a computing device, method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for measuring requirements for energy conservation. [Background technology]

[0002] Energy consumption in fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G) New Radio (NR) has been studied for the past few years, especially for the Radio Access Network (RAN). Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for adjusting the selection of metering requirements for energy conservation.

[0004] In a first aspect, a first device is provided, the first device including at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least determine a relaxation measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device according to a determination that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by a second device, and perform measurements based on the relaxation measurement period or the non-relaxation measurement period.

[0005] In a second aspect, a second device is provided, the second device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least set a scaling factor for mitigating a measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device and transmit the scaling factor to the first device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method is provided, the method including: determining, in accordance with a determination that DTX is enabled by a second device, a relaxation measurement period associated with a measurement performed by a first device; and performing the measurement based on the relaxation measurement period or the non-relaxation measurement period.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided, the method including: setting a scaling factor to mitigate a measurement period associated with a measurement performed by a first device; and transmitting the scaling factor to the first device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising: means for determining a relaxation measurement period associated with a measurement performed by a first device in accordance with a determination that DTX is enabled by a second device; and means for performing the measurement based on the relaxation measurement period or a non-relaxation measurement period.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising: means for setting a scaling factor to mitigate a measurement period associated with a measurement performed by a first device; and means for transmitting the scaling factor to the first device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform a method according to the third or fourth aspect.

[0011] Other features and preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, in illustrative embodiments, the principles of the presently disclosed embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are presented by way of example and are preferably described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a signaling chart illustrating a process of measurement requirements for energy saving in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of determining a scaling factor according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of measuring requirements for energy conservation in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method of measuring requirements for energy conservation in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for practicing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 7 is a block diagram of a computer-readable medium in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes to help those skilled in the art understand and practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0014] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0015] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not all embodiments need include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

[0016] Although terms such as "first," "second," and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, it should be understood that these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element can be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0017] As used herein, "at least one of: ", "at least one of ", and similar expressions where a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or" mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0018] As used herein, unless expressly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate performing the step immediately after "A" occurs, which may include one or more intervening steps.

[0019] The terminology in the examples is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that as used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and / or "including" specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0020] As used in this application, the term "circuit" means (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only implementations); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software (if applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; (ii) software (including digital signal processors), hardware processor portions with software and memory that cooperate to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; (c) A hardware circuit or processor, such as a microprocessor or part of a microprocessor, that requires software (such as firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not required for operation; It may refer to one, more, or all of the following:

[0021] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term circuit also covers simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or part of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuit also covers, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to a particular claim element.

[0022] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), or Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Of course, given the rapid development of communications, there will likely be future communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure may be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0023] As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services therefrom. Network equipment may refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), e.g., a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node such as a femto or pico node, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment such as a satellite network equipment, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an airborne network, or a variety of other nodes depending on the terminology and technology applied. A Radio Access Network (RAN) split architecture in some exemplary embodiments includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in an IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that acts like a UE towards a parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node acts like a base station towards a next-hop IAB node.

[0024] The term "terminal equipment" refers to any terminal equipment capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal equipment may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a mobile subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). Terminal equipment includes, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wearables such as watches, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices, applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0025] In this embodiment, the terms "resource," "transmission resource," "resource block," "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource," or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource for performing communication, for example, any resource for performing communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a space domain resource, a code domain resource, or any other resource that enables communication. Hereinafter, unless explicitly stated, both frequency domain and time domain resources are used as examples of transmission resources to describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0026] Example Environment 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may include a terminal device 110. Hereinafter, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as a UE 110 or a first device 110.

[0027] The communication network 100 may further include a network device 120. Hereinafter, the network device 120 may also be referred to as a gNB 120 or a second device 120. The terminal device 110 can communicate with the network device 120.

[0028] 1 is given for illustrative purposes, without implying any limitation, and communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0029] In some exemplary embodiments, the link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 may be referred to as the downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 may be referred to as the uplink (UL). In the DL, network device 120 is the transmit (TX) device (or transmitter) and terminal device 110 is the receive (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, terminal device 110 is the TX device (or transmitter) and network device 120 is the RX device (or receiver).

[0030] Communications in communication environment 100 may be conducted according to any suitable communications protocol(s), including, but not limited to, cellular communications protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), wireless local network communications protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocols now known or developed in the future. Further, communications may utilize any suitable wireless communications technology, including, but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or other technologies now known or developed in the future.

[0031] One of the key points in 5G NR is energy consumption, particularly that of the RAN, which can consume a significant portion of the total energy consumption in a 5G network. For example, solutions for saving energy in the 5G network are being researched. This research aims to identify energy saving techniques in the network in the time, frequency, space, and power domains for both transmission and reception, and also includes assistance / feedback from the UE and UE assistance information.

[0032] Network-side DTX is a potential solution to achieve network energy savings by turning on / off the network radio units, i.e., power amplifiers (PAs), when there is no network transmission. As network hardware and software capabilities improve, network DTX, where the hardware turns on / off the PA, for example, can be performed at the OFDM symbol level, sometimes referred to as micro DTX (μDTX).

[0033] In 5G NR, always-on transmissions may be minimized. Therefore, there are no reference signals such as common reference signals (CRS) in 5G NR. Instead, the only "always-on" NR signals are so-called synchronization signal (SS) blocks, which are transmitted with limited bandwidth and at much longer periods compared to the LTE CRS. SS blocks may be used, for example, for power measurements to estimate path loss and average channel quality. Furthermore, channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) are reused in NR and extended as a complement to SS blocks, for example, to provide beam management and mobility support.

[0034] NR SS block resources are transmitted periodically, with a period between 5 ms and 160 ms. However, devices performing initial cell search or inactive / idle cell search for mobility purposes can assume that SS blocks are repeated at least once every 20 ms. This allows devices searching for SS blocks in the frequency domain to know how long they must stay on each frequency before concluding that a primary / secondary synchronization signal (PSS / SSS) is not present and that they should move to the next frequency in the synchronization raster.

[0035] Furthermore, NR CSI-RS resources may be configured for either time-persistent, semi-persistent, or aperiodic transmission. For periodic CSI-RS transmission, the CSI-RS may be configured to be transmitted every mth slot, where the value m may range from 4 to 640 slots. In the frequency domain, the CSI-RS may be configured within a given DL bandwidth part (BWP) and may be configured to cover the entire bandwidth part or a portion of the bandwidth part.

[0036] When DTX or μDTX is applied by the network, the network may also decide to "mute" or reduce the transmit power of some reference signals (RS), which may affect UE measurements by eliminating or reducing the transmit power of the reference signals on which the UE measurements are made.

[0037] Therefore, when network energy saving is enabled, the UE's measurement behavior may be further considered, especially when DTX or μDTX is applied by the network.

[0038] Principle of operation and example of signaling for communication According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution to measurement requirements for energy saving is provided. In this solution, a terminal device determines a relaxed measurement period when DTX is enabled in the network equipment. The terminal device can then determine whether to use the relaxed measurement period or the non-relaxed measurement period for measurements performed by the terminal device. The terminal device performs measurements based on the determined measurement period. In this way, by introducing the relaxed measurement period, the required measurement accuracy can be achieved in the terminal device even when energy saving is enabled in the network equipment.

[0039] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which illustrates a signaling chart 200 for communication in some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the signaling chart 200 includes a UE 110 and a gNB 120. For purposes of explanation, reference is made to FIG. 1 to describe the signaling chart 200. While a single UE 110 is illustrated in FIG. 2, it will be understood that there may be multiple UEs that perform similar operations as described with respect to the UE 110 below.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, when UE 110 is aware of the energy saving of gNB 120, for example, when gNB 120 indicates to UE 110 that DTX is enabled (205), UE 110 determines (210) a relaxation measurement period for one or more measurements to be performed by UE 110. The measurements referred to herein may refer to different measurements included in Layer 1 measurement(s), radio link failure (RLF) / beam failure detection (BFD) measurements and / or Layer 3 measurement(s), e.g., beam measurements, radio resource measurements, channel quality measurements, etc.

[0042] For example, UE 110 may determine a scaling factor for extending the non-relaxed measurement period, i.e., the measurement period used by UE 110 when energy saving is disabled in gNB 120.

[0043] For example, the scaling factor may be determined by UE 110 by considering the μDTX period, the measurement gap, and the overlap ratio between the reference signals of one or more measurements performed by UE 110.

[0044] The term "μDTX period" or "DTX period" may refer to a period during which the gNB 120 can mute some reference signals or reduce the transmit power of reference signals. That is, during a μDTX period or DTX period, some reference signals to be used by the UE 110 may not be present. The DTX period may occur periodically, semi-persistently, or dynamically based on a network decision. In the case of periodic DTX operation, the network may mute or reduce the transmit power of some RSs every DTX period, so the DTX period may be a fixed value. Furthermore, a measurement gap may refer to a period during which the UE 110 cannot perform transmissions or receptions related to the UE 110's serving cell. Within the measurement gap, the UE 110 can perform measurements of intra-frequency or inter-frequency neighboring cells. Therefore, both the μDTX or DTX period and the measurement gap of the UE 110 may be taken into account to determine the scaling factor.

[0045] As another option, the UE 110 can determine the scaling factor for one or more measurements by the UE based on an overlap ratio between the μDTX period and the SSB and / or CSI-RS symbols. In other words, the overlap refers to the percentage of the SSB and / or CSI-RS symbols being measured that are muted due to DTX operation. That is, the UE 110 can consider whether DTX enabled would have affected the UE's reception of the SSB and / or CSI-RS symbols being measured. For example, if the transmission trigger of the SSB and / or CSI-RS symbols from the gNB 120 overlaps with the DTX or μDTX period, the SSB and / or CSI-RS symbols may not be received by the UE 110, potentially affecting measurement accuracy.

[0046] The scaling factor may also be determined by the UE 110 by considering the overlap ratio between the μDTX period and the SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) window / CSI-RS period.

[0047] For example, assuming that periodic DTX or persistent DTX is enabled, SMTC partially overlaps with the DTX period, and no measurement gap is configured, if the DTX period > SMTC period, the scaling factor can be defined as K = 1 / (1 - SMTC period / DTX period). If a measurement gap is configured, the scaling factor can be adjusted as K = 1 / (1 - SMTC period / min(DTX period, MG period).

[0048] Furthermore, if there is no fixed DTX period, i.e., dynamic DTX is enabled, the scaling factor may be estimated based on the overlap ratio of the μDTX period and the measured SMTC window or SSB / CSI-RS symbol, i.e., the percentage or proportion of the SMTC window that overlaps with DTX within a period, e.g., the measurement period.

[0049] An example for determining the scaling factor may be further described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown, an SSB may be transmitted from the gNB 120 every 20 ms. If DTX is enabled, the gNB 120 may omit transmission of SSBs 302 and 306. The UE is configured with SMTC1, in which SSBs are measured by the UE. The duration of SMTC1 is 40 ms. From the UE side, SMTC1 allows SSBs to be monitored / received by the UE 110 every 40 ms. After receiving SSB 301 within SMTC window 311, the UE 110 may receive the subsequent SSB 303 within the next 40 ms SMTC window 313. Therefore, the omitted SSB is an SSB that the UE does not need to receive. In this example, some RSs overlap with the DTX period, but these RSs are not measured by the UE and therefore do not affect the UE's measurements. During measurement period 310, the UE 110 may acquire enough SSB samples (e.g., five) without affecting the required measurement accuracy. Therefore, the scaling factor is set to K=1 and the measurement period is not affected by DTX.

[0050] Additionally, if the UE is configured with SMTC2, SSBs may also be monitored / received by the UE 110 every 40 ms. However, because DTX operation omits or mutes the transmission of SSBs 302 and 306, the UE 110 may receive only one SSB 304 within the SMTC window 324. That is, the DTX period overlaps with part of the SMTC period. In this case, the scaling factor K can be set to 1 / (1-20 / 40) to double the measurement period.

[0051] Additionally, the scaling factor may also be set by the gNB 120. In this case, the gNB 120 may transmit the scaling factor to the UE 110 via a radio resource control signal, for example, via operation 205. The indicated scaling factor allows the gNB 120 to reserve a certain number of RSs to be transmitted for UE measurements. This option provides flexibility in network operation, at the expense of controllable but reduced measurement performance, since it is up to the network implementation to decide where to mute the RSs.

[0052] Before measurements are performed at UE 110, UE 110 may determine which measurement period will be used for the measurements (215). Within the measurement period, UE 110 must provide measurement results that meet accuracy requirements.

[0053] Optionally, UE 110 may perform measurements based on a relaxed measurement period if DTX is enabled.

[0054] As another option, the UE 110 can use the relaxed measurement period only if at least one channel quality criterion is met. For example, if DTX is enabled and the UE 110 determines that the channel quality is lower than or not higher than a threshold level, the UE 110 can decide to use the relaxed measurement period. If SMTC overlaps with DTX operation, the UE may miss some RSs. However, if the channel quality or the latest measurement result (e.g., SS-RSRP) is above a threshold level, the UE can still apply the non-relaxed measurement period. Because the channel is sufficiently good, the UE measurement performance may not be affected, and the UE can measure using a smaller number of samples to achieve the same measurement accuracy.

[0055] Alternatively, if the UE 110 determines that the channel quality fluctuations are within a threshold range within a predetermined period of time, the UE 110 may still use the non-relaxed measurement period. In contrast, if the channel quality fluctuations exceed a threshold range within a predetermined period of time, the UE 110 may decide to use the relaxed measurement period.

[0056] Additionally, the UE 110 may indicate to the gNB 120 whether the measurement results were derived based on a non-relaxed measurement period or a relaxed measurement period (220) so that the network can recognize the performance of the received measurement results. For example, the UE 110 may indicate which measurement period is being used in the measurement report. It should be understood that this indication may also be transmitted to the gNB 120 via other appropriate messages.

[0057] According to the relaxed measurement period proposed in this disclosure, when DTX is enabled, the relaxed requirements are defined as follows: Scaling factors can be applied to relax the PSS / SSS detection (exemplified below), the time index detection period, and the measurement period. [Table 1]

[0058] As an option, as shown in Table 1, in order to relax the measurement period by the DTX operation, other scaling factors K can be added. [Table 2]

[0059] In Table 1, when the in-frequency SMTC does not completely overlap with the DTX period, K = 1. When the in-frequency SMTC partially overlaps with the measurement gap, K = 1 / (1 - (SMTC period / DTX period)), where the SMTC period < DTX period.

[0060] Alternatively, as shown in Table 2, in order to reflect the influence from both μDTX and the measurement gap, a combined scaling factor Kp´ can also be added. For example, when the in-frequency SMTC does not completely overlap with the DTX period or the measurement gap, Kp´ = 1. When the in-frequency SMTC partially overlaps with the DTX period or the measurement gap, Kp´ = 1 / (1 - (SMTC period / min(MRGP, DTX period))), provided that the SMTC period < min(MRGP, DTX period).

[0061] According to the solution method of the present disclosure, in a network device, even when energy saving is enabled, the necessary measurement accuracy in a terminal device can be achieved.

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 for measurement requirements for network energy saving in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 400 can be implemented in a first device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, method 400 is described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0063] At 410, the first device 110 determines that DTX is enabled by a second device, and at 420, the first device 110 determines a relaxed measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device.

[0064] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device may determine that DTX is enabled by the second device based on network indications, such as enabling DTX and / or DTX duration, which may be included in 205 of FIG.

[0065] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device may determine the relaxed measurement period based on a scaling factor determined by the first device taking into account an overlap ratio between the DTX period and at least one of the measurement gap for the measurement, the one or more SSB or CSI-RS symbols to be measured, or the SMTC period or the CSI-RS period.

[0066] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device may determine whether a measurement gap is configured, and if a measurement gap is configured, the first device may determine a scaling factor based on a ratio of the SMTC period to the minimum between the DTX period and the measurement gap period.

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, if a measurement gap is not configured, the first device may determine the scaling factor based on the ratio of the SMTC period to the DTX period.

[0068] In some demonstrative embodiments, if DTX is not configured to have a fix period, the first device may determine the overlap ratio by monitoring one or more symbols of SSB or CSI-RS within a predetermined period that is muted after DTX is disabled, or an SMTC window within a predetermined period that is muted after DTX is enabled.

[0069] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device can determine the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor set by the second device.

[0070] At 430, the first device 110 performs measurements based on a relaxation measurement period or a non-relaxation measurement period.

[0071] In an exemplary embodiment, if at least one channel quality criterion is not met, the first device may decide to use a relaxed measurement period for measurements.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, if at least one channel quality criterion is met, the first device may decide to use a non-relaxed measurement period for measurements.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one channel quality criterion includes at least one of the channel quality being at or above a threshold level or the fluctuation in channel quality being within a threshold range within a predetermined period of time.

[0074] In some examples of exemplary embodiments, the first device may send an indication to the second device indicating that a relaxation measurement period will be used for the measurement.

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0076] 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500 of measuring requirements for energy conservation in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 500 may be implemented in second device 120 shown in FIG. 1. For purposes of explanation, method 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0077] At 510, the second device 120 sets a scaling factor to mitigate the measurement period associated with the measurement performed by the first device.

[0078] At 520, the second device 120 transmits the scaling factor to the first device.

[0079] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device may send an indication to the first device indicating that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device.

[0080] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device may receive an indication from the first device that the measurement period is relaxed for measurements.

[0081] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0082] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 400 (e.g., implemented in first device 110) may include means for performing each step of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0083] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for determining a relaxation measurement period associated with a measurement performed by the first device in accordance with a determination that DTX is enabled by the second device, and means for performing a measurement based on the relaxation measurement period or the non-relaxation measurement period.

[0084] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for determining, based on the network indication, that DTX is enabled by the second device.

[0085] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determining the relaxation measurement period comprises means for determining the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor determined by the first device taking into account an overlap ratio between the DTX period and at least one of the measurement gap for the measurement, the one or more SSB or CSI-RS symbols to be measured, or the SMTC period or the CSI-RS period.

[0086] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining whether a measurement gap is configured, and means for determining, in response to determining that the measurement gap is configured, determining a scaling factor based on a ratio of the SMTC period to a minimum between the DTX period and the measurement gap period.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining a scaling factor based on a ratio of an SMTC period to a DTX period in response to determining that the measurement gap is not configured.

[0088] In some demonstrative embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for determining, in accordance with a determination that DTX is not configured for a fixed period, an overlap ratio by monitoring one or more symbols of SSB or CSI-RS within a predetermined period that is muted after DTX is disabled, or an SMTC window within a predetermined period that is muted after DTX is disabled.

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, the means for determining the relaxation measurement period comprises means for determining the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor set by the second device.

[0090] In some demonstrative embodiments, the means for performing the measurement may comprise means for determining, in accordance with a determination that the at least one channel quality criterion is not met, that a relaxed measurement period is to be used for the measurement, or means for determining, in accordance with a determination that the at least one channel quality criterion is met, that a non-relaxed measurement period is to be used for the measurement.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one channel quality criterion includes at least one of the channel quality being at or above a threshold level or the fluctuation in channel quality being within a threshold range within a predetermined period of time.

[0092] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus may further comprise means for transmitting an indication to the second device indicating that the relaxation measurement period is to be used for the measurement.

[0093] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0094] In some exemplary embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., implemented in second device 120) may include means for performing each step of method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0095] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus comprises means for setting a scaling factor to mitigate a measurement period associated with a measurement performed by a first device, and means for transmitting the scaling factor to the first device.

[0096] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for receiving an indication from the first device indicating that the measurement period has been relaxed for measurement.

[0097] In some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for transmitting an indication to the first device indicating that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device.

[0098] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

[0099] 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device such as the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processors 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processors 610.

[0100] The communication module 640 is for bidirectional communication. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may refer to any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some exemplary embodiments, the communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0101] The processor 610 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0102] The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electronically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), optical disks, laser disks, and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that do not persist across power-down durations.

[0103] The computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 may include instructions for performing the operations / acts of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 may be stored in a memory, for example, the ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any appropriate operations and processes by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0104] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 630 such that the device 600 may execute any process of the present disclosure, such as those described with reference to Figures 2 to 5. An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0105] In some exemplary embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 600 (such as in memory 620) or other storage accessible by the device 600. The computing device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. In some exemplary embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a data storage permanent limitation (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0106] 8 shows an example of a computer readable medium 800, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 800 has the program 630 stored thereon.

[0107] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. One aspect may be implemented in hardware, while another aspect may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof, in non-limiting examples.

[0108] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute on a computing device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0109] Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and when executed by the processor or controller, causes the specific functions / acts in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0110] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, computing device, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0111] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0112] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or that all of the operations depicted be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be preferred. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above description, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0113] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. a first device, at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the method causes the first device to determining a relaxation measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device in accordance with a determination that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device; performing the measurement based on the relaxation measurement period or the non-relaxation measurement period; at least one memory storing instructions to cause the A first device comprising:

2. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is configured to determine that the DTX is enabled based on an indication received from the second device.

3. The first device is adapted to determine the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being determined by the first device as a DTX period and a measurement gap for said measurement; Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or SSB Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) period or CSI-RS period, The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the overlap ratio is determined taking into account an overlap ratio between the first device and at least one of the first device and the second device.

4. The first device determining whether the measurement gap is set; determining the scaling factor based on a ratio of the SMTC period to a minimum between the DTX period and a measurement gap period in response to determining that the measurement gap is configured; The first device according to claim 3 .

5. The first device determining the scaling factor based on a ratio of the SMTC period to the DTX period in response to determining that the measurement gap is not configured; The first device according to claim 4 .

6. The first device In accordance with a determination that the DTX does not have a fixed period, After the DTX is enabled, the one or more symbols of SSB or CSI-RS are muted within a predetermined period of time; or After the DTX is enabled, the SMTC window within the predetermined period is muted; determining the overlap ratio by monitoring any of The first device according to claim 3 .

7. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is configured to determine the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor set by the second device.

8. The first device determining, in accordance with a determination that at least one channel quality criterion is not satisfied, that the relaxed measurement period is to be used for the measurement; determining, in accordance with a determination that the at least one channel quality criterion is satisfied, that the non-relaxed measurement period is not to be used for the measurements; 8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to:

9. The at least one channel quality metric is: that the channel quality is above a threshold level; The fluctuation of the channel quality is within a threshold range within a predetermined period of time; The first device of claim 8 , comprising at least one of:

10. The first device sending an indication to the second device indicating that the relaxation measurement period will be used for the measurement; 8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to:

11. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

12. a second device, at least one processor; When executed by the at least one processor, the second device receives at least: setting a scaling factor to relax a measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device; transmitting the scaling factor to the first device; at least one memory storing instructions to cause the A second device comprising:

13. The second device sending an indication to the first device indicating that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device; The second device according to claim 12 .

14. The second device receiving an indication from the first device that the measurement period is relaxed for the measurement; The second device according to claim 12 .

15. The second device of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

16. determining, at the first device, a relaxation measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device in accordance with a determination that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device; performing the measurement based on the relaxation measurement period or the non-relaxation measurement period; A method comprising:

17. determining that the DTX is enabled based on an indication received from the second device; 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

18. determining the relaxation measurement period determining the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor, the scaling factor being a DTX period; a measurement gap for said measurement; Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or one or more symbols used in said measurement of at least one of SSB measurement timing setting, SMTC period, or CSI-RS period, determined by the first device taking into account an overlap ratio with at least one of 18. The method of claim 16 or 17.

19. determining whether the measurement gap is set; determining the scaling factor based on a ratio of the SMTC period to a minimum between the DTX period and a measurement gap period in accordance with determining that the measurement gap is configured; 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

20. determining the scaling factor based on a ratio of the SMTC period to the DTX period in response to determining that the measurement gap is not configured; 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

21. In accordance with a determination that the DTX does not have a fixed period, After the DTX is enabled, the one or more symbols of SSB or CSI-RS are muted within a predetermined period of time; or After the DTX is enabled, the SMTC window within the predetermined period is muted; determining the overlap ratio by monitoring any of 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

22. determining the relaxation measurement period determining the relaxation measurement period based on a scaling factor set by the second device; 18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

23. determining, in accordance with a determination that at least one channel quality criterion is not met, that the relaxed measurement period is to be used for the measurements; or determining, in accordance with a determination that the at least one channel quality criterion is satisfied, that the non-relaxed measurement period is to be used for the measurements; 23. The method of any of claims 16 to 22, further comprising:

24. The at least one channel quality metric is: The channel quality is above a threshold, or The fluctuation of the channel quality is within a threshold range for a predetermined period of time; 24. The method of claim 23, comprising at least one of:

25. sending an indication to the second device that the relaxation measurement period will be used for the measurement; 23. The method of any of claims 16 to 22, further comprising:

26. The first device comprises a terminal device, and the second device comprises a network device.

26. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 25.

27. setting, at the second device, a scaling factor to mitigate a measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device; transmitting the scaling factor to the first device; A method comprising:

28. sending an indication to the first device that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device; 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

29. receiving an indication from the first device that the measurement period is relaxed for the measurement; 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

30. 30. The method of any of claims 27 to 29, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device.

31. means for determining a relaxation measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device in accordance with a determination that discontinuous transmission (DTX) is enabled by the second device; means for performing the measurements based on the relaxation measurement period or the non-relaxation measurement period; 1. An apparatus comprising:

32. means for setting, at the second device, a scaling factor to relax a measurement period associated with measurements performed by the first device; means for transmitting the scaling factor to the first device; 1. An apparatus comprising:

33. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 16 to 26.

34. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 27 to 30.

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