NCSG for deactivated serving cell measurements

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for NCSG-based measurements on a deactivated serving cell In a wireless communication system, a wireless device can obtain a measurement gap (MG) configuration scheduling measurement operation for at least one deactivated serving cell based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG), and perform a measurement operation based on the network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates generally to wireless communication systems, including deactivated serving cell measurements in wireless communication systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP new radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), commonly known to industry groups as Wi-Fi®.

[0003] As contemplated by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) for communication between base stations of the RAN (sometimes commonly referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices known as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN can perform communications between base stations and UEs using one or more radio access technologies (RATs). For example, a GERAN implements a GSM and / or EDGE RAT, a UTRAN implements a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, an E-UTRAN implements an LTE RAT (sometimes simply referred to as LTE), and an NG-RAN implements an NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as a 5G RAT, a 5G NR RAT, or simply NR). In certain deployments, an E-UTRAN can also implement an NR RAT. In certain deployments, an NG-RAN can also implement an LTE RAT.

[0005] A base station used by a RAN may correspond to that RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNode B, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a next-generation Node B (sometimes referred to as a Node B or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services with external entities via a connection to a core network (CN). For example, the E-UTRAN can utilize the evolved packet core (EPC), and the NG-RAN can utilize the 5G core network (5GC).

[0007] The 5G NR frequency band can be divided into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating in sub-6 GHz frequencies, some of which may be used by previous standards and potentially extend to cover new frequency bands providing 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) may include frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have a smaller range than bands in FR1, but the available bandwidth is potentially wider. Those skilled in the art will understand that these frequency ranges, provided as examples, may vary from time to time or by region. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Embodiments relate to improved deactivated serving cell measurements in wireless communication systems, and in particular to Network-controlled small gap (NCSG) based measurements for deactivated serving cells in wireless communication systems.

[0009] In accordance with the techniques described herein, a wireless device in a wireless communication system may be configured to: Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled The measurement gap configuration can be acquired and measurement operations can be performed based on the network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0010] In one aspect, the measurement gap (MG) configuration may include information indicating a measurement period of NCSG-based measurements for a deactivated serving cell. In particular, the measurement period of NCSG-based measurements may refer to a period during which the wireless device switches on / off a frequency segment corresponding to the deactivated serving cell through a gap for measurement of the deactivated serving cell, thereby allowing the wireless device to perform measurement operations for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement period.

[0011] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used in conjunction with several different types of devices, including, but not limited to, cellular telephones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0012] This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above features are merely examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, the drawings, and the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit(s) of a reference number refers to the number of the figure in which that element is first introduced.

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example architecture of a wireless communication system according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0015] [Figure 2]1 illustrates a system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0016] [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 shows a comparison between legacy GAP-based and NCSG-based measurements. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the basic concept of NCSG.

[0017] [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flow chart diagram illustrating an exemplary method on the wireless device side, according to some embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method on the network device side, according to some embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an example embodiment in which an NCSG is utilized for deactivated serving cell measurements.

[0020] [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which an NCSG is utilized for deactivated serving cell measurements.

[0021] [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which an NCSG is utilized for deactivated serving cell measurements.

[0022] While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] term User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that are mobile or portable and that perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptop computers, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices. In general, the terms "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily carried by a user and is capable of wireless communications.

[0024] Wireless Device—Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform wireless communications. A wireless device can be portable (or mobile) or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A UE is an example of a wireless device.

[0025] Communications Device - Any of various types of computer systems or devices that perform communications, which may be wired or wireless. A communications device may be portable (or mobile), or may be stationary or fixed to a particular location. A wireless device is one example of a communications device. A UE is another example of a communications device.

[0026] Base Station - The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used for communication as part of a wireless telephone or wireless system.

[0027] Network Device—Any of various types of computer system or device that performs communications, particularly wireless communications with wireless devices, such as downlink communications to wireless devices associated with downlink transmissions. A network device can be portable (or mobile) or may be stationary or fixed at a location. A base station is an example of a network device.

[0028] Processing Element (or Processor)—refers to various elements or combinations of elements capable of performing functions in a device such as user equipment or a cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example, a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of an individual processor core, an entire processor core, an individual processor, a processor array, circuitry such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a programmable hardware element such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and various combinations of the above.

[0029] Various embodiments are described in terms of a UE. However, reference to a UE is provided merely for purposes of illustration. The illustrative embodiments may be used with any electronic component, configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware, capable of establishing a connection to a network and exchanging information and data with the network. Accordingly, a UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0030] 1 illustrates an example architecture of a wireless communication system 100 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The following description is provided for the example wireless communication system 100 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards, as provided by the 3GPP technical specifications.

[0031] 1, wireless communication system 100 includes UE 102 and UE 104 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 102 and UE 104 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing devices configured for wireless communication.

[0032] The UEs 102 and 104 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to the RAN 106. In an embodiment, the RAN 106 may be an NG-RAN, an E-UTRAN, or the like. The UEs 102 and 104 utilize connections (or channels) with the RAN 106 (shown as connection 108 and connection 110, respectively), each of which comprises a physical communication interface. The RAN 106 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 112 and base station 114, that facilitate the connections 108 and 110.

[0033] In this example, connection 108 and connection 110 are air interfaces for enabling such communication coupling and may correspond to the RAT(s) used by RAN 106, such as, for example, LTE and / or NR.

[0034] In some embodiments, the UE 102 and the UE 104 may also directly exchange communication data via the sidelink interface 116. The UE 104 is configured to access an access point (shown as AP 118) via a connection 120, as shown. By way of example, the connection 120 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, and the AP 118 may include a Wi-Fi router. In this example, the AP 118 may be connected to other networks (e.g., the Internet) without going through the CN 124.

[0035] In an embodiment, the UEs 102 and 104 may be configured to communicate with each other or with the base stations 112 and / or 114 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over multi-carrier communication channels according to various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), and the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. An OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0036] In some embodiments, all or a portion of the base station 112 or the base station 114 may be implemented as one or more software entities executing on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Additionally or in other embodiments, the base station 112 or the base station 114 may be configured to communicate with each other via the interface 122. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., where the CN 124 is the EPC), the interface 122 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs) connecting to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connecting to the EPC. In embodiments where the wireless communication system 100 is an NR system (e.g., where the CN 124 is the 5GC), the interface 122 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs) connecting to 5GC, between the base station 112 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connecting to 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connecting to 5GC (e.g., the CN 124).

[0037] The RAN 106 is shown communicatively coupled to the CN 124. The CN 124 may comprise one or more network elements 126 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UEs 102 and 104) connected to the CN 124 via the RAN 106. The components of the CN 124 may be implemented in a single physical device or separate physical devices, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0038] In an embodiment, the CN 124 may be an EPC, and the RAN 106 may be connected to the CN 124 via an S1 interface 128. In an embodiment, the S1 interface 128 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface that carries traffic data between the base station 112 or 114 and a serving gateway (S-GW), and an S1-MME interface that is a signaling interface between the base station 112 or 114 and a mobility management entity (MME).

[0039] In an embodiment, the CN 124 may be a 5GC, and the RAN 106 may be connected to the CN 124 via an NG interface 128. In an embodiment, the NG interface 128 may be divided into two parts: an NG-User Plane (NG-U) interface that carries traffic data between the base station 112 or 114 and a User Plane Function (UPF), and an S1-Control Plane (NG-C) interface that is a signaling interface between the base station 112 or 114 and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0040] In general, the application server 130 may be an element that provides applications that use Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources (e.g., packet-switched data services) with the CN 124. The application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for the UEs 102 and 104 via the CN 124. The application server 130 may communicate with the CN 124 via an IP communication interface 132.

[0041] 2 illustrates a system 200 for performing signaling 234 between a wireless device 202 and a network device 218 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The system 200 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 202 may be, for example, a UE of the wireless communication system. The network device 218 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) of the wireless communication system.

[0042] The wireless device 202 may include one or more processor(s) 204. The processor(s) 204 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the wireless device 202, as described herein. The processor(s) 204 may include, for example, one or more baseband processors implemented using a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0043] The wireless device 202 may include a memory 206. The memory 206 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 208 (e.g., may include instructions being executed by the processor(s) 204). The instructions 208 may also be referred to as program code or computer programs. The memory 206 may also store data used by the processor(s) 204 and results computed by the processor(s) 204.

[0044] The wireless device 202 may include one or more transceiver(s) 210, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry using antenna(s) 212 of the wireless device 202 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the wireless device 202 with other devices (e.g., network devices 218) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0045] The wireless device 202 may include one or more antenna(s) 212 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antenna(s) 212, the wireless device 202 may exploit the spatial diversity of such multiple antenna(s) 212 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams over the same time and frequency resources. This behavior is sometimes referred to, for example, as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting and receiving devices that enable this aspect). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 202 may be achieved in accordance with precoding (or digital beamforming) applied at the wireless device 202 that multiplexes data streams across the antenna(s) 212 according to known or assumed channel characteristics such that each data stream is received at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of a receiver associated with that data stream) with an appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams. Some embodiments may use Single-User MIMO (SU-MIMO) methods (in which data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) methods (in which individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0046] In some embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 202 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of the signals sent by the antenna(s) 212 are adjusted relative to one another so that the (joint) transmissions of the antenna(s) 212 can be directed (this may be referred to as beam steering).

[0047] The wireless device 202 may include one or more interface(s) 214. The interface(s) 214 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 202. For example, a wireless device 202 that is a UE may include interface(s) 214 such as a microphone, speaker, touchscreen, buttons, etc. to enable a user of the UE to provide input and / or output to the UE. Such other interfaces of the UE may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry (e.g., other than the transceiver(s) 210 / antenna(s) 212 already described) that enable communication between the UE and other devices and may operate according to known protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.).

[0048] The wireless device 202 may be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, particularly for obtaining a measurement gap configuration for measurements on a deactivated serving cell and / or performing measurements on a deactivated serving cell based on an NCSG. Such operations / functions may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, such operations / functions may be performed by specific components incorporated in the wireless device, such as processor(s) 204 and / or transceiver(s) 210, such as a processor, circuitry, and / or software stored in memory 206 and executed by the processor(s) 204. In particular, such functions may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor(s) 204 or transceiver(s) 210. Some embodiments of such operations / functions are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0049] The network device 218 may include one or more processor(s) 220. The processor(s) 220 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the network device 218, as described herein. The processor(s) 204 may include, for example, one or more baseband processors implemented using a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0050] The network device 218 may include a memory 222. The memory 222 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 224 (e.g., may include instructions being executed by the processor(s) 220). The instructions 224 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 222 may also store data used by the processor(s) 220 and results computed by the processor(s) 220.

[0051] The network device 218 may include one or more transceiver(s) 226, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry using antenna(s) 228 of the network device 218 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the network device 218 with other devices (e.g., the wireless device 202) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0052] The network device 218 may include one or more antenna(s) 228 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antenna(s) 228, the network device 218 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beamsteering, etc., as described.

[0053] The network device 218 may include one or more interface(s) 230. The interface(s) 230 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 218. For example, a network device 218 that is a base station may include interface(s) 230 consisting of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuitry (e.g., other than the transceiver(s) 226 / antenna(s) 228 already described) that enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for purposes of operation, management, and maintenance of the base station or other equipment operatively connected thereto.

[0054] The network device 218 may be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, particularly for obtaining a measurement gap configuration for measurements on a deactivated serving cell based on an NCSG and / or for performing data scheduling according to the measurement gap configuration. Such operations / functions may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, such operations / functions may be performed by specific components, such as a processor, circuitry, incorporated into the wireless device, which may be integrated within the processor(s) 220 and / or transceiver(s) 226, and / or may be performed by software, such as instructions 224 stored in memory 222 and executed by the processor(s) 220. In particular, such functions may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor(s) 220 or transceiver(s) 226. Some embodiments of such operations / functions are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0055] Below, techniques for NCGS-based measurements on deactivated cells according to embodiments of the present invention are described.

[0056] New cellular communication technologies are continually under development to increase coverage, to better meet a range of different requirements and use cases, and for a variety of other reasons. One technology currently under development may include enhancements to measurement operations through measurement gaps. As part of such development, it would be useful to provide improved measurement gap configurations and operations.

[0057] In wireless communications, when a measurement operation needs to be performed on a specific signal / parameter / indicator, for example, which may be related to performance, especially when such measurement operations are performed at different frequency points, a measurement gap is utilized to address possible inter-frequency measurements. The concept of a measurement gap is to create a small gap where neither transmission nor reception occurs, so that a wireless device can perform the corresponding measurement operation in the measurement gap and then switch back. Currently, measurement operations can be performed based on measurement gap information, and it is desirable to provide an improved measurement gap configuration to further enhance the measurement operation.

[0058] According to the new Release 17 work item on measurement gap extensions, RAN4 will introduce some improved gap-based measurements. One of the objectives is to introduce Network Controlled Small Gap (NCSG) to avoid the throughput degradation caused by using legacy gaps.

[0059] In legacy gap-based RRM measurements, the entire gap opportunity can be utilized for measurements, but the UE cannot perform data reception or transmission with the serving cell during the entire gap opportunity. In contrast, in NCSG-based RRM measurements, the UE is only permitted to cause an interruption, specifically, a visible interruption length (VIL), at the beginning and end of the measurement. The interruption arises from the fact that the UE needs to switch on and off a spare RF chain for measurements. During the measurement length (ML), which may be between the start and end of the VIL, the UE is permitted to simultaneously perform RRM measurements and data reception / transmission with the serving cell. A comparison between legacy gaps and NCSG is shown in Figure 3A. The basic idea of ​​NCSG is that the UE can perform measurements on other inter-frequency layers using spare RF chains. For example, as shown in Figure 3B, the NCSG can switch on / off the inter-frequency layer via the VIL, and measurements on the inter-frequency layer, such as SSB, can be performed during the ML between the start and end of the VIL.

[0060] Currently, it is also desirable to perform measurements on deactivated cells in a wireless communication system, especially on deactivated secondary cells (SCells). In a wireless communication system, a secondary cell can support wireless communication by assisting a primary cell (PCell) and can be deactivated to save energy when the secondary cell is not in operation. However, it is also necessary to measure deactivated SCells to facilitate rapid activation of the deactivated SCell when it needs to be activated for wireless communication, as well as selection of an appropriate SCell from several deactivated SCells for subsequent application upon activation. Measurement targets / factors / contents of deactivated SCells may be those in measurements of activated SCells, such as power, signal quality, etc. Measurements of deactivated SCells may be performed periodically.

[0061] The existing method for deactivated SCell measurements utilizes the parameter measCyclesCell. The parameter measCycleSCell is defined in TS 38.331 and is used only when an SCell is configured on the frequency indicated by measObjectNR and is in a deactivated state (see TS 38.133). The gNB configures the parameter whenever an SCell is configured on the frequency indicated by measObjectNR, but the field can also be signaled when an SCell is not configured.

[0062] The parameter measCyclesCell can be set as any suitable value, for example, its available values ​​can be any one of the following:

[0063] ENUMERATED{sf160,sf256,sf320,sf512,sf640,sf1024,sf1280}

[0064] The value sf160 corresponds to 160 subframes, the value sf256 corresponds to 256 subframes, etc. Of course, the parameter measCyclesCell may also be represented by other types of values, such as a duration in time units.

[0065] In the existing method of deactivated SCell measurements utilizing the parameter measCycleSCell, if measCycleSCell is less than 640 ms, the UE should not switch off the RF chain, i.e., no interruption would be generated, but unnecessary power consumption would be caused. If measCycleSCell is 640 ms or greater, the UE may switch off the RF chain to save power when there are no measurements. The UE shall switch on the RF chain just before the measurement window, then perform measurements during the window, and then switch off the RF chain after the measurements.

[0066] Further, the corresponding RAN4 requirements can be found in TS38.133 Section 8, where item 8.2.2.2.3 specifies interruptions during measurements on deactivated SCCs, and when the configured measCycleSCell is 640 ms or greater, interruptions on the PCell or activated SCell(s) due to measurements when the SCell is deactivated are allowed with a maximum ACK / NACK loss probability of 0.5%. If the PCell or activated SCell(s) are not in the same band as the deactivated SCell(s), the UE is only allowed to cause an interruption on the PCell or activated SCell immediately before and after the SMTC. Each interruption shall not exceed the requirements in Table 8.2.2.2.2-1, which is not specified here. If the PCell or activated SCell(s) are in the same band as the deactivated SCell(s), the UE is only allowed to cause a suspension on the PCell or activated SCell(s) later than X slots before the TSMTC_duration and earlier than X slots after the TSMTC_duration, provided that cell-specific reference signals from the active serving cell and the deactivated SCell(s) are available in the same slot, where X and TSMTC_duration are given by Table 8.2.2.2.3-1 as follows: The suspension shall not exceed the requirements of Table 8.2.2.2.3-1.

[0067] Table 8.2.2.2.3-1: Outage durations for measurements on deactivated SCells for in-band CA

[0068] TIFF0007734275000001.tif53170

[0069] Therefore, it remains desirable to provide improved measurements for deactivated serving cells.

[0070] In consideration of this, the present disclosure proposes an improved measurement gap (MG) configuration for measurements on deactivated serving cells. In particular, a novel design utilizing a network controlled small gap (NCSG) for measurements on deactivated serving cells is proposed, and in particular, an improved measurement gap configuration based on the NCSG can be obtained / determined, so that measurement operations on deactivated serving cells can be more appropriately and efficiently performed by the NCSG. The solution of the present disclosure can be applied to any suitable deactivated serving cell, including at least one of a deactivated SCell and a deactivated PSCell, to achieve measurement enhancement, and can also be introduced into the RAN4.

[0071] According to some embodiments, the measurement gap configuration may include information regarding a Network Controlled Small Gap (NCSG) pattern / specification for measurement operations. In particular, the Network Controlled Small Gap (NCSG) may be related to RF coordination and may indicate a disruption caused when a wireless device attempts to extend or switch to a frequency chain / point and performs intra-frequency measurements on a measurement target, such as a deactivated serving cell, any other measurement target, etc., while enduring the disruption caused by the extension or switch.

[0072] In accordance with the present disclosure, measurement operations may be performed during any suitable type of wireless communication operation, including cell switching and / or access, carrier aggregation including at least carrier switching and management, load aggregation, etc., at any suitable phase / stage during wireless communication, including initialization, state transitions, etc., and may be utilized to measure any desired signal / parameter / indicator that may be performance related, including, for example, SSB, PRS, etc.

[0073] According to the present disclosure, measurement operations may be performed in any suitable frequency segment available for measurements on the deactivated serving cell based on the corresponding measurement gap configuration / pattern. Thus, when switching / changing frequency segments, measurement operations may be performed based on the measurement gap configuration of the NCSG, etc.

[0074] According to the present disclosure, frequency segments can be set according to the operating frequency level of a wireless device. According to some embodiments, the operating frequencies of a wireless device can be classified into any number of appropriate levels, and thus, the wireless device can perform measurement operations at any appropriate level. That is, the wireless device can perform measurement gap operations at frequency segments within a level, where the frequency segments are divided from the operating frequencies within the level. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the level can be selected from a group including a UE level, a frequency range level, a band combination level, a band level, a component carrier (CC) level, and a bandwidth portion (BWP) level, and the frequency segments for measurement gap operations can correspond to the entire UE, the frequency range, the band combination, the band, the component carrier, or the BWP. Thus, measurement gap operations can be configured / performed at the selected level for the corresponding frequency segments. According to some embodiments, a measurement pattern can be configured for operating frequency segments of one level. According to some embodiments, measurement patterns can be configured simultaneously for operating frequency segments of two or more levels. For example, the same or different patterns can be configured for operating frequency segments of different levels.

[0075] Figure 4 shows a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of such a solution on the wireless device side, according to at least some embodiments. Aspects of the method of Figure 4 may be implemented by a wireless device, such as UE 106, shown in the various figures herein, and / or more generally, in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the above figures, among others, as desired. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements shown in the figure and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown in the figure may be performed simultaneously, in a different order than shown in the figure, replaced by other method elements, or omitted. Additional elements may also be performed as desired.

[0076] In step 402, the wireless device performs a network control small gap (NCSG) based on a deactivated serving cell. Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled Get it.

[0077] In step S404, the wireless device performs a measurement operation by utilizing a network controlled small gap (NCSG) based on the measurement gap configuration.

[0078] According to some embodiments, obtaining the measurement gap (MG) configuration may be implemented in various ways. For example, the measurement gap configuration may be generated / created by the wireless device itself, or in other examples, the measurement gap configuration may be generated / created by other devices in the communication system, such as a network device, a control device, etc., and communicated to the wireless device.

[0079] According to some embodiments, the measurement gap configuration may include information indicating characteristics of an NCSG for measurements on a deactivated serving cell. In some embodiments, the measurement gap (MG) configuration includes information indicating a measurement period for NCSG-based measurements on a deactivated serving cell, such that the wireless device can perform measurement operations on the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement period. In particular, the measurement period may refer to a period during which the wireless device switches to and off from a spare frequency segment to perform measurements on a deactivated serving cell. According to some embodiments, the measurement period may refer to a period of a small gap / pause repetition, in particular, a period at the start or end of a small gap / pause repetition during measurements of a deactivated serving cell based on an NCSG. In some embodiments, an interruption corresponding to the measurement period of the NCSG may be allowed, i.e., an interruption at the measurement time may be allowed, so that the wireless device can switch to a frequency segment for measurements on a deactivated serving cell, but other interruptions are not allowed. For example, even an interruption that may be allowed according to the basic period of the NCSG may not be allowed if such an interruption does not correspond to the adjusted / updated measurement period.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement gap configuration may further include at least one of a measurement duration, a deactivated serving cell to be measured, and a frequency segment on which measurements on the deactivated cell are performed. Notably, such content may be pre-configured in advance and will not be described in detail herein.

[0081] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement period may be determined based on a basic period of an NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for at least one deactivated serving cell. In some embodiments, such a measurement period may be determined and signaled to the wireless device by any appropriate device in the wireless communication system, such as a network device or another control device in the system. In some embodiments, the wireless device may be configured to obtain information about the basic period of an NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle for at least one deactivated serving cell and determine the measurement period based thereon.

[0082] In some embodiments, the basic periodicity of the NCSG may be a preset value of the NCSG, such as configured by the network side, e.g., a gNB, preset at initialization, or the like, and may be any suitable value, e.g., any one of (20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 100 ms, 160 ms). For example, the basic periodicity of the NCSG may correspond to a Visible Interruption Repetition Periodicity (VIRP) that may be introduced in 3GPP to represent the periodicity of the NCSG. In the present disclosure, the basic periodicity of the NCSG may refer to the initial periodicity of the NCSG, and the measurement periodicity may be the same as the period obtained by adjusting / updating the initial periodicity. In some embodiments, the predefined measurement cycle may refer to a measurement cycle for measurements on a deactivated serving cell. For example, the predefined measurement cycle may refer to a desired measurement cycle or an available measurement cycle. For example, the predefined measurement cycle may correspond to the measCycleSCell described above and may be selected from a set of available measCycleSCell values.

[0083] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement period may be determined based on the largest integer multiple of the basic period that is equal to or smaller than the smallest of the predefined measurement cycles for at least one deactivated cell. In particular, the measurement period for measurements on a deactivated serving cell based on the NCSG shall not be larger than the predefined measurement cycle, which essentially defines the upper limit of the measurement period. On the other hand, in order to adequately address measurements on individual deactivated cells, the measurement period shall be as large as possible, in particular, the largest possible integer multiple of the basic period of the NCSG within the constraints of the predefined measurement cycle.

[0084] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement period may be based on a relationship between the fundamental period and a predefined measurement cycle. In particular, this relationship may relate to a multiplicative relationship between the fundamental period and the predefined measurement cycle, i.e., whether the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the fundamental period.

[0085] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the fundamental period, the measurement period may be determined based on the minimum value of the predefined measurement cycles for at least one deactivated cell.

[0086] In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for several deactivated serving cells are the same, the measurement period is based on the predefined measurement cycle itself. For example, if an NCSG consists only of measurements on deactivated serving cells, the measurement period is equal to the predefined measurement cycle itself. In such a case, since all predefined measurement cycles defined for several deactivated serving cells are the same, the minimum value among such predefined measurement cycles may be the same predefined measurement cycle itself, and therefore the measurement period is the predefined measurement cycle itself. In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for several deactivated serving cells are different, the measurement period is based on the minimum value among the predefined measurement cycles. For example, if an NCSG consists only of measurements on deactivated serving cells, the measurement period is equal to the minimum value.

[0087] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period, the measurement period is based on the largest multiple of the basic period that is less than the smallest of the predefined measurement cycles on at least one deactivated cell. For example, if the NCSG consists only of measurements on a deactivated serving cell, the measurement period is equal to the largest multiple of the basic period that is less than the smallest of the predefined measurement cycles for at least one deactivated cell.

[0088] In some embodiments, the measurement period may be selected from a set of measurement cycles that includes a predefined measurement cycle, i.e., the measurement period is the largest multiple of the fundamental period of the NCSG, and the measurement period is the largest in the set that is smaller than the predefined measurement cycle.

[0089] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement periodicity is further based on a configuration of the NCSG, such as a measurement mode configuration of the NCSG. For example, the measurement mode configuration of the NCSG may indicate which types of measurements should be performed based on the NCSG. For example, in addition to measurements on a deactivated serving cell, the NCSG may also be utilized for other types of measurements related to other targets on other frequency segments.

[0090] In some embodiments, the measurement period may be further multiplied by a weighting factor relating to other types of NCSG-based measurements in addition to the NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated serving cell. In particular, the NCSG may be configured for measurements on the deactivated serving cell, as well as for performing other types of measurements on inter-frequency layers where measurements for the deactivated cell are not performed. In such cases, the measurement period shall typically be extended to have a duration sufficient to perform both the NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated cell and the NCSG-based inter-frequency measurements.

[0091] In some embodiments, the weighting factor is determined based on the number of deactivated serving cells to be measured and the number of frequency segments on which any other types of measurements are performed, hi some embodiments, the weighting factor is a value equal to the sum of the number of deactivated serving cells to be measured and the number of frequency segments on which other types of measurements are to be performed.

[0092] In some embodiments, during operation, the wireless device may be further configured to receive a switching command indicating a switching of a deactivated serving cell available for measurement operations and to perform measurements on the switched-out deactivated serving cell based on a measurement periodicity associated with the switched-out frequency segment. According to some embodiments, the switching of the frequency segment corresponding to the deactivated cell may be commanded by the network device or any other suitable device in the wireless system. According to some embodiments, such a switching command may be communicated between the network device and the wireless device, such as via an RRC layer, a MAC layer, or a physical layer.

[0093] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells of the present disclosure also depend on support / permission for NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the wireless device may be further configured to obtain support information indicating whether NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells are permitted / supported / enabled. When the support information indicates that NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells are permitted / supported / enabled, the wireless device may perform NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated cells based on the measurement gap configuration. Otherwise, the wireless device may not perform such NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated cells based on the measurement gap configuration and may perform other types of measurements, such as legacy-based measurements, on the deactivated cells, or may even not perform measurements at all on the deactivated cells.

[0094] For example, the support / allowance configuration may indicate that NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells are always supported / allowed or are supported / allowed under certain conditions. In some embodiments, NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells of the present disclosure when the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the fundamental period may always be supported, and NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells of the present disclosure when the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the fundamental period may not always be supported, e.g., may be disabled by the wireless device or the network device.

[0095] In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period, the wireless device may automatically disable NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated cells and may additionally or alternatively perform any other suitable measurements, such as legacy gap-based measurements.

[0096] According to some embodiments, the support / allowance configuration can be configured on the wireless device side, e.g., set by default during initialization, before a radio communication, and such support conditions can be kept constant or changed dynamically, e.g., periodically, or for different radio communications. In such cases, the support information is configured by the wireless device itself, and the wireless device can automatically enable / disable NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells, especially when the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic period.

[0097] According to some embodiments, support / permission of NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells of the present disclosure may also be indicated / configured by a network device or any suitable device in a wireless communication system and signaled to the wireless device during initialization, before any wireless communication is performed, before any measurements are performed, etc. In some embodiments, the support information may be signaled to the wireless device upon request. For example, the wireless device may request the support information from the network device and, upon receipt of the support information, perform corresponding operations before any wireless communication, when obtaining a measurement gap configuration, even when obtaining a fundamental period and a predefined measurement cycle, etc.

[0098] In some embodiments, support information may be proactively communicated to a wireless device along with the configuration of the basic periodicity and measurement cycle. In such a case, when the support information indicates that such NCSGs may be utilized for measurements on a deactivated serving cell, the wireless device may automatically determine the measurement periodicity in response to such support indication and may perform NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated serving cell. On the other hand, if such NCSG-based measurements on a deactivated serving cell are not supported, the wireless device may not perform measurements or may perform measurements in any other appropriate manner. Furthermore, if the network device indicates support for measurements on a deactivated serving cell without defining wireless measurement behavior, the wireless device may perform measurements on the deactivated serving cell in any appropriate manner, as described above.

[0099] In some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period, the wireless device, based on an instruction from the network device regarding the NCSG-based measurement, If the information indicates that NCSG-based measurements are allowed, performing NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated serving cell; If the information indicates that NCSG-based measurements are not allowed, then do not perform NCSG-based measurements for the deactivated serving cell; If the information indicates that measurements on deactivated serving cells are allowed but the measurement behavior is not defined, the measurement on the deactivated serving cells is configured to be performed in a specific manner.

[0100] In some embodiments, a wireless device may support NCSG-based measurements on deactivated serving cells of the present disclosure, i.e., the measurement periodicity may be adjusted / updated as an integer multiple of the basic periodicity, and the wireless device may report its capabilities to the network device to indicate whether it can operate according to feedback from the network device. In some embodiments, when the wireless device reports its supported capabilities to the network device and receives a support confirmation from the network device, i.e., when such measurements are permitted by the network device, the wireless device may perform measurement operations on deactivated serving cells based on the measurement periodicity of the NCSG.

[0101] According to some embodiments, the NCSG-based measurement support information and / or measurement gap (MG) configuration may be communicated between the network device and the wireless device in various ways. In one example, such communication may be performed via RRC signaling, e.g., the NCSG-based measurement support information and / or measurement gap (MG) configuration may be communicated via the RRC layer.

[0102] It should be noted that the present application may be applied to any suitable deactivated serving cell, including at least one of a primary cell (PCell), a primary SCG cell (PSCell), and a secondary cell (SCell). Also, the above-described solution of the present application may be applied to each of the primary cell (PCell), the primary SCG cell (PSCell), and the secondary cell (SCell), or a combination thereof.

[0103] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the wireless device method as described above, which may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202, which is a UE as described herein).

[0104] Embodiments contemplated herein may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the wireless device method as described above. The non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as memory 206 of wireless device 202 that is a UE, as described herein).

[0105] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having logic, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the wireless device methods described above, which may be, for example, a UE (such as the UE wireless device 202 described herein).

[0106] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of a wireless device method as described above. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202, which is a UE described herein).

[0107] Embodiments contemplated herein include signals described in or associated with one or more elements of the method for a wireless device as described above.

[0108] Embodiments contemplated herein include computer programs or computer program products including instructions, the execution of which by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of a method for a wireless device, as described above. The processor may be a processor of a UE (such as processor(s) 204 of a wireless device 202 that is a UE, as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, within the processor and / or on a memory of the UE (such as memory 206 of a wireless device 202 that is a UE, as described herein).

[0109] Embodiments relating to network devices are described below. Figure 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating one example of such a solution, according to at least some embodiments. Aspects of the method of Figure 5 may be implemented by a network device, such as 218, shown in various figures herein, and / or more generally, in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements, or components shown in the figures above, among others, as desired. For example, the processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the method elements shown in the figures and / or other method elements. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown in the figures may be performed simultaneously, in a different order than shown in the figures, replaced by other method elements, or omitted. Additional elements may also be performed as desired.

[0110] In step 502, the network device determines a network control small gap (NCSG) for at least one deactivated serving cell. Measurement Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled Get it.

[0111] In step 504, the network device provides a measurement gap (MG) configuration to the wireless device.

[0112] According to some embodiments, a network device may provide support information for NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells to a wireless device. In some embodiments, such supported information indicates whether NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells are permitted on the wireless device. In some embodiments, such supported information indicates whether NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells are permitted on the wireless device when the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the fundamental period of the NCSG.

[0113] According to some embodiments, the support information may be automatically provided by the network device along with the MG configuration, or may be provided in response to a request from the wireless device. In some embodiments, the network device may receive a request from the wireless device and provide the support information upon request. Such a request may be presented in any manner, such as a request as to whether such NCSG-based measurements are supported, a capability as to whether such NCSG-based measurements can be supported in the wireless device, etc.

[0114] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the network device-side method described above, which may be, for example, a base station apparatus (such as the base station network device 218 described herein).

[0115] Embodiments contemplated herein may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the network device-side method, as described above. The non-transitory computer-readable media may be, for example, memory of a base station (e.g., memory 222 of network device 218 that is a base station, as described herein).

[0116] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the network device-side methods described above, which may be, for example, a base station apparatus (such as the base station network device 218 described herein).

[0117] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the network device-side method, as described above. The apparatus may be, for example, that of a base station (such as the base station network device 218 described herein).

[0118] Embodiments contemplated herein include signals described in or associated with one or more elements of the network-side method as described above.

[0119] Embodiments contemplated herein include computer programs or computer program products including instructions, where execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of the network device-side method, as described above. The processor may be a processor of a base station (e.g., processor 220 of network device 218 that is a base station, as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, within the processor and / or on a memory of the UE (e.g., memory 222 of network device 218 that is a base station, as described herein).

[0120] Some example embodiments of NCSG-based measurement gap operation on deactivated cells are described below with reference to Figures 6-8, which illustrate further aspects that may be used, if desired, in conjunction with the methods of Figures 4 and 5. However, it should be noted that the example details shown in and described with respect to Figures 6-8 are not intended to limit the disclosure as a whole, and many variations and alternatives to the details provided herein below are possible and should be considered within the scope of the disclosure.

[0121] As shown in the figure, the wireless device performs measurement gap operations on a radio frequency (RF) layer, but it should be noted that such an RF layer is merely one example of an operating frequency segment, and that operating frequency segments at other levels may similarly be utilized, as described above. It should be noted that while the following description is primarily directed to SCells, such embodiments may equally be applied to PSCells.

[0122] Embodiment 1 shows a case where the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the basic measurement period of the NCSG, and the NCSG is configured only for measurements of deactivated serving cells, as shown in Fig. 6. In particular, measCycleSCell is an integer multiple of VIRP, and the configured measCycleSCell for all deactivated SCells is the same.

[0123] In such a case, the UE automatically adjusts the NCSG period to perform measurements. In particular, the UE automatically updates the NCSG period from VIRP to measCycleSCell as the NCSG measurement period. No other interruptions are allowed except for a VIL due to a "new" VIRP. Note that the longest VIRP is likely to be 160 ms, but measCycleSCell can be much longer (160 ms - 1280 ms).

[0124] From the network's perspective, the network follows a "new" cycle for data scheduling, ie, for determining VIL locations.

[0125] Embodiment 2 shows a case where the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the basic measurement period of the NCSG, and the NCSG is configured only for measurements of deactivated serving cells, as shown in Fig. 7. In particular, measCycleSCell is an integer multiple of VIRP, and the measCycleSCells configured for all deactivated SCells are different from each other.

[0126] In such a case, the UE automatically adjusts the NCSG period for performing measurements. In particular, the UE automatically updates the NCSG period from the VIRP to the minimum measCycleSCell among the measCycleSCells configured for all deactivated SCells, i.e., the NCSG measurement period. No other interruptions are allowed except for the VIL due to the "new" VIRP.

[0127] For example, measCycleSCell on SCell1 is 320 ms and measCycleSCell on SCell2 is 640 ms. Therefore, according to the RAN4 measurement requirements, the sampling interval is 640 ms on SCell1 and 1280 ms on SCell2, since CSSF=2. This means that the UE in 1280 needs to make three samples: two on SCell1 and one on SCell2. However, three cannot determine 1280 together. Conservatively, the UE still needs a VIRP=320 ms.

[0128] From the network's perspective, the network follows a "new" cycle for data scheduling, ie, for determining VIL locations.

[0129] Embodiment 3 shows a case where the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the basic measurement period of the NCSG, and the NCSG is configured for measurements on deactivated serving cells and other types of measurements, as shown in Figure 8. In particular, measCycleSCell is an integer multiple of VIRP, and the measCycleSCell configured for all deactivated SCells is the same. The NCSG is configured for both inter-f measurements and measurements on deactivated serving cells.

[0130] In such a case, the UE automatically acquires the measurement period of the NCSG to perform measurements on the deactivated serving cell. In particular, the UE automatically acquires the measurement period of the NCSG as the measurement period of the CSSF * The UE measures the deactivated SCell using the NCSG following measCycleSCell, where the CSSF includes the number of deactivated SCCs and layers for inter-frequency measurements. Meanwhile, the UE keeps the VIRP unchanged, and measures other inter-frequency layers on NCSG occasions not used for measuring the deactivated SCell, and such measurements are performed according to the VIRP. During operation, no other interruptions are allowed except that the VIL occurs per VIRP.

[0131] From the network's perspective, the network follows the measurement period and the VIRP for data scheduling, i.e., to determine the VIL location.

[0132] Embodiment 4 shows a case where the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period of the NCSG, and the NCSG is configured only for measurements of deactivated serving cells. In particular, measCycleSCell is not an integer multiple of VIRP, and the measCycleSCell configured for all deactivated SCells is the same. For example, measCycleSCell corresponds to sf256, sf512, or sf1024 from the set {sf160, sf256, sf320, sf512, sf640, sf1024, sf1280}, and VIRP may be one of sf20, sf40, sf60, sf80, ..., sf160, for example, sf160 in this embodiment.

[0133] When such a case is supported by the wireless device, the UE automatically adjusts the NCSG period for performing measurements. In particular, the UE automatically updates the NCSG period from the VIRP to a new period (e.g., measCycleSCell_new) as the NCSG measurement period, which is the largest measCycleSCell value smaller than the indicated measCycleSCell. No other interruptions are allowed except for the VIL due to the "new" VIRP.

[0134] For example, if measCycleSCell is configured as sf512, the new period is sf320. This is because these values ​​are not integer multiples of the possible SMTC periods and therefore cannot be efficiently covered by measCycleSCell. However, since the longest SMTC period is 160 ms, the UE can find at least one SMTC during each measCycleSCell window.

[0135] When such a case is not supported by the wireless device, the UE automatically disables the NCSG for measurements on the deactivated SCC, and instead uses legacy interrupt-based measurements.

[0136] Furthermore, whether such a case is supported may also be indicated / allowed by the network device.

[0137] When the network device does not allow such a case, the UE disables the NCSG for measurements on the deactivated SCC, and instead, the UE uses legacy interrupt-based measurements or does not perform measurements at all.

[0138] If the network device allows such a case without defining the UE measurement behavior, i.e., does not clearly define how the UE performs measurements, the UE may perform measurements in any suitable manner, such as NCSG-based measurements, legacy interrupt-based measurements, etc.

[0139] From the network's perspective, the network follows the measurement period and the VIRP for data scheduling, i.e., to determine the VIL location.

[0140] Embodiment 5 shows a case where the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period of the NCSG, and the NCSG is configured for measurements on deactivated serving cells and other types of measurements. In particular, measCycleSCell is not an integer multiple of VIRP, and the measCycleSCell configured for all deactivated SCells is the same. In particular, the NCSG is configured for both inter-f measurements and measurements on deactivated serving cells. The values ​​of measCycleSCell and VIRP may be those in the previous embodiments.

[0141] When this case is supported by the wireless device, the UE acquires the measurement period of the NCSG to perform measurements on the deactivated serving cell. In particular, the UE acquires the CSSF measurement period of the NCSG to perform measurements on the deactivated serving cell. *The UE measures the deactivated SCell using the NCSG following measCycleSCell_new, where measCycleSCell_new is the largest measCycleSCell value smaller than the indicated measCycleSCell, and the CSSF includes the deactivated SCC and the number of layers for inter-frequency measurement, and the UE measures other inter-frequency layers in NCSG occasions not used for measuring the deactivated SCell. In such a case, no other interruptions are allowed except that VIL occurs per VIRP.

[0142] When such a case is not supported by the wireless device, the UE automatically disables the NCSG for measurements on the deactivated SCC. Instead, the UE uses legacy interrupt-based measurements. However, the UE shall still use the NCSG for measuring other inter-frequency layers.

[0143] Furthermore, whether such a case is supported may also be indicated / allowed by the network device.

[0144] When the network device does not allow such a case, the UE disables the NCSG for measurements on the deactivated SCC, and instead, the UE uses legacy interrupt-based measurements or does not perform measurements at all.

[0145] If the network device allows such a case without defining the UE measurement behavior, i.e., does not clearly define how the UE performs measurements, the UE may perform measurements in any suitable manner, such as NCSG-based measurements, legacy interrupt-based measurements, etc.

[0146] From the network's perspective, the network follows the measurement period and the VIRP for data scheduling, i.e., to determine the VIL location.

[0147] Embodiment 6 shows a solution using NCSG for measurement of deactivated PSCells. In such a case, there may be new signaling to indicate the measurement cycle of the deactivated PSCell, such as measCyclePSCell. The candidate values ​​of measCyclePSCell may also be classified into two sets, one of which is an integer multiple of VIRP and the other of which is not and is similar to that of the SCell. Similar approaches mentioned for deactivated SCells may also be applied here.

[0148] Further exemplary embodiments are provided below.

[0149] One set of embodiments may include a wireless device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the wireless device performs a network control small gap (NCSG) based on at least one deactivated serving cell. Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled The measurement gap configuration can be acquired and measurement operations can be performed based on the network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0150] According to some embodiments, the measurement gap (MG) configuration includes information about a measurement periodicity of NCSG-based measurements for deactivated serving cells, and the wireless device is configured to perform measurement operations for the deactivated serving cells according to the measurement periodicity.

[0151] According to some embodiments, the information includes information regarding a fundamental period of the NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements on the deactivated serving cell, the measurement period being determined based on the fundamental period of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle.

[0152] According to some embodiments, the measurement period is determined based on the largest integer multiple of the fundamental period that is less than or equal to the smallest of the predefined measurement cycles on the at least one deactivated cell.

[0153] According to some embodiments, if the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the fundamental period, the measurement period is based on the minimum of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell.

[0154] According to some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for several deactivated serving cells are the same, the measurement period is the predefined measurement cycle itself.

[0155] According to some embodiments, when the predefined measurement cycles defined for several deactivated serving cells are different, the measurement period is the minimum value of the predefined measurement cycles.

[0156] According to some embodiments, if the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period, the measurement period is based on the largest multiple of the basic period that is smaller than the smallest of the predefined measurement cycles on the at least one deactivated cell.

[0157] According to some embodiments, the measurement period is a value selected from a set of measurement cycles that includes predefined measurement cycles, the largest of those in the set that is less than the minimum value.

[0158] According to some embodiments, when the NCSG is utilized for measurements of deactivated serving cells and other types of measurements, the measurement period is further multiplied by a weighting factor related to the other types of measurements.

[0159] According to some embodiments, the weighting factor is a value equal to the number of deactivated serving cells to be measured plus the number of frequency segments on which other types of measurements are to be performed.

[0160] According to some embodiments, the deactivated serving cells include at least one of a secondary cell, a primary cell, and a primary SCG cell.

[0161] According to some embodiments, the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period, and the wireless device disables measurement operations on cells that are deactivated based on the NCSG.

[0162] According to some embodiments, the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the basic measurement period, and the wireless device can obtain instructions regarding the NCSG-based measurement from the network device, and the wireless device:

[0163] If the information indicates that NCSG-based measurements are allowed, performing NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated serving cell;

[0164] If the information indicates that NCSG-based measurements are not allowed, then do not perform NCSG-based measurements for the deactivated serving cell;

[0165] If the information indicates that measurements on a deactivated serving cell are permitted, the measurement on the deactivated serving cell is configured to be performed in a specific manner.

[0166] Another set of embodiments includes a network device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the network device is configured to: Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled and providing a measurement gap (MG) configuration to the wireless device.

[0167] According to some embodiments, the network device is further configured to provide support information to the wireless device for NCSG-based measurements on deactivated cells.

[0168] According to some embodiments, the network device is further configured to receive a request from the wireless device regarding whether NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells are allowed, and to provide supporting information to the wireless device indicating whether NCSG-based measurements for deactivated cells are allowed.

[0169] According to some embodiments, the network device is further configured to provide measurement gap (MG) configuration via RRC signaling.

[0170] Yet another set of embodiments may include an apparatus, comprising a processor, the processor configured to: cause a wireless device to: Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled and performing a measurement operation based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to a measurement gap configuration.

[0171] According to some embodiments, the processor may cause the wireless device to implement some or all of any of the above embodiments / examples.

[0172] Yet another set of embodiments may include an apparatus, comprising a processor, wherein the processor causes a network device to: Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled and providing a measurement gap (MG) configuration to the wireless device.

[0173] According to some embodiments, the processor may cause the network device to implement some or all of any of the above embodiments / examples.

[0174] Yet another set of embodiments may include a method for a wireless device, comprising: determining a first priority for at least one deactivated serving cell based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG); Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled and performing a measurement operation based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration.

[0175] According to some embodiments, the method may be further performed by a wireless device to implement some or all of any of the above embodiments / examples.

[0176] Yet another set of embodiments may include a method for a network device, comprising: determining a first priority for at least one deactivated serving cell based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG); Measurement of Constant operation Measurement gap (MG) configuration to be scheduled The method may include obtaining and providing a measurement gap (MG) configuration to the wireless device.

[0177] According to some embodiments, the method may be further performed by a network device to implement some or all of any of the above embodiments / examples.

[0178] Another example embodiment may include a device comprising an antenna, a radio coupled to the antenna, and a processing element operably coupled to the radio, the device configured to implement any or all portions of the foregoing examples.

[0179] Yet another exemplary embodiment may include a method that includes performing, by a device, any or all portions of the preceding examples.

[0180] Still further exemplary embodiments may include a non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium containing program instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to implement any or all portions of any of the aforementioned examples.

[0181] Still further exemplary embodiments may include a device comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed, cause the device to implement some or all of any of the foregoing examples.

[0182] Still further exemplary embodiments may include a computer program product comprising instructions for carrying out any or all parts of any of the above-described examples.

[0183] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components depicted in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor described above in connection with one or more of the figures herein may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc., as described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures, may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein.

[0184] Any of the above embodiments can be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) unless otherwise stated. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0185] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine-executable instructions executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components that contain specific logic for performing the operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0186] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. Additionally, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. It is recognized that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described in one or more embodiments for clarity only, and that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, etc. of other embodiments, unless specifically disclaimed herein.

[0187] It is well understood that the use of personal information should comply with generally recognized privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personal information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized uses should be clearly indicated to users.

[0188] While the foregoing has been described in some detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatus described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; a processor coupled to the at least one radio; The wireless device Obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations for at least one deactivated serving cell based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG); configured to perform the measurement operation based on the network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration; the measurement gap (MG) configuration includes information about a measurement periodicity of NCSG-based measurements for a deactivated serving cell, and the wireless device is configured to perform the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity; The information includes information regarding a fundamental period of a NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements on a deactivated serving cell, the measurement period being determined based on the fundamental period of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle; the measurement period is determined based on the largest integer multiple of the fundamental period that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles on the at least one deactivated cell; Wireless devices.

2. 2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein, when the predefined measurement cycle is an integer multiple of the fundamental period, the measurement period is based on a minimum value of the predefined measurement cycles for the at least one deactivated cell.

3. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the deactivated serving cells include at least one of a secondary cell, a primary cell, and a primary SCG cell.

4. 2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the fundamental period, and the wireless device disables the measurement operation on the deactivated cells based on an NCSG.

5. The predefined measurement cycle is not an integer multiple of the fundamental period, and the wireless device can obtain instructions regarding the NCSG-based measurement from a network device, and the wireless device: If the indication indicates that the NCSG-based measurements are allowed, performing the NCSG-based measurements on the deactivated serving cell; If the indication indicates that the NCSG-based measurement is not allowed, not perform the NCSG-based measurement for the deactivated serving cell; 2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is configured to: if the indication indicates that the measurement on a deactivated serving cell is permitted, perform the measurement on the deactivated serving cell in a specific manner.

6. 1. An apparatus comprising: a processor, the processor causing the wireless device to: obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations for at least one deactivated serving cell based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG); configured to perform the measurement operation based on the network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration; the measurement gap (MG) configuration includes information about a measurement periodicity of NCSG-based measurements for a deactivated serving cell, and the wireless device is configured to perform the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity; The information includes information regarding a fundamental period of a NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements on a deactivated serving cell, the measurement period being determined based on the fundamental period of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle; the measurement period is determined based on a maximum integer multiple of the fundamental period that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles on the at least one deactivated cell; Device.

7. A method for a wireless device, comprising: obtaining a measurement gap (MG) configuration for scheduling measurement operations for at least one deactivated serving cell based on a network controlled small gap (NCSG); performing the measurement operation based on the network controlled small gap (NCSG) according to the measurement gap configuration; Including, the measurement gap (MG) configuration includes information about a measurement periodicity of NCSG-based measurements for a deactivated serving cell, and the wireless device is configured to perform the measurement operation for the deactivated serving cell according to the measurement periodicity; The information includes information regarding a fundamental period of a NCSG and a predefined measurement cycle for measurements on a deactivated serving cell, the measurement period being determined based on the fundamental period of the NCSG and the predefined measurement cycle; the measurement period is determined based on the largest integer multiple of the fundamental period that is less than or equal to a minimum of the predefined measurement cycles on the at least one deactivated cell; method.

8. a processor; a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 7; A device comprising:

9. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform the method of claim 7.

10. A computer program product comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of claim 7.

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