Network control small gap (NCSG) scheduling on wireless networks

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable media that perform operations including receiving first signaling information from a first base station (BS), the first signaling information indicating that a user equipment (UE) device is to determine an index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted on a second component carrier by a second BS to the UE device based on timing information for a first component carrier associated with the first BS; determining a first measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB, the first measurement window being determined based on a first time offset value Δt1 and an expected length of the first SSB; and measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB on the second carrier during the first measurement window.

Description

Background Art

[0001] A wireless communication network provides an integrated communication platform and telecommunications services to wireless user devices. Exemplary telecommunications services include telephone, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, Internet access, and / or other services. The wireless communication network has a radio access node that exchanges radio signals with wireless user devices using a wireless network protocol such as those described in the various telecommunications standards published by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Exemplary wireless communication networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). The wireless communication network facilitates mobile broadband services using technologies such as OFDM, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features.

Summary of the Invention

[0002] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes: a user equipment (UE) device receiving first signaling information from a first base station (BS), the first signaling information indicating that the UE device determines an index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted to the UE device by a second BS on a second component carrier, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS; the UE device determining a first measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB, the first measurement window being determined based on a first time offset value Δt1 and the expected length of the first SSB; and the UE device measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB on the second carrier during the first measurement window.

[0003] This implementation may include one or more of the following functions:

[0004] In some implementations, determining the first measurement window may include determining that the start of the first measurement window is a first time offset value Δt1 prior to a consecutive first symbol of the second SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier, and determining that the length of the first measurement window is twice the first time offset value Δt plus the expected length of the first SSB.

[0005] In some implementations, the method may further include at least one of transmitting data to a first BS outside of a first measurement window, or receiving data from a first BS outside of a first measurement window.

[0006] In some implementations, this method may include refraining from transmitting data to the first BS or receiving data from the first BS during the first measurement window.

[0007] In some implementations, the first time offset value Δt1 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a first radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) a second radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a second BS using a second component carrier.

[0008] In some implementations, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS), and the second component carrier may be associated with a second SCS that is different from the first SCS.

[0009] In some implementations, the first signaling information can indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0010] In some implementations, the expected length of the first SSB may be determined based on second signaling information transmitted to the UE device by the first BS.

[0011] In some implementations, the second signaling information can include the information element SSB-ToMeasure.

[0012] In some implementations, the first signaling information can further indicate that the UE device should determine the index of the third SSB transmitted to the UE device by the second or third BS on the second or third component carrier, based on timing information relating to the first component carrier associated with the first BS. Furthermore, the method can further include determining a second measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB by the UE device, the second measurement window being determined based on a second time offset value Δt2 and the expected length of the third SSB, and the UE device measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB on the second or third component carrier during the second measurement window.

[0013] In some implementations, the method may further include determining that the first measurement window overlaps at least partially with the second measurement window, and, in response to the determination that the first measurement window overlaps at least partially with the second measurement window, merging the first measurement window and the second measurement window into a merged measurement window.

[0014] In some implementations, the method may further include at least one of sending data to a first BS outside the merged measurement window, or receiving data from a first BS outside the merged measurement window.

[0015] In some implementations, this method may include refraining from sending data to or receiving data from the first BS during the merged measurement window.

[0016] In some implementations, at least one of a first time offset value Δt1 or a second time offset value Δt2 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a second BS using a second component carrier.

[0017] In some implementations, the second time offset value Δt2 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) the radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) the radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the third BS using the third component carrier.

[0018] In some implementations, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS), the second component carrier may be associated with a second SCS different from the first SCS, and the third component carrier may be associated with a third SCS different from the first SCS.

[0019] In some implementations, the first signaling information can indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0020] In some implementations, at least one of the expected lengths of the second SSB or the third SSB may be determined based on second signaling information transmitted to the UE device by the first BS.

[0021] In some implementations, the second signaling information can include the information element SSB-ToMeasure.

[0022] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method includes: receiving first signaling information from a first base station (BS) in a user equipment (UE) device, the first signaling information indicating that the UE device determines the index of each of a plurality of first synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted to the UE device by a plurality of second BSs on a plurality of second component carriers, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS; determining a plurality of measurement windows for measuring one or more characteristics of the plurality of first SSBs, each of which is determined based on a corresponding time offset value Δt and the expected length of one of the corresponding first SSBs; identifying a particular one of the plurality of second component carriers based on second signaling information received in the UE device from the first BS; and measuring one or more characteristics of one of the corresponding first SSBs on the identified second component carrier during the corresponding measurement window of the identified second component carrier.

[0023] This implementation may include one or more of the following functions:

[0024] In some implementations, determining each of the multiple measurement windows may include determining that the start of the measurement window is the corresponding time offset value Δt preceding a consecutive first symbol of the corresponding second SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier, and determining that the length of the measurement window is twice the corresponding time offset value Δt plus the expected length of one of the corresponding first SSBs.

[0025] In some implementations, the method can further include at least one of transmitting data to the first BS outside of the plurality of measurement windows or receiving data from the first BS outside of the plurality of measurement windows.

[0026] In some implementations, the method can further include refraining from transmitting data to the first BS or receiving data from the first BS within the plurality of measurement windows.

[0027] In some implementations, the time offset value Δt can represent the synchronization difference between (i) a signal transmitted by the first BS to the UE device using the first component carrier and (ii) at least one of the signals transmitted by the plurality of second BSs to the UE device using the plurality of second component carriers.

[0028] In some implementations, the first component carrier can be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS), where each of the plurality of second component carriers is associated with a different individual SCS that is different from the first SCS.

[0029] In some implementations, the first signaling information can indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0030] In at least some implementations, the system includes at least one processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform various operations including one or more of the methods described herein.

[0031] In at least some implementations, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations including one or more of the methods described herein.

[0032] Details of one or more embodiments of these systems and methods are described in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, subjects, and advantages of these systems and methods will become apparent from the description and drawings, as well as the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] Several embodiments of the wireless network 100 are shown.

[0034] [Figure 2] This illustrates an exemplary network-controlled small-gap (NCSG) scheduling limitation. [Figure 3] This illustrates an exemplary network-controlled small-gap (NCSG) scheduling limitation. [Figure 4] This illustrates an exemplary network-controlled small-gap (NCSG) scheduling limitation.

[0035] [Figure 5A] A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method in several embodiments is shown. [Figure 5B] A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method in several embodiments is shown.

[0036] [Figure 6] The following are user equipment (UE) configurations according to several embodiments.

[0037] [Figure 7] Several embodiments of access nodes are shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0038] Generally, a wireless communication network may include base stations deployed within several geographical areas (e.g., cells) and user equipment (UE) devices operating in one or more of these cells. Furthermore, a base station may coordinate communication with each UE device based at least in part on signal measurement information acquired by each UE device during operation. For example, each UE device may measure the characteristics of the radio signal transmitted by one or more base stations (e.g., signal strength associated with the radio signal, such as Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) and provide at least some of these measurements to one or more base stations for processing. This can be useful, for example, in determining which base station should serve a particular UE device and when to hand off a UE device from one base station to another.

[0039] In some implementations, a UE device may be configured to acquire signal measurements during specific time intervals (e.g., measurement gap periods), during which time the UE device does not otherwise transmit data to and / or receive data from a base station. In some implementations, at least some of these time intervals may be signaled to the UE device by a base station. For example, a base station may serve one or more UE devices and signal one or more network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) to each of those UE devices, during which the UE device should take measurements of radio signals transmitted by the serving base station and / or other base stations (e.g., one or more other base stations adjacent to the serving base station).

[0040] Furthermore, in some implementations, a wireless communication network may be configured such that information regarding a synchronous signal block (SSB) transmitted by one base station can be derived based on timing information associated with another base station. For example, according to the specifications established by the Third Generation Partnership Project Technical Specifications Group (3GPP TSG), the Radio Access Network Working Group 4 (RAN4) may signal to a UE device (e.g., by a base station) that the SSB index of a target cell on a different frequency than the serving cell can be derived from the serving cell. In addition, the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter can signal which service cell should be used to derive the SSB index.

[0041] Exemplary techniques for scheduling NCSGs in conjunction with the use of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter are described in further detail herein.

[0042] Figure 1 shows a wireless network 100 according to several embodiments. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 102 and a base station 104 connected via one or more channels 106A, 106B across an air interface 108. The UE 102 and base station 104 communicate using a system that supports control for managing the UE 102's access to the network via base station 104.

[0043] For convenience, and without limitation, wireless network 100 is described in the context of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G New Radio (NR) communication standards as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical specifications. More specifically, wireless network 100 is described in the context of non-standalone (NSA) networks incorporating both LTE and NR, such as E-UTRA (Evolutionary Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) networks and NE-DC networks. However, wireless network 100 may also be a standalone (SA) network incorporating only NR. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., 6G) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.). While embodiments may be described herein using terms generally associated with 5G NR, embodiments of this disclosure may also be applicable to other systems, such as systems following 3G, 4G, and / or 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0044] In the wireless network 100, UE 102 and any other UEs in the system may be, for example, machine-type devices such as laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, printers, smart meters or dedicated devices for healthcare monitoring, remote security monitoring systems, intelligent transport systems, or any other wireless devices with or without a user interface. In the network 100, base station 104 provides UE 102 with network connectivity to a wider network (not shown). This UE 102 connectivity is provided via an air interface 108 within the base station service area provided by base station 104. In some embodiments, such a wider network may be a wide-area network operated by a cellular network provider, or it may be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with base station 104 is supported by an antenna integrated with base station 104. The service area is divided into a plurality of sectors associated with a particular antenna. Such sectors may be physically associated with a fixed antenna, or they may be assigned to physical areas using a tunable antenna or antenna configuration that can be adjusted in a beamforming process used to direct signals to a particular sector.

[0045] The UE102 includes a control circuit 110 coupled to a transmit circuit 112 and a receive circuit 114. Each of the transmit circuit 112 and the receive circuit 114 may be coupled to one or more antennas. The control circuit 110 may be adapted to perform operations associated with codec selection for communication and codec adaptation for wireless communication as part of system congestion control. The control circuit 110 may include various combinations of application-specific circuits and baseband circuits. The transmit circuit 112 and the receive circuit 114 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, and may include radio frequency (RF) circuits or front-end module (FEM) circuits, including communication using the codecs described herein.

[0046] In various embodiments, the transmitter circuit 112, the receiver circuit 114, and the control circuit 110 may be integrated in various ways to implement the circuits described herein. The control circuit 110 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure relating to the UE. The transmitter circuit 112 may transmit multiple multiplexed uplink physical channels. The multiple uplink physical channels may be multiplexed by time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) together with carrier aggregation. The transmitter circuit 112 may be configured to receive block data from the control circuit 110 for transmission over the air interface 108. Similarly, the receiver circuit 114 may receive multiple multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface 108 and relay the physical channels to the control circuit 110. The multiple downlink physical channels may be multiplexed by TDM or FDM together with carrier aggregation. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, videos, etc.) structured within data blocks carried by the physical channel.

[0047] Figure 1 also shows a base station 104. In this embodiment, the base station 104 may be an NG radio access network (RAN), a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, a non-terrestrial cell, or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, terms such as "NG RAN" may refer to a base station 104 operating on an NR or 5G radio network 100, and terms such as "E-UTRAN" may refer to a base station 104 operating on an LTE or 4G radio network 100. The UE 102 utilizes connections (or channels) 106A, 106B, each including a physical communication interface or layer.

[0048] The base station 104 circuit may include a control circuit 116 coupled to a transmitting circuit 118 and a receiving circuit 120. Each of the transmitting circuit 118 and the receiving circuit 120 may be coupled to one or more antennas that can be used to enable communication via the air interface 108.

[0049] The control circuit 116 may be adapted to perform operations to analyze and select a codec, manage congestion control and bandwidth limiting communications from the base station, determine whether the base station is codec-aware, and communicate with a codec-aware base station to manage codec selection for the various communication operations described herein. The transmit circuit 118 and the receive circuit 120 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station 104 using data generated with the various codecs described herein. The transmit circuit 118 may transmit a downlink physical channel containing multiple downlink subframes. The receive circuit 120 may receive multiple uplink physical channels from various UEs, including UE 102.

[0050] In this example, one or more channels 106A, 106B are shown as air interfaces enabling a communicable coupling and can comply with cellular communication protocols such as GSM protocol, CDMA network protocol, PTT protocol, POC protocol, UMTS protocol, 3GPP LTE protocol, Advanced Long-Term Evolution (LTE-A) protocol, LTE-Based Access to Unlicensed Spectrum (LTE-U), 5G protocol, NR protocol, NR-Based Access to Unlicensed Spectrum (NR-U) protocol, and / or any other communication protocols described herein. In embodiments, UE 102 may directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as an SL interface and may include one or more logic channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0051] As described above, the UE device 102 may be configured to acquire signal measurements during a specific time interval (e.g., a measurement gap period), during which time the UE device 102 does not transmit data to and / or receive data from a base station (e.g., one or more base stations 104) on one frequency, so that the UE device 102 can perform signal measurements (e.g., on different frequencies). Furthermore, the base station 104 can coordinate communication with the UE device 102 based at least in part on the signal measurement information acquired by the UE device 102 during operation. For example, the UE device 102 may measure the characteristics of a radio signal (e.g., a synchronous signal block, SSB) transmitted by one or more of the base stations 104 (e.g., reference signal received power, RSRP, etc., and the signal strength associated with the radio signal) and provide at least some of the measurements to one or more of the base stations 104 for processing. This can be useful, for example, when deciding which base station 104 should service the UE device 102 and when to hand off the UE device 102 from one base station 104 to another.

[0052] Furthermore, in some implementations, at least some of the time intervals may be signaled to the UE device 102 by one or more of the base stations 104. For example, a base station 104 serving the UE device 102 may signal the UE device 102 to one or more network-controlled small gaps (NCSGs) that measure radio signals transmitted by the serving base station and / or other base stations (e.g., one or more other base stations adjacent to the serving base station).

[0053] Furthermore, in some implementations, the wireless communication network may be configured such that information about the SSB transmitted by one base station 104 can be derived from timing information associated with another base station 104 without further explicit signaling. For example, according to the specification established by 3GPP TSG RAN4 (as discussed in RAN4#101-bis-e, for example), the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter may signal to the UE device 102 (e.g., by base station 104) to inform the UE device 102 that the SSB index of a target cell on a different frequency than the serving cell can be derived from the serving cell (e.g., by using a "true" flag or value in the information element). Furthermore, the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter can signal which service cell should be used to derive the SSB index.

[0054] In some implementations, `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` can be signaled on a Measurement Object (MO) in an MO-based manner (e.g., per carrier). For example, a serving base station can signal one or more instances of `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` to the UE, each instance indicating whether the SSB index of a target cell on a particular carrier can be derived from the serving cell. As an example, the base station can signal a first instance of `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` to the UE for a first carrier, indicating that the SSB index of a target cell on the first carrier can be derived from the serving cell (e.g., by signaling that `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` is true). As another example, a base station could signal a second instance of `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` for a second carrier to indicate that the SSB index of a target cell on the second carrier cannot be derived from the serving cell (for example, by signaling that `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` is false).

[0055] In some embodiments, the deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter may be configured only if the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB is the same between the target cell and the serving cell used for SSB index derivation.

[0056] In some embodiments, when a wireless communication network enables deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter, the UE device can assume that the frame boundary alignment (including half-frame, subframe, and slot boundary alignment) across cells on the same frequency carrier is within a certain tolerance that is not worse than Δt (e.g., the difference in synchronization between cells due to propagation delay, etc.), and that the system frame number (SFN) is the same for all cells on the same frequency carrier. In some implementations, Δt may be equal to one symbol. In some implementations, Δt may be equal to any other number of symbols (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.). In some implementations, the symbol duration may be determined by the numerology of the SSB from the serving cell, or the PDSCH from the serving cell, or the SSB from the target cell.

[0057] Various techniques can be used to schedule NCSGs in conjunction with the use of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter. In some implementations, these techniques are sometimes referred to as NCSG scheduling constraints (guidelines that specify the scheduling of data transmission / reception within an NCSG, such as which symbols in the NCSG can and / or cannot be scheduled).

[0058] In some embodiments, a specific set of NCSG scheduling limits may be used in conjunction with wireless communication in a frequency band within frequency range 1 (FR1).

[0059] For example, when scheduling an NCSG for inter-frequency measurements in FR1, certain existing scheduling constraints (such as those specified by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.133) may apply, and their contents are incorporated in their entirety by reference.

[0060] Furthermore, when scheduling an NCSG for inter-band frequency measurements in FR1, if `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` is false, existing scheduling constraints may apply (e.g., as specified by 3GPP TS 38.133), except that all symbols within the SS / PBCH Block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) window are restricted. However, if `deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter` is true, existing scheduling constraints may apply for single-component carrier (CC) and single-measurement object (MO) (e.g., single-carrier) use cases (e.g., as specified by 3GPP TS 38.133, Section 9.3.9.3).

[0061] Furthermore, when scheduling NCSG for interband measurements in FR, there may be no scheduling restrictions for UE devices that support simultaneous Rx / Tx. However, certain scheduling restrictions may apply to UE devices that do not support simultaneous Rx / Tx. For example, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is false, existing scheduling restriction requirements (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133) may apply, except that all symbols in the SMTC window are restricted. Furthermore, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, existing scheduling restriction requirements may apply for single CC and single MO use cases (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133, Section 9.3.9.3).

[0062] In some embodiments, another set of NCSG scheduling limits may be used in conjunction with wireless communication in the frequency band within frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0063] For example, when scheduling an NCSG for inter-frequency measurements in FR2, existing scheduling constraints may apply (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3).

[0064] Furthermore, when scheduling NCSG for in-band inter-frequency measurements in FR2, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is false, existing scheduling constraints (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3) may apply, except that all symbols within the SMTC window are restricted. However, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, existing scheduling constraints (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3) may apply for single CC and single MO use cases.

[0065] Furthermore, when scheduling NCSG for interband measurements in FR2, and when the serving and target bands are managed by common beam management (CBM), existing scheduling constraints (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3) may apply, except that if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is false, all symbols within the SMTC window are restricted. However, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, existing scheduling constraints (such as those specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3) may apply to single CC and single MO use cases.

[0066] Furthermore, when scheduling NCSG for interband measurements in FR2, and when serving and target bandwidths are managed by Independent Beam Management (IBM), scheduling limitations may not apply to UE devices that support simultaneous Rx / Tx. However, certain scheduling limitations may apply to UE devices that do not support simultaneous Rx / Tx. For example, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is false, existing scheduling limitation requirements may apply (e.g., as specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3), except that all symbols in the SMTC window are restricted. However, if deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, existing scheduling limitation requirements may apply for single CC and single MO use cases (e.g., as specified by 3GPP TS 38.133 Section 9.3.9.3).

[0067] When deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, and when the UE consists of multiple CCs and / or multiple MOs, additional NCSG scheduling restrictions may be implemented. For example, certain NCSG scheduling restrictions may be implemented when the SCS of the SSB differs between the target cell and the serving cell used for SSB index derivation. Exemplary NCSG scheduling restrictions are described in more detail below. Example 1 - NCSG scheduling limits for a single MO and different SCSs.

[0068] Figure 2 shows an exemplary NCSG scheduling limit that can be implemented for a use case with a single MO (e.g., a single carrier to be measured) where the carrier of the serving cell has a different SCS than the carrier to be measured.

[0069] In this example, the carrier of the serving base station ("Carrier 1") has a first SCS, and the carrier from the neighboring base station to be measured ("Carrier 2") has a second SCS different from the first SCS. For example, the SCS of Carrier 1 may have an SCS that is twice that of Carrier 2. Correspondingly, the symbols transmitted on Carrier 1 may have a duration that is half the duration of the symbols transmitted on Carrier 2.

[0070] Furthermore, NCSG scheduling constraints may be implemented, thereby instructing the UE device to measure the characteristics of a radio signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on carrier 2 during a specific measurement window 202. The measurement window 202 can begin from the first symbol (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, ODFM symbol) of SSB 204 transmitted on carrier 1 minus a time offset Δt. Furthermore, the length of the measurement window 202 may be twice the time offset Δt plus the expected length of SSB 206 transmitted on carrier 2. The time offset Δt represents the difference in synchronization between cells due to propagation delay, etc. For example, the time offset Δt can represent the difference in synchronization between a radio signal transmitted by a serving base station (e.g., on carrier 1) and a radio signal transmitted by an adjacent base station (e.g., on carrier 2).

[0071] In some implementations, the first symbol of SSB204 transmitted on carrier 1 and / or the expected length of SSB206 transmitted on carrier 2 may be signaled to the UE device (for example, using the information element SSB-ToMeasure transmitted to the UE device by the serving base station).

[0072] Furthermore, if the start and / or end points of the measurement window 202 partially overlap with symbols on one or more serving carriers, the entire symbol may be restricted (for example, not scheduled to take measurements within that symbol).

[0073] Furthermore, the UE device can transmit and / or receive data outside the measurement window 202 without interrupting measurements performed during scheduled NCSGs. For example, the UE can transmit data to and / or receive data from one or more base stations (e.g., serving base stations) during one or more time intervals that are not within the measurement window 202. Example 2 - NCSG scheduling limits for multiple MOs, same or different SCSs.

[0074] Figure 3 shows an exemplary NCSG scheduling limit that can be implemented for use cases with multiple MOs (e.g., multiple carriers to be measured), where the carriers in the serving cell have the same SCS as or different from the carriers to be measured.

[0075] In this example, the carrier of the serving base station ("Carrier 1") has a first SCS. Furthermore, the carrier from the adjacent base station to be measured ("Carrier 2") has a second SCS different from the first SCS. Furthermore, the carrier from another adjacent base station to be measured ("Carrier 3") has a third SBS different from the first SCS. For example, the SCS of Carrier 1 may have an SCS that is twice that of Carriers 2 and 3. Accordingly, a symbol transmitted on Carrier 1 may have a duration that is half the duration of a symbol transmitted on Carriers 2 and 3.

[0076] Furthermore, NCSG scheduling limits can be implemented so that the UE device is instructed to measure the characteristics of the radio signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on carrier 2 during the first measurement window 302 and to measure the characteristics of the radio signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted on carrier 3 during the second measurement window 304.

[0077] As illustrated with reference to Example 1, the first measurement window 302 may begin with the first symbol of the corresponding SSB 306 transmitted on carrier 1 minus the first time offset Δt1. Furthermore, the length of the first measurement window 302 may be twice the first time offset Δt1 plus the expected length of the SSB 308 transmitted on carrier 2. The first time offset Δt1 represents the difference in synchronization between cells due to propagation delay, etc. For example, the first time offset Δt1 may represent the difference in synchronization between a radio signal transmitted by a serving base station (e.g., on carrier 1) and a radio signal transmitted by one of the neighboring base stations (e.g., on carrier 2).

[0078] In some implementations, the first symbol of SSB306 transmitted on carrier 1 and / or the expected length of SSB308 transmitted on carrier 2 may be signaled to the UE device (for example, using the information element SSB-ToMeasure transmitted to the UE device by the serving base station).

[0079] Furthermore, the second measurement window 304 may begin from the first symbol of the corresponding SSB 310 transmitted on carrier 1 minus the second time offset Δt2. The length of the second measurement window 304 may be twice the second time offset Δt2 plus the expected length of the SSB 312 transmitted on carrier 3. The second time offset Δt2 represents the difference in synchronization between cells due to propagation delay, etc. For example, the second time offset Δt2 may represent the difference in synchronization between a radio signal transmitted by a serving base station (e.g., on carrier 1) and a radio signal transmitted by the other of the adjacent base stations (e.g., on carrier 3).

[0080] In some implementations, the first symbol of SSB310 transmitted on carrier 1 and / or the expected length of SSB312 transmitted on carrier 3 may be signaled to the UE device (for example, using the information element SSB-ToMeasure transmitted to the UE device by the serving base station).

[0081] Furthermore, if the start and / or end points of the measurement window 302 and / or 304 partially overlap with a symbol on the serving carrier, the entire symbol may be restricted (for example, so that the measurement is not scheduled to take place within that symbol).

[0082] Furthermore, the UE device can transmit and / or receive data outside of the first measurement window 302 and the second measurement window 304 without interrupting measurements performed during the scheduled NCSG. For example, the UE device can transmit data to and / or receive data from one or more base stations (e.g., serving base stations) during one or more time intervals that are not within either the first measurement window 302 or the second measurement window 304.

[0083] Furthermore, in some implementations, a UE device can merge multiple measurement windows together. For example, a UE device can determine that two or more measurement windows overlap each other at least partially in time and, in response, merge those measurement windows into a single merged measurement window. Moreover, the UE device can transmit and / or receive data outside the merged measurement window without interrupting measurements performed during scheduled NCSGs.

[0084] Figure 3 shows an exemplary use case with two MOs (e.g., two carriers to be measured), but in practice, the scheduling constraints described herein can be implemented with any number of MOs (e.g., one, two, three, four, or more).

[0085] In some implementations, the wireless communication network can also signal the UE device to measure a specific MO (e.g., a specific carrier) between each measurement window.

[0086] For example, a wireless communication network (e.g., via a serving base station) can signal a UE using a set of configuration information that sequentially indicates the MOs to be measured for each consecutive measurement window. For example, the set of configuration information {MO a ,MO b MO c、 ..., MO x} is where UE is in the sequence MO a MO b MO c、 ..., MO x It can be shown that we can measure the maximum number of MOs configured, where x is the maximum number of MOs. In some implementations, x can be equal to 8. In some implementations, x can be equal to 32. Other values ​​of x are also possible depending on the implementation.

[0087] For example, Figure 4 shows an exemplary NCSG scheduling constraint that can be implemented for a use case with multiple MOs (e.g., multiple carriers to be measured), where the carriers of the serving cell have the same SCS as or different from the carriers to be measured.

[0088] In this example, the wireless communication network (e.g., via a serving base station) signals the UE device to measure a first MO (e.g., MO1 corresponding to carrier 2) during a first measurement window 402 and a second MO (e.g., MO2 corresponding to carrier 3) during a second measurement window 404. Based on the signaling, the UE device measures the first MO during the first measurement window 402 and the second MO during the second measurement window 404.

[0089] In some implementations, the first measurement window in the sequence can be the first NCSG occasion within the time after Radio Resource Control (RRC). In some implementations, the first measurement window in the sequence may be the first NCSG occasion within the time after SFN=0 and slot 0.

[0090] Figure 4 shows an exemplary use case with two MOs (e.g., two carriers to be measured), but in practice, the scheduling constraints described herein can be implemented with any number of MOs (e.g., one, two, three, four, or more).

[0091] Figure 5A shows flowcharts of exemplary Method 500 in several implementation forms. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally explains Method 500 in the context of other figures in this description. For example, Method 500 may be performed by UE device 102 in Figure 1. It will be understood that Method 500 may be performed as appropriate by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of system, environment, software, and hardware, for example. In some implementation forms, the various steps of Method 500 may be performed in parallel, in combination, in a loop, or in any order.

[0092] According to Method 500, a user equipment (UE) device receives first signaling information from a first base station (BS) (block 502). The first signaling information indicates that the UE device determines the index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted to the UE device by a second BS on a second component carrier, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS.

[0093] In some implementations, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS), and the second component carrier may be associated with a second SCS that is different from the first SCS.

[0094] In some implementations, the first signaling information can indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0095] The UE device determines a measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB (block 504). The first measurement window is determined based on a first time offset value Δt1 and the expected length of the first SSB.

[0096] In some implementations, determining the measurement window involves determining that the start of the first measurement window is a first time offset value Δt1 preceding a consecutive first symbol of the second SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier, and determining that the length of the first measurement window is twice the first time offset value Δt1 plus the expected length of the first SSB.

[0097] In some implementations, the expected length of the first SSB may be determined based on second signaling information transmitted to the UE device by the first BS. For example, the second signaling information may include the information element SSB-ToMeasure.

[0098] In some implementations, the first time offset value Δt1 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a first radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) a second radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a second BS using a second component carrier.

[0099] The UE device measures one or more characteristics of the first SSB on the second carrier during the first measurement window (block 506).

[0100] In some implementations, method 500 may also include transmitting data to the first BS outside of the first measurement window and / or receiving data from the first BS outside of the first measurement window. Furthermore, method 500 may also include refraining from transmitting data to or receiving data from the first BS during the first measurement window.

[0101] In some implementations, the first signaling information may further indicate that the UE device should determine the index of the third SSB transmitted to the UE device by the second or third BS on the second or third component carrier, based on timing information relating to the first component carrier associated with the first BS.

[0102] Furthermore, Method 500 may include the UE device determining a second measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB, the second measurement window being determined based on a second time offset value Δt2 and the expected length of the third SSB. Furthermore, Method 500 may include the UE device measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB on the second or third component carrier during the second measurement window.

[0103] In some implementations, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS), the second component carrier may be associated with a second SCS different from the first SCS, and the third component carrier may be associated with a third SCS different from the first SCS.

[0104] In some implementations, determining the second measurement window may include determining that the start of the second measurement window is a second time offset value Δt2 preceding a consecutive first symbol of the fourth SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier. Furthermore, determining the second measurement window may include determining that the length of the second measurement window is twice the second time offset value Δt2 plus the expected length of the third SSB.

[0105] In some implementations, at least one of a first time offset value Δt1 or a second time offset value Δt2 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a second BS using a second component carrier.

[0106] In some implementations, the second time offset value Δt2 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) the radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) the radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the third BS using the third component carrier.

[0107] In some implementations, the first signaling information can indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0108] In some implementations, at least one of the expected lengths of the second SSB or the third SSB may be determined based on second signaling information transmitted to the UE device by the first BS. For example, the second signaling information may include the information element SSB-ToMeasure.

[0109] In some implementations, method 500 may further include determining that the first measurement window overlaps with the second measurement window at least partially, and in response, merging the first measurement window and the second measurement window into a merged measurement window.

[0110] In some implementations, method 500 may include transmitting data to the first BS outside of the merged measurement window and / or receiving data from the first BS outside of the merged measurement window. Furthermore, method 500 may include refraining from transmitting data to or receiving data from the first BS during the merged measurement window.

[0111] Figure 5B shows flowcharts of exemplary Method 520 in several implementation forms. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally explains Method 520 in the context of other figures in this description. For example, Method 520 may be performed by UE device 102 in Figure 1. It will be understood that Method 520 may be performed as appropriate by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of system, environment, software, and hardware, for example. In some implementation forms, the various steps of Method 520 may be performed in parallel, in combination, in a loop, or in any order.

[0112] According to Method 520, a user equipment (UE) device receives first signaling information from a first base station (BS) (block 522). The first signaling information indicates that the UE device determines the index of each of a plurality of first synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted to the UE device by a plurality of second BSs over a plurality of second component carriers, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS.

[0113] In some implementations, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS), and each of the multiple second component carriers may be associated with a different, separate SCS distinct from the first SCS.

[0114] In some implementations, the first signaling information can indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0115] The UE device determines multiple measurement windows for measuring the characteristics of one or more of the first SSBs (block 524). Each of the multiple measurement windows can be determined based on a corresponding time offset value Δt and the expected length of the corresponding one of the first SSBs.

[0116] In some implementations, determining each of the multiple measurement windows involves determining that the start of the measurement window is the corresponding time offset value Δt preceding a consecutive first symbol of the corresponding SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier. Determining each of the multiple measurement windows may also involve determining that the length of the measurement window is twice the corresponding time offset value Δt plus the expected length of one of the corresponding first SSBs.

[0117] In some implementations, the time offset value Δt can represent the synchronization difference between (i) a signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) at least one of a signal transmitted to the UE device by a plurality of second BSs using a plurality of second component carriers.

[0118] The UE device identifies a specific one of several second component carriers based on the second signaling information received at the UE device from the first BS (block 526).

[0119] Furthermore, the UE device measures one or more corresponding characteristics of the first SSBs on the identified second component carrier during the corresponding measurement window of the identified second component carrier (block 528).

[0120] In some implementations, method 520 also includes transmitting data to a first BS outside of multiple measurement windows and / or receiving data from a first BS outside of multiple measurement windows. In some implementations, method 520 also includes refraining from transmitting data to or receiving data from a first BS between multiple measurement windows.

[0121] Figure 6 shows the UE600 in several embodiments. The UE600 is similar to the UE102 in Figure 1 and may be substantially interchangeable.

[0122] The UE600 may be any mobile or non-IoT device, such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, industrial wireless sensors (e.g., microphones, carbon dioxide sensors, pressure sensors, moisture sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, laser scanners, fluid level sensors, inventory sensors, voltmeters / current meters, actuators, etc.), video surveillance / monitoring devices (e.g., cameras, video cameras, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches), and relaxation-type mobile computing devices.

[0123] The UE600 may include a processor 602, an RF interface circuit 604, memory / storage 606, a user interface 608, a sensor 610, a driver circuit 612, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 614, an antenna structure 616, and a battery 618. The components of the UE600 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a part thereof, individual electronic devices or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram in Figure 6 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE600. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other embodiments.

[0124] The components of the UE600 can be coupled with various other components via one or more interconnects 620, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or extension), transmit lines, traces, optical connections, etc., enabling various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with each other.

[0125] Processor 602 may include, for example, a baseband processor circuit (BB) 622A, a central processing unit circuit (CPU) 622B, and a graphics processing unit circuit (GPU) 622C. Processor 602 may include any type of circuit or processor circuit that executes or otherwise operates computer executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes, from memory / storage 606, to cause the UE600 to perform the operations described herein.

[0126] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuit 622A may access the communication protocol stack 624 in memory / storage 606 to communicate over a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuit 622A may access the communication protocol stack to perform user plane functions in the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, SDAP layer, and PDU layer, and control plane functions in the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access layer. In some embodiments, PHY layer operation may be additionally / alternatively performed by components of the RF interface circuit 604. The baseband processor circuit 622A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information within a 3GPP-compliant network. In some embodiments, waveforms for NR may 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.

[0127] Memory / storage 606 may include one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., communication protocol stack 624) containing instructions that can be executed by one or more processors 602 to cause the UE600 to perform the various operations described herein. Memory / storage 606 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that can be distributed throughout the UE600. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 606 may be located within the processor 602 itself (e.g., L1 and L2 caches), while other memory / storage 606 may be outside the processor 602 but accessible via a memory interface. Memory / storage 606 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, but is not limited to, for example, 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.

[0128] The RF interface circuit 604 may include a transceiver circuit and a radio frequency front module (RFEM) that enable the UE600 to communicate with other devices via a wireless access network. The RF interface circuit 604 may include various elements located in the transmit or receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, combiner circuits, control circuits, and so on.

[0129] In the receiving path, the RFEM may receive the radiated signal from the air interface via the antenna structure 616 and proceed to filter and amplify the signal (using a low-noise amplifier). The signal may be supplied to the receiver of the transceiver, which downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal provided to the baseband processor of processor 602.

[0130] In the transmission path, the transmitter of the transceiver upconverts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier before it is radiated across the air interface via antenna 616.

[0131] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuit configuration 604 may be configured to transmit / receive signals in accordance with NR access technology.

[0132] Antenna 616 may include antenna elements that convert electrical signals into radio waves and propagate them through the air, as well as elements that convert received radio waves into electrical signals. These antenna elements may be arranged on one or more antenna panels. Antenna 616 may have omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof antenna panels to enable beamforming and multi-input multi-output communication. Antenna 616 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, and the like. Antenna 616 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band, including the bands in FR1 or FR2.

[0133] The user interface circuit 608 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE600. The user interface 608 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit configuration includes, among other things, any physical or virtual means for receiving input, including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying or otherwise transmitting information, such as sensor readings, actuator positions (one or more), or other similar information. The output device circuit may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary state indicators such as light-emitting diodes "LEDs" and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (e.g., liquid crystal displays "LCDs", LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), and outputs such as characters, graphics, and multimedia objects are generated or created from the operation of the UE600.

[0134] The sensor 610 may include devices, modules, or subsystems intended to detect events or changes in its environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, in particular, inertial measuring units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; micro-electromechanical systems or nano-electromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors, flow sensors, temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors), pressure sensors; barometric pressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g., cameras or apertures without lenses); light detection and distance measuring sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., infrared detectors, etc.), depth sensors, ambient light sensors, ultrasonic transceivers, microphones, or other similar audio capture devices.

[0135] The driver circuit 612 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control specific devices that are built into, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE600. The driver circuit 612 may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE600. For example, the driver circuit 612 may include a display driver that controls and enables access to a display device, a touchscreen driver that controls and enables access to a touchscreen interface, a sensor driver that acquires sensor readings from the sensor circuit 628 and controls and enables access to the sensor circuit 628, a driver that acquires the actuator position of an electromechanical component or controls and enables access to an electromechanical component, a camera driver that controls and enables access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver that controls and enables access to one or more audio devices.

[0136] The PMIC614 can manage the power supplied to various components of the UE600. In particular, with respect to the processor 602, the PMIC614 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0137] In some embodiments, the PMIC 614 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power-saving mechanisms of the UE600, including the DRX discussed herein. The battery 618 may supply power to the UE600, but in some examples, the UE600 may be mounted and deployed in a fixed location, or it may have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 618 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as vehicle-based applications, the battery 618 may be a typical automotive lead-acid battery.

[0138] Figure 7 shows an access node 700 (e.g., a base station or gNB) according to several embodiments. The access node 700 is similar to the base station 104 and may be substantially interchangeable. The access node 700 may include a processor 702, an RF interface circuit 704, a core network (CN) interface circuit 706, a memory / storage circuit 708, and an antenna structure 710.

[0139] The components of the access node 700 may be coupled with various other components via one or more interconnects 712. The processor 702, RF interface circuit 704, memory / storage circuit 708 (including the communication protocol stack 714), antenna structure 710, and interconnects 712 may be similar to elements of similar names illustrated and described with respect to Figure 6. For example, the processor 702 may include processor circuits such as a baseband processor circuit (BB) 716A, a central processing unit circuit (CPU) 716B, and a graphics processing unit (GPU) 716C.

[0140] The CN interface circuit 706 may provide connectivity to a core network, such as a fifth-generation core network (5GC), using a 5GC-compliant network interface protocol, such as the Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the access node 700 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuit configuration 706 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communication using one or more of the protocols described above. In some implementations, the CN interface circuit 706 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0141] As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” etc., may refer to equipment that provides wireless baseband functionality for data connectivity and / or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxP, or TRP, and may include ground stations (e.g., ground access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographical area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms “NG RAN node,” etc., may refer to an access node 700 operating on an NR or 5G system (e.g., a gNB), and the term “E-UTRAN node” may refer to an access node 700 operating on an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB). According to various embodiments, the access node 700 may be implemented as one or more dedicated physical devices, such as macrocell base stations and / or low-power (LP) base stations, for providing femtocells, picocells, or other similar cells that have a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0142] In some embodiments, all or part of the access node 700 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be called CRAN and / or virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional partitioning such as PDCP partitioning, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP and other L2 protocol entities are operated by the access node 700; MAC / PHY partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP and the PHY layer is operated by the access node 700; or "lower PHY" partitioning, where the upper part of the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers is operated by CRAN / vBBUP and the lower part of the PHY layer is operated by the access node 700.

[0143] In a V2X scenario, access node 700 may be or may operate as an RSU. The term “Road Side Unit” or “RSU” may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, and an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be called a “UE-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be called an “eNB-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be called a “gNB-type RSU,” and so on.

[0144] For convenience, various components may be described in this specification as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to perform.” Descriptions of components configured to perform one or more tasks are expressly intended not to be subject to the interpretation of § 112(f) of the U.S. Patent Act.

[0145] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the following exemplary section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, a circuit associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the examples section. [Examples]

[0146] Further exemplary embodiments are provided in the following sections.

[0147] Embodiment A1 may include a method in which a user equipment (UE) device receives first signaling information from a first base station (BS). The first signaling information may indicate that the UE device should determine the index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted to the UE device by a second BS on a second component carrier, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS. Furthermore, the method may include the UE device determining a first measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB. The first measurement window may be determined based on a first time offset value Δt1 and the expected length of the first SSB. Furthermore, the method may include the UE device measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB on a second carrier during the first measurement window.

[0148] Embodiment A2 may include the method described in claim A1 or a part thereof. Furthermore, determining the first measurement window may include determining that the start of the first measurement window is a first time offset value Δt1 prior to a consecutive first symbol of the second SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier, and determining that the length of the first measurement window is twice the first time offset value Δt1 plus the expected length of the first SSB.

[0149] Example A3 may include either one of the methods of Example A1 or A2, or a part thereof. This method may also include at least one of transmitting data to a first BS outside the first measurement window, or receiving data from a first BS outside the first measurement window.

[0150] Example A4 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A3. Furthermore, the method may include refraining from transmitting data to the first BS or receiving data from the first BS during the first measurement window.

[0151] Example A5 may include any one or part thereof of the methods of Examples A1 to A4. Furthermore, the first time offset value Δt1 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a first radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) a second radio signal transmitted to the UE device by a second BS using a second component carrier.

[0152] Example A6 may include any one or part thereof of the methods of Examples A1 to A5. Furthermore, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS), and the second component carrier may be associated with a second SCS different from the first SCS.

[0153] Example A7 may include any one of the methods from Examples A1 to A6, or a part thereof. Furthermore, the first signaling information may indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0154] Example A8 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A7. Furthermore, the expected length of the first SSB can be determined based on second signaling information transmitted to the UE device by the first BS.

[0155] Example A9 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A8. Furthermore, the second signaling information may include the information element SSB-ToMeasure.

[0156] Example A10 includes the method or a part thereof described in any one of Examples A1 to A9. Furthermore, the first signaling information may further indicate that the UE device should determine the index of the third SSB transmitted to the UE device by the second BS or third BS on the second or third component carrier, based on timing information relating to the first component carrier associated with the first BS. Furthermore, the method may further include the UE device determining a second measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB, the second measurement window being determined based on a second time offset value Δt2 and the expected length of the third SSB, and the UE device measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB on the second or third component carrier during the second measurement window.

[0157] Example A11 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A10. Furthermore, determining the second measurement window may include determining that the start of the second measurement window is a second time offset value Δt2 preceding a consecutive first symbol of the fourth SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier, and determining that the length of the second measurement window is twice the second time offset value Δt2 plus the expected length of the third SSB.

[0158] Example A12 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A11. The method may also include determining that the first measurement window overlaps at least partially with the second measurement window, and merging the first measurement window and the second measurement window into a merged measurement window in response to the determination that the first measurement window overlaps at least partially with the second measurement window.

[0159] Example A13 may include the method or a part thereof described in any one of Examples A1 to A12. The method may also include at least one of transmitting data to a first BS outside the merged measurement window, or receiving data from a first BS outside the merged measurement window.

[0160] Example A14 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A13. The method may also include refraining from transmitting data to or receiving data from the first BS during the merged measurement window.

[0161] Example A15 may include any one or part thereof of the methods of Examples A1 to A14. Furthermore, at least one of the first time offset value Δt1 or the second time offset value Δt2 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the second BS using the second component carrier.

[0162] Example B6 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A15. Furthermore, the second time offset value Δt2 can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) a radio signal transmitted to the UE device by the third BS using the third component carrier.

[0163] Example A16 may include the method or a part thereof as described in any one of Examples A1 to A16. Furthermore, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS). The second component carrier may be associated with a second SCS different from the first SCS. The third component carrier may be associated with a third SCS different from the first SCS.

[0164] Example A17 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A17. Furthermore, the first signaling information may indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0165] Example A18 may include any one or part of the methods of Examples A1 to A18. Furthermore, at least one of the expected lengths of the second SSB or the third SSB may be determined based on the second signaling information transmitted to the UE device by the first BS.

[0166] Example A19 may include the method described in any one of Examples A1 to A19 or a part thereof. Furthermore, the second signaling information may include the information element SSB-ToMeasure.

[0167] Embodiment B1 may include a method in which a user equipment (UE) device receives first signaling information from a first base station (BS). The first signaling information may indicate that the UE device determines the index of each of a plurality of first synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted to the UE device by a plurality of second BSs on a plurality of second component carriers, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS. Furthermore, the method may include the UE device determining a plurality of measurement windows for measuring one or more characteristics of the plurality of first SSBs. Each of the plurality of measurement windows may be determined based on a corresponding time offset value Δt and the expected length of the corresponding one of the first SSBs. Furthermore, the method may include identifying a particular one of the plurality of second component carriers based on second signaling information received in the UE device from the first BS. Furthermore, the method may include measuring one or more characteristics of the corresponding one of the first SSBs on the identified second component carrier during the corresponding measurement window of the identified second component carrier.

[0168] Example B2 may include the method of Example B1 or a part thereof. Furthermore, determining each of the multiple measurement windows may include determining that the start of the measurement window is a corresponding time offset value Δt preceding a consecutive first symbol of the corresponding second SSB transmitted to the UE device by the first BS using the first component carrier, and that the length of the measurement window is twice the corresponding time offset value Δt plus the expected length of one of the corresponding first SSBs.

[0169] Example B3 may include the method or a part thereof described in either Example B1 or B21. The method may also include at least one of transmitting data to a first BS outside of a plurality of measurement windows, or receiving data from a first BS outside of a plurality of measurement windows.

[0170] Example B4 may include any one of the methods of Examples B1 to B3, or a part thereof. This method may also include refraining from transmitting data to or receiving data from the first BS between multiple measurement windows.

[0171] Example B5 may include any one of the methods in Examples B1 to B4, or a part thereof. Furthermore, the time offset value Δt can represent the difference in synchronization between (i) a signal transmitted to the UE device by a first BS using a first component carrier and (ii) at least one of the signals transmitted to the UE device by a plurality of second BSs using a plurality of second component carriers.

[0172] Example B6 may include any one of the methods in Examples B1 to B5, or a part thereof. Furthermore, the first component carrier may be associated with a first subcarrier interval (SCS). Each of the multiple second component carriers may be associated with a different individual SCS distinct from the first SCS.

[0173] Example B7 may include the method or a part thereof described in any one of Examples B1 to B6. Furthermore, the first signaling information may indicate that the value of the information element deriveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true.

[0174] Example C1: A non-temporary computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause one or more computers to perform any of the methods of Examples A1-A8, B1-B9, or C1-C6, or any other method or process described herein.

[0175] Example D1: The system includes one or more computers and one or more storage devices that store instructions capable of causing one or more computers to perform any of the methods in Examples A1-A19 and B1-B7, or any other method or process described herein, when executed by one or more computers.

[0176] Example E1 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples A1-A19, B1-B7, or any other method or process described herein.

[0177] Example F1 may include methods, techniques, or processes described in or related to Examples A1-A19, B1-B7, or any part or portion thereof.

[0178] Example G1 may include a device having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media having instructions, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause one or more processors to execute a method, technique or process, or a part thereof, described in or related to any of Examples A1 to A19, B1 to B7, or any part thereof.

[0179] Example H1 may include signals described in or related to Examples A1-A19, B1-B7, or any part or portion thereof.

[0180] Example I1 may include datagrams, information elements, packets, frames, segments, PDUs, or messages, or parts thereof, or other items described in or related to Examples A1-A19, B1-B7, or any part or portion thereof.

[0181] Example J1 may include a signal encoded with data described in or related to Examples A1 to A19, B1 to B7, or any part or portion thereof, or any other signal described herein.

[0182] Example K1 may include datagrams, IEs, packets, frames, segments, PDUs, or messages, or signals encoded in part or in part thereof, as described or related to Examples A1-A19, B1-B7, or any part or portion thereof, or signals otherwise described in this disclosure.

[0183] Example L1 may include an electromagnetic signal that carries a plurality of computer-readable instructions, and the execution of the plurality of computer-readable instructions by one or more processors causes one or more processors to execute a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of Examples A1 to A19, B1 to B7, or any part or portion thereof.

[0184] Example M1 may include a computer program having instructions, which, when the program is executed by a processing element, cause the processing element to execute a method, technique, or process described in, related to, or part of, any of Examples A1-A19, B1-B7, or any part thereof. The operation or action performed by the instructions executed by the processing element may include any one of the methods in Examples A1-A19 and B1-B7.

[0185] Example N1 may include signals in a wireless network as described herein.

[0186] Example O1 may include a method of communication in a wireless network as described herein.

[0187] Example P1 may include a system that provides wireless communication as described herein. The operation or action performed by the system may include any one of the methods of Examples A1 to A19 and B1 to B7.

[0188] Example Q1 may include a device that provides wireless communication as described herein. The operation or action performed by the device may include any one of the methods in Examples A1 to A19 and B1 to B7.

[0189] The above-described embodiments A1 to R1 can be implemented using a computer implementation method, a non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-readable instructions for executing the computer implementation method, and a computer system including computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardware processor configured to execute the computer implementation method or the instructions stored in the non-temporary computer-readable medium.

[0190] A system, such as a base station or a device comprising one or more baseband processors, can be configured to perform a specific operation or action by installing software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof on the system that causes the system to perform an operation or action during operation. The operation or action performed by the system may include any one of the methods in Examples A1 to A19 and B1 to B7.

[0191] Any of the above examples may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments) unless otherwise specified. The above descriptions of one or more implementations are illustrative and illustrative, but are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the exact forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible based on the above teachings or can be learned from the practice of various embodiments.

[0192] Although the embodiments described above are described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art if the above disclosure is fully understood. The following claims are intended to be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

[0193] It should be fully understood that the use of personally identifiable information should adhere to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to the user.

Claims

1. One or more baseband processors configured to perform an operation, wherein the operation is Receiving first signaling information from a first base station (BS), wherein the first signaling information indicates that a user device (UE) determines the index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted to the UE by a second BS on a second component carrier, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS; A first measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB, wherein the first measurement window has a first time offset value Δt 1 Determining a first measurement window, which is determined based on the expected length of the first SSB, The start of the first measurement window is determined to be the first time offset value Δt1 prior to a sequence of first symbols of the second SSB transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier, This includes determining that the length of the first measurement window is twice the first time offset value Δt1 plus the expected length of the first SSB, Determining the first measurement window, One or more baseband processors, comprising measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB on the second carrier during the first measurement window.

2. The aforementioned operation, Transmitting data to the first BS outside the first measurement window, or One or more baseband processors according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of receiving data from the first BS outside the first measurement window.

3. The aforementioned operation, One or more baseband processors according to claim 1, further comprising refraining from transmitting data to the first BS or receiving data from the first BS during the first measurement window.

4. The first time offset value Δt 1 One or more baseband processors according to claim 1, wherein (i) a first radio signal transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) a second radio signal transmitted to the UE by the second BS using the second component carrier.

5. One or more baseband processors according to claim 1, wherein the first component carrier is associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS), and the second component carrier is associated with a second SCS different from the first SCS.

6. The first signaling information indicates that the value of the information element driveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, one or more baseband processors according to claim 1.

7. The expected length of the first SSB is determined based on the second signaling information transmitted to the UE by the first BS. The second signaling information includes an information element SSB-ToMeasure, one or more baseband processors according to claim 1.

8. The first signaling information further indicates that the UE should determine the index of the third SSB transmitted to the UE by the second BS or the third BS on the second or third component carrier, based on the timing information relating to the first component carrier associated with the first BS. The aforementioned method, A second measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the third SSB, wherein the second measurement window is a second time offset value Δt 2 And, to determine a second measurement window, which is determined based on the expected length of the third SSB, One or more baseband processors according to claim 1, further comprising measuring one or more of the characteristics of the third SSB on the second component carrier or the third component carrier during the second measurement window.

9. Determining the second measurement window is The start of the second measurement window is the second time offset value Δt prior to the first consecutive symbol of the fourth SSB transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier. 2 To decide that, The length of the second measurement window is the second time offset value Δt 2 One or more baseband processors according to claim 8, comprising determining that the expected length of the third SSB is twice the length of the third SSB.

10. The aforementioned operation, It is determined that the first measurement window overlaps with the second measurement window at least partially, One or more baseband processors according to claim 8, further comprising merging the first measurement window and the second measurement window into a merged measurement window in response to the determination that the first measurement window overlaps with the second measurement window at least partially.

11. The aforementioned operation, Sending data to the first BS outside the merged measurement window, or One or more baseband processors according to claim 10, further comprising at least one of receiving data from the first BS outside the merged measurement window.

12. The aforementioned operation, One or more baseband processors according to claim 10, further comprising refraining from transmitting data to or receiving data from the first BS during the merged measurement window.

13. The first time offset value Δt 1 or the second time offset value Δt 2 At least one of the components represents a difference in synchronization between (i) a radio signal transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) a radio signal transmitted to the UE by the second BS using the second component carrier, one or more baseband processors according to claim 8.

14. The second time offset value Δt 2 The baseband processors of claim 8, wherein (i) a radio signal transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier and (ii) a radio signal transmitted to the UE by the third BS using the third component carrier, wherein one or more baseband processors of claim 8 represent the difference in synchronization between these two signals.

15. One or more baseband processors according to claim 8, wherein the first component carrier is associated with a first subcarrier spacing (SCS), the second component carrier is associated with a second SCS different from the first SCS, and the third component carrier is associated with a third SCS different from the first SCS.

16. The first signaling information indicates that the value of the information element driveSSB-IndexFromCell-inter is true, one or more baseband processors according to claim 8.

17. At least one of the expected lengths of the second SSB or the expected lengths of the third SSB is determined based on the second signaling information transmitted to the UE by the first BS. The second signaling information includes an information element SSB-ToMeasure, one or more baseband processors according to claim 8.

18. It is a method, Receiving first signaling information from a first base station (BS), wherein the first signaling information indicates that a user device (UE) determines the index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted to the UE by a second BS on a second component carrier, based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS; A first measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB, the first measurement window having a first time offset value Δt 1 determining a first measurement window determined based on the first time offset value Δt and the expected length of the first SSB The start of the first measurement window is determined to be the first time offset value Δt1 prior to a sequence of first symbols of the second SSB transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier, This includes determining that the length of the first measurement window is twice the first time offset value Δt1 plus the expected length of the first SSB, Determining the first measurement window, A method comprising measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB on the second carrier during the first measurement window.

19. User equipment (UE), One or more processors, The system includes a memory that stores instructions for causing the base station to perform an operation when executed by one or more processors, and the operation is The first signaling information is received from a first base station (BS), wherein the first signaling information indicates that the UE determines the index of a first synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted to the UE by a second BS on a second component carrier based on timing information relating to a first component carrier associated with the first BS. A first measurement window for measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB, wherein the first measurement window has a first time offset value Δt 1 Determining a first measurement window, which is determined based on the expected length of the first SSB, The start of the first measurement window is determined to be the first time offset value Δt1 prior to a sequence of first symbols of the second SSB transmitted to the UE by the first BS using the first component carrier, This includes determining that the length of the first measurement window is twice the first time offset value Δt1 plus the expected length of the first SSB, Determining the first measurement window, A user instrument (UE) comprising measuring one or more characteristics of the first SSB on the second carrier during the first measurement window.

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