Method and device for measurement gap cancellation, and system

Abstract

To provide methods, devices and systems for measuring gap cancellation utilized in wireless communication technologies such as 5GNR technology.SOLUTION: The measurement gap cancellation dynamically changes the timing and / or selection of measurement gaps subject to cancellation in a manner that improves capacity gains for the wireless network device while limiting the impact on mobility performance. The measurement gap cancellation circuit is implemented by a network resource, e.g., a user equipment (UE) device 111 to 116, a base station BS, etc., that determines an optimal measurement gap for cancellation based on various conditions, e.g., timing of the measurement gap indication, processing time of the UE device, etc., and cancels the measurement gap. This may reduce delays in the wireless communication network and may improve the overall user experience of the wireless device, e.g. reduce data interruptions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to improved radio resource management, including measurement gap cancellation. [Background technology]

[0002] Radio resource management (RRM) is used in wireless communication technologies, such as 5G New Radio (NR) technologies, to support, for example, the efficient allocation and / or management of available radio resources within the 5G air interface. For example, RRM functions in 5G NR include handover management to ensure seamless transitions of user equipment (UE) between cells and / or beams.

[0003] Measurement gaps are time intervals during which a user equipment (UE) device temporarily suspends data reception and / or transmission to perform one or more RRM-related measurement functions (e.g., frequency measurements, measuring the quality of neighboring cells, etc.). Measurement gaps enable measurements to be performed on downlink signals and support functions such as inter-frequency measurements utilized to provide high mobility and support RRM functions such as handover between different radio access technologies (RATs) or frequencies. However, the use of measurement gaps involves trade-offs. For example, the timing and frequency of measurement gaps can result in inefficient pausing of network communications to perform these measurement functions, resulting in reduced resource throughput, increased latency, increased interruptions of data or ongoing services, and / or overall degradation of the wireless network performance.

[0004] To address these and other drawbacks, it would be desirable to implement measurement gap cancellation techniques available in wireless communication technologies, such as 5G NR technologies. Furthermore, by adjusting the operation of measurement gap cancellation based on resource-related conditions (e.g., UE processing time), the efficiency and / or accuracy of measurement gap cancellation can be improved, errors can be reduced, and ultimately network performance can be optimized.

[0005] The above information disclosed in this "Background" section is intended to provide a better understanding of the background of the present invention and, therefore, may include information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method, a device, and a system for canceling measurement gaps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Aspects of embodiments of the present invention generally relate to measurement gap cancellation techniques utilized in wireless communication technologies such as 5G NR technologies.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a method for executing a user equipment (UE) device according to one aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: receiving, at the UE device, a measurement gap cancellation instruction including an indication of a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; determining, based on a processing time of the UE device, the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled from one or more scheduled measurement gaps for the UE device; and performing a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap based on the determination.

[0009] The measurement gap cancellation indication may include a downlink control information (DCI) message received over a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The DCI message may include a bit field including a bit for indicating the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled. The DCI message may include an indication of a time window that includes the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled. The DCI message may include a bit field containing a bitmap for indicating one or more of the corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. Determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled may include determining a time interval starting from the end of the PDCCH and including the processing time of the UE device. Determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled may include determining a first measurement gap from among the one or more scheduled measurement gaps that starts after the time interval. Determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled may include determining a first measurement gap from among the one or more scheduled measurement gaps that starts after the PDCCH ends. The method may further include determining whether a first measurement gap starts after a time interval starting from the end of the PDCCH and including the processing time of the UE device. The method may further include performing a measurement gap cancellation operation on the first measurement gap in response to determining the first measurement gap to begin after the time interval. The processing time for the UE device may be indicated via capability signaling sent by the UE device. Performing a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap may include enabling transmission or reception communications during the corresponding measurement gap.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations: the processor receives a measurement gap cancellation instruction including an indication of a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; based on a processing time for the device, determines that the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled satisfies a threshold; and based on the determination, performs a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap.

[0011] The device may be a user equipment (UE) device. The measurement gap cancellation indication may be received from a base station. The measurement gap cancellation indication may include a downlink control information (DCI) message received over a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The threshold value may include the corresponding measurement gap starting at the end of the PDCCH and starting after a time interval that includes processing time for the UE device. The processing time for the UE device may be indicated via capability signaling sent by the UE device. The measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap may include enabling a transceiver of the UE device.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a system comprising a processing circuit and a memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform the following operations: receive a measurement gap cancellation instruction including an indication of a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; determine, based on a processing time associated with the system, from one or more scheduled measurement gaps, the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; and, based on the determination, perform a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, measurement gap cancellation including determination of processing time can improve data continuity in a communication network, reduce latency, improve overall user experience, reduce errors in performing measurement gap cancellation operations, and improve overall performance of the communication network, especially in environments where limited mobility and / or interference conditions do not require frequent measurements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network system implementing measurement gap cancellation including processing time determination according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary user equipment (UE) device implementing radio resource management (RRM) circuitry for measurement gap cancellation including processing time determination and measurement gap cancellation circuitry in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of timing for communicating a measurement gap cancellation indication and a measurement gap determined by a measurement gap cancellation circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10 illustrates an example of timing for communicating a measurement gap cancellation indication and a measurement gap determined based on a processing time determination according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of timing for communicating measurement gap cancellation instructions for multiple measurement gaps to be canceled as determined by the measurement gap cancellation circuitry according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates another example of timing for communicating measurement gap cancellation instructions for multiple measurement gaps to be canceled as determined by the measurement gap cancellation circuitry based on processing time according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for implementing measurement gap cancellation including determining a processing time according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device that implements measurement gap cancellation including processing time determination according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a system including a UE and a general Node B (gNB) communicating with each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosed aspects may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention disclosed herein.

[0017] The use of the phrase "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" throughout this specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment disclosed herein. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," or "according to one embodiment" (or other phrases of similar import) in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in several embodiments (e.g., in one or more embodiments). In this regard, the word "exemplary," as used herein, means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." An embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Also, depending on the context of the discussion herein, singular terms may include their corresponding plural forms, and plural terms may include their corresponding singular forms.Similarly, hyphenated terms (e.g., "two-dimensional," "pre-determined," "pixel-specific," etc.) may sometimes be used interchangeably with their corresponding non-hyphenated terms (e.g., "two-dimensional," "pre-determined," "pixel-specific," etc.), and capitalized terms (e.g., "Counter Clock," "Row Select," "PIXOUT," etc.) may sometimes be used interchangeably with their corresponding non-capitalized terms (e.g., "counter clock," "row select," "pixout," etc.). Such occasional interchangeable usages are not considered mutually inconsistent.

[0018] Also, where appropriate in the context of the discussion herein, singular terms may include the corresponding plural, and plural terms may include the corresponding singular. Furthermore, it should be noted that the various figures (including component diagrams) shown and discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and / or analogous elements.

[0019] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing some example embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, operations, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, operations, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0020] When an element or layer is referred to as being on or "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it will be understood that the element or layer may be directly on or connected to or coupled to the other element or layer, or that intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," or "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to," another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0021] As used herein, terms such as "first," "second," and the like are used as labels for the nouns that precede them and do not imply any kind of ordering (e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.) unless expressly defined as such. Furthermore, the same reference numerals may be used across two or more figures to refer to parts, components, blocks, circuits, units, or modules having the same or similar functionality. However, such usage is solely for the purpose of simplifying the illustration and facilitating discussion, and does not imply that the structural or architectural details of such components or units are common to all embodiments, or that these commonly referenced parts / modules are the only means of implementing some of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Furthermore, terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined as such in this specification.

[0023] As used herein, the term "module" refers to any combination of software, firmware, and / or hardware configured to provide the functionality described herein in connection with the module. For example, software may be embodied as a software package, code, and / or instruction set, or instructions, and the term "hardware" as used in any implementation described herein may include, for example, alone or in any combination, an assembly, a hardwired circuit, a programmable circuit, a state machine circuit, and / or firmware that stores instructions executed by the programmable circuit. Modules, collectively or individually, may be embodied as circuits that form part of a larger system, such as, but not limited to, an integrated circuit (IC), a system-on-chip (SoC), an assembly, etc.

[0024] In the field of wireless network technologies, such as 5G NR, measurement gap cancellation involves implementing mechanisms (e.g., real-time condition analysis, predictive algorithms, etc.) at the UE device and / or network side (e.g., base station) related to determining, directing, and / or executing various measurement gap cancellation actions. The system determines whether a scheduled measurement gap can proceed and / or can be canceled. For example, the system may determine whether to perform a measurement gap cancellation operation based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, the UE's speed and / or mobility state (e.g., if the UE is stationary or moving slowly, measurements may not be needed frequently), current signal quality (e.g., if the serving cell signal is strong and / or stable, there may be no need to search for a better cell), measurement history and / or trends (e.g., if past measurements have consistently returned similar or poor results from neighboring cells, new measurements may be omitted), network configuration and / or policy (e.g., an operator may have set thresholds and rules that define the conditions under which a measurement gap should be canceled), and other similar factors. If the conditions deemed appropriate for canceling a measurement gap are met, the network may send a control signal to the UE device, and / or the UE device may internally decide to cancel the next measurement gap, thereby maintaining normal transmission and / or reception.

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention provides a measurement gap cancellation method and system that implements the functionality to dynamically modify the timing and / or selection of canceled measurement gaps in a manner that improves capacity gain for wireless network devices (e.g., virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, mixed reality (XR) devices, etc.) while reducing impact on mobility performance. In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is implemented by a network resource (e.g., a UE device, a base station, etc.). The measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to determine an optimal measurement gap for cancellation based on various conditions (e.g., timing of measurement gap indication(s), processing time for the UE device, etc.) and enable transmit and receive communications during the measurement gap (i.e., cancel the measurement gap). This, in turn, can reduce latency in the wireless communication network and improve the overall user experience for the wireless device (e.g., reduced data interruptions, etc.). In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to determine and / or communicate processing time required for the UE device to perform functions related to measurement gap cancellation, and to determine a minimum time (e.g., relative to the time of receipt of the measurement gap cancellation instruction) to be used to select or indicate a measurement gap to be canceled based on the UE processing time.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is further configured to determine and / or modify the measurement gaps selected or indicated for cancellation based on various conditions, such as the processing time required for the UE to properly process data related to the measurement gap cancellation (e.g., the measurement gap cancellation instruction). Accordingly, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to determine, according to a received measurement gap cancellation instruction, when to cancel the corresponding measurement gap and / or when to override the measurement gap cancellation instruction and not cancel the corresponding measurement gap. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to determine and / or perform corresponding functions related to other Radio Access Network (RAN) Layer 1 (physical layer) (e.g., RAN1) procedures when the measurement gap cancellation instruction is overridden and the corresponding measurement gap is not canceled.

[0027] In one embodiment, measurement gap cancellation includes implementing formats and techniques for communicating a measurement gap cancellation indication that indicates (e.g., explicitly and / or implicitly) one or more corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled, such as by utilizing a bitmap indicating the measurement gaps to be canceled. In one embodiment, the measurement gaps to be canceled indicated by the measurement gap cancellation indication are determined and / or adjusted based on UE processing time, thereby improving the accuracy and / or efficiency of the measurement gap cancellation operation.

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network system 100 that implements measurement gap cancellation including processing time determination in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless network system 100 includes multiple base stations (BSs), also referred to herein as general Node Bs (gNBs), denoted as gNB 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103. gNB 101 can communicate with gNB 102 and gNB 103. gNB 101 can also communicate with at least one network 130 (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) network), such as the Internet, a proprietary IP network, or another data network. Components may be referred to herein as enhanced Node Bs (eNBs) instead of gNBs. Depending on the type of network, other terms, such as "access point," may be used instead of gNBs or BSs. As used herein, "gNB" refers to a base station (BS) and / or a component of the network infrastructure that provides wireless access to remote terminals. The wireless network 100 also includes multiple wireless communication devices associated with end users, denoted as user equipment (UE) devices (111-116). As used herein, "UE" refers to a remote wireless device that wirelessly accesses a gNB. The UE devices (111-116) may be implemented as mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones, cellular devices, etc.) and / or fixed devices (e.g., desktop computers, etc.). Depending on the type of network, other terms may be used instead of UE, such as "mobile terminal," "subscriber terminal," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," or "user equipment."

[0030] gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 for multiple UE devices within a geographic area covered by gNB 102, shown as cell 120. As used herein, a "cell" refers to a geographic area covered by a single gNB in ​​which UE devices can connect to the network. In the example of FIG. 1, the UE devices within cell 120 are each located at different remote locations. For example, they include UE device 111 located at a small or medium-sized business (SB), UE device 112 located at an enterprise (E), UE device 113 located at a WiFi hotspot (HS), UE device 114 located at a first residence (R), UE device 115 located at a second residence (R), and UE device 116, which is a mobile device (M) such as a mobile phone, wireless laptop, or wireless PDA. gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 for multiple UE devices within gNB 103's cell 125. The UE devices within cell 125 are each located at different remote locations and include UE device 115 and UE device 116. In one embodiment, one or more of the gNBs (101-103) can communicate with each other or with UE devices (111-116) using wireless technologies according to known standards (e.g., 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), WiMAX, and / or other advanced wireless communication technologies).

[0031] 1 represent the approximate extents of cells 120 and 125, which are shown as generally circular for purposes of illustration and description. Cells (e.g., coverage areas) associated with gNBs (101, 102, 103), such as cells 120 and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on the configuration of the gNBs (101, 102, 103) and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstructions. The gNBs (101, 102, 103) may provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, including, but not limited to, 5G, 5G NR, 3GPP NR, LTE, LTE-A, High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, and / or other advanced wireless communication technologies.

[0032] The gNBs (101-103) implement a transmit (TX) path similar to transmissions in the downlink (DL) to the UE devices (111-116) and a receive (RX) path similar to reception in the uplink from the UE devices (111-116). In an example operation, the gNB 102 performs DL transmissions to the UE devices (111-116) within its coverage area 120. For example, DL transmissions from the gNB 102 include transmitting data and / or control signals over wireless channels according to one or more wireless communication protocols for reception by the UE devices (111-116). DL communications are utilized to deliver data and / or control signals from the network (e.g., gNB) to the UE devices to support multiple services and / or applications (e.g., internet content browsing, software updates, streaming services, etc.).

[0033] The UE devices (111-116) implement a TX path for transmitting on the uplink (UL) to the gNBs (101-103) and an RX path for receiving on the downlink (DL) from the gNBs (101-103). In another example operation, one or more of the UE devices (111-116) within the coverage area 120 perform UL transmissions to the gNB 102. By way of example, UL transmissions from the UE device 112 include transmitting data and / or control signals according to one or more wireless communication protocols over a wireless channel for reception by the gNB 102. UL communications may be used, for example, to transmit user-generated data (e.g., upload, voice, sensor data, etc.) and to maintain connectivity with the gNBs (101-103) via signaling and feedback.

[0034] In one embodiment, one or more of the UE devices (111-116) include circuitry, programming, and / or a combination thereof for implementing capabilities and / or functions related to measurement gap cancellation functionality, including determining a processing time, as disclosed herein. In one embodiment, one or more of the gNBs (101-103) include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for implementing capabilities and / or functions related to measurement gap cancellation functionality, including determining a processing time. For example, FIG. 1 shows that the gNB 102 includes RRM circuitry 140 that includes measurement gap cancellation circuitry (also referred to herein simply as "measurement gap cancellation circuitry") 145, which enables the gNB 102 to perform capabilities and / or functions for (network-side) measurement gap cancellation, including determining a processing time, as disclosed in more detail herein. The UE device 112 is also shown to implement or include RRM circuitry 150 including measurement gap cancellation circuitry 155, which enables the UE device 112 to perform capabilities and / or functions for measurement gap cancellation (on the UE side), including determining processing time, as disclosed in more detail herein.

[0035] As used herein, "radio resource management" refers to algorithms, functions, and procedures used to efficiently manage and / or allocate radio spectrum resources with the goal of optimizing network performance (e.g., data throughput, latency, power consumption, etc.). For example, RRM functions include dynamically adjusting radio-related parameters (e.g., transmit power, modulation scheme, time slots allocated to each user, etc.) taking into account factors such as channel quality and user demand. In one embodiment, the RRM circuitry (140 and 150) implements multiple functions related to RRM and radio resource management for wireless communications, including, but not limited to, power control, beam management, resource scheduling, load balancing, handover management, interference management, resource allocation and / or admission control, link adaptation, QoS management, and / or other functions. In one embodiment, the RRM circuitry (140 and 150) is configured to perform the following functions related to aspects relating to RRM-related measurements: scheduling and / or performing measurement gaps; setting, obtaining, and / or reporting RRM-related measurements (e.g., SINR, RSRP, RSRQ, etc.); scheduling and / or performing measurement gap cancellation; and / or functions not limited to these.

[0036] In one embodiment, the RRM circuits (140 and 150) implement one or more RRM operations, such as handover, that depend on the performance and reporting of various measurements (e.g., L3 measurements), such as measured signal strength. For example, the RRM circuits (140 and 150) are configured to schedule measurement gaps during which multiple RRM-related measurements, such as measurements of neighbor cell signal quality, are acquired and reported between the gNB 102 and the UE device 112, e.g., to trigger a handover to a new cell. In one or more embodiments, the functionality related to scheduling measurement gaps for the UE device (e.g., the UE device 112) described herein is performed in accordance with a wireless communication technology standard, such as 5G NR. The measurement gap cancellation circuits (145 and 155) are configured to optimize RRM-related measurements, including measurement gap operations. Specifically, by dynamically and strategically determining when to cancel upcoming measurement gaps scheduled for performing RRM-related measurements in the RRM circuits (140 and 150), frequent interruptions in transmit / receive (TX / RX) communications between the gNB 102 and the UE device 112 can be alleviated, increasing the capacity of the UE device 112 (e.g., to handle more data transmissions and receive more information from the network), improving the overall user experience, and increasing the efficiency of the wireless network system 100.

[0037] As used herein, "measurement gap cancellation" refers to a method configured to cancel, stop, pass (e.g., bypass, skip, etc.), and / or not utilize measurement gaps when it is determined that measurement(s) are unnecessary and / or when RRM-related measurement information can be obtained without performing measurement operations in scheduled measurement gaps. For example, the measurement gap canceling circuitry 145 of the gNB 102 is configured to monitor the UE device 112 and determine that the UE device 112 is stationary (e.g., when it is determined that measurements obtained in upcoming measurement gap(s) will not provide new and / or substantially significant information). Thus, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry 145 dynamically determines that pausing (e.g., suspending) TX / RX communications to perform measurement operations in upcoming measurement gap(s) is not optimal based on current conditions and transmits an instruction to the UE 112 to cancel one or more scheduled measurement gaps.

[0038] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 102 is configured to perform one or more functions related to canceling measurement gaps. This includes, but is not limited to, monitoring UE measurements and mobility state (e.g., monitoring RRM-related measurement reports (RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, etc.) from the UE, monitoring UE mobility indicators (e.g., speed estimates, handover history, etc.), monitoring serving cell state (e.g., handover, cell coverage, etc.)), deciding to cancel a measurement gap based on condition factors (e.g., UE mobility, serving cell quality, handover, network environment stability, interference, etc.), indicating one or more corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled (e.g., implicit indication, explicit indication, etc.), processing the response from the UE (e.g., receiving an ACK from the UE), updating the UE context / state (e.g., after successful cancellation), error handling (e.g., RRC retransmission, etc.), determining the processing time (e.g., associated with the UE processing a measurement gap cancellation indication) and / or determining the minimum duration (e.g., between a received measurement gap indication and the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled), and the like. The functionality implemented by the measurement gap cancellation circuitry 145 to perform the processing time determination aspects of the measurement gap cancellation disclosed herein will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

[0039] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 of the UE device 112 is configured to perform one or more functions related to canceling a measurement gap, including, but not limited to, receiving and / or processing an indication of measurement gap(s) to be canceled, canceling the measurement gap (e.g., enabling TX and / or RX during the measurement gap to be canceled), preparing and / or transmitting an acknowledgment of the measurement gap cancellation, determining and / or communicating a processing time (e.g., associated with the UE processing the measurement gap cancellation indication), and / or a minimum time interval (e.g., based on the relationship between the received measurement gap indication and the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled), and other similar functions. The functions implemented by the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 to perform the processing time determination aspects of measurement gap cancellation disclosed herein are described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2-6.

[0040] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry (145, 155) is configured to implement explicit and / or implicit indication of measurement gap cancellation. Explicit indication of measurement gap cancellation includes utilizing a control signaling mechanism, such as a downlink control information (DCI) message. Such a control signaling mechanism includes information directly identifying one or more measurement gaps and / or time windows to be canceled. For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry 145 of the gNB 140 is configured to transmit a DCI message using a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The DCI message includes a bit field (e.g., a bit, a bitmap, etc.) having data for specifying one or more measurement gaps to be canceled to the measurement gap circuitry 155 of the UE device 112. In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation indication directly indicates the scheduled measurement gaps to the UE device and / or includes corresponding information (e.g., a measurement gap ID). In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancel indication includes identification information related to the measurement gap, such as a bit indicating to cancel the "next" or "first" measurement gap (e.g., without using a directly corresponding measurement gap ID).

[0041] Similarly, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 140 is configured to transmit a DCI message that includes a field having data for specifying a time window. By indicating the time window, corresponding measurement gaps scheduled to occur within the specified time window are identified for cancellation. In one embodiment, the DCI message has a format that includes information indicating the start time and / or duration of the specified time window. The DCI message is implemented as a scheduling DCI for allocating resources for downlink and / or uplink data, or as a non-scheduling DCI for communicating control information such as power control commands, slot indications, etc.

[0042] Upon receiving the measurement gap cancellation indication having the explicit indication format, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to control and / or perform reconfiguration, communication, and component adjustment operations of the UE device 112 during the corresponding measurement gap interval, such as enabling TX / RX in the UE 112, suspending RRM-related measurement and reporting functions of the UE 112, and other related operations. Thus, the UE device 112 performs one or more cancellation operations to cancel the corresponding measurement gap(s) according to the measurement gap cancellation indication sent from the gNB 102 (e.g., explicitly indicated by a bit field in a DCI message) when the corresponding measurement gap(s) occur. In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation operation includes scheduling a downlink physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for the gNB 102 to transmit a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the UE device 112. For example, the gNB 102 schedules a PDSCH and sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE device 112 instructing the UE 112 to release, cancel (e.g., disable), and / or not perform the measurement gap to be canceled identified in the measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., the corresponding measurement gap indicated in a bit field of the DCI message).

[0043] The implicit instruction involves the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 140 scheduling TX / RX that overlaps one or more previously scheduled measurement gaps using a control signaling mechanism, such as a DCI. For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 140 is configured to transmit DCI on the PDCCH indicating scheduled downlink (RX) communication to the UE 112 at a time that overlaps a previously scheduled measurement gap. In response to receiving a measurement gap cancellation instruction having the implicit instruction format, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is instructed to perform TX / RX communication simultaneously with the previously scheduled measurement gap. In that case, the UE device 112 continues TX / RX communication during that time (rather than pausing TX / RX to obtain RRM-related measurements), thereby canceling the corresponding measurement gap (without receiving a measurement gap ID and / or an identifier directly corresponding to the measurement gap).

[0044] Additionally, the measurement gap cancellation circuits (145 and 155) are configured to dynamically adjust the timing, selection, instruction, and / or execution of measurement gap cancellation operations based on a determination of relevant conditions, such as the “processing time” of resources (e.g., UE 112) that may be involved in the measurement gap cancellation. As used herein, “processing time” in connection with measurement gap cancellation refers to a determined minimum time, time window, time offset (and / or other time factors) located between the end of a received instruction and the start of a measurement gap to be canceled. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuits (145 and 155) are configured to determine (e.g., calculate) the “processing time” by taking into account the time required for one or more of the resources (e.g., UE, gNB, etc.) to successfully receive, extract, process, and / or decode a measurement gap cancellation instruction (e.g., explicit instruction and / or implicit instruction) and its associated information. The processing time considers additional factors (e.g., in addition to processing data from the instruction) that affect the time required, for example, for the UE 112 to successfully process and / or prepare before encountering a measurement gap to be canceled. Additional factors that may be considered in determining the processing time include, but are not limited to, UE 112 reconfiguration (e.g., for TX / RX communication), component adjustments (e.g., transceiver power-up), resource capabilities (e.g., power, frequency range, memory, processor, etc.), and / or the like. For example, the UE 112 processing time may take into account factors such as how quickly the UE 112 receives and decodes RRC messages, how quickly the UE 112 applies new measurement reconfigurations (e.g., clearing scheduled measurement gap(s), enabling transceivers for TX / RX, etc.), how quickly the UE 112 responds (ACKs) to the gNB 102, and other similar factors. In one embodiment, the processing time is dynamic and varies based on real-time monitored conditions, available resources, and other parameters.These parameters may include the capabilities of a particular UE (e.g., if processing times vary from UE to UE), network conditions deemed relevant and / or affecting the measurement gap cancellation operation, such as cell quality and mobility. Alternatively, the processing time may be a set value and / or a predefined value. In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 receives device capabilities from the UE 112 before sending the measurement gap cancellation instruction, and determines and / or calculates the processing time for the UE 112 on the network side (e.g., the gNB 102). Alternatively, the UE side (e.g., the UE 112) calculates and / or determines its own processing time when the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 receives the measurement gap cancellation instruction.

[0045] In some cases, failure to ensure at least a minimum processing time for measurement gap cancellation operations may result in errors, inefficiencies, and other malfunctions in the wireless network system 100. As an example, if the UE 112 does not have enough time to properly process the relevant information between receiving an instruction from the gNB 102 and the occurrence of the measurement gap to be canceled (e.g., the time offset to the measurement gap start corresponding to the instruction reception is shorter than the processing time), the UE 112 may not properly cancel the measurement gap, resulting in errors in the measurement gap cancellation operation. That is, failure to meet the processing time requirements for measurement gap cancellation may result in failure, inaccuracy, and / or increased errors in measurement gap cancellation, increased TX / RX communication disablement, and loss of optimization related to measurement gap cancellation. Therefore, to ensure that the processing time deemed necessary and / or appropriate for measurement gap cancellation is ensured, the measurement gap cancellation circuits (145 and 155) are configured to determine the processing time associated with the measurement gap cancellation operation (e.g., the minimum offset between the instruction and the start of the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled) and / or adjust the timing of the measurement gap cancellation operation in a manner that mitigates errors and / or inaccuracies resulting from the processing time.

[0046] The measurement gap cancellation circuits (145 and 155) are configured to determine a processing time associated with the measurement gap cancellation operation and then adjust the measurement gap cancellation operation, e.g., adjust the measurement gap corresponding to the indication to be the first measurement gap occurring after a defined processing time (e.g., relative to the PDCCH carrying the indication), thereby reducing errors associated with performing measurement gap cancellation. In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuits (145 and 155) are configured to perform one or more functions associated with the time processing of measurement gap cancellation. This functionality may include determining a processing time that is the minimum offset time required between the PDCCH carrying the indication and the start of the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled, defining and / or adjusting the first measurement gap occurring after the determined processing time as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled (e.g., if the minimum offset time is met and / or exceeded), defining and / or adjusting the first measurement gap occurring after the indication as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled without reference to the processing time (e.g., regardless of whether the processing time is met or not), defining and / or performing additional operations based on adjusting the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled, and other similar functions.

[0047] As an example, RRM-related functions, such as a handover procedure performed between the UE 112 and the gNB 102 according to a wireless technology standard such as 5G NR, include measurement configuration and measurement reporting for the UE. For example, RRM-related measurements, such as cell signal quality, are utilized to determine an optimal and / or suitable target cell for handover. In one embodiment, measurement configuration and reporting during the handover procedure are configured such that the UE 112 performs and / or obtains actual measurements (e.g., RSRP, etc.) regarding resources such as cells, beams, and frequencies. For example, the handover procedure utilizes repeated measurements (e.g., performing real-time measurements) regarding the signal quality of the source cell and neighboring cells obtained by the UE 112. The UE 112 is configured for one or more scheduled measurement gaps (e.g., a scheduled pattern for RRM-related measurements) to suspend normal communication operations and obtain RRM-related measurements. The RRM circuitry 140 of the gNB 102 monitors the UE 112 to determine the device's current (e.g., real-time) status related to the cancellation of one or more measurement gaps. For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 102 determines that the UE 112 has been stationary for a time period exceeding a defined threshold (e.g., handover is not required, RRM-related measurements may not be new, etc.), and dynamically decides to cancel at least one upcoming measurement gap for the UE 112 to continue TX / RX communication during that time period for improved performance.

[0048] Furthermore, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 determines a processing time for the UE 112 to appropriately process the indication of measurement gap cancellation, e.g., based on the capabilities of the UE 112. For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 102 receives one or more device capability parameters from the UE 112 (e.g., via capability signaling) and calculates that a minimum processing time of approximately 3 (or 5) milliseconds (ms) is required between the time the UE 112 receives a measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., a PDCCH carrying DCI having a bit for an explicit indication of a measurement gap) and the time the measurement gap to be canceled occurs. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 also determines and / or calculates a processing time for the UE 112 (UE side) based on its capabilities and communicates the determined processing time to the gNB 102 to be added to and / or used in place of the determined processing time determined by the measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 of the gNB 102 (network side).

[0049] The gNB 102 communicates a measurement gap cancellation indication to the UE 112, indicating that the gNB 102 has decided to cancel one or more upcoming measurement gaps. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 145 implements the indication as a DCI message with an explicit format to identify the corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. For example, the gNB 102 communicates the measurement gap cancellation indication as DCI to the UE 112 via the PDCCH to include a bit identifying the “first” corresponding measurement gap to be canceled. Thus, the UE 112 receives the measurement gap cancellation indication, which indicates that the UE 112 should cancel the “first” measurement gap that begins at a time (e.g., the end of the PDCCH) after the UE 112 has finished receiving the measurement gap cancellation indication from the gNB 102. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to determine which measurement gap (e.g., from among multiple upcoming scheduled measurement gaps for the UE 112) is the “first” correct measurement gap for which to apply the measurement gap cancellation indicated by the gNB 102. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to determine a time interval associated with receiving an indication (e.g., a PDCCH carrying DCI from the gNB 102) while also taking into account a processing time previously determined for the UE 112. The time interval serves as a threshold utilized by the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 to determine which of the scheduled measurement gaps performs optimally (e.g., meets the required processing time of the UE 112) as the “first” measurement gap for applying a measurement gap cancellation operation (e.g., corresponding to the indication). The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines which of the scheduled measurement gaps first occurs approximately 3 milliseconds (ms) or 5 milliseconds (ms) (e.g., the determined processing time of the UE 112) after the end of the PDCCH used by the UE 112 to receive the measurement gap cancellation indication, and then selects this measurement gap that begins after a time interval (e.g., a threshold) based on the processing time of the UE 112 as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled “first.”As a result, the UE 112 may receive the measurement gap cancellation instruction enough time before the start of the measurement gap to be canceled to meet the required processing time and successfully process the data from the instruction, and may further perform operations at the UE 112 (and / or gNB 102) to implement the cancellation of the corresponding measurement gap (e.g., enable TX / RX in the measurement gap). In another embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 may determine which of the scheduled measurement gaps occurs first between approximately 3 ms and 10 ms after the end of the PDCCH used by the UE 112 to receive the measurement gap cancellation instruction, and then select this measurement gap that starts after a time interval based on the processing time of the UE 112 as the "first" corresponding measurement gap to be canceled.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary user equipment (UE) device implementing radio resource management (RRM) circuitry for measurement gap cancellation including processing time determination and measurement gap cancellation circuitry in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] As shown in Figure 2, an example configuration of the UE 112 (see, e.g., Figure 1) includes multiple hardware and / or software components that implement functionality related to measurement gap cancellation, including determining processing time. The UE 112 illustrated in Figure 2 is not intended to be limiting, and the associated structure and / or functionality of the components may be implemented in various configurations without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the UE 112 implements functionality related to measurement gap cancellation performed at the UE side, as disclosed herein.

[0052] Further, in one embodiment, a gNB (e.g., gNB 102 shown in FIG. 1) is configured with similar hardware and / or software components to implement functionality related to measurement gap cancellation, including determination of processing time, as described herein with reference to FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the gNB implements functionality related to measurement gap cancellation performed on the network side, as disclosed herein.

[0053] 2, the UE 112 includes an antenna 160, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 161, a TX processing circuit 162, a microphone 163, and an RX processing circuit 164. The UE 112 also includes a speaker 165, a processor 166, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 167, an input device 168, a display 169, and a memory 170. The memory 170 includes an operating system (OS) 171 and one or more applications 172.

[0054] RF transceiver 161 receives from antenna 160 an incoming RF signal transmitted by a gNB in ​​network 100 (e.g., gNB 102 in FIG. 1 ). RF transceiver 161 downconverts the received RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) signal or a baseband signal. The IF signal or baseband signal is transmitted to RX processing circuitry 164, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband signal or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 164 transmits the processed baseband signal to speaker 165 in the case of voice data or to processor 166 for further processing in the case of web browsing data.

[0055] TX processing circuitry 162 receives analog or digital voice data from microphone 163 or other outgoing baseband data (e.g., web data, email, or interactive video game data) from processor 166. TX processing circuitry 162 generates processed baseband or IF signals by encoding, multiplexing, and / or digitizing the transmit baseband data. RF transceiver 161 receives the processed baseband or IF signals from TX processing circuitry 162 and upconverts the baseband or IF signals to RF signals that are transmitted via antenna 160.

[0056] Processor 166 may include one or more processors or other processing devices and executes OS 171 stored in memory 170 to control the overall operation of UE 112. For example, processor 166 controls the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by RF transceiver 161, RX processing circuitry 164, and TX processing circuitry 162. In one embodiment, processor 166 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0057] The processor 166 may also execute other processes and programs resident in the memory 170 and the RRM circuitry 150, such as processing measurement gap cancellation. The processor 166 moves data to and from the memory 170 as required by the processes it is executing.

[0058] In one embodiment, processor 166 executes applications 172 based on OS 171 or in response to signals received from the gNB or an operator. Processor 166 is also coupled to I / O interface 167, which provides UE 112 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as a laptop computer or handheld computer. I / O interface 167 provides a communication path between these accessories and processor 166.

[0059] The processor 166 is also coupled to an input device 168 and a display 169. An operator of the UE 112 can input data to the UE 112 using the input device 168. The input device 168 can be a keyboard, a touch screen, a mouse, a trackball, voice input, or other device that functions as a user interface that allows a user to interact with the UE 112. For example, the input device 168 can include voice recognition processing, allowing a user to input voice commands. In another example, the input device 168 can include a touch panel, a (digital) pen sensor, keys, or an ultrasonic input device. The touch panel can recognize touch input using at least one method, such as a capacitive method, a pressure-sensitive method, an infrared method, or an ultrasonic method.

[0060] Processor 166 is also coupled to display 169. Display 169 may be a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics, such as from a website.

[0061] Memory 170 is coupled to processor 166. A portion of memory 170 includes random access memory (RAM), and another portion of memory 360 includes flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM). In one embodiment, memory 170 stores data (e.g., measurement configurations, etc.) and / or models (e.g., AI models) related to the functionality of measurement gap cancellation, including determining processing time, as disclosed herein. In one embodiment, memory 170 stores data, instructions, and / or AI models utilized by RRM circuit 150 and measurement gap cancellation circuit 155.

[0062] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to perform measurement gap cancellation, including determining processing time, as disclosed herein. For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 performs the following functions: determining measurement gap cancellation, determining and / or communicating UE capabilities, determining and / or communicating UE 112 processing time related to measurement gap cancellation, receiving and processing measurement gap cancellation instructions, calculating a time interval (e.g., a threshold) for determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled, adjusting and / or dynamically selecting the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled based on the UE processing time (e.g., meeting the threshold), determining to override the measurement gap cancellation instruction, performing one or more measurement gap cancellation operations, and determining and / or performing functions related to a RAN1 procedure for overriding the measurement gap cancellation instruction. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines a minimum processing time for the UE 112 associated with measurement gap cancellation, then selects a measurement gap to be canceled based on the time relative to receipt of the measurement gap cancellation instruction (e.g., corresponding to the received instruction), and allows the UE 112 sufficient time (e.g., based on the determined processing time for the UE 112) to properly process information before encountering the measurement gap to be canceled. Examples of how the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 implements functions associated with measurement gap cancellation, including determining the processing time, are described in more detail below, e.g., with reference to Figures 3-6.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of timing for communicating a measurement gap cancellation indication and a measurement gap determined by a measurement gap cancellation circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] In the example of Figure 3, a UE (e.g., UE device 112 of Figure 1) is configured to have measurement gaps (310 and 315) scheduled for performing RRM-related measurements. However, after measurement gap 310, a measurement gap cancellation circuit (e.g., measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 of Figure 2) receives a measurement gap cancellation indication indicating that the next occurring measurement gap is to be canceled, and determines the corresponding measurement gap that is deemed optimal for cancellation based on the UE's processing time (and other currently monitored conditions related to the network and / or resources). In the example of Figure 3, a measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., having an explicit indication format) on a PDCCH (PDCCH #1, omitted below) (320 and 325) is transmitted from the gNB to specify the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled. In this example, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry of the gNB (e.g., the measurement gap cancellation circuitry 145 of FIG. 1 ) is configured (e.g., regardless of processing timeline) such that the PDCCH carrying the measurement gap cancellation indication indicates (e.g., points to) the first consecutively occurring measurement gap (e.g., occurring after the PDCCH) as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled. In other words, the measurement gap cancellation indications communicated on both PDCCHs (320 and 325) point to the same measurement gap 315 as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled by the UE. The time interval 330 is the minimum time offset from the end of the PDCCHs (320 and 325) carrying the indication to the start of the measurement gap, such as the measurement gap 315, to be canceled. In this example, the measurement gap cancellation indications associated with both PDCCHs (320 and 325) identify the same measurement gap 315 as the “first” corresponding measurement gap to be canceled.

[0065] However, as shown in Figure 3, there may be scenarios where the UE fails to successfully receive the measurement gap cancellation indication associated with the PDCCH 320 (e.g., if the UE misses the PDCCH 320). The gNB (e.g., gNB 102 in Figure 1) that sends the measurement gap cancellation indication does not know that the UE missed the PDCCH 320. A second measurement gap cancellation indication associated with the PDCCH 325 is sent again to the UE to indicate the measurement gap 315 to be canceled for other purposes, such as DL or UL scheduling.

[0066] 3 illustrates an exemplary timeline in which the time interval between the end of the second measurement gap cancel indication associated with the PDCCH 325 and the start of the next successive measurement gap 315 (following the measurement gap cancel indication on the PDCCH 325) may be too short to allow sufficient time for the UE to process the information in the received indication to fill the determined time interval 330. In contrast, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the time interval between the end of the first indication associated with the first PDCCH 320 and the start of the corresponding measurement gap 315 to be canceled is long enough to fill the determined time interval 330. However, as noted in the above examples, the indication on the PDCCH 320 may not be successfully received (e.g., detected and / or decoded) by the UE.

[0067] As described above, a measurement gap cancellation indication for the second PDCCH 325 is received, but FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the time interval from the end of the PDCCH 325 to the start of the measurement gap 315 is shorter than the time interval 330 determined based on the UE's processing time. As a result, the PDCCH 325 indication may not allow the UE sufficient time to properly process the information conveyed in the indication before the measurement gap 315 starts. As a result, the UE may encounter error(s) and / or may not be able to perform the measurement gap cancellation operation for the measurement gap 315 in this example (e.g., if dynamic adjustment is not performed). Furthermore, because it is the gNB's responsibility to ensure successful reception of the first PDCCH 320, the UE may not expect the corresponding measurement gap 315 to start in this case before the expiration of the time interval 330 offset from the first successfully decoded and / or received PDCCH 325. In other words, there must be a minimum time offset(s) between the end of the PDCCH containing the first successfully decoded and / or received indication and the start of the corresponding measurement gap(s) / limit(s) to be cancelled.

[0068] In one embodiment, the UE may not be configured to receive (e.g., expect) a measurement gap cancellation indication in which the timeline of the measurement gap to be canceled is not met on either PDCCH pointing to the same measurement gap. Referring to Figure 3, the offset of time interval 330 from both PDCCHs (320 and 325) should be met before the measurement gap to be canceled, i.e., measurement gap 315, begins. In the example of Figure 3, the UE is configured to cancel measurement gap 315, in one embodiment. Otherwise, in one embodiment, the timing of PDCCH 320 and PDCCH 325 is considered an error case, since the gNB must ensure successful reception of at least one PDCCH and take into account the UE's processing time.

[0069] Thus, in one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry (e.g., in the gNB) is configured to time its transmission such that at least one PDCCH (and associated measurement gap cancellation indication) is successfully received by the UE well before the start of the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled (e.g., the "first" subsequent measurement gap occurring after the PDCCH) to meet the UE's required time (e.g., based on the UE's processing time). This will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

[0070] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to adjust and / or select the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled such that at least one successfully received PDCCH (associated with the measurement gap indication sent to the UE) fills the determined time interval 330 based on the determined processing time of the UE.

[0071] The measurement gap cancellation circuitry determines that a subsequent scheduled measurement gap (not shown, following the measurement gap 315) provides sufficient time to satisfy the determined processing time 330 (e.g., the measurement gap occurs after a time interval 330 offset from the end of the PDCCH 325). The measurement gap cancellation circuitry is adjusted to select a “first” corresponding measurement gap to cancel that is different from the measurement gap 315, which is the “first” measurement gap identified in a received measurement gap cancellation instruction (e.g., an instruction associated with the PDCCH 325). In one embodiment, the gNB performs the determination and / or adjustment to ensure that the time interval between the measurement gap cancellation instruction received by the UE (e.g., the end of the PDCCH) and the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled is long enough to satisfy the UE's determined processing time. For example, the gNB is configured to determine and / or indicate that the “first” corresponding measurement gap to be canceled is the first measurement gap that occurs after successful reception of the PDCCH by the UE and after a calculated time interval (based on the processing time determination). 3, if the measurement gap cancellation circuitry in the gNB is configured to set (e.g., pre-define) the “first” measurement gap occurring after a successfully received instruction (e.g., a measurement gap cancellation instruction on the PDCCH 325) as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled without considering the processing time, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry 155 in the UE is also configured to modify (e.g., override, dynamically determine the corresponding measurement gap) the measurement gap cancellation instruction and / or select the measurement gap to be canceled, if deemed necessary and / or appropriate, based on the processing time 330. The measurement gap cancellation circuitry disclosed herein is configured such that the measurement gap cancellation operation associated with the instruction received on the PDCCH 325 is optimally applied to the measurement gap that fills the time interval 330 determined based on the UE's processing time.

[0072] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of timing for transmitting a measurement gap cancel instruction and a measurement gap determined based on a processing time determination according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit (e.g., measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 of FIG. 2) is configured to adjust and / or determine the first occurring measurement gap that satisfies the UE's determined processing time as the corresponding measurement gap for the indication. That is, the measurement gap cancellation circuit is configured to calculate a time interval from receipt of the measurement gap cancellation indication that includes the UE's determined processing time (e.g., the end of the PDCCH carrying the indication + processing time 430), and adjust and / or select the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled as the first measurement gap occurring after this time interval. Thus, the measurement gap cancellation circuit is configured to adjust the corresponding measurement gap to ensure that the UE has enough time to properly process the indication (e.g., to satisfy the determined processing time 430 for the UE) before arriving at the measurement gap to be canceled in a manner that mitigates errors and improves performance of measurement gap cancellation. FIG. 4 illustrates example timings for measurement gaps adjusted and / or selected based on the determined processing times.

[0074] In the example of FIG. 4, the UE is configured for multiple scheduled measurement gaps, shown as measurement gaps (measurement gaps #1-#3, hereafter omitted) (410, 411, and 412). Also shown in FIG. 4 are a PDCCH (PDCCH #1, hereafter omitted) 421 and a PDCCH (PDCCH #2, hereafter omitted) 422, each associated with a measurement gap cancellation indication transmitted to the UE (from the gNB). The measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to determine a time interval associated with the PDCCH 421 and the PDCCH 422. Each of these time intervals corresponds to the end of the respective PDCCH and includes or exceeds a determined processing time 430 until the start of the corresponding measurement gap. Thus, the time interval 441 corresponding to the first PDCCH 421 is between the end of the PDCCH 421 and the start of the corresponding measurement gap 411, and includes the processing time 430. The time interval 442 corresponding to the second PDCCH 422 is from the end of the PDCCH 422 to the start of the corresponding measurement gap 412, and also includes the processing time 430. The measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to select the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled as the next measurement gap occurring immediately after the calculated time interval (relative to the end of the corresponding PDCCH), thereby meeting the required processing time 430.

[0075] As shown in Figure 4, for PDCCH 421, the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled is measurement gap 411 because it is the first measurement gap to occur after associated time interval 441 (e.g., meets UE required processing time 430). For PDCCH 422, the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled is measurement gap 412 because it is the first measurement gap to occur after associated time interval 442 (e.g., meets UE required processing time 430). Figure 4 also shows that for PDCCH 422, measurement gap 411 may occur after receipt of an instruction related to PDCCH 422, but measurement gap 411 is not selected as the corresponding measurement gap for PDCCH 422 because it starts before UE required processing time 430. Therefore, indicating measurement gap 411 in PDCCH 422 as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled may not provide enough time for the UE to properly process the measurement gap cancellation instruction (e.g., not meet determined processing time 430).

[0076] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to determine whether the UE's minimum processing time has been met using a time offset from another time point associated with the measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., in addition to or instead of the end of the PDCCH). For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled by providing a predetermined offset (e.g., a determined processing time) from one of multiple time points associated with the measurement gap cancellation indication. Here, the time point includes, but is not limited to, the end (e.g., last symbol) of the PDCCH carrying the measurement gap cancellation indication, the start time of the next slot containing the PDCCH, a predetermined offset from the associated PDCCH (e.g., a predefined offset or an offset dynamically specified by the gNB via UE capability signaling), or other similar time points. Thus, multiple time intervals that may affect the measurement gap cancellation operation with respect to the timing of the measurement gap and / or its indication are taken into account when adjusting the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled so that the UE's processing time is appropriately taken into account.

[0077] FIG. 5 illustrates another example of timing for communicating measurement gap cancellation instructions for multiple measurement gaps to be canceled as determined by a measurement gap cancellation circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0078] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to communicate a measurement gap cancellation indication that identifies one or more corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. For example, the measurement gap indication is implemented as a DCI message having a bit field (e.g., a bitmap) including multiple bits, with each bit indicating multiple corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines that the first-occurring measurement gap of the multiple measurement gaps to be canceled (indicated by the one or more bits) occurs after a time interval (e.g., a determined processing time for the UE) that is offset from the end of the measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., the end of the PDCCH carrying the indication).

[0079] FIG. 5 illustrates an example timing diagram of a measurement gap cancellation indication implemented to identify multiple corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. In the example of FIG. 5, a UE (e.g., UE 112 in FIG. 1) is configured for multiple consecutively scheduled measurement gaps, denoted as measurement gaps (measurement gaps #0 to #5, omitted hereafter) (510 to 515), to perform RRM-related measurements. FIG. 5 also illustrates that PDCCHs (PDCCHs #1 and #2, omitted hereafter) (520 and 521) are utilized to communicate measurement gap cancellation indications to the UE (e.g., from a gNB). For example, each of two measurement gap cancellation indications is implemented as a DCI message communicated over the PDCCH (520 and 521), respectively. The DCI message has a format including a 3-bit bitmap, thereby indicating three corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled.

[0080] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation indication using a bitmap format is configured such that each bit of the bitmap (e.g., bitmaps for different indications have different numbers of bits) indicates a corresponding measurement gap. Thus, in the example of FIG. 5 , the measurement gap cancellation indication for PDCCH 520 has a 3-bit bitmap indicating three corresponding measurement gaps (511, 512, 513) to be canceled. Furthermore, the measurement gap cancellation indication for PDCCH 521 has a 3-bit bitmap indicating three corresponding measurement gaps (513, 514, 515) to be canceled. In one embodiment, the value of the bit used in the measurement gap cancellation indication format is set to indicate the status of the corresponding measurement gap. For example, a bit set to '0' in the bit field indicates that the corresponding measurement gap is not canceled, and a bit set to '1' indicates that the corresponding measurement gap is canceled.

[0081] 5, each of the measurement gaps (511, 512, 513) occurs after a time interval 540 from the received measurement gap indication. That is, the first measurement gap 511 is considered to start after the time interval 540 (e.g., the end time of the PDCCH 520 plus the determined processing time) and therefore occurs at a time when the UE has sufficient time to properly process the measurement gap indication. Therefore, the measurement gap cancel indication associated with the PDCCH 520 identifies each of the corresponding measurement gaps (511, 512, 513) as being canceled (e.g., to meet the UE's determined processing time).

[0082] The measurement gap cancellation instruction associated with PDCCH 521 identifies three corresponding measurement gaps (513, 514, 515) to be canceled that occur after time interval 541 (e.g., the end time of PDCCH 521 plus the determined processing time) and that satisfy the processing time required of the UE to reach the first corresponding measurement gap 513. The example of FIG. 5 shows that measurement gap 512 occurs before the determined processing time. Therefore, identifying the measurement gap 512 to be canceled in the instruction on PDCCH 521 may not provide the UE with enough time to process the received instruction before encountering measurement gap 512, which may result in an error in the UE performing the measurement gap cancellation operation. Therefore, measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines the next measurement gap 513 following measurement gap 512, the first measurement gap occurring after time interval 541, as the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled.

[0083] 5 also illustrates a scenario in which a single measurement gap is identified by multiple measurement gap cancellation instructions. Figure 5 shows that a first instruction associated with PDCCH 520 identifies a measurement gap 513 to be canceled, and an instruction associated with PDCCH 521 also identifies a measurement gap 513 to be canceled. In one embodiment, measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to mitigate potential conflicts associated with instructions configured to identify multiple corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. For example, measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to prevent a measurement gap identified as a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled in an earlier measurement gap cancellation instruction (e.g., PDCCH) from being identified as not being canceled in a later measurement gap cancellation instruction. Meanwhile, a measurement gap identified as not being canceled in an earlier measurement gap cancellation instruction is configured to either be canceled or not canceled in a later measurement gap cancellation instruction.

[0084] FIG. 6 illustrates another example of timing for communicating measurement gap cancellation instructions for multiple measurement gaps to be canceled as determined by the measurement gap cancellation circuitry based on processing time according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] As described above, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to communicate a measurement gap cancellation indication that identifies one or more corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. For example, the measurement gap indication is implemented as a DCI message having a bit field (e.g., a bitmap) including a plurality of bits, the plurality of bits indicating the plurality of corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. Furthermore, the measurement gap cancellation circuit (e.g., in the gNB) is configured to determine a “first” corresponding measurement gap (indicated by one or more bits) of the plurality of measurement gaps to be canceled, e.g., as described in FIG. 3, as the first measurement gap that occurs immediately after the received measurement gap cancellation indication, without taking into account UE processing time.

[0086] FIG. 6 illustrates another example timing for communicating measurement gap cancellation instructions, where each measurement gap cancellation instruction identifies multiple corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. In FIG. 6, a UE (e.g., UE 112 in FIG. 1) is configured to perform multiple consecutively scheduled measurement gaps, denoted as measurement gaps (measurement gaps #0-5, omitted hereafter) (610-615), for RRM-related measurements. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, PDCCHs (PDCCHs #1 and #2, omitted hereafter) (620 and 621) are utilized to communicate measurement gap cancellation instructions (e.g., from a gNB) to the UE. The measurement gap cancellation instructions are implemented as DCI messages having a bitmap format (e.g., a bitmap size of 3 bits) and communicated to the UE via the PDCCHs (620 and 621).

[0087] 6, the measurement gap cancel instruction in PDCCH 620 has a format including a 3-bit bitmap indicating three corresponding measurement gaps (611, 612, 613) to be canceled. Furthermore, the measurement gap cancel instruction in PDCCH 621 has a format including a 3-bit bitmap indicating three corresponding measurement gaps (612, 613, 614) to be canceled.

[0088] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry (e.g., in the gNB) is configured to determine the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled as the first measurement gap scheduled to start after the received indication (e.g., the end of the PDCCH), without taking into account the UE's processing time in the determination. In the example of FIG. 6, three measurement gaps (611, 612, 613) are a group of first measurement gaps that occur consecutively after the PDCCH 620. Therefore, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry (e.g., in the gNB) is configured to determine these measurement gaps (611, 612, 613) as the corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled, as indicated in the PDCCH 620. In response, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry 155 (e.g., in the UE) is configured to determine whether the corresponding measurement gap identified in the received measurement gap cancellation indication is scheduled to occur after the time interval 640 that includes the UE's processing time 630, in order to mitigate the possibility of errors and / or failures in performing the measurement gap cancellation operation. For example, it is determined that the "first" measurement gap 611 of the three corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled (e.g., the next measurement gap occurring after PDCCH 620) begins after time interval 640 (e.g., the end time of PDCCH 620 plus the determined processing time 630), and therefore occurs in sufficient time for the UE to properly process the measurement gap indication. Thus, in conjunction with PDCCH 620, measurement gap cancellation circuitry 155 is configured to cancel the corresponding measurement gaps (611, 612, 613) indicated in the received PDCCH 620 measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., from the gNB), and also perform one or more additional measurement gap cancellation functions.

[0089] With respect to PDCCH 621, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry (e.g., in the gNB) is configured to identify three measurement gaps (612, 613, 614) (e.g., as indicated in the measurement gap cancellation indication bitmap) as corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. Figure 6 shows that each of the measurement gaps (612, 613, 614) occurs after the UE receives the PDCCH 621 indication (e.g., after the PDCCH 621 ends). The measurement gap cancellation circuitry 155 (e.g., in the UE) is configured to receive the PDCCH 621 indication and determine whether the "first" of the corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled occurs after time interval 641 (e.g., the end time of PDCCH 621 plus the determined processing time 630) and satisfies the processing time required of the UE before the measurement gap to be canceled (612, 613, 614) begins. 6, the measurement gap 612 is scheduled to occur before the determined processing time 630 expires (e.g., the measurement gap 612 starts before the time interval 641), while the measurement gaps (613 and 614) occur after the determined processing time 630 (e.g., the measurement gaps (613 and 614) start after the time interval 641). Therefore, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines that canceling the instructed measurement gap 612 would not satisfy the processing time 630 required by the UE, which may result in a potential error in the measurement gap cancellation operation (e.g., the UE may not have enough time to properly analyze and / or decode the instruction). Thus, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured not to cancel the corresponding measurement gap 612 (e.g., to override the measurement gap cancellation instruction), even if the corresponding measurement gap is identified as the measurement gap to be canceled in the instruction on the received PDCCH 621. Thus, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to perform various operations related to overriding the measurement gap cancellation indication and therefore not canceling the corresponding measurement gap, such as measurement gap 612 .

[0090] In one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuitry is configured to determine and / or perform appropriate functions related to other (RAN1) procedures when the measurement gap cancellation instruction is overridden and the corresponding measurement gap is not canceled. For example, in some legacy 5G NR radio technology systems, the UE may be configured not to monitor the PDCCH when the UE performs RRM measurements on bands that are not within the active DL bandwidth part (BWP). If the UE decides to override (e.g., ignore) the measurement gap cancellation instruction, an additional RAN1-related operation is configured to not monitor the PDCCH that overlaps the corresponding measurement gap when the UE performs RRM measurements (rather than the measurement gap cancellation operation) on bands that are not within the active DL BWP at that time. Also, in some legacy 5G NR radio technologies, channel state information (CSI) is important to enable advanced RRM-related operations such as beamforming. Determining the CSI reference resource indicates how the network configures and signals the resources used by the UE to measure the radio channel for CSI reporting. The determination of the CSI reference resource is performed when a DL slot is valid, at least one symbol in the slot is indicated as flexible or downlink, and the slot is not within a measurement gap. Therefore, if the UE decides to override the measurement gap cancellation indication (e.g., not cancel the measurement gap) for a slot, the UE considers that a measurement gap still exists for that slot according to normal RRM-related measurement behavior, and further determines that the slot is not a valid DL slot as a CSI reference resource.

[0091] As described above, when the indication of the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled is provided in the form of a time window, the measurement gap cancellation indication is implemented in an implicit manner. The measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to adjust and / or modify the determined measurement gap based on the implicit indication form. For example, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to shift the originally indicated time window to start with the first measurement gap that starts after the UE's determined processing time (relative to the PDCCH carrying the measurement gap cancellation indication). Alternatively, in one embodiment, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is not configured to adjust the time window, but rather determines to override (e.g., ignore) indicated measurement gap(s) that fall within the window and do not satisfy the UE's processing time requirements (e.g., ignore the measurement gap 612 that starts before the time interval 641).

[0092] In one embodiment, the implicit instruction format includes a DCI scheduling transmission and / or reception that overlaps the measurement gap, and the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to adjust and / or modify the determined measurement gap based on the implicit instruction format. For example, if the processing time is not met, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to control the UE to overwrite (e.g., ignore) the scheduling PDCCH for the corresponding transmission and / or reception.

[0093] 6, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 determines that measurement gap 613 (following measurement gap 612) is the first measurement gap occurring after time interval 641. Accordingly, the measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 is configured to adjust the indication in the PDCCH 621 indicating the three corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled and apply the indication to measurement gaps (613, 614) and the next-following measurement gap 615. FIG. 6 illustrates that measurement gaps (613, 614, 615) occur after time interval 641 and are canceled by the UE by performing cancellation operations as disclosed herein, such as continuing TX / RX communication within these time gaps, to meet the UE-required processing time 630.

[0094] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method 700 for implementing measurement gap cancellation including determining processing time according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] 7 illustrates various stages in an exemplary measurement gap cancellation method 700 according to one embodiment, although embodiments in accordance with the present invention are not limited in this respect. For example, according to one embodiment, measurement gap cancellation method 700 may include additional stages, fewer stages, or a different order of stages, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, unless otherwise stated or implied. In one embodiment, method 700 is implemented by measurement gap cancellation circuitry 155, as described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

[0096] Method 700 begins at step 705 by receiving a measurement gap cancellation indication. In one embodiment, step 705 includes the UE receiving a measurement gap cancellation indication from a gNB (e.g., see FIG. 1 ), the measurement gap cancellation indication configured to indicate one or more corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled. The measurement gap cancellation indication is implemented as a DCI message communicated on the PDCCH. In one embodiment, the received measurement gap cancellation indication is configured to have an explicit indication format (e.g., a bit indication corresponding to the measurement gap to be canceled, an indication of the time window of the measurement gap to be canceled, etc.) and / or an implicit indication format (e.g., TX / RX scheduled to overlap the measurement gap to be canceled). For example, the measurement gap cancellation indication is a DCI message having a format including a bit field, where the bit field includes a bit (or bitmap) for identifying the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled.

[0097] Thereafter, in step 710, a condition check is performed to determine whether the corresponding measurement gap identified by the received measurement gap cancellation indication (previously in step 705) satisfies the processing time associated with the indication. In one embodiment, the processing time refers to the minimum time required for the UE to successfully process the received measurement gap cancellation indication before the measurement gap to be canceled occurs. The processing time is determined based on the capabilities of the UE, the gNB, and other network resources related to the measurement gap cancellation operation. In one embodiment, step 710 includes calculating a time interval for the received measurement gap cancellation indication based on the processing time. For example, the time interval is calculated from the end of the PDCCH carrying the measurement gap cancellation indication, including the processing time as an added offset. In one embodiment, the calculated time interval is the minimum time offset(s) between the end of the received indication and the start of the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled. If it is determined in step 710 that the processing time is met, it means that the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled, as indicated by the received measurement gap cancellation indication, occurs after the calculated time interval, allowing the UE sufficient time to successfully process the received measurement gap cancellation indication and perform a measurement gap cancellation operation on the corresponding measurement gap without error and / or failure. In one embodiment, the calculated time interval is considered to be a defined threshold (e.g., a time threshold) related to the determined processing time, and is considered to satisfy (e.g., meet and / or exceed) the threshold for processing time if the measurement gap to be canceled starts after the time interval. If it is determined that the UE's processing time is met for the received measurement gap cancellation indication and / or the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled, method 700 continues to step 715.

[0098] Stage 715 includes performing a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap based on the determination (previously in stage 710). In one embodiment, the UE is configured to process the received measurement gap cancellation indication and perform one or more measurement gap cancellation operations for the indicated corresponding measurement gap. The UE performs functions to cancel the corresponding measurement gap, such as pausing operations performed by the UE to obtain RRM-related measurements and canceling, pausing, and / or passing the measurement gap by enabling TX / RX communications during the measurement gap. The UE is configured to perform other measurement gap cancellation operations related to the cancellation of the corresponding measurement gap, including, but not limited to, continuing normal device operation, enabling TX / RX communications, enabling the transceiver, establishing DL / UL channels, and / or other operations.

[0099] Step 720 includes not performing a measurement gap cancellation operation if it is determined (previously in step 710) that the processing time is not met. If it is determined (previously in step 710) that the processing time is not met, it means that the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled indicated by the received measurement gap cancellation indication may occur before the calculated time interval, which may not provide the UE with enough time to successfully process the measurement gap cancellation indication. For example, the UE does not perform a measurement gap cancellation operation during the corresponding measurement gap in step 720 to mitigate errors caused by improper processing of data required for measurement gap cancellation. In one embodiment, step 720 includes the UE performing a function to override (e.g., ignore) and / or not cancel the corresponding measurement gap identified by the received measurement gap cancellation indication, such as continuing the measurement gap and associated operations performed by the UE to obtain RRM-related measurements during the indicated measurement gap. In one embodiment, stage 720 includes the UE determining another measurement gap (from one or more scheduled measurement gaps that may not have been identified in the received measurement gap cancellation indication) that can meet the processing time and canceling the newly determined measurement gap.

[0100] Thus, method 700 may perform measurement gap cancellation, including processing time determination, in a manner that improves data continuity in the communications network, reduces latency, improves overall user experience, reduces errors in performing measurement gap cancellation operations, and improves overall performance of the communications network, particularly in environments where limited mobility and / or interference conditions may not require frequent measurements.

[0101] 8 is a block diagram of an electronic device, such as a UE 112 (see, e.g., FIG. 1), that implements measurement gap cancellation including processing time determination according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, a processor 802 includes a measurement gap cancellation circuit 155 (see, e.g., FIG. 2) and performs the functions of implementing measurement gap cancellation as disclosed herein.

[0102] 8 , an electronic device 801 in a network environment 800 communicates with an electronic device 802 via a first network 898 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with an electronic device 804 or a server 808 via a second network 899 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). The electronic device 801 communicates with the electronic device 804 via the server 808. The electronic device 801 includes a processor 820, a memory 830, an input device 850, an audio output device 855, a display device 860, an audio module 870, a sensor module 876, an interface 877, a haptic module 879, a camera module 880, a power management module 888, a battery 889, a communication module 890, a subscriber identity module (SIM card) 896, and / or an antenna module 897. In one embodiment, at least one of the components (e.g., display device 860 or camera module 880) is omitted from electronic device 801, or one or more other components are added to electronic device 801. Some of the components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC). For example, sensor module 876 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illuminance sensor) is integrated into display device 860 (e.g., a display).

[0103] The processor 820 executes software (e.g., program 840) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware component or a software component) of the electronic device 801 coupled to the processor 820, and also performs various data processing or calculations.

[0104] As at least part of its data processing or calculation, the processor 820 loads commands or data received from other components (e.g., the sensor module 876 or the communications module 890) into the volatile memory 832, processes the commands or data stored in the volatile memory 832, and stores the resulting data in the non-volatile memory 834. The processor 820 includes a main processor 821 (e.g., a central processing unit or application processor (AP)) and an auxiliary processor 823 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communications processor (CP)) that can operate independently of or in conjunction with the main processor 821. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 823 is adapted to consume less power than the main processor 821 or to perform specific functions. The auxiliary processor 823 may be implemented separately from the main processor 821 or as part of the main processor 821.

[0105] The auxiliary processor 823 controls at least a portion of the functionality or state associated with at least one component (e.g., display device 860, sensor module 876, or communication module 890) on behalf of the main processor 821 while the main processor 821 is in an inactive state (e.g., sleep), or together with the main processor 821 while the main processor 821 is in an active state (e.g., executing an application). The auxiliary processor 823 (e.g., image signal processor or communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., camera module 880 or communication module 890) that is functionally associated with the auxiliary processor 823.

[0106] The memory 830 stores various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor 820 or the sensor module 876) of the electronic device 801, including, for example, input data or output data of software (e.g., the program 840) and associated commands. The memory 830 includes a volatile memory 832 or a non-volatile memory 834.

[0107] The programs 840 are stored in the memory 830 as software and include, for example, an operating system (OS) 842 , middleware 844 , or applications 846 .

[0108] Input device 850 receives commands or data from outside electronic device 801 (e.g., a user) for use by other components (e.g., processor 820) of electronic device 801. Input device 850 includes, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, etc.

[0109] The audio output device 855 outputs an audio signal to the outside of the electronic device 801. The audio output device 855 includes, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker is used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or audio / video recordings, and the receiver is used for receiving incoming calls. The receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0110] Display device 860 visually provides information to an external device (e.g., a user) of electronic device 801. Display device 860 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and may include control circuitry for controlling the corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. Display device 860 may include touch circuitry adapted to detect a touch and may also include sensor circuitry (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure the strength of a force caused by the touch.

[0111] The audio module 870 converts sound into electrical signals and vice versa. The audio module 870 receives sound via the input device 850 and outputs sound via the sound output device 1855 or headphones of an external electronic device 802 that is coupled directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to the electronic device 801.

[0112] The sensor module 876 detects an operating state of the electronic device 801 (e.g., power or temperature) or an environmental state external to the electronic device 801 (e.g., a user's state). The sensor module 876 then generates an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. The sensor module 876 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and / or an illuminance sensor.

[0113] Interface 877 supports one or more specified protocols used for electronic device 801 to couple directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to external electronic device 802. Interface 877 includes, for example, a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI®), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Secure Digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0114] The connection terminal 878 includes a connector for physically connecting the electronic device 801 to the external electronic device 802. The connection terminal 878 includes, for example, an HDMI (registered trademark) connector, a USB connector, an SD card (registered trademark) connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0115] The haptic module 879 converts the electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that are perceived by the user via touch or kinesthetic sensation. The haptic module 879 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0116] The camera module 880 captures still or moving images. The camera module 880 includes one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash. The power management module 888 manages the power supplied to the electronic device 801. The power management module 888 may be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0117] The battery 889 provides power to at least one component of the electronic device 801. The battery 889 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0118] The communication module 890 supports establishing a direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication channel between the electronic device 801 and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 802, the electronic device 804, or the server 808) and performing communication over the established communication channel. The communication module 890 includes one or more communication processors operable independently of the processor 820 (e.g., an AP) and supports direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication. The communication module 890 includes a wireless communication module 892 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 894 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules communicates with an external electronic device over a first network 898 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as BLUETOOTH®, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards) or over a second network 899 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single IC) or as multiple components separate from each other (e.g., multiple ICs). The wireless communication module 892 uses subscriber information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in a subscriber identity module 896 to identify and authenticate the electronic device 801 in a communication network such as the first network 898 or the second network 899.

[0119] The antenna module 897 transmits or receives signals or power to or from outside the electronic device 801 (e.g., an external electronic device). The antenna module 897 includes one or more antennas. The communication module 890 (e.g., wireless communication module 1892) selects at least one of the one or more antennas suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network 1898 or the second network 899. Then, the signals or power are transmitted or received between the communication module 890 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

[0120] Commands or data are transmitted or received between electronic device 801 and external electronic device 804 via server 808 coupled to second network 899. Electronic device 802 and electronic device 804 may each be the same type of device as electronic device 801 or a different type of device. All or part of the operations performed by electronic device 801 are performed by one or more of the external electronic devices (802, 804) or server 808. For example, if electronic device 801 is to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, electronic device 801 requests one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of or in addition to performing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request perform at least part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and forward the results of the execution to electronic device 801. The electronic device 801 provides the result, with or without further processing of the result, as at least part of a response to the request, for example using cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing techniques.

[0121] FIG. 9 illustrates a system including a UE 905 and a gNB 910 communicating with each other.

[0122] 9 shows a system including a UE 905 and a gNB 910 in communication with each other. The UE 905 includes a radio 915 and processing circuitry (or processing means) 920, which performs various functions for measurement gap cancellation, including determining processing time, as disclosed herein. For example, the UE 905 implements the structure and functionality of the UE 112 as described with reference to FIG. 1, and the gNB 910 implements the structure and functionality of the gNB 102 as described with reference to FIG. 1. The processing circuitry 920 receives transmissions from the network node (gNB) 910 via the radio 915, and the processing circuitry 920 transmits signals to the gNB 910 via the radio 915.

[0123] The embodiments and operations described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware (including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents), or in one or more combinations thereof. The embodiments described herein may be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., as one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by or control of the operation of a data processing apparatus. Additionally or alternatively, the program instructions may be encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal, such as a mechanically generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, which is generated to encode information for transmission to a suitable receiving device for execution by the data processing apparatus. The computer storage medium may be, or may be included in, a computer-readable memory device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random-access or serial-access memory array or device, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer storage medium may be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal. A computer storage medium may also be, or may be contained within, one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or other storage devices). Furthermore, the operations described herein may be implemented as operations performed by a data processing device on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or data received from other sources.

[0124] While the specification may include many specific implementation details, these implementation details should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the claims, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although the features may be described above as acting in a certain combination, and may even initially be claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may, in some cases, be deleted from the combination, and the claimed combination may relate to subcombinations or variations of the subcombinations.

[0125] Similarly, although operations are depicted in the figures in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order or sequential order depicted, or that all of the depicted operations be performed, to achieve preferred results. In some situations, multitasking or parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of various system components in the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0126] Thus, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described herein. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Furthermore, the steps depicted in the figures do not necessarily require the particular order or sequential order shown to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking or parallel processing may be advantageously employed.

[0127] Electronic or electrical devices and / or other related devices or components according to embodiments of the invention described herein may be implemented using any suitable hardware, firmware (such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), software, or a combination of software, firmware, and hardware. For example, various components of these devices may be formed on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip or on separate IC chips. Furthermore, various components of these devices may be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board (PCB), or may be formed on a single substrate. Furthermore, various components of these devices may be processes or threads running on one or more processors within one or more computing devices, executing computer program instructions and interacting with other system components to perform various functions described herein. The computer program instructions may be stored in memory implemented in the computing device using standard memory devices, such as random access memory (RAM). The computer program instructions may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, a flash drive, or the like. Additionally, those skilled in the art should recognize that the functionality of various computing devices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device, and that the functionality of a particular computing device may be distributed across one or more other computing devices, without departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0128] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the innovative concepts described herein are susceptible to modification and variation for a wide range of applications, and thus the scope of the claims should not be limited to the specific exemplary teachings discussed above, but rather should be defined by the following claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 100 Wireless Network System 101, 102, 103, 910 gNB(BS) 111 User Equipment (UE) Devices (SB: Small and Medium Enterprises) 112 UE devices (E: Enterprise) 113 UE devices (HS: WiFi hotspot) 114, 115 UE device (R: first, second residence) 116 UE devices (M: Mobile devices) 120, 125 cells 130 Network 140, 150 RRM circuits 145, 155 Measurement gap cancellation circuit (component) 160 Antenna 161 Radio Frequency (RF) Transceiver 162 TX processing circuit 163 Microphone 164 RX processing circuit 165 speakers 166, 820 processor 167 Input / Output (I / O) Interface (IF) 168,850 Input device 169 Display 170,830 memory 171 Operating System (OS) 172 Applications 310, 315 Measuring gap 320, 325, 421, 520, 620 PDCCH#1 330, 441, 442, 540, 541, 640, 641 time intervals 410, 511, 611 Measurement Gap #1 411, 512, 612 Measurement Gap #2 412, 513, 613 Measurement Gap #3 422, 521, 621 PDCCH#2 430, 530, 630 processing time 510, 610 Measurement gap #0 514, 614 Measurement gap #4 515, 615 Measurement Gap #5 800 Network Environment 801, 802, 804 Electronic equipment 808 Server 821 main processor 823 Auxiliary Processor 832 Volatile Memory 834 Non-volatile memory 836 internal memory 838 External Memory 840 Programs 842 Operating System (OS) 844 Middleware 846 Applications 855 Sound output device 860 Display device 870 Audio Module 876 Sensor Module 877 Interface 878 connection terminal 879 Tactile Module 880 camera module 888 Power Management Module 889 Battery 890 Communication Module 892 Wireless Communication Module 894 Wired Communication Module 896 Subscriber Identity Module 897 Antenna Module 898, 899 First and Second Networks 905 UE 915 Radio 920 Processing Circuit RRC Radio Resource Control RRM Radio Resource Management RSRP reference signal received power RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio

Claims

1. 1. A method for implementing a user equipment (UE) device, comprising: receiving, at the UE device, a measurement gap cancellation indication comprising an indication of a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; determining, based on a processing time for the UE device, a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled from one or more scheduled measurement gaps for the UE device; and performing a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap based on the determination.

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement gap cancellation indication comprises a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message received over a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the DCI message includes a bit field including a bit for indicating the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled.

4. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the DCI message includes an indication of a time window that includes the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled.

5. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the DCI message includes a bit field including a bitmap for indicating one or more of the corresponding measurement gaps to be canceled.

6. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled comprises determining a time interval starting from an end of the PDCCH and including the processing time of the UE device.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled comprises determining a first measurement gap from among the one or more scheduled measurement gaps that starts after the time interval.

8. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled comprises determining a first measurement gap from among the one or more scheduled measurement gaps that starts after the PDCCH ends.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining whether the first measurement gap starts after a time interval that starts from an end of the PDCCH and includes the processing time of the UE device.

10. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: performing a measurement gap cancellation operation on the first measurement gap in response to determining that the first measurement gap begins after the time interval.

11. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the processing time for the UE device is indicated via capability signaling sent by the UE device.

12. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap comprises enabling transmission or reception communications during the corresponding measurement gap.

13. A device, a processor; a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations: The processor: receiving a measurement gap cancellation indication including an indication of a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; determining, based on a processing time for the device, that the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled satisfies a threshold; The device, based on the determination, performs a measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the device is a user equipment (UE) device.

15. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the measurement gap cancellation indication is received from a base station.

16. 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the measurement gap cancellation indication comprises a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message received over a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

17. 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the threshold includes the corresponding measurement gap starting at the end of the PDCCH and after a time interval including a processing time for the UE device.

18. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processing time for the UE device is indicated via capability signaling transmitted by the UE device.

19. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the measurement gap cancellation operation for the corresponding measurement gap includes enabling a transceiver of the UE device.

20. 1. A system comprising: a processing circuit; a memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the following operations: The processing circuitry receiving a measurement gap cancellation indication including an indication of a corresponding measurement gap to be canceled; determining the corresponding measurement gap to be canceled from one or more scheduled measurement gaps based on a processing time associated with the system; and performing a measurement gap cancellation action for the corresponding measurement gap based on the determination.

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