Measurement Gap Based Carrier-Specific Scaling Factor Extension

Abstract

To provide a device, a system, and a method, for determining a measurement gap-based carrier-specific scaling factor in dual connectivity networks.SOLUTION: In a network environment, a method causes user equipment (UE) to: receive a first measurement object (MO) being a measurement candidate within a measurement gap; determine a Mintervalue based on a number of inter-measurement candidate frequency MOs that include a first number of inter-frequency or inter-radio access technology (RAT) MOs that are configured by an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) primary serving cell (PCell) and a second number of inter-frequency MOs that are configured by a new radio (NR) primary secondary serving cell (PSCell);determine a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) based on the Mintervalue; and perform a measurement based on the first MO and the CSSF.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Background Art

[0001] The technical specifications (TS) of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) define the standards for wireless networks. These TSs include a number of details regarding Dual Connectivity (DC) operation in which a user equipment can be provided with radio resources from multiple base stations.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details of particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For the purposes of this disclosure, "A or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0012] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0013] As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components configured to provide the recited functionality, such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or groups thereof) or memories (shared, dedicated, or groups thereof), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, or programmable system-on-chips (SoCs)), digital signal processors (DSPs), etc. In some embodiments, the circuitry can execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the recited functionality. The term "circuitry" can also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) and program code used to execute the functionality of that program code. In these embodiments, the combination of the hardware elements and the program code can be referred to as a particular type of circuitry.

[0014] As used herein, the term "processor circuitry" refers to, is part of, or includes circuitry that can sequentially and automatically perform a series of arithmetic or logical operations or record, store, or transfer digital data. The term "processor circuitry" can refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device that can execute or otherwise operate on computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, or functional processes.

[0015] As used herein, the term "interface circuitry" refers to, is part of, or includes circuitry that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuitry" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, or the like.

[0016] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device having a wireless communication function and can represent a remote user of network resources within a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous with and may be referred to as a client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, wireless device, reconfigurable wireless device, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Further, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0017] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic device, computer device, or components thereof. Additionally, the terms "computer system" or "system" can refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Further, the terms "computer system" or "system" can refer to multiple computer devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing resources or networking resources.

[0018] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical device or virtual device, a physical component or virtual component within a computing environment, and / or a physical component or virtual component within a particular device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU usage, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or usage, power, input / output operations, ports or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, network, database and applications, workload units, etc. "Hardware resources" can refer to computing resources, storage resources, or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" can refer to computing resources, storage resources, and / or network resources provided to applications, devices, systems, etc. by a virtualization infrastructure. The terms "network resources" or "communication resources" can refer to resources accessible by a computer device / system via a communication network. The term "system resources" can refer to any kind of shared entity for providing services and can include computing resources or network resources. System resources can be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services that are accessible via a server where such system resources exist on a single host or multiple hosts and are clearly identifiable.

[0019] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium used to communicate data or a data stream. The term "channel" may be synonymous with or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier", or any other similar term indicating a path or medium over which data is communicated. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0020] As used herein, terms such as "instantiate" and "instantiation" refer to the creation of an instance. An "instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object that may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0021] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements in a common communication protocol layer have a signaling relationship established with each other via a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0022] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to a physical or virtualized device or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with or referred to as a networked computer, network hardware, network device, network node, virtualized network function, etc.

[0023] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that includes one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual content of an information element or a data element that includes content. An information element may include one or more further information elements.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a network environment 100 according to some embodiments. The network environment 100 may include a UE 104 communicatively coupled to one or more base stations, such as, for example, an evolved Node B (eNB) 108 and a gNB 112. The UE 104 and the base stations can communicate via an air interface compliant with 3GPP TS that defines Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) system standards. The eNB 108 may provide one or more Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) cells to provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations for the UE 104. The gNB 112 can provide one or more 5G NR cells to provide NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 104.

[0025] The network environment 100 may support dual connectivity (DC) operation in which the UE 104 may be configured to utilize radio resources provided by separate schedulers located within the eNB 108 and the gNB 112. Since the eNB 108 and the gNB 112 provide different radio access technologies (RATs) to the serving cell, the DC operation may also be referred to as multi-RAT DC or Multi-Radio DC (MR DC). The base stations may be coupled to each other via an X2 interface over an ideal or non-ideal backhaul.

[0026] One of the base stations may be configured as a Master Node (MN) to provide a control plane connection to the core network 116. The MN may be associated with a group of serving cells called a Master Cell Group (MCG) that includes a Primary Cell (SpCell) and optionally one or more Secondary Cells (SCells) in a Carrier Aggregation (CA) arrangement. The SpCell of the MCG is also called the PCell.

[0027] Other base stations may be configured as Secondary Nodes (SNs) that may not have a control plane connection to the core network 116. The SN may be used to provide additional resources to the UE104. The SN may be associated with a group of serving cells called a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) that includes an SpCell and one or more SCells in a CA arrangement. The SpCell of the SCG may also be called the PSCell.

[0028] Embodiments described herein include an eNB108 operating as an MN and a gNB112 operating as an SN. This may be referred to as E-UTRA-NR (E-UTRA-NR, EN) DC. In this context, the eNB108 may also be called the MN eNB108 that provides the LTE PCell, and the gNB may also be called the SN gNB112 that provides the NR PSCell.

[0029] The cells of the MCG and SCG may be in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) corresponding to a frequency range of 410 MHz to 7125 MHz, or in Frequency Range 2 (FR2) corresponding to a frequency range of 24,250 MHz to 52,600 MHz.

[0030] At least one MN (e.g., eNB 108) can be coupled to the core network 116 via the S1 interface. In some embodiments, an SN (e.g., gNB 112) can also be coupled to the core network 116. In some embodiments, the core network 116 can be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), in which case the gNB 112 may be referred to as an en-gNB. In other embodiments, the core network 116 can be a 5G Core Network (5GC), in which case the eNB 108 can be an ng-eNB.

[0031] The base station can transmit information (e.g., data and control signaling) in the downlink direction by mapping logical channels onto transport channels and mapping transport channels onto physical channels. The logical channels can transfer data between the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The transport channels can transfer data between the MAC layer and the PHY layer, and the physical channels can transfer information via the air interface. The UE 104 can include two MAC entities to enable communication with the MCG and the SCG.

[0032] In some embodiments, the MN eNB 108 and the SN gNB 112 can configure a measurement object (MO) for the UE 104. The MO can identify the time and frequency positions of the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) and the channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) resources to be measured. In some embodiments, the MO can configure the measurements such that the UE 104 can identify and measure, for example, an intra-frequency cell, an inter-frequency cell, or an inter-RAT cell provided by an adjacent base station 120. The MO can configure the measurements to be performed within a measurement gap in which the UE 104 interrupts its communication with the serving cell to perform the measurements.

[0033] In some embodiments, both base stations can configure the UE 104 with NR MOs, for example, MOs that identify SSB / CSI-RS resources within an NR cell. These MOs can include intra-RAT MOs and inter-RAT MOs. The intra-RAT MOs can configure intra-RAT measurements that can include inter-frequency and intra-frequency measurements. The SN gNB 112 can provide the UE 104 with intra-RAT MOs to configure the UE 104 to measure an NR frequency layer. The inter-RAT MOs can configure inter-RAT measurements. For example, the MN eNB 108 can provide the UE 104 with inter-RAT MOs to configure the UE 104 to measure an NR frequency layer.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a measurement operation 200 according to some embodiments.

[0035] The measurement operation 200 may include, at 204, the MN eNB 108 providing an MO configured by the PCell to configure the UE 104 to measure various component carriers. The component carriers configured for measurement may correspond to an NR serving cell (e.g., a PSCell of an SCG or a component carrier supporting an SCell) or an NR non-serving cell (e.g., a component carrier not supporting a serving cell of an SCG).

[0036] The measurement operation 200 may further include, at 208, the SN gNB 112 providing an MO configured by the PSCell to configure the UE 104 to measure various component carriers. These component carriers configured for measurement may also correspond to an NR serving cell or an NR non-serving cell.

[0037] In some embodiments, the MO from the MO configured by the PCell and the MO from the MO configured by the PSCell may target the same frequency layer, which may complicate the calculation of the measurement period. FIGS. 3-4 show examples of MO configuration scenarios in which multiple MOs target a common NR frequency layer according to some embodiments.

[0038] In the case of the MO configuration scenario 300, the LTE PCell 304 operating on frequency layer 1 (provided by the MN eNB 108) and the NR PSCell 308 operating on frequency layer 2 (provided by the SN gNB 112) may provide an MO for performing measurements on a target NR 312 that may be on frequency layer 3. In particular, the PCell 304 may configure an inter-RAT NR MO with a measurement gap (MG) for the target NR 312 for the UE 104, and the PSCell 308 may configure an inter-frequency NR MO with a measurement gap (MG) for the target NR 312 for the UE 104.

[0039] In the case of the MO configuration scenario 400, the LTE PCell 404 operating on frequency layer 1 (provided by the MN eNB 108) and the NR PSCell 408 operating on frequency layer 2 (provided by the SN gNB 112) may provide an MO for performing measurements on the target NR 412 which may be on frequency layer 2 in this scenario. In particular, the PCell 404 may configure an inter-RAT NR MO with an MG for the target NR 412 for the UE 104, and the PSCell 408 may configure an intra-frequency NR MO with an MG for the target NR 412 for the UE 104. In some embodiments, instead of configuring an intra-frequency NR MO with an MG for the target NR 412 for the UE 104, the NR PSCell 408 may configure an intra-frequency NR MO for the UE 104 that completely overlaps with the MG. Thus, even if the configured MO itself does not require a measurement gap, it may be configured in an MG corresponding to, for example, another MO.

[0040] Referring again to Figure 2, at 212, the UE 104 may calculate the CSSF to be used for the measurements configured by the MO. Various embodiments describe how to calculate the CSSF for the measurement period for performing measurements within the MG based on the MO, such as those described in various scenarios such as those introduced in 300 and 400.

[0041] In some embodiments, when the UE 104 is configured to monitor multiple MOs, the UE 104 may use the CSSF to scale the measurement delay requirement and the NR positioning reference signal (PRS)-based measurements. The CSSF within_gap,i may be a scaling factor for the measurement of the measurement object i performed within the measurement gap. As defined in 3GPP TS 38.133 v16.5.0 (2020-09), the CSSF within_gap,i may be applied to the measurements configured by the following MOs which may be relevant to the embodiments of the present disclosure. - When all occasions of the [SSB Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC)] of this in-band measurement object are overlapped by the measurement gap, an in-band MO without a measurement gap in Clause 9.2.5. - An in-band MO with a measurement gap in Clause 9.2.6. - When all occasions of the SMTC of this inter-frequency measurement object are overlapped by the measurement gap and the UE supports interFrequencyMeas-NoGap-r16, an inter-frequency measurement without a measurement gap in Clause 9.3.9. - An inter-frequency measurement object with a measurement gap in Clause 9.3.4. - An inter-RAT measurement object between E-UTRA RATs in Clause 9.4.2 and Clause 9.4.3. ... - An inter-RAT measurement object between NR RATs constituted by the E-UTRAN PCell (Clause 8.17.4 of TS 36.133 [v16.7.0 (2020-10-09)]). TS 38.133, Section 9.1.5.2.

[0042] In EN-DC, the MG-based CSSF design may include several components that affect the determination of the measurement procedure and the allocation of measurement resources by controlling the measurement delays of each MO on the same or different frequency layers. These components include the M intra value corresponding to the number of in-band MOs and the M inter value corresponding to the number of inter-frequency MOs. The calculation of CSSF within_gap_i can further be based on a measurement gap sharing scheme (measGapSharingScheme) that allocates measurement resources between inter-frequency measurements and in-band measurements.

[0043] For example, TS 38.133 defines CSSF within_gap,i as follows. When the measGapSharingScheme is equal sharing, CSSF within_gap,i = max(ceil(R i × M tot,i,j ))), provided that j = 0...(160 / MGRP)-1. When the measGapSharingScheme is not equal sharing and - if the measurement object i is an in - frequency measurement object, CSSF within_gap,i shall be the largest of the following. - M inter,i,j ceil(R i × K intra × M intra,i,j ) within the gap where M - M inter,i,j ceil(R i × M intra,i,j ) within the gap where M - if the measurement object i is an inter - frequency or inter - RAT measurement object, CSSF within_gap,i shall be the largest of the following. - M intra,i,j ceil(R i × K inter × M inter,i,j ) within the gap where M - M intra,i,j ceil(R i × M inter,i,j ) within the gap where M Here, R i is the maximum ratio of the number of candidate measurement gaps in which the measurement object i should be measured to the number of candidate measurement gaps for which the measurement object i is a candidate, with respect to the number of candidate measurement gaps for which the measurement object i is a candidate, where the periodicity Tprs>160ms or the periodicity Tprs = 160ms but the measurement object i for which prs - Mutants Info - r 9 is not used in the [reference signal time difference] RSTD measurement set within any 1280ms period. TS 38.133, Section 9.1.5.2.1. The Measurement Gap Repetition Period (MGRP) can be the periodicity with which the configured measurement gaps repeat and can be, for example, 20 milliseconds (ms), 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms.

[0044] Within the EN-DC MG-based CSSF, M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j are such that when the LTE PCell and the NR PSCell configure an MG-based MO on the same frequency layer, and in this scenario, how to obtain M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j in the MG can be considered.

[0045] To facilitate the description of the embodiments, various types of MOs can be described.

[0046] A type 1 MO can be an MO that configures measurements within a serving carrier. A type 1 MO can include an R15 MG-based intra-frequency NR MO configured by the NR PSCell. "MG-based" can mean, when used herein, that the measurement requires a measurement gap. When used herein, an R15 MO can be, for example, an MO compliant with 3GPP TS Release 15, including TS 38.133 (v15.11.0 (2020-10-09) (hereinafter referred to as "TS 38.133 R15")).

[0047] A type 2 MO can be an MO that configures measurements within a serving carrier. A type 2 MO can include an R15 intra-frequency NR MO that does not have an MG configured by the NR PSCell, but the MO completely overlaps with the MG. For example, a type 2 MO may not require a measurement gap, while it can be configured to perform measurements within a measurement gap provided for other MOs or other purposes.

[0048] MOs of type 3 can be MOs that configure measurements within a non-serving component carrier. MOs of type 3 can include intra-R15 frequency NR MOs configured by the NR PSCell. Intra-R15 frequency MOs may always require MG.

[0049] MOs of type 4 can be MOs that configure measurements within a serving component carrier. MOs of type 4 can be inter-RAT NR MOs configured by the LTE PCell on the same frequency layer as the MOs of type 1 or type 2.

[0050] MOs of type 5 can be MOs that configure measurements within a non-serving component carrier. MOs of type 5 can be inter-RAT NR MOs configured by the LTE PCell on the same frequency layer as the MOs of type 3.

[0051] MOs of type 6 can be MOs that configure measurements within a serving component carrier. MOs of type 6 can be inter-RAT NR MOs configured by the LTE PCell and on a frequency layer different from the frequency layer on which the MOs of type 1 or type 2 are configured.

[0052] MOs of type 7 can be MOs that configure measurements within a non-serving component carrier. MOs of type 7 can be inter-RAT NR MOs configured by the LTE PCell and on a frequency layer different from the frequency layer on which the MOs of type 3 are configured.

[0053] MOs of type 8 can be MOs for another type of RAT, for example, the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) or E-UTRAN.

[0054] Embodiments disclose at least three options for accommodating potentially overlapping configurations of pairs of these MOs. In a first option, M intra,i,jand M inter,i,j Regarding M, regardless of whether the MOs are on the same frequency layer, UE104 may count all configured MOs or carriers. In a second option, M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j Regarding M, UE104 may count the configured MOs or carriers based on whether the configured MOs or carriers meet the merge criteria. MOs that do not meet the MO merge criteria may be counted independently. MOs that meet the MO merge criteria may be counted as 1. In a third option, M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j Regarding M, the network (e.g., MN eNB108 and SN gNB112) may be configured to avoid some specific MO configuration scenarios. These options may be described in more detail below according to some embodiments.

[0055] Referring back to FIG. 2, at 216, SN gNB112 or neighboring base station 120 may transmit reference signals on various component carriers, including, for example, serving component carriers or non-serving component carriers. These reference signals may be SSB or CSI-RS.

[0056] The measurement operation 200 may further include, at 220, UE104 measuring the RS transmitted by SN gNB112 or neighboring base station 120. The measurement may be performed within a measurement gap configured by MOs received from MN eNB108 and SN gNB112. The measurement may be performed within a serving component carrier or non-serving component carrier during a measurement period determined based on the calculated CSSF.

[0057] UE104 may send a report to the network based on the measurement of the RS. The report may be sent to MN eNB108 or SN gNB112. The report may be periodic, aperiodic, or event-based.

[0058] According to the first option briefly introduced above, the UE104 operating in EN-DC can, as follows, count the configured MOs independently for M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j For, it can count the configured MOs independently.

[0059] For M intra,i,j the UE104 can count all the configured MOs or the carriers of types 1, 2, 4, and 6 (e.g., the MOs configured on the serving NR component carrier) independently. This can be the same whether the MOs are on the same frequency layer that was not previously supported or on different frequency layers that can conform to the operation of the legacy network. To implement this option, the definition of M intra,i,j can be updated to be the number of in-band measurement objects on the serving carrier configured by the NR PSCell, where the measurement object i is also a candidate measured in the candidate gap j. Otherwise, M intra,i,j is equal to 0.

[0060] For M inter,i,j the UE104 can count all the configured MOs or the carriers of types 3, 5, 7, and 8 (e.g., the MOs configured on the non-serving NR component carrier or in other RATs) independently. This can be the same whether the MOs are on the same frequency layer that was not previously supported or on different frequency layers that can conform to the operation of the legacy network. To implement this option, the definition of M inter,i,j can be updated to be the number of inter-band NR measurement objects on the non-serving carrier configured by the NR PSCell, the inter-RAT measurement objects between the serving or non-serving carrier configured by the E-UTRA PCell and the NR, the inter-band E-UTRA measurement objects configured by the E-UTRA PCell, and the inter-RAT measurement objects between the UTRA and the E-UTRA configured by the E-UTRA PCell, where the measurement object i is also a candidate measured in the candidate gap j. Otherwise, Mintra,i,j is equal to 0.

[0061] Next, UE104 calculates M tot,i,j =M inter,i,j +M intra,i,j and can obtain it. M tot,i,j can be the sum of MOs (e.g., including MO types 1 - 8) within, between, and across RATs in the candidate frequencies where measurement object i is also measured in candidate gap j. Otherwise, M tot,i,j is equal to 0.

[0062] For example, consider the MO composed of the NR PSCell for the measurement performed in measurement gap j i To obtain the M tot,i,j value, UE104 can identify all MOs that can also be candidates measured in measurement gap j. If not, the M tot,i,j value can be set to 0. Otherwise, the M tot,i,j value can be sent to the number of identified MOs. Next, UE104 can obtain the CSSF for MOi based on the M tot,i,j value.

[0063] According to the second option briefly introduced above, UE104 operating in EN DC can count the configured MOs or carriers based on whether they meet the merge criteria.

[0064] In some embodiments, UE104 can selectively determine whether a pair of MOs configured on the same frequency layer should be counted as one or two when obtaining the values of M inter,i,j and M intra,i,j . This can be based on the merge rules provided in 3GPP TS 38.133 for determining the number of layers that UE104 can monitor. In particular, the following are provided. When configuring the E-UTRA PCell and PSCell to monitor the same NR carrier frequency layer within in-band synchronous EN-DC by the UE, this layer shall be counted only once for the total of the active carrier frequency layers, unless the configured NR carrier frequency layers to be monitored have different RSSI measurement resources, or different deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indicators, or different [SSB-based measurement timing] configurations, under the condition that the SFN and slot boundaries are aligned. 3GPP TS 38.133, Section 9.1.3.2.

[0065] The deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indicator may provide information about the alignment of frame boundaries to the UE104. For example, when this indicator is enabled, the UE104 may assume that the half-frame, sub-frame, and slot boundary alignments across cells on the same frequency carrier are within a predetermined tolerance range, and the SFNs of all cells on the same frequency carrier are the same.

[0066] In some embodiments, when the first MO and the second MO are directed to the same frequency layer and meet the merge determination criteria (e.g., including the same SMT configuration, the same RSSI measurement resources, and the same deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indicator), the UE104 may merge the two MOs and count only "1" for the corresponding M inter,i,j and M intra,i,j values.

[0067] M inter,i,j and M intra,i,j values can be obtained for the second option as follows.

[0068] M intra,i,jRegarding, UE104 can independently count configured MOs or carriers of type 1, 2, 4, and 6 (e.g., MOs configured on the serving NR component carrier) that cannot be merged due to, for example, the MO merge criteria described in TS 38.133, section 9.1.3.2, and can count MOs that can be merged based on the MO merge criteria as one MO. Except for possible merges of some MOs, M intra,i,j 's definition can be the same as Option 1. For example, M intra,i,j can be the number of intra-frequency measurement objects on the serving carrier configured by the NR PSCell that are candidates for measurement in candidate gap j where measurement object i is also a candidate. Otherwise, M intra,i,j is equal to 0.

[0069] M inter,i,j Regarding, UE104 can independently count configured MOs or carriers of type 3, 5, 7, and 8 (e.g., MOs configured on a non-serving NR component carrier or on another RAT) that cannot be merged due to, for example, the MO merge criteria described in TS 38.133, section 9.1.3.2, and can count MOs that can be merged based on the MO merge criteria as one MO. Except for possible merges of some MOs, M inter,i,j 's definition can be the same as Option 1. For example, M inter,i,j can be the number of inter-frequency NR measurement objects on a non-serving carrier configured by the NR PSCell, inter-RAT NR measurement objects on a serving or non-serving carrier configured by the E-UTRA PCell, inter-frequency E-UTRA measurement objects configured by the E-UTRA PCell, and inter-RAT UTRA measurement objects configured by the E-UTRA PCell that are candidates for measurement in candidate gap j where measurement object i is also a candidate. Otherwise, M intra,i,j is equal to 0.

[0070] Next, UE104 can obtain M tot,i,j = M inter,i,j + M intra,i,j . M tot,i,j can be the total of independently counted and merged pairs of MOs (e.g., including MO types 1 to 8) within, between, and across RATs of candidate frequencies in which measurement object i is also measured in candidate gap j. Otherwise, M tot,i,j is equal to 0.

[0071] According to the third option briefly introduced above, a network operating in EN-DC mode can operate to prevent some specific MO configuration scenarios.

[0072] For example, the network can communicate between an LTE PCell (e.g., provided by MN eNB108) and an NR PSCell (e.g., provided by SN gNB112) to avoid MO configuration on the same frequency layer. Communication between MN eNB108 and SN gNB112 can be achieved by transmitting measurement configurations. MN eNB108 can provide these measurement configurations to SN gNB112, and vice versa.

[0073] In some embodiments, the measurement configuration can limit the network from configuring either a type 1 MO or a type 2 MO with a type 4 MO, or configuring a type 3 MO with a type 5 MO. These restricted configurations result in MOs configured on the same frequency layer. Assuming the network avoids these specific configurations, UE104 can obtain M inter,i,j and M inter,i,j within the measurement gap by counting all configured MOs independently.

[0074] The restricted configurations can be provided according to one of the following options.

[0075] In some embodiments, the network can communicate between the LTE PCell and the NR PSCell to ensure that the LTE PCell does not configure inter-RAT NR measurements and only the NR PSCell can configure type 1, 2, and 3 NR measurements. In these embodiments, UE104 is M within the MG intra,i,j For, type 1 and 2 NR MOs configured from the NR PSCell, and M within the MG inter,i,j For, only the type 3 NR MO configured from the NR PSCell can be counted.

[0076] In other embodiments, the network can communicate between the LTE PCell and the NR PSCell to ensure that the LTE PCell configures inter-RAT NR measurements and the NR PSCell does not configure type 1, 2, or 3 NR measurements. In these embodiments, UE104 is M within the MG intra,i,j For, count the type 6 NR MO configured from the LTE PCell, and M within the MG inter,i,j For, only the type 7 and 8 NR MOs configured from the LTE PCell can be counted.

[0077] FIG. 5 shows an operation flow / algorithm structure 500 according to some embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 can be executed or implemented by a UE such as UE104 or UE800, or a component thereof, such as the baseband processor 804A.

[0078] The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 can include, at 504, receiving a first MO (MO i ) and one or more additional MOs. The MO i Can be a candidate for measurement within measurement gap j.

[0079] In some embodiments, the operation flow / algorithm structure 500 may be within the context of an EN-DC connection, and the MO may be received from the LTE PCell (e.g., from the MN eNB 108) or from the NR PSCell (e.g., from the SN gNB 112). The MO may configure measurements on one or more NR frequency layers, in which case the MO received from the LTE PCell may be an inter-RAT MO, and the MO received from the NR PSCell may be an intra-RAT MO.

[0080] The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 may further include, at 508, determining the values of M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j The values of M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j can be determined based on the number of in-band and inter-band MOs received at 504. In some embodiments, the values can be determined by independently counting all MOs within a particular category. In other embodiments, the values can be determined by independently counting MOs within categories that do not meet the merge criteria and counting pairs (or sets) of MOs within categories that meet the merge criteria.

[0081] In some embodiments, at 508, the UE can determine the M inter,i,j value based on the number of candidate inter-band MOs measured within the measurement gap. The number of inter-band MOs includes the number of inter-band MOs configured by the E-UTRA PCell and the number of inter-band MOs configured by the NR PSCell.

[0082] In some embodiments, at 508, the UE can determine the M intra,i,j value based on the number of in-band MOs configured on the serving carrier by the NR PSCell that are measured within the measurement gap.

[0083] The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 may include, at 512, M intra,i,j or M inter,i,jIt may further include obtaining the CSSF based on the value of

[0084] When the measurement gap sharing scheme is equal sharing, the CSSF is M intra,i,j or M inter,i,j and is based on the sum of the values of M tot,i,j For example, it can be obtained as max(ceil(R i xM tot,i,j ))), where R i is the maximum ratio described above.

[0085] When the measurement gap sharing scheme is equal sharing, the CSSF can be calculated based on the number of carriers to be measured. For example, when the UE receives two MOs for one target carrier, the CSSF for this target carrier can be equal to 2*carrier_number. The "2" in this calculation can indicate that two MOs share the MG resources on one target carrier. carrier_number corresponds to all target carriers that equally share the MG resources, and each of the target carriers has 1 / carrier_number part of the MG resources.

[0086] When the measurement gap sharing scheme is not equal sharing and the MO i is an in-band MO, the CSSF can be the largest of the following. M inter,i,j ceil(R i ×K intra ×M intra,i,j ) within the gap where M inter,i,j ceil(R i ×M intra,i,j ) within the gap where M intra = 1 / X * 100, where X is based on the signaling measGapSharingScheme and Table 1.

Table 1

[0087] If the measurement gap sharing scheme is not equal sharing and the MO i is an MO between frequencies or between RATs, the CSSF can be set to the largest of the following. M inter,i,j ceil(R i ×K inter ×M inter,i,j ) within the gap where M inter,i,j ceil(R i ×M inter,i,j ) within the gap where M inter = 0, provided that K

[0088] The operation flow / algorithm structure 500 may further include, at 516, performing measurements based on the MO i and the CSSF. The measurements may be performed within a measurement gap configured by the MO i received at 504. The measurements may be performed within a measurement period determined by the CSSF. The CSSF obtained at 512 can facilitate the allocation of radio frequency resources or baseband resources of the explorer by scaling the measurement period when additional measurements need to be performed.

[0089] FIG. 6 shows an operation flow / algorithm structure 600 according to some embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may be executed or implemented by a UE such as the UE104 or UE900, or a component thereof, such as the baseband processor 904A.

[0090] The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may include, at 604, receiving MOs from the MN eNB and the SN gNB. The MOs may configure measurements on one or more serving component carriers (e.g., cells provided by the SN gNB) or non-serving component carriers (e.g., cells provided by neighboring base stations). The MOs may be NR MOs for measurement gaps, including inter-RAT MOs from the MN eNB or intra-RAT MOs from the SN gNB.

[0091] The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may further include, at 608, determining whether the MOs are on the same frequency layer. For example, the UE may determine whether two or more MOs are targeting the same component carrier, which may be a serving or non-serving component carrier.

[0092] If it is determined at 608 that the two MOs are not targeting the same frequency layer, the operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may proceed to count the two MOs as 2 in the determination of the M value at 616. The determination of the M value may be to obtain the M intra,i,j value or the M inter,i,j value.

[0093] Subsequent to 616, the operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may proceed to calculate the CSSF based on one or more M values at 620. The CSSF can be calculated as described above with respect to 512 in FIG. 5.

[0094] If it is determined at 608 that the two MOs are targeting the same frequency layer, the operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may proceed to determine whether the merge criteria are met at 612. Determining whether the merge criteria are met may include comparing the specified parameters from the first MO with the specified parameters of the second MO. The specified parameters may include the RSSI measurement resource, the derivedSSB-IndexFromCell indicator, and the SMTC configuration.

[0095] If one or more of the specified parameters from two MOs are different, the merge criteria may not be met, and the operation flow / algorithm structure 600 can proceed to count the MOs as 2 for the M value at 616. Thus, in this case, the count value of the pair of MOs is 2.

[0096] If it is determined at 612 that all the specified parameters from two MOs are the same, the merge criteria may be met, and the operation flow / algorithm structure 600 can proceed to count the MOs as 1 for the M value at 624. Thus, in this case, the count value of the pair of MOs is 1.

[0097] Following 624, the operation flow / algorithm structure 600 can proceed to calculate the CSSF based on one or more of the M values at 620.

[0098] The operation flow / algorithm structure 600 may further include performing measurements based on the CSSF and the MO following 620. The MO on which the performance is executed can be regarded as a target for merging or can be one of two different MOs.

[0099] In some embodiments, the determination of whether an MO can be merged (e.g., operations 608, 612, 616, and 624) can be made for each of several configured MOs. Then, the M intra,i,j and M inter,i,j values can be obtained by independently counting all the MOs within a specific category that do not meet the merge criteria (e.g., in-band MOs and inter-frequency / inter-RAT) and counting the pairs (or sets) of MOs within the category that meet the merge criteria.

[0100] Figure 7 shows an operation flow / algorithm structure 700 according to some embodiments. The operation flow / algorithm structure 700 can be executed or implemented by, for example, a first base station such as MN eNB 108, SN gNB 112, or base station 900, or a component thereof, such as baseband processor 904A.

[0101] The operation flow / algorithm structure 700 may include, at 704, receiving an MO configuration from a second base station or transmitting an MO configuration to a second base station. The MO configuration can be transmitted from the MN to the SN or from the SN to the MN via the X2 interface. The MO configuration can limit providing a plurality of MOs to a UE for one frequency layer of an NR cell.

[0102] In some embodiments, the MO configuration can limit a network node from configuring a type 4 MO with a type 1 MO or a type 2 MO, or configuring a type 3 MO with a type 5 MO.

[0103] In some embodiments, the MO configuration can limit the MN eNB from configuring an inter-RAT NR MO. On the other hand, the NR gNB may be permitted to configure a type 1, 2, or 3 NR MO.

[0104] In some embodiments, the MO configuration can limit the NR gNB from configuring a type 1, 2, or 3 NR MO. On the other hand, the SN eNB may be permitted to configure an inter-RAT MO.

[0105] The operation flow / algorithm structure 700 may further include providing an MO to the UE in 708 to configure the UE to perform measurements within the measurement gap on the frequency layer. In an embodiment where the first base station is an MN eNB, the MO provided to the UE may be an inter-RAT MO for the NR frequency layer. In an embodiment where the first base station is an SN gNB, the MO provided to the UE may be an intra-frequency MO for the NR frequency layer.

[0106] FIG. 8 shows a UE 800 according to some embodiments. The UE 800 is similar to the UE 84 of FIG. 1 and may be substantially replaceable.

[0107] The UE 800 can be any mobile computing device or non-mobile computing device such as, for example, a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (such as a microphone, a carbon dioxide sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a thermometer, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a laser scanner, a fluid level sensor, an inventory sensor, a voltage / current meter, an actuator, etc.), a video surveillance / monitoring device (such as a camera, a video camera, etc.), a wearable device (such as a smartwatch), a relaxation IoT device.

[0108] UE800 may include a processor 804, an RF interface circuit configuration 808, a memory / storage 812, a user interface 816, sensors 820, a driver circuit configuration 822, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 824, an antenna structure 826, and a battery 828. The components of UE800 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion thereof, an individual electronic device or other module, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 8 is intended to show some schematics of the components of UE800. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may exist, and different arrangements of the components shown may appear in other embodiments.

[0109] The components of UE800 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 832, which may represent any type of interface, input / output section, (local, system, or expansion) bus, transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that can cause various circuit components (on a common chip or different chips or chip sets) to interact with each other.

[0110] The processor 804 may include, for example, processor circuit configurations such as a baseband processor circuit configuration (BB) 804A, a central processing unit circuit configuration (CPU) 804B, and a graphics processing unit circuit configuration (GPU) 804C. The processor 804 may include any type of circuit configuration or processor circuit configuration that executes computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from the memory / storage 812, or otherwise operates to cause UE800 to perform the operations described herein.

[0111] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit configuration 804A can access a communication protocol stack 836 within the memory / storage 812 to communicate via a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuit configuration 804A can access the communication protocol stack to perform user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer, and can perform control plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access stratum layer. In some embodiments, the operation of the PHY layer can be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit configuration 808.

[0112] The baseband processor circuit configuration 804A can generate or process a baseband signal or waveform that conveys information within a 3GPP-compliant network. In some embodiments, the waveform for NR can be based on cyclic prefix OFDM "CP-OFDM" in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM "DFT-S-OFDM" in the uplink.

[0113] Memory / storage 812 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., communication protocol stack 836) containing instructions executable by one or more of processors 804 to cause UE 800 to perform the various operations described herein. Memory / storage 812 may include any kind of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout UE 800. In some embodiments, some of memory / storage 812 may be located on processor 804 itself (e.g., L1 and L2 caches), while other memory / storage 812 is external to processor 804 but accessible via a memory interface. Memory / storage 812 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, including but not limited to dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0114] RF interface circuitry 808 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front module (RFEM) that enable UE 800 to communicate with other devices via a wireless access network. RF interface circuitry 808 may include various elements disposed in a transmit path or a receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, and the like.

[0115] In the receiving path, the RFEM can receive the radiated signal from the air interface via the antenna structure 826 and filter and amplify the signal (using a low-noise amplifier). The signal can be provided to the receiver of the transceiver that down-converts the RF signal to a baseband signal provided to the baseband processor of the processor 804.

[0116] In the transmitting path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM can amplify the RF signal by a power amplifier before the signal is radiated across the air interface via the antenna 826.

[0117] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit configuration 808 can be configured to transmit and receive signals in a manner compliant with NR access technology.

[0118] The antenna 826 can include antenna elements that convert an electrical signal into a radio wave to travel through the air and convert the received radio wave into an electrical signal. The antenna elements can be arranged on one or more antenna panels. The antenna 826 can have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple-input multiple-output communication. The antenna 826 can include a microstrip antenna, a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, a patch antenna, a phased array antenna, etc. The antenna 826 can have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band including the bands in FR1 or FR2.

[0119] The user interface circuit configuration 816 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE800. The user interface 816 includes an input device circuit configuration and an output device circuit configuration. The input device circuit configuration includes, among other things, any physical or virtual means for receiving inputs including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit configuration includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other similar information, or for communicating the information in other ways. The output device circuit configuration includes, among other things, any number or combination of audio displays or visual displays, including one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and multi-character visual outputs) that output characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. generated or created from the operation of the UE1100, or more complex outputs such as a display device or a touch screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, a quantum dot display, a projector, etc.).

[0120] Sensor 820 may include a device, module, or subsystem that is designed to detect events or changes in the environment and transmit information (sensor data) regarding the detected events to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others, inertial measurement units that include an accelerometer, gyroscope, or magnetometer; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems that include a three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, or magnetometer; level sensors; flow sensors; temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or pinhole cameras without lenses); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared detectors, etc.); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers, microphones, or other similar voice capture devices, etc.

[0121] Driver circuit configuration 822 may include software elements and hardware elements that operate to control a particular device incorporated in UE 800, attached to UE 1100, or otherwise communicatively coupled to UE 800. Driver circuit configuration 822 may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within or connected to UE 800. For example, driver circuit configuration 822 may include a display driver for controlling and permitting access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and permitting access to a touch screen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of sensor circuit configuration 820 and controlling and permitting access to sensor circuit configuration 820, a driver for obtaining the actuator position of electromechanical components or for controlling and permitting access to electromechanical components, a camera driver for controlling and permitting access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and permitting access to one or more audio devices.

[0122] The PMIC 824 can manage the power supplied to various components of the UE 800. In particular, with respect to the processor 804, the PMIC 824 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0123] In some embodiments, the PMIC 824 can control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 800, including the DRX described herein.

[0124] The battery 828 may supply power to the UE 800, but in some examples, the UE 800 may be fixedly mounted and have a power source coupled to the power grid. The battery 828 can be a lithium-ion battery, a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a metal-air battery such as a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations such as vehicle-based applications, the battery 828 can be a typical automotive lead-acid battery.

[0125] FIG. 9 shows a gNB 900 according to some embodiments. The gNB node 900 is similar to the base station 108 of FIG. 1 and can be substantially replaceable.

[0126] The gNB 900 can include a processor 904, an RF interface circuit configuration 908, a core network (CN) interface circuit configuration 912, a memory / storage circuit configuration 916, and an antenna structure 926.

[0127] The components of the gNB 900 can be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 928.

[0128] The processor 904, the RF interface circuit configuration 908, the memory / storage circuit configuration 916 (including the communication protocol stack 910), the antenna structure 926, and the interconnect 928 can be similar to the elements of the same name illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 10.

[0129] The CN interface circuit configuration 912 may provide connectivity to a core network, such as a 5th Generation Core Network (5GC), using a 5GC compliant network interface protocol, such as the Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. The network connectivity may be provided to / from the gNB 900 via an optical fiber or a wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit configuration 912 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit configuration 912 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0130] In some embodiments, the gNB 900 may be coupled to a TRP, such as TRP 92 or 96, using an antenna structure 926, a CN interface circuit configuration, or some other interface circuit configuration.

[0131] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that generally meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled to minimize the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the permitted use should be clearly shown to the user.

[0132] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the following exemplary sections. For example, the baseband circuit configuration described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing drawings may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the embodiments described below. As another example, a circuit configuration associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc., as described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing drawings may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the embodiments described below in the Examples section. Examples

[0133] The following sections present further exemplary embodiments.

[0134] Example 1 includes a method of operating a UE, the method comprising receiving a first measurement object (MO) that is a candidate for measurement within a measurement gap, and determining an M value based on the number of inter-frequency MOs configured by an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) primary serving cell (PCell) and the number of inter-frequency MOs configured by a new radio (NR) primary secondary serving cell (PSCell) that are candidates for measurement within the measurement gap, and determining a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) based on the M value, and performing a measurement based on the first MO and the CSSF. inter value, and inter determining a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) based on the M value, and performing a measurement based on the first MO and the CSSF.

[0135] Example 2 may further include determining an M value based on the number of intra-frequency MOs configured on a serving carrier by an NR PSCell that are candidates for measurement in a measurement gap, and further determining a CSSF based on the M value, and may include the method of Example 1 or some other example of this specification. intra value, and intra further determining a CSSF based on the M value, and may include the method of Example 1 or some other example of this specification.

[0136] Example 3 may include the method of Example 1 or some other example in this specification, where the first number of inter-frequency or inter-RAT MOs constituted by the E-UTRA PCell includes the third number of NR inter-RAT MOs, the fourth number of E-UTRA MOs, and the fifth number of UTRA MOs.

[0137] Example 4 may include the method of Example 3 or some other example in this specification, where the third number of NR inter-RAT MOs includes the sixth number of inter-RAT MOs on the serving carrier and the seventh number of inter-RAT MOs on the non-serving carrier.

[0138] Example 5 may include the method of Example 1 or some other example in this specification, and further includes performing a first measurement in a first component carrier and performing a second measurement in a second component carrier.

[0139] Example 6 may include a method of operating a UE. The method includes storing a merging criterion, and for the M intra value, obtaining the first number of in-frequency measurement objects (MOs), or for the M inter value, obtaining the second number of inter-frequency measurement objects (MOs), calculating a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) based on the M intra value or the M inter value, performing measurements based on the CSSF and the MO within a measurement gap, and including, for obtaining either the first number or the second number, the processing circuit configuration determining whether a pair of MOs meets the merging criterion.

[0140] Example 7 includes the method of Example 6 or some other examples in this specification, which includes determining whether a pair of MOs, including a first MO and a second MO, meets the merge determination criteria, which is to determine whether the first MO and the second MO identify a common Received Signal Strength (RSSI) measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indicator, and a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) configuration; determining that the pair of MOs meets the merge determination criteria based on the determination that the first MO and the second MO identify a common RSSI measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indicator, and an SMTC configuration; and obtaining one of the first number or the second number based on the determination that the pair of MOs meets the merge determination criteria and based on the count value of the pair of MOs being 1.

[0141] Example 8 further includes the method of Example 6 or some other examples in this specification, which includes determining whether a pair of MOs, including a first MO and a second MO, meets the merge determination criteria, which is to determine whether the first MO and the second MO identify different Received Signal Strength (RSSI) measurement resources, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indicator, or a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) configuration; determining that the pair of MOs does not meet the merge determination criteria based on the determination that the first MO and the second MO identify different RSSI measurement resources, a deriveSSB IndexFromCell indicator, or an SMTC configuration; and obtaining one of the first number or the second number based on the determination that the pair of MOs does not meet the merge determination criteria and based on the count value of the pair of MOs being 2.

[0142] Example 9 may include the method of Example 6 or some other example herein, where the first number is based on the third number of the in-band MO configured on the serving carrier by the New Radio (NR) Primary Secondary Serving Cell (PSCell) that is a candidate to be measured in the measurement gap.

[0143] Example 10 may include the method of Example 6 or some other example herein, where the second number of the inter-band MO includes the third number of the inter-band or Radio Access Technology (RAT) - between MO configured by the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Primary Serving Cell (PCell).

[0144] Example 11 may include the method of Example 10 or some other example herein, where the third number of the inter-band or RAT - between MO is based on the fourth number of the NR RAT - between MO, the fifth number of the E-UTRA MO, and the sixth number of the UTRA MO.

[0145] Example 12 may include the method of Example 11 or some other example herein, where the fourth number of the NR RAT - between MO includes the seventh number of the RAT - between MO on the serving carrier and the eighth number of the RAT - between MO on the non - serving carrier.

[0146] Example 13 may include the method of Example 6 or some other example herein, where calculating the CSSF includes calculating the CSSF based on both the Minter value and the Mintra value when the measurement gap sharing scheme is an equal sharing.

[0147] Example 14 may include the method of Example 6 or some other example herein, where calculating the CSSF includes calculating the CSSF based on the number of carriers measured when the measurement gap sharing scheme is an equal sharing between carriers.

[0148] Example 15 may include the method of Example 6 or some other examples herein, where calculating the CSSF involves calculating the CSSF based on the Minter value when the measurement gap sharing scheme is not an equal sharing and the MO is an inter-frequency MO.

[0149] Example 16 may include the method of Example 6 or some other examples herein, where calculating the CSSF involves calculating the CSSF based on the Mintra value when the measurement gap sharing scheme is not an equal sharing and the MO is an intra-frequency MO.

[0150] Example 17 is a method of operating a first base station, the method including receiving a measurement object configuration from a second base station or transmitting a measurement object configuration to the second base station, where the first base station and the second base station provide an evolved universal terrestrial radio access - new radio dual connectivity (EN-DC) connection to a user equipment (UE), and the measurement object configuration restricts the provision of a plurality of measurement objects (MOs) to the UE for one frequency layer of a new radio (NR) cell, and providing the MOs to the UE to configure the UE to perform measurements on the frequency layer within a measurement gap.

[0151] Example 18 may include the method of Example 17 or some other examples herein, where a type 1 MO is an intra-frequency NR MO configured by a NR primary secondary cell (PSCell) to perform measurements in a serving carrier, a type 2 MO is an intra-frequency NR MO without a measurement gap configured by a NR PSCell that completely overlaps with a measurement gap for performing measurements in a serving carrier, a type 4 MO is an inter-radio access technology (RAT) configured by an LTE primary cell (PCell) on the same frequency layer as the type 1 MO or the type 2 MO, and the measurement object configuration prevents the provision of the type 1 MO or the type 2 MO together with the type 4 MO.

[0152] In Example 19, the type 3 MO is an inter-frequency NR MO configured on a non-serving carrier by the NR PCell, the type 5 MO is an inter-RAT NR MO configured by the LTE PCell on the same frequency layer as type 3, and the measurement object configuration prevents providing the type 5 MO and the type 3 MO, and may include the method of Example 17 or some other examples in this specification.

[0153] In Example 20, the type 1 MO is an in-frequency NR MO based on a measurement gap (MG) configured by an NR primary secondary cell (PSCell) for a serving carrier, the type 2 MO is an in-frequency NR MO without a measurement gap configured by the NR PSCell that completely overlaps with the measurement gap of the serving carrier, the type 3 MO is an inter-frequency NR MO configured on a non-serving carrier by the NR PCell, the measurement object configuration prevents the LTE PCell from configuring inter-RAT NR measurements, and only the NR PSCell can configure the type 1 MO, the type 2 MO, or the type 3 MO, and may include the method of Example 17 or some other examples in this specification.

[0154] In Example 21, the type 1 MO is an in-frequency NR MO based on a measurement gap (MG) configured by an NR primary secondary cell (PSCell) for a serving carrier, the type 2 MO is an in-frequency NR MO without a measurement gap configured by the NR PSCell that completely overlaps with the measurement gap of the serving carrier, the type 3 MO is an inter-frequency NR MO configured on a non-serving carrier by the NR PCell, the LTE PCell configures inter-RAT NR measurements, and the measurement object configuration prevents the NR PSCell from configuring the type 1 MO, the type 2 MO, or the type 3 MO, and may include the method of Example 17 or some other examples in this specification.

[0155] Example 22 may include an apparatus including means for performing one or more elements of a method described in any of Examples 1 to 21, or related thereto, or any other method or process described herein.

[0156] Example 23 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described in any of Examples 1 to 21, or related thereto, or any other method or process described herein.

[0157] Example 24 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of a method described in any of Examples 1 to 21, or related thereto, or any other method or process described herein.

[0158] Example 25 may include a method, technique, or process described in any of Examples 1 to 21, or related thereto, or a part or portion thereof.

[0159] Example 26 may include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process described in any of Examples 1 to 21, or related thereto, or a part thereof.

[0160] Example 27 may include a signal described in any of Examples 1 to 21, or related thereto, or a part or portion thereof.

[0161] Example 28 may include a datagram, information element, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message as described in, related to, or a part or portion of any of Examples 1 to 21, or as separately described in this disclosure.

[0162] Example 29 may include a signal encoding data as described in, related to, or a part or portion of any of Examples 1 to 21, or as separately described in this disclosure.

[0163] Example 30 may include a signal encoding a datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message as described in, related to, or a part or portion of any of Examples 1 to 21, or as separately described in this disclosure.

[0164] Example 31 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process as described in, related to, or a part of any of Examples 1 to 21.

[0165] Example 32 may include a computer program including instructions that, when the program is executed by a processing element, cause the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process as described in, related to, or a part of any of Examples 1 to 21.

[0166] Example 33 may include a signal within a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0167] Example 34 may include a method of communicating within a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0168] Example 35 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0169] Example 36 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0170] Any of the above examples can be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless otherwise specified. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the implementations to the exact form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various implementations.

[0171] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. The following claims are intended to be construed to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A method comprising: identifying a plurality of measurement objects (MOs), wherein the plurality of MOs includes inter-frequency MOs or intra-frequency MOs; performing one or more measurements within a period based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of MOs; and wherein the period is associated with a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) that is based at least in part on a count associated with a total number of intra-frequency MOs and inter-frequency MOs that are candidates for measurement; wherein the count is based at least in part on whether one or more of the plurality of MOs meet a merge criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the total number of intra-frequency MOs and inter-frequency MOs includes at least one inter-RAT MO.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more MOs include a first MO and a second MO; and when the first MO and the second MO identify a common received signal strength (RSSI) measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indication, and a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configuration, the one or more MOs meet the merge criterion and are counted as one in the count.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more MOs include a first MO and a second MO; and when the first MO and the second MO identify different received signal strength (RSSI) measurement resources, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indication, or a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configuration, the one or more MOs do not meet the merge criterion and are counted as two in the count.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a first MO of the one or more MOs is on a serving carrier and is configured by a new radio (NR) primary secondary serving cell (PSCell).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a second MO of the one or more MOs is on the serving carrier and is an inter-RAT MO of a new radio (NR) configured by an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) primary serving cell (PCell).

7. The count associated with the total number includes a first number of in-band MOs that are candidates measured in a measurement gap and a second number of inter-band MOs that are candidates measured in the measurement gap, according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: performing the one or more measurements within the measurement gap.

9. The count associated with the total number is M tot and the first number is M intra and the second number is M inter The method according to claim 7, wherein the method is as described above

10. An apparatus comprising: determining whether one or more measurement objects (MOs) meet a merge determination criterion; determining a count associated with a total number of in-band MOs and inter-band MOs of candidates to be measured, at least partially based on the determination of whether the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criterion; performing a measurement on at least one MO of the in-band MO or the inter-band MO within a period associated with a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) that is at least partially based on the count; a processing circuit for the purpose.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the total number of in-band MOs and inter-band MOs are candidates measured within a measurement gap, and the measurement is performed within the measurement gap.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the total number of in-band MOs and inter-band MOs includes at least one inter-radio access technology (RAT) MO.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more MOs include a first MO and a second MO, and for determining whether the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criterion, the processing circuit determines that the first MO and the second MO specify a common received signal strength (RSSI) measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indication, and a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configuration; determines that the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criterion, at least partially based on the determination that the first MO and the second MO specify a common RSSI measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indication, and an SMTC configuration. An apparatus for determining to count the one or more MOs as one in determining the count associated with the total number of in-band and inter-band MOs that are candidates measured within a measurement gap, at least partially based on the determination that the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criteria.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more MOs include a first MO and a second MO, and in order to determine whether the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criteria, the processing circuit determines that the first MO and the second MO identify different received signal strength (RSSI) measurement resources, deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indications, or synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configurations, determines that the one or more MOs do not meet the merge determination criteria, at least partially based on the determination that the first MO and the second MO identify different RSSI measurement resources, deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indications, or SMTC configurations, An apparatus for determining to count the one or more MOs as at least two in determining the count, at least partially based on the determination that the one or more MOs do not meet the merge determination criteria.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein a first MO of the one or more MOs is on a serving carrier and is constituted by a new radio (NR) primary secondary serving cell (PSCell), and a second MO of the one or more MOs is on the serving carrier and is an inter-RAT MO between a new radio (NR) and an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) primary serving cell (PCell).

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the processing circuit determines a first number of in-band MOs that are candidates measured within a measurement gap, and determines a second number of inter-band MOs that are candidates measured within the measurement gap.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processing circuit determines the count associated with the total number to include the first number and the second number.

18. The count associated with the total number is M tot and the first number is M intra and the second number is M inter The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

19. One or more computer programs having instructions that, when executed, cause a processing circuit to determine whether one or more measurement objects (MOs) meet a merge determination criterion, determine a count associated with the total number of in-frequency and inter-frequency MOs that are candidates for measurement, based at least in part on the determination of whether the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criterion, cause a measurement to be performed on one of the in-frequency MOs or the inter-frequency MOs during a period associated with a carrier-specific scaling factor (CSSF) based at least in part on the count. **Claim 20** One or more computer programs according to claim 19, wherein the one or more MOs include a first MO and a second MO, and in order to determine whether the one or more MOs meet a merge determination criterion, the instructions, when executed, further cause the processing circuit to determine that the first MO and the second MO identify a common received signal strength (RSSI) measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indication, and a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configuration, determine that the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criterion, based at least in part on the determination that the first MO and the second MO identify a common RSSI measurement resource, a deriveSSB-IndexFromCell indication, and an SMTC configuration, determine to count the one or more MOs as one in the determination of the count associated with the total number of in-frequency and inter-frequency MOs that are candidates for measurement within a measurement gap, based at least in part on the determination that the one or more MOs meet the merge determination criterion, thereby causing.

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