Improvements to pre-configuration, activation, and simultaneous execution of wireless device measurement gaps.

Abstract

The present disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus related to measurement gaps, where a user equipment (UE) device identifies a configuration message for a pre-configured measurement gap received from a 5G network device before switching out of an active bandwidth portion (BWP), during which the UE device performs both gapless and gap-based frequency measurements, the configuration message indicating that the pre-configured measurement gap requires activation, identifies activation of the pre-configured measurement gap, and can measure a reference signal during the pre-configured measurement gap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Related Patent Applications] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 169,706, filed Apr. 1, 2021; U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 169,749, filed Apr. 1, 2021; U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 169,780, filed Apr. 1, 2021; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 173,277, filed Apr. 9, 2021, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties as if fully set forth.

[0002] [Technical Field] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for wireless communication, and more particularly, to the pre-configuration, activation, and concurrent execution of wireless device measurement gaps for 5th generation (5G) communication.

Background Art

[0003] Wireless devices have become widespread, and the use of wireless channels is increasing. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) is developing one or more standards for wireless communication.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] [Figure 1] A network diagram showing an exemplary process for using multiple concurrent measurement gaps, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A network diagram showing an exemplary process for using a pre-configured measurement gap, according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] A flowchart of a process for the explanation of using an activation instruction for a pre-configured measurement gap, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] A flowchart of a process for the explanation of using a pre-configured measurement gap, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] This is a flowchart illustrating the process for using multiple simultaneous measurement gaps according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4C] This is a flowchart illustrating the process for using multiple independent measurement gaps according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] The present disclosure shows a network according to one or more exemplary embodiments. [Figure 6] A schematic representation of a wireless network according to one or more exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram showing components according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0005] The following description and drawings adequately illustrate specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can implement them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, and electrical processing, algorithms, and other modifications. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or replace parts and features of other embodiments. The embodiments described in the claims encompass all available equivalents of those claims.

[0006] Wireless devices can perform measurements as defined by technical standards. For cellular communications, the Third Generation Partnership Programme (3GPP®) defines communication technologies, including device measurements such as inter-frequency measurements, intra-frequency measurements, and inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements.

[0007] In particular, the 3GPP® standard defines the concept of a measurement gap, which allows a user equipment (UE) device to perform a measurement when it is unable to measure the target carrier frequency during transmission and reception in a serving cell. The measurement gap may be periodic (e.g., periodically repeating). Unlike in-frequency measurements in LTE, a measurement gap may be necessary for in-frequency measurements (e.g., when the measurement is performed outside the active bandwidth portion).

[0008] Release 17 of the 3GPP® standard provides the concept of multiple simultaneous measurement gaps, allowing for multiple measurement gaps to occur for a UE within a given time period. Previously, only one measurement gap per UE was permitted during a time period.

[0009] Furthermore, while 5G networks previously had pre-configured measurement gaps to avoid scheduling data transmissions during those gaps, the new release allows the network to be triggered to communicate with UEs during the measurement gap time period (e.g., to request UE activation). This requires pre-configuring measurement gaps, activating pre-configured measurement gaps, and providing instructions for activating measurement gaps.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, this disclosure considers the impact of TX / RX timing errors on the accuracy of DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, and Multi-RTT positioning methods. This disclosure provides methods for estimating and compensating for UE TX / RX and gNB TX / RX timing errors, and an Information Element (IE) format to support reporting of such measurements for use in extended positioning techniques. The extensions herein apply to TDOA and RTT techniques.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, a 5G network can configure multiple simultaneous measurement gaps for a UE during a time period. These multiple simultaneous gaps may be for a limited, specific time period, which may be up to all measurement gap cycles (e.g., configured by the network for the UE). The network can configure multiple simultaneous measurement gaps independently of each other. Measurement gap patterns can be selected from Release 16 measurement gap patterns (e.g., 0-25). Regarding the independence of measurement gaps, gaps may be considered independent if at least one of the configurations of the measurement gap length (MGL), measurement gap repetition period (MGRP), and / or time offset differs. Measurement gaps may also be considered independent if they can operate simultaneously without affecting the measurement performance requirements of other gaps.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the time period over which concurrent measurement gaps can be configured may be called the common period. Generally, multiple concurrent measurement gaps may allow a serving gNB to configure multiple gaps within a given time period, which may depend on the maximum MGRP of the gaps configured by all UEs. Similarly, the common period may be the lifetime of the concurrent measurement gap. Therefore, the common period must not be shorter than the individual gaps contained within the concurrent measurement gap. In one option, the common period may be the maximum value of MGRPi, which may represent the measurement period if the i-th individual measurement gap is configured within the concurrent measurement gap. As defined in Release 17, the maximum MGRP may be 160ms. In another option, the concurrent gap may consist of individual gap instances, which may be independent of each other, regardless of whether their MGRPs or MGLs are different, as they are intended for use with different measurement targets or layers (for example, if the “multiple concurrent gaps” feature is supported, a UE may consist of multiple measurement gaps).

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the network may configure pre-configured measurement gaps (e.g., fixed gaps). These pre-configured measurement gaps may be configured before the UE switches its activated bandwidth part (BWP), be effective before and after the UE's BWP switching, and may be configured to associate with a specific measurement target, which may be defined by the frequency layer. The pre-configured measurement gaps may be configured per UE and per frequency range (FR), and may be configured to associate with a BWP or to activate all BWPs.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, if the network constitutes a measurement gap, the network may communicate with the UE during the measurement gap in certain situations. For example, the measurement gap may be activated or deactivated according to a DCI or timer-based BWP switch (e.g., per BWP measurement gap configuration). The network may configure a pre-configured measurement gap, activate the pre-configured measurement gap (e.g., when BWP switching occurs), and deactivate the pre-configured measurement gap. The purpose of the pre-configured measurement gap is to accommodate measurement gap configurations based on the dynamic conditions of in-frequency measurements due to BWP switching. In contrast to conventional measurement gaps, pre-configured measurement gaps may need to be further activated when BWP switching occurs. The configuration procedure for a pre-configured measurement gap may follow the “MeasGapConfig” mechanism of Release 16, which defines the measurement gap associated with the MO itself. The “PreConfigMG” mechanism (e.g., PreConfigMG=true) can distinguish a pre-configured measurement gap from a conventional measurement gap that uses MeasGapConfig.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the measurement gap may be per BWP (e.g., on or off for a particular BWP). For example, in the case of MeasGapConfig, the measurement gap may or may not be activated for each BWP UE based on the signaling in MeasGapConfig for each BWP.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the 5G network may autonomously activate pre-configured measurement gaps by the gNB and UE. The gNB may not have to schedule within the pre-configured measurement gaps after BWP switching. The UE may autonomously perform measurements on the target MO using the pre-configured measurement gaps after BWP switching. Bits may be used to indicate or register the activation of pre-configured measurement gaps and may be provided to the UE by the gNB (e.g., on or without a request from the UE).

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the gNB may set a pre-configured measurement gap before the UE's active BWP switching is triggered. The gNB does not have to schedule data within the pre-configured measurement gap after BWP switching. The pre-configured measurement gap configuration may be associated with something to be measured, such as a frequency carrier. The pre-configured measurement gap configuration may include basic gap pattern information, such as measurement length and measurement period, and activation instructions for possible UE BWPs. The activation instructions may be a flag to distinguish it from conventional measurement gap configurations (e.g., a PreConfigMG flag) or a bitmap of all possible BWPs (e.g., N bits for N candidate BWPs). If the activation instruction for BWP switching is true, the UE can perform a measurement on the target MO using the pre-configured measurement gap. The UE's candidate BWPs may be reconfigured by an RRC (e.g., DowlinkConfigCommon), and the RRC may update the instruction bits. When the UE's MO is reconfigured, the same RRC may update the instruction bits.

[0018] The above description is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply limitation. Many other examples, configurations, processes, and algorithms may exist, some of which are described in more detail below. Exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 is a network diagram showing an exemplary process 100 for using multiple simultaneous measurement gaps according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, the process 100 can include a UE device 102 and a 5G network device (e.g., gNB 104). During a common time period 106, the UE device 102 can be configured by the gNB 104 to use a plurality of simultaneous measurement gaps (e.g., frequencies 107 to frequency f0 in the serving cell) for which frequency measurements are to be performed. For example, the first measurement gap 110 and the second measurement gap 108 can have a period of MGRP 112 and can be used to measure reference signals, as will be described further below. The third measurement gap 114 can be used to measure reference signals, as will be described further below. After the common time period 106, the UE device 102 can measure reference signals using the measurement gap 116 and can measure reference signals using the measurement gap 118, as will be described further below. As an example, the measurement gap 116 and the measurement gap 118 are shown as temporally overlapping. The reference signal may be transmitted by the gNB 104.

[0021] Referring to Figure 1, at the adjacent cell frequency 121 (e.g., frequency f2), the MGRP 122 may define the period of the CSI transmissions (e.g., CSI 124 and CSI 128). During the measurement gap 108, the UE device 102 may measure SSB 130 at the adjacent cell frequency 129 (e.g., frequency f1) (and may also measure the corresponding channel state information (CSI) 132 as a reference signal, where SSB 130 and CSI 132 are within the same frequency f1 but have different BWPs). During the measurement gap 110, the UE device 102 may measure SSB 134 at the adjacent cell frequency 129. SSB 136 and CSI 138 may be transmitted using the adjacent cell frequency 129 during the common time period 106. During the measurement gap 118, the UE device 102 may measure SSB 140 using the adjacent cell frequency 129. Using the adjacent cell frequency 141, the UE device 102 may receive positioning reference signals (PRS) 144 and PRS 146, defined by the period of the MGRP 148. The UE device 102 may measure the PRS 146 during the measurement gap 116.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the gNB 104 can configure a simultaneous measurement gap for the UE device 102 during a common time period 106. The common time period 106 must not be shorter than any individual measurement gap during the common time period 106. The duration of the common time period 106 can be a function of max(MGRPi), where MGRPi is the measurement period of the i-th individual measurement gap within the common time period 106. A simultaneous measurement gap can represent multiple measurement gaps that are valid for the same UE measurement during the common time period 106. Because a simultaneous measurement gap is intended for the use of different measurement targets or layers (for example, if the UE device 102 supports the "multiple simultaneous gaps" feature, the UE device 102 may configure multiple measurement gaps), it can include individual gap instances that are independent of each other, regardless of whether the MGRP or MGL are different.

[0023] UE102 may include any suitable processor-driven device, including but not limited to mobile devices or non-mobile devices such as fixed devices. For example, the UE102 is used in personal computers (PCs), wearable wireless devices (e.g., bracelets, watches, glasses, rings, etc.), desktop computers, mobile computers, laptop computers, ultrabook® computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, server computers, handheld computers, handheld devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, sensor devices, PDA devices, handheld PDA devices, onboard devices, offboard devices, hybrid devices (e.g., a combination of mobile phone and PDA device functions), consumer devices, vehicle devices, non-vehicle devices, mobile or portable devices, non-mobile or non-portable devices, mobile phones, cellular phones, PCS devices, PDA devices with built-in wireless communication devices, mobile or portable GPS devices, DVB devices, relatively small computing devices, non-desktop computers, context-aware devices, video devices, audio devices, A / V devices, set-top boxes (STBs), Blu-ray disc (BD) players, BD recorders, and digital video discs. DVD players, high-definition (HD) DVD players, DVD recorders, HD DVD recorders, personal video recorders (PVRs), broadcast HD receivers, video sources, audio sources, video sync, audio sync, stereo tuners, broadcast radio receivers, flat panel displays, personal media players (PMPs), digital video cameras(DVC)), digital audio player, speaker, audio receiver, audio amplifier, game device, data source, data sink, digital still camera (DSC), media player, smartphone, TV, music player, etc. Other devices including smart devices such as lamps, environmental controls, automotive parts, household parts, and electrical appliances may also be included in this list.

[0024] As used herein, the term “Internet of Things (IoT) device” is used to describe any object (e.g., electrical appliance, sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address, Bluetooth identifier (ID), Near Field Communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and can transmit information to one or more other devices via a wired or wireless connection. IoT devices may have passive communication interfaces such as quick response (QR) codes, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, NFC tags, or active communication interfaces such as modems, transceivers, and transceivers. IoT devices may have a specific set of attributes (e.g., device state or status such as whether the IoT device is on or off, open or closed, idle or active, task-executable or busy, cooling or heating capabilities, environmental monitoring or recording capabilities, light emission capabilities, sound emission capabilities, etc.) that can be incorporated into and / or controlled / monitored by a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, ASIC, etc., and configured to connect to an IoT network such as a local ad-hoc network or the Internet. For example, IoT devices include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwave ovens, freezers, dishwashers, dishes, hand tools, washing machines, clothes dryers, furnaces, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, lighting fixtures, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers, electric meters, and gas meters, as long as they are equipped with an addressable communication interface for communicating with an IoT network. IoT devices may also include mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs).Therefore, IoT networks may consist of a combination of devices that do not typically have internet connectivity (e.g., dishwashers) and legacy devices that can access the internet (e.g., laptops or desktop computers, mobile phones, etc.).

[0025] Both the UE102 and gNB104 may include one or more communication antennas. These one or more communication antennas may be any suitable type of antenna corresponding to the communication protocols used by the UE102 and gNB104. Non-exclusive examples of suitable communication antennas include 3GPP® antennas, directional antennas, omnidirectional antennas, dipole antennas, foldable dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas, and quasi-omnidirectional antennas. The one or more communication antennas can be communicatively coupled to the radio component to transmit and / or receive signals, such as communication signals to and from the UE102 and gNB104.

[0026] It should be understood that the above explanation is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation.

[0027] Figure 2 is a network diagram showing an exemplary process 200 for using a pre-configured measurement gap according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] Referring to Figure 2, UE device 102 can communicate with gNB 104 in Figure 1. UE device 102 can receive SSB 204 (e.g., from gNB 104) during an SSB-based Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) 202. SMTC 202 can use the neighbor cell frequency 207 (e.g., frequency f3) to define the period between SSB 206 and SSB 206 from gNB 104. UE device 102 can receive SSB 208 and SSB 210 (e.g., from gNB 104) using the neighbor cell frequency 211 (e.g., frequency f2), and receive SSB 212 and SSB 214 (e.g., from gNB 104) using the neighbor cell frequency 215 (e.g., frequency f1). SSB 208 and SSB 212 can be time-offset from SSB 204 (e.g., by just one SSB). The UE device 102 may have a measurement gap 216 using the adjacent cell frequency 217 between SSB 204. The UE device 102 may have pre-configured gaps (PCGs) 220 and PCG 222 using the adjacent cell frequency 223. PCG 220 may be between SSB 212 and SSB 208, and PCG 222 may be between SSB 214 and SSB 210.

[0029] Referring further to Figure 2, in step 230, the UE device 102 may switch back from frequency 231 to frequency f3 during the measurement gap 216 (for example, to measure SSB 204 using frequency f3). In step 232, the UE device 102 may perform a frequency measurement during PCG 220 without a measurement gap. In step 234, the UE device 102 may receive a command to trigger BWP switching (for example, a DCI command from gNB 104), in which case there may be a switching time delay. In step 236, using a different BWP 327, the UE device 102 may perform a frequency measurement using PCG 222, and in step 238, using a different BWP, the frequency measurement may be performed using PCG 222.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, the PCG can accommodate measurement gap configurations for dynamic situations involving BWP switching for in-frequency measurements. To facilitate dynamic BWP switching situations, the PCG may require further activation (e.g., when BWP switching occurs). For example, the PCG configuration can define the measurement gap by MO using the aforementioned MeasGapConfig flag (e.g., adjacent cell frequencies 207, 211, 215 may be MOs). For example, the PCG configuration may be:

number

[0031] In one or more embodiments, the measurement gap configuration may be based on the relevant BWP. Whether a measurement gap is necessary may depend on the relationship between the UE's active BWP and the object being measured (e.g., serving cell or neighboring cell). For example, in Figure 2, there are three MOs before the BWP switching (neighboring cell frequencies 207, 211, and 215). MO1 (e.g., using neighboring cell frequency 215) and MO2 (e.g., using neighboring cell frequency 211) are in-f SSB measurements in the same frequency layer as the serving cell (e.g., at f0 and f1), and MO3 (e.g., using neighboring cell frequency 217) is an inter-frequency SSB measurement. Thus, the legacy MG may only be associated with MO3 before the BWP switching (e.g., in step 234). If the PCG is supported by a 5G network (e.g., gNB104) and UE device 102, the PCG may be configured when the RRC connection is established or when a reconfiguration occurs. For MO1 and MO2, UE device 102 can perform in-frequency measurements. As a result, the PCG may not be active before BWP switching. However, the PCG can be used to measure MO1 and MO2 after BWP switching, and the UE device 102 may not perform in-frequency measurements of MO1 and MO2 because the relationship between them and the active BWP has changed (e.g., a single pre-configured gap for MO1 and MO2).

[0032] In one or more embodiments, if an MG is defined for each BWP, multiple PCG configurations may be required for each BWP to arbitrate BWP switching. The network may require multiple patterns for each BWP switch, for example:

number

[0033] In one or more embodiments, the PCG requires additional activation and may be autonomously activated by the gNB104 and UE device 102. The gNB104 shall not schedule any transmissions during the PCG after BWP switching. The UE device 102 may autonomously perform frequency measurements on the target MO via the PCG after BWP switching (e.g., during PCG222). Instructing or registering the activation of the PCG may or may not be done by updating the gNB104. The instruction bit may be transferred to the UE device 102 to trigger the activation of the PCG, or may be requested by the UE device 102 for the activation of the PCG.

[0034] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process 300 for explaining the use of a pre-configured measurement gap activation instruction according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Referring to Figure 3, process 300 may include the UE device 102 and gNB 104 in Figure 1. In step 302, gNB 104 can send downlinkConfigCommon (RRC) to the i-th BWP. In step 304, gNB 104 can provide RRCConnectionReconfiguration{PreMGConfig} as described later. In step 306, RRC connection reconfiguration complete can indicate that the reconfiguration of the RRC connection is complete. In step 308, UE device 102 can perform gapless measurement on the current MO. In step 310, DCI from gNB 104 can trigger BWP switching by UE device 102. In step 312, gNB 104 can activate the measurement gap for UE device 102. In step 314, UE device 102 and gNB 104 can exchange measurement reports for MO measurement. In step 316, optionally, the PreMGONOFF bit of the currently active BWP of UE device 102 can be turned on, and in step 318, optionally, RRC connection reconfiguration can be completed. In step 320, optionally, UE device 102 can perform gap-based measurements on the current MO. In step 322, UE device 102 can perform BWP switching to the default BWP. In step 324, optionally, the PreMGONOFF bit of the currently active BWP can be turned off, and in step 326, optionally, UE device 102 can perform gapless measurements on the current MO. In step 328, optionally, UE device 102 and gNB 104 can update PreMGONOFF via RRC.

[0036] In one or more embodiments, PreMGConfig may be as follows:

number

number

[0037] In one or more embodiments, when BWP switching is triggered by DCI, if the BWP activation indicator bit is ON, the UE may perform gap-based measurements on the configured MO (e.g., step 320). The activation indicator bit may be provided to the UE device 102 before BWP switching (e.g., in a PCG configuration or earlier configuration).

[0038] In one or more embodiments, the activation instruction bits (indicating PreMGONOFFBitMap) for the BWP configuration of the UE device (e.g., a list of candidate BWPs) may be updated by the RRC after any subsequent changes to the BWP configuration.

number

[0039] In one or more embodiments, the PCG may be configured by the gNB104 before switching the active BWP of the UE device. The gNB104 must not schedule any transmissions during the PCG after BWP switching. The PCG configuration may be associated with the MO (e.g., frequency carrier). The PCG configuration may include gap pattern information (e.g., measurement length, measurement period) and activation instructions for all candidate UE BWPs. The activation instructions may be flags to distinguish them from legacy MG configurations. The activation instructions may be bitmaps of all candidate BWPs. The UE device 102 can perform measurements on the target MO via the PCG if the activation instructions for BWP switching are true. If the candidate BWP of the UE is configured by an RRC (e.g., DownlinkConfigCommon), the activation instruction bits may be updated by the RRC. If the MO of the UE is reconfigured, the activation instruction bits may be updated by the same RRC.

[0040] Figure 4A is a flowchart of process 400 for illustrating the use of a pre-configured measurement gap according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] In block 402, a device (e.g., UE device 102 in Figure 1) can identify (e.g., detect and decode) a first configuration message received from a network device (e.g., gNB 104 in Figure 1) for a pre-configured measurement gap that requires activation. Pre-configuration can be performed, for example, based on the description in Figures 2 and 3.

[0042] In block 404, the device can identify an activation instruction for a pre-configured measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figure 3).

[0043] In block 406, the device can measure a reference signal during a pre-configured measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figures 2 and 3).

[0044] Figure 4B is a flowchart illustrating process 430 for use in using multiple simultaneous measurement gaps according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] In block 432, a device (e.g., UE device 102 in Figure 1) can identify (e.g., detect and decode) a first configuration message for a first measurement gap (e.g., as described with respect to Figure 1).

[0046] In block 434, the device can identify additional configuration messages for additional measurement gaps simultaneously with the first measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figure 1).

[0047] In block 436, the device can measure a reference signal during a first measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figure 1).

[0048] In block 438, the device can measure an additional reference signal during the additional measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figure 1).

[0049] Figure 4C is a flowchart illustrating the use of multiple independent measurement gaps according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0050] In block 462, a device (e.g., UE device 102 in Figure 1) can identify (e.g., detect and decode) a first configuration message for a first measurement gap (e.g., as described with respect to Figure 1).

[0051] In block 464, the device can identify additional configuration messages for additional measurement gaps that are set independently of the first measurement gap (as described with respect to Figure 1, for example).

[0052] In block 466, the device can measure a reference signal during a first measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figure 1).

[0053] In block 468, the device can measure an additional reference signal during the additional measurement gap (as described, for example, with respect to Figure 1).

[0054] The examples given here are not intended to be limiting.

[0055] Figure 5 shows a network 500 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] Network 500 can operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP® technical specifications for LTE or 5G / NR systems. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this respect, and the embodiments described may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP® systems.

[0057] Network 500 may include UE502, which includes any mobile or non-mobile computing device designed to communicate with RAN504 via a wireless connection. UE502 can be coupled to RAN504 for communication via a Uu interface. UE502 includes, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, automotive infotainment systems, automotive entertainment systems, instrument clusters, head-up display devices, automotive diagnostic devices, dashboard relocation devices, mobile data terminals, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units, electronic / engine control modules, embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers, control modules, networked home appliances, mechanical communication devices, M2M or D2D devices, IoT devices, etc.

[0058] In some embodiments, the network 500 may include multiple UEs directly coupled to one another via a sidelink interface. The UEs may be M2M / D2D devices that communicate using physical sidelink channels such as PSBCH, PSDCH, PSCH, PSCCH, and PSFCH.

[0059] In some embodiments, the UE502 may further communicate with the AP506 via a wireless connection. The AP506 can manage the WLAN connection, which helps offload some or all of the network traffic from the RAN504. The connection between the UE502 and the AP506 can be compatible with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, and the AP506 can be a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi®) router. In some embodiments, the UE502, RAN504, and AP506 can utilize cellular WLAN aggregation (e.g., LWA / LWIP). The cellular WLAN aggregation may include the UE502 configured by the RAN504 to utilize both cellular radio resources and WLAN resources.

[0060] RAN504 may include one or more access nodes, such as AN508. AN508 can terminate the radio interface protocol for UE502 by providing an access stratum protocol including RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and L1 protocols. In this way, AN508 can enable data / voice connectivity between CN520 and UE502. In some embodiments, AN508 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer, either as a separate device or as part of a virtual network, such as CRAN or virtual baseband unit pool. AN508 is referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, ng-eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, TRP, etc. AN508 can be a macrocell base station or low-power base station for providing femtocells, picocells, or other similar cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacities, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0061] In embodiments where RAN504 includes multiple ANs, they can be coupled to each other via an X2 interface (if RAN504 is an LTE RAN) or an Xn interface (if RAN504 is a 5G RAN). The X2 / Xn interface can be separated into a control / user plane interface in some embodiments, enabling ANs to communicate information related to handover, data / context transfer, mobility, load management, interference adjustment, etc.

[0062] Each AN of RAN504 can manage one or more cells, cell groups, component carriers, etc., to provide a wireless interface for network access to UE502. UE502 may be simultaneously connected to multiple cells provided by the same or different ANs of RAN504. For example, UE502 and RAN504 may use carrier aggregation to allow UE502 to connect to multiple component carriers, each corresponding to a Pcell or Scell. In a dual connectivity scenario, the first AN may be a master node providing an MCG, and the second AN may be a secondary node providing an SCG. The first / second ANs may be any combination of eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs, etc.

[0063] RAN504 may provide a radio interface on authorized or unauthorized spectra. To operate on unauthorized spectra, nodes may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms based on CA technology with PCells / SCells. Before accessing unauthorized spectra, nodes may perform medium / carrier detection operations, for example, based on the listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0064] In a V2X scenario, UE502 or AN508 may be, or function as, an RSU representing any transport infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU may be implemented in, or by, a suitable AN or a fixed (or relatively fixed) UE. An RSU may be implemented in, or by: a UE may be called a “UE-type RSU”, an eNB may be called an “eNB-type RSU”, a gNB may be called a “gNB-type RSU”, and so on. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled with a roadside radio frequency circuit that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs. An RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map shapes, traffic statistics, and media, as well as applications / software for detecting and controlling oncoming vehicle and pedestrian traffic. An RSU can provide very low-latency communication required for high-speed events such as collision avoidance and traffic warnings. As an addition or alternative, an RSU can provide other cellular / WLAN communication services. The RSU components are packaged in a weather-resistant enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller that provides a traffic signaling controller or wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) to a backhaul network.

[0065] In some embodiments, RAN504 may be an LTE RAN510 equipped with an eNB, eNB512, for example. The LTE RAN510 may provide an LTE radio interface with the following characteristics: a 15kHz SCS, CP-OFDM waveforms for DL ​​and SC-FDMA waveforms for UL, turbo code for data and TBCC for control, etc. The LTE radio interface may rely on CSI-RS for CSI acquisition and beam management, PDSCH / PDCCHDMRS for PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation, and CRS for cell discovery and initial acquisition, channel quality measurement, and channel estimation for coherent demodulation / detection at the UE. The LTE radio interface may operate in the sub-6GHz band.

[0066] In some embodiments, RAN504 may be an NG-RAN514 having a gNB, e.g., gNB516, or an ng-eNB, e.g., ng-eNB518. gNB516 may connect to a 5G-enabled UE using a 5G NR interface. gNB516 may connect to the 5G core via an NG interface including an N2 interface or an N3 interface. ng-eNB518 may connect to the 5G core via an NG interface, or it may connect to the UE via an LTE radio interface. gNB516 and ng-eNB518 may be connected to each other via an Xn interface.

[0067] In some embodiments, the NG interface can be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface (e.g., N3 interface) that transmits traffic data between the NG-RAN514 node and the UPF548, and an NG control plane (NG-C) interface (e.g., N2 interface) that is a signaling interface between the NG-RAN514 node and the AMF544.

[0068] NG-RAN514 can provide a 5G-NR radio interface with the following characteristics: variable SCS, CP-OFDM for DL, CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM for UL, polar, repetition, simplex, and Reed-Muller codes for control, and LDPC for data. The 5G-NR radio interface may rely on CSI-RS and PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS, similar to LTE radio interfaces. The 5G-NR radio interface may not use CRS, but may use PBCH DMRS for PBCH demodulation, PTRS for PDSCH phase tracking, and a tracking reference signal for time tracking. The 5G-NR radio interface may operate in the FR1 band, including the sub-6GHz band, or the FR2 band, including the 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz band. The 5G-NR radio interface may include SSB, which is the downlink resource grid region including PSS / SSS / PBCH.

[0069] In some embodiments, a 5G-NR radio interface may utilize BWPs for various purposes. For example, BWPs can be used for dynamic adaptation of SCS. For instance, a UE502 can be configured with multiple BWPs, each with a different SCS. When a change in BWP is instructed to the UE502, the transmit SCS also changes. Another use case for BWPs relates to power saving. In particular, multiple BWPs with different amounts of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) can be configured for the UE502 to support data transmission in different traffic load scenarios. BWPs with fewer PRBs can perform data transmission with less traffic load while enabling power saving for the UE502 and possibly the gNB516. BWPs with more PRBs can be used in scenarios with higher traffic loads.

[0070] RAN504 is communicatively coupled to CN520, which includes network elements, and provides various functions to support data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE502). The components of CN520 can be implemented on a single physical node or on separate physical nodes. In some embodiments, NFV can be used to virtualize some or all of the functions provided by the network elements of CN520 to physical computing / storage resources such as servers and switches. A logical instantiation of CN520 is called a network slice, and a subset of logical instantiations of CN520 is called a network subslice.

[0071] In some embodiments, CN520 may be LTE CN522, also known as EPC. LTE CN522 may include MME524, SGW526, SGSN528, HSS530, PGW532, and PCRF534, which are coupled to each other on an interface (or “reference point”) as shown in the figure. A brief description of the functions of the elements of LTE CN522 is as follows:

[0072] The MME524 can track the current location of the UE502 and implement mobility management functions that facilitate paging, bearer activation / deactivation, handover, gateway selection, authentication, and more.

[0073] The SGW526 terminates the S1 interface toward the RAN and can route data packets between the RAN and the LTE CN522. The SGW526 may also be a local mobility anchor point for node handover between RANs and may provide an anchor for 3GPP® inter-mobility. Other tasks include lawful interception, billing, and enforcement of certain policies.

[0074] The SGSN528 can track the location of the UE502 and perform security functions and access control. Furthermore, the SGSN528 can perform EPC node-to-node signaling for mobility between different RAT networks, PDN and S-GW selection specified by the MME524, MME selection for handover, etc. The S3 reference point between the MME524 and the SGSN528 enables user-bearer information exchange for 3GPP® inter-access network mobility in idle / active states.

[0075] The HSS530 can include a database for network users, containing subscription-related information to support the processing of communication sessions for network entities. The HSS530 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / address resolution, location dependency, etc. The S6a reference point between the HSS530 and the MME524 enables the transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticating / authorizing user access to the LTE CN520.

[0076] PGW532 can terminate an SGi interface to a data network (DN) 536 which may include an application / content server 538. PGW532 can route data packets between the LTE CN 522 and the data network 536. PGW532 can be coupled to SGW526 via an S5 reference point to facilitate user plane tunneling and tunnel management. PGW532 may further include nodes (e.g., PCEF) for policy enforcement and billing data collection. Furthermore, the SGi reference point between PGW532 and the data network 436 may be, for example, an external public, private PDN, or an internal packet data network for providing IMS services. PGW532 may be coupled to PCRF534 via a Gx reference point.

[0077] PCRF534 is the policy and billing control element of LTE CN522. PCRF534 may be communicatively coupled to the application / content server 538 to determine appropriate QoS and billing parameters for the service flow. PCRF532 may provision relevant rules to the PCEF (via the Gx reference point) with appropriate TFT and QCI.

[0078] In some embodiments, CN520 may be 5GC540. 5GC540 may include AUSF542, AMF544, SMF546, UPF548, NSSF550, NEF552, NRF554, PCF556, UDM558, AF560, and LMF562 interconnected on an interface (or "reference point"), as shown in the figure. The functions of the elements of 5GC540 are briefly described below.

[0079] The AUSF542 can store data for authentication of the UE502 and handle authentication-related functions. The AUSF542 can implement a common authentication framework for various access types. In addition to communicating with other elements of the 5GC540 via a reference point, as illustrated, the AUSF542 can provide a Nausf service-based interface.

[0080] The AMF544 can enable other functions of the 5GC540 to communicate with the UE502 and RAN504 and subscribe to notifications regarding mobility events related to the UE502. The AMF544 can be responsible for registration management (e.g., when registering the UE502), connectivity management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. The AMF544 can provide transport for SM messages between the UE502 and SMF546 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. The AMF544 can also provide transport for SMS messages between the UE502 and SMF. The AMF544 can interact with the AUSF542 and UE502 to perform various security anchor and context management functions. Furthermore, the AMF544 may be the endpoint of the RAN CP interface, which includes or is an N2 reference point between the RAN504 and the AMF544. Furthermore, the AMF544 may be the endpoint of NAS(N1) signaling and may perform NAS encryption and integrity protection. The AMF544 may also support NAS signaling by UE502 via the N3 IWF interface.

[0081] SMF546 may be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment between UPF548 and AN508, tunnel management), allocation and management of UE IP addresses (including optional authorization), selection and control of UP functions, setting traffic steering on UPF548 to route traffic to appropriate destinations, termination of interfaces to policy control functions, enforcement of policies, billing, and control of some QoS functions, lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces to LI systems), termination of the SM portion of NAS messages, downlink data notification, initiation of AN-specific SM information sent to AN508 via AMF544 through N2, and determination of the session's SSC mode. SM may refer to the management of PDU sessions, and PDU sessions or “session” may refer to PDU connectivity services that provide or enable the exchange of PDUs between UE502 and data network 536.

[0082] The UPF548 may function as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point for interconnection to data network 536, and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU sessions. The UPF548 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce the user plane portion of policy rules, lawfully intercept packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform user plane QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), perform uplink traffic verification (e.g., SDF-to-QoS flow mapping), perform transport-level packet marking on uplinks and downlinks, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggers. The UPF548 may include an uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flows to the data network.

[0083] The NSSF550 can select a set of network slice instances to serve the UE502. The NSSF550 can also determine the mapping to authorized NSSAIs and subscribed S-NSSAIs, as needed. The NSSF550 can also determine a list of candidate AMFs by querying the NRF554, depending on the set of AMFs used to serve the UE502, or based on appropriate configuration. The selection of the set of network slice instances for the UE502 may be triggered by the AMF544 to which the UE502 is registered, resulting in a change in the AMFs, through interaction with the NSSF550. The NSSF550 may interact with the AMF544 via the N22 reference point and may communicate with other NSSFs in the visited network via the N31 reference point (not shown). Furthermore, the NSSF550 may exhibit an NNSSF service-based interface.

[0084] NEF552 can securely expose services and functions provided by 3GPP® network functions for third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, AFs (e.g., AF560), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such embodiments, NEF552 can authenticate, authorize, or throttle AFs. NEF552 can also translate information exchanged with AF560 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF552 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF552 can also receive information from other NFs based on the exposed capabilities of those NFs. This information is stored in NEF552 as structured data or in data storage NFs using standardized interfaces. Stored information can be re-exposed by NEF552 to other NFs and AFs, or used for other purposes such as analysis. Furthermore, NEF552 can also display Nnef service-based interfaces.

[0085] The NRF554 supports service discovery functionality, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing NF instances with information about discovered NF instances. The NRF554 also maintains information about available NF instances and their supported services. As used herein, terms such as “instantiate” and “instantiate” mean the creation of an instance, and “instance” may mean the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. Furthermore, the NRF554 may refer to an Nnrf service-based interface.

[0086] The PCF556 can provide and enforce policy rules for control plane functions and can also support a unified policy framework for controlling network operation. The PCF556 can also implement a front-end for accessing subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDM558's UDR. As shown in the diagram, the PCF556 exhibits an Npcf service-based interface in addition to communicating with functions via a reference point.

[0087] UDM558 can process subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions for network entities and can store subscription data for UE502. For example, subscription data can be communicated via an N8 reference point between UDM558 and AMF544. UDM558 can include two parts: an application frontend and a UDR. The UDR can store structured data for subscription and policy data for UDM558 and PCF556, and / or public and application data for NEF552 (including PFD for application discovery and application request information for multiple UE502s). A Nudr service-based interface, indicated by UDR221, allows UDM558, PCF556, and NEF552 to access specific sets of stored data and enables reading, updating (e.g., adding, changing), deleting, and subscribing to change notifications for relevant data within the UDR. UDM can include a UDM-FE responsible for processing authentication information, location management, subscription management, etc. Multiple different frontends can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication information processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. As shown in the diagram, in addition to communicating with other NFs via a reference point, the UDM558 can represent a Nudm service-based interface.

[0088] The AF560 can influence traffic routing applications, provide access to the NEF, and interact with the policy framework for policy control.

[0089] In some embodiments, the 5GC540 can enable edge computing by selecting an operator / third-party service geographically close to where the UE502 is connected to the network. This may reduce network latency and load. To provide an implementation of edge computing, the 5GC540 can select a UPF548 close to the UE502 and perform traffic steering from the UPF348 to the data network 536 via the N6 interface. This may be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by the AF560. In this way, the AF560 may influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on the operator's placement, if the AF560 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator may allow the AF560 to interact directly with the relevant NF. Furthermore, the AF560 may represent a NAF service-based interface.

[0090] The data network 536 can represent various network operator services, internet access, or third-party services provided by one or more servers, for example, including an application / content server 538.

[0091] The LMF562 can receive measurement information (e.g., measurement reports) from the NG-RAN514 and / or UE502 via the AMF544. The LMF562 can use the measurement information to determine the device position for indoor and / or outdoor positioning.

[0092] Figure 6 schematically shows a wireless network 600 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0093] The wireless network 600 may include a UE602 that wirelessly communicates with AN604. UE602 and AN604 are similar to and substantially interchangeable with other components of similar names described elsewhere in this specification.

[0094] UE602 can be communicatively coupled to AN604 via connection 606. Connection 606 is illustrated as a radio interface for enabling communication coupling and can be coupled with cellular communication protocols such as LTE or 5G NR protocols operating at mmWave or sub-6GHz frequencies.

[0095] UE602 may include a host platform 608 coupled with a modem platform 610. The host platform 608 may include an application processing circuit 612 coupled with the protocol processing circuit 614 of the modem platform 610. The application processing circuit 612 can run various applications for UE602 to source / sink application data. The application processing circuit 612 may further implement one or more layer operations for sending and receiving application data to and from a data network. These layer operations may include transport (e.g., UDP) operations and internet (e.g., IP) operations.

[0096] The protocol processing circuit 614 can implement one or more layer operations to enable the transmission or reception of data via connection 606. The layer operations implemented by the protocol processing circuit 614 may include, for example, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS operations.

[0097] The modem platform 610 may further include a digital baseband circuit 516 that can implement one or more layer operations, which are “lower” layer operations performed by the protocol processing circuit 614 in the network protocol stack. These operations include, for example, one or more HARQ-ACK functions, scrambling / descrambling, encoding / decoding, layer mapping / demapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol / bitmetric determination, multi-antenna port precoding / decoding, which may include one or more spatial time, spatial frequency or spatial coding, reference signal generation / detection, preamble sequence generation and / or decoding, synchronous sequence generation / detection, control channel signal blind decoding, and other related functions.

[0098] The modem platform 610 further includes a transmit circuit 618, a receive circuit 620, an RF circuit 622, and an RF front end (RFFE) 624, which may include or be connected to one or more antenna panels 626. In short, the transmit circuit 618 may include a digital-to-analog converter, a mixer, an intermediate frequency (IF) component, etc. The receive circuit 620 may include an analog-to-digital converter, a mixer, an IF component, etc. The RF circuit 622 may include a low-noise amplifier, a power amplifier, a power tracking component, etc. The RFFE 624 may include filters (e.g., surface / bulk acoustic filters), switches, an antenna tuner, a beamforming component (e.g., phased array antenna components), etc. The selection and arrangement of the components of the transmitting circuit 618, receiving circuit 620, RF circuit 622, RFFE 624, and antenna panel 626 (collectively referred to as the "transmitting / receiving components") may be specific to particular implementation details, such as whether the communication is TDM or FDM, or whether it is mmWave or sub-6GHz frequency. In some embodiments, the transmitting / receiving components may be arranged in multiple parallel transmit / receive chains, or on the same or different chips / modules, etc.

[0099] In some embodiments, the protocol processing circuit 614 may include one or more instances of a control circuit (not shown) that provides control functions for the transmit / receive components.

[0100] UE reception can be established by or through the antenna panel 626, RFFE 624, RF circuit 622, receiving circuit 620, digital baseband circuit 616, and protocol processing circuit 614. In some embodiments, the antenna panel 626 can receive transmissions from AN604 by received beamforming signals received by multiple antennas / antenna elements of one or more antenna panels 626.

[0101] UE transmission can be established by or through the protocol processing circuit 614, the digital baseband circuit 616, the transmitting circuit 618, the RF circuit 622, the RFFE 624, and the antenna panel 626. In some embodiments, the transmitting component of UE 504 can apply a spatial filter to the transmitted data to form a transmit beam radiated by the antenna elements of the antenna panel 626.

[0102] Similar to UE602, AN604 may include a host platform 628 coupled with a modem platform 630. The host platform 628 may include an application processing circuit 632 coupled with the protocol processing circuit 634 of the modem platform 630. The modem platform may further include a digital baseband circuit 636, a transmit circuit 638, a receive circuit 640, an RF circuit 642, an RFFE circuit 644, and an antenna panel 646. The components of AN604 are similar to and substantially interchangeable with similarly named components of UE602. In addition to performing data transmission and reception as described above, the components of AN608 can perform various logical functions, including RNC functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling.

[0103] Figure 7 is a block diagram 700 showing components according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0104] The components can read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-temporary machine-readable storage medium) and perform one or more of the methods discussed herein. Specifically, Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of hardware resources including one or more processors (or processor cores) 710, one or more memory / storage devices 720, and one or more communication resources 730, each of which is communicatively coupled via a bus 740 or other interface circuitry. In embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 702 can be run to provide execution environments for one or more network slices / subslice for utilizing the hardware resources.

[0105] The processor 710 may include, for example, processors 712 and 714. The processor 710 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a composite instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those described herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0106] The memory / storage device 720 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 720 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile, non-volatile, or semi-volatile memory, such as 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, or solid-state storage.

[0107] The communication resource 730 may include an interconnector or network interface controller, component, or other suitable device for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 704 or one or more databases 706 or other network elements via the network 708. For example, the communication resource 730 may include a wired communication component (e.g., when connected via USB, Ethernet, etc.), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, a Bluetooth® (or Bluetooth® Low Energy) component, a Wi-Fi® component, and other communication components.

[0108] Instruction 750 may include software, programs, applications, applets, apps, or other executable code to cause at least one of the processors 710 to perform one or more of the methods described herein. Instruction 750 may reside entirely or partially in at least one of the processors 710 (e.g., in the processor's cache memory), the memory / storage device 720, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any part of instruction 750 may be transferred to hardware resources from any combination of peripheral devices 704 or the database 706. Thus, the memory of the processor 710, the memory / storage device 720, the peripheral devices 704, and the database 706 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0109] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the above figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods as described in the exemplary section below. For example, the baseband circuit described above in relation to one or more of the above figures may be configured to operate according to one or more examples described below. As another example, the circuit related to the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in relation to one or more of the above figures may be configured to operate according to one or more examples described in the exemplary section below.

[0110] The term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” should not necessarily be considered preferable or advantageous to other embodiments. As used herein, the terms “computing device,” “user device,” “communication station,” “station,” “handheld device,” “mobile device,” “wireless device,” and “user equipment” (UE) refer to wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, netbooks, wireless terminals, laptop computers, femtocells, high data rate (HDR) subscriber stations, access points, printers, point-of-sale devices, access terminals, or other personal communications system (PCS) devices. Devices may be mobile or stationary.

[0111] As used herein, the term “communication” is intended to include transmission, reception, or both transmission and reception. This is particularly useful in claims when describing the configuration of data transmitted by one device and received by another device, but only one function of those devices is required to infringe the claim. Similarly, bidirectional data exchange between two devices (both devices transmitting and receiving during the exchange) may be described as “communication” if only one function of those devices is claimed. As used herein with respect to radio communication signals, the term “communication” includes the transmission and / or reception of radio communication signals. For example, a radio communication unit capable of communicating radio communication signals may include a radio transmitter that transmits radio communication signals to at least one other radio communication unit and / or a radio communication receiver that receives radio communication signals from at least one other radio communication unit.

[0112] When used in this specification, unless otherwise specified, the use of adjectives such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., indicating the order of common objects, merely indicates that different instances of similar objects are being referred to, and does not imply that the described objects must exist in a given order in time, space, rank, or any other manner.

[0113] As used herein, the term “access point” (AP) may also refer to a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, base station, eNodeB, or other similar terms known in the art. An access terminal may also be referred to as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), radio communication device, or other similar terms known in the art. The embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to wireless networks operating in accordance with one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

[0114] Some embodiments can be used with, for example, personal computers (PCs), desktop computers, mobile computers, laptop computers, note-taking computers, tablet computers, server computers, handheld computers, handheld devices, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld PDA devices, onboard devices, offboard devices, hybrid devices, vehicle devices, non-vehicle devices, mobile or portable devices, consumer devices, non-mobile or portable devices, radio communication stations, radio communication devices, wireless access points (APs), wired or wireless routers, wired or wireless modems, video devices, audio devices, audio-video (A / V) devices, wired or wireless networks, wireless area networks, wireless video area networks (WVANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless LANs (WLANs), personal area networks (PANs), wireless PANs (WPANs), and the like.

[0115] Some embodiments can be used in combination with one-way and / or two-way wireless communication systems, cellular radiotelephone communication systems, mobile phones, cellular phones, radiotelephones, personal communication system (PCS) devices, PDA devices incorporating wireless communication devices, mobile or portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, devices incorporating GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices incorporating RFID elements or chips, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transceivers or devices, single input multiple output (SIMO) transceivers or devices, multiple input single output (MISO) transceivers or devices, devices having one or more internal and / or external antennas, digital video broadcast (DVB) devices or systems, multi-standard wireless devices or systems, wired or wireless handheld devices, such as smartphones, wireless application protocol (WAP) devices, and the like.

[0116] Some embodiments include, for example, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time-division multiplexing (TDM), time-division multiple access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA), general packet radio service (GPRS), extended GPRS, code-division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA®), CDMA2000, single-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), and discrete multi-tone. It can be used in combination with technologies such as (DMT), Bluetooth®, Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee, ultra-wideband (UWB), global system for mobile communications (GSM), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 5G mobile networks, 3GPP®, Long Term Evolution (TDMA), LTE advanced, Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (GPRS), etc. Other embodiments can be used in various other devices, systems and / or networks.

[0117] Various embodiments are described below.

[0118] Example 1 is a user-use (UE) device for using a measurement gap, the device includes a processing circuit coupled to a storage, the processing circuit is Identify a configuration message about a pre-configured measurement gap received from a 5G network device before switching from the active bandwidth portion (BWP), during which the UE device performs both gapless and gap-based frequency measurements, and the configuration message indicates that the pre-configured measurement gap requires activation. Identify the activation of the pre-configured measurement gap, A reference signal is measured during the aforementioned pre-configured measurement gap. It can be a device that is configured in such a way.

[0119] Example 2 may include the equipment described in Example 1 and / or any other example of this specification, in which the configuration message is associated with a frequency related to the reference signal.

[0120] Example 3 may include the equipment described in Example 1 and / or any other example in this specification, which is associated with the UE BWP to which the configuration message relates.

[0121] Example 4 may include the equipment described in Example 1 and / or any other example of this specification, wherein the reference signal is measured based on the pre-configured measurement gap after the UE device has switched from the active BWP to one or more other candidate BWPs.

[0122] Example 5 shows that the configuration message may include the equipment described in Examples 1-4 and / or any other example in this specification, including the PreConfigMG flag.

[0123] Example 6 may include the equipment described in Examples 1-4 and / or any other example of this specification, wherein the configuration message includes a bitmap.

[0124] Example 7 may include the equipment described in Example 1 and / or any other example of this specification, wherein the configuration message includes the measurement length and the measurement period.

[0125] Example 8 is a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processing circuit of a user device (UE), the processing circuit receives the instructions. Identify a first configuration message for a first measurement gap received from a 5G network device, and during the first measurement gap, the UE device performs a first gap-based frequency measurement. The UE device identifies an additional configuration message for an additional measurement gap received from the 5G network device, and during the additional measurement gap, the UE device performs an additional gap-based frequency measurement, and the first measurement gap and the additional measurement gap are valid for the same time period. During the first measurement gap, the first reference signal is measured. During the aforementioned additional measurement gap, the second reference signal is measured. This may include computer-readable storage media.

[0126] Example 9 may include a computer-readable medium as described in Example 8 and / or any other example of this specification, in which the same time period is set based on the measurement cycles of the first measurement gap and the additional measurement gap.

[0127] Example 10 may include a computer-readable medium as described in Example 8 and / or any other example of this specification, wherein the first configuration message is associated with a first frequency related to the first reference signal, and the additional configuration message is associated with another frequency related to the reference signal.

[0128] Example 11 may include a computer-readable medium described in Example 8 and / or any other example of this specification, associated with the active bandwidth portion (BWP) of the UE and the reference signal.

[0129] Example 12 may include a computer-readable medium as described in Example 8 and / or any other example of this specification, wherein the UE device is configured to switch from an active BWP to another BWP.

[0130] Example 13 shows that the execution of the instruction causes the processing circuit to further identify the activation of the measurement gap in Example 1. The activation may include a computer-readable medium as described in Examples 8-12 and / or any other example of this specification, which includes at least one of the PreConfigMG flag or bitmap.

[0131] Example 14 shows that the execution of the instruction further involves the processing circuit, To identify the first activation of the first measurement gap, To identify the second activation of the second measurement gap, This may include computer-readable media as described in Examples 8–12 and / or any other examples in this specification.

[0132] Example 15 shows that the first configuration message and the additional configuration messages may include computer-readable media as described in Example 8 and / or any other example of this specification, including the measurement length and the measurement period.

[0133] Example 16 may include a computer-readable medium as described in Example 8 and / or any other example of this specification, in which the first measurement gap and the second measurement gap are independent of each other.

[0134] Example 17 is a method for constructing a measurement gap, the method being A user equipment (UE) device's processing circuit identifies a first configuration message for a first measurement gap received from a 5G network device, wherein the UE device performs a first in-frequency measurement during the first measurement gap. The processing circuit identifies an additional configuration message for an additional measurement gap received from the 5G network device, wherein the UE device performs an additional in-frequency measurement during the additional measurement gap, and the first measurement gap and the additional measurement gap are independent of each other. The processing circuit performs the steps of measuring the first reference signal during the first measurement gap, The processing circuit includes the step of measuring a second reference signal during the additional measurement gap, This may include methods that include [specific methods].

[0135] Example 18 may include the method of Example 17 and / or any other example of the present specification, wherein the first configuration message is associated with a first frequency related to the first reference signal, and other additional configuration messages are associated with additional frequencies related to the second reference signal.

[0136] Example 19 may include the method described in Example 17 and / or any other example of the present specification, wherein the first measurement gap and the additional measurement gap are within the same time period.

[0137] Example 20 may include the method of Example 19 and / or any other example of this specification, based on the period associated with the first measurement gap, wherein the same time period is based on the period associated with the first measurement gap.

[0138] Example 21 may include the method of Example 17 and / or any other example of this specification, wherein the first time offset of the first measurement gap is different from the second time offset of one of the additional measurement gaps.

[0139] Example 22 may include the method of Example 17 and / or any other example of the present specification, wherein the UE device is configured to measure the first reference signal independently of the measurement of the additional reference signal.

[0140] Example 22 may include the method of Example 17 and / or any other example of the present specification, wherein the UE device is configured to measure the first reference signal independently of the measurement of the additional reference signal.

[0141] Example 23 may include the methods of Examples 17-22 and / or any other example of the present specification, wherein the UE device is configured to measure the first reference signal independently of the measurement of the additional reference signal.

[0142] Example 24 includes one or more computer-readable media containing instructions, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 23 or other methods or processes described herein.

[0143] Example 25 may include a device that includes a logic module and / or circuit that performs one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 23, or other methods or processes described herein.

[0144] Example 26 may include methods, techniques, or processes described in or related to any or part thereof of Examples 1 to 32.

[0145] Example 27 is a device, One or more processors, One or more computer-readable media containing instructions, Includes, The instructions may include equipment that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform any or related methods, techniques, or processes described in or related to any or part thereof of Examples 1 to 23.

[0146] Example 28 may include a method of communication within a wireless network, as shown and described herein.

[0147] Example 29 may include a system for providing wireless communication, as shown and described herein.

[0148] Example 30 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communication, as shown and described herein.

[0149] Embodiments relating to this disclosure are disclosed in particular in the appendix claims relating to methods, storage media, devices and computer program products, wherein any feature described in one claim category, such as a method, may similarly be claimed in another claim category, such as a system. Backward dependencies or references in the appendix claims are selected for formal reasons only. However, subject matter arising from intentional references to prior claims (in particular multiple dependencies) may similarly be claimed, so as any combination of claims and their features disclosed and claimable regardless of the dependencies selected in the appendix claims. Subject matter that can be claimed includes not only combinations of features described in the appendix claims but also any other combination of features in the claims, wherein each feature described in a claim may be combined with other features or combinations of other features in the claims. Furthermore, any embodiment and feature described or illustrated herein may be claimed in a separate claim and / or in any combination with any embodiment or feature described or illustrated herein, or any feature of the appendix claims.

[0150] The above descriptions of one or more implementations are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to exhaust or limit the scope of embodiments to the detailed forms disclosed. Modifications and alterations are possible in light of the above teachings or can be obtained from the implementation of various embodiments.

[0151] Certain aspects of this disclosure have been described above with reference to block diagrams and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatus and / or computer program products according to various embodiments. It is understood that one or more blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, can each be implemented by computer executable program instructions. Similarly, some blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily be executed in the order presented, and may not be executed at all, according to some implementations.

[0152] These computer executable program instructions may be loaded into a special-purpose computer or other specific machine, processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a specific machine such that instructions executed by the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing device generate means for performing one or more functions specified in the flow diagram blocks. These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or memory and may instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular way such that instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium generate a product containing instruction means for performing one or more functions specified in the flow diagram blocks. For example, a particular implementation may provide a computer program product containing computer-readable storage medium on which computer-readable program code or program instructions are implemented, and this computer-readable program code is configured to perform one or more functions specified in the flow diagram blocks. Computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device and generate a set of operating elements or steps executed by the computer or other programmable device to generate a computer implementation process such that instructions executed by the computer or other programmable device provide elements or steps for performing the functions specified in the flow diagram blocks.

[0153] Therefore, the blocks in block diagrams and flowcharts support combinations of means for performing a specific function, combinations of elements or steps for performing a specific function, and means of program instructions for performing a specific function. It is also understood that each block in block diagrams and flowcharts, as well as combinations of blocks in block diagrams and flowcharts, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based computer system that performs a specific function, element or step, or combination of hardware and computer instructions for a particular purpose.

[0154] Conditional language, particularly expressions like "can," "may," "possible," "maybe," or "might," is generally intended to convey that a particular implementation includes certain features, elements, and / or operations, while other implementations do not, unless otherwise explicitly stated or understood within the context in which they are used. Therefore, such conditional language does not generally imply that features, elements, and / or operations are required in any way by one or more implementations, or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic, with or without user input or prompting, to determine whether these features, elements, and / or operations are included in or performed by a particular implementation.

[0155] It is clear that many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure described herein have the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the relevant drawings. Therefore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included in the appended claims. Certain terms are used herein, but they are used in a general and descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes.

[0156] For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply to the examples and embodiments discussed herein.

[0157] As used herein, the term “circuit” means, part of, or include, hardware components such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or group) and / or memory (shared, dedicated, or group), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), composite PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, or programmable SoCs), and digital signal processors (DSPs), configured to provide the functions described. In some embodiments, a circuit may run one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the functions described. The term “circuit” may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or combinations of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) and program code used to perform the functions of that program code. In these embodiments, a combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0158] As used herein, the term “processor circuit” means, or includes, a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations, or the recording, storage, and / or transfer of digital data. A processing circuit may include one or more processing cores that execute instructions, and one or more memory structures that store program and data information. The term “processor circuit” may also refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, physical central processing units (CPUs), single-core processors, dual-core processors, triple-core processors, quad-core processors, and / or other devices capable of executing or otherwise manipulating computer executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes. A processing circuit may include more hardware accelerators, such as microprocessors, programmable processing units, or similar devices. One or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. The terms “application circuit” and / or “baseband circuit” are considered synonyms of “processor circuit” and are sometimes referred to as “processor circuit.”

[0159] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may also refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, I / O interface, peripheral component interface, network interface card, and / or similar.

[0160] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” or “UE” refer to a device having wireless communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” are considered synonymous with client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc., and the terms “User Equipment” or “UE” may also include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0161] As used herein, the term “Network Element” refers to physical or virtualized devices and / or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless network services. The term “Network Element” can be considered synonymous with networked computers, network hardware, network equipment, network nodes, routers, switches, hubs, bridges, wireless network controllers, RAN devices, RAN nodes, gateways, servers, virtualized VNFs, NFVIs, and / or similar.

[0162] As used herein, the term “computer system” refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Furthermore, the terms “computer system” and / or “system” may refer to various components of a computer that are interconnected in a communicative manner. Furthermore, the terms “computer system” and / or “system” may refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are interconnected in a communicative manner and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0163] As used herein, terms such as “electrical appliance” and “computer appliance” refer to computer devices or computer systems that have program code (e.g., software or firmware) specifically designed to provide particular computing resources. A “virtual appliance” is a virtual machine image implemented by a dedicated hypervisor-equipped device that virtualizes or emulates a computer appliance or provides particular computing resources.

[0164] As used herein, the term “resource” means a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component in a computing environment, and / or a physical or virtual component in a particular device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU utilization, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or utilization, power, I / O operations, ports or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory utilization, storage, network, databases and applications, workload units, and / or similar. “Hardware resources” may refer to compute, storage, and / or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. “Virtualization resources” may refer to compute, storage, and / or network resources provided to applications, devices, systems, etc., by a virtualization infrastructure. The terms “network resources” or “communication resources” may refer to resources accessible by computer devices / systems over a communication network. The term “system resources” may refer to any kind of shared entity for providing services, which may include compute and / or network resources. System resources can be considered a consistent set of functions, network data objects, or services accessible through a server. System resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and are clearly identifiable.

[0165] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to a tangible or intangible transmission medium used to communicate data or data streams. The term "channel" may also be synonymous with "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmit channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," and / or other similar terms indicating the path or medium through which data is communicated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "link" means a connection between two devices via a RAT for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0166] As used herein, terms such as "instantiate" and "instantiate" refer to the creation of an instance. An "instance" also refers to the specific occurrence of an object that may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0167] The terms “coupled” and “communicatively coupled” are used herein, together with their derivatives. The term “coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, or that two or more elements are indirectly in contact with each other but cooperate or interact with each other, and / or that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between elements said to be coupled with each other. The term “directly coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other. The term “communicatively coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in contact with each other by means of communication, such as via wires or other interconnections, via radio communication channels or links, and / or similar means.

[0168] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains content.

[0169] Terms, definitions, and abbreviations herein may be consistent with those defined in 3GPP® TR21.905 v16.0.0 (2019-06) and / or any other 3GPP® standards, unless otherwise used herein. For the purposes of this document, the following abbreviations (shown in Table 1) may be applied to the examples and embodiments discussed herein. Table 1: Abbreviations [Table 1] TIFF0007879149000009.tif246158TIFF0007879149000010.tif246158TIFF0007879149000011.tif246158TIFF0007879149 000012.tif246158TIFF0007879149000013.tif246160TIFF0007879149000014.tif246160TIFF0007879149000015.tif24615 8TIFF0007879149000016.tif246158TIFF0007879149000017.tif246159TIFF0007879149000018.tif246159TIFF0007879149 000019.tif246159TIFF0007879149000020.tif246157TIFF0007879149000021.tif246158TIFF0007879149000022.tif71168

Claims

1. A user-use device (UE) for using a measurement gap, the device includes a processing circuit coupled to a storage, the processing circuit is Identify multiple configuration messages received from a 5G network device before switching from the active bandwidth portion (BWP), each of which corresponds to one of a pre-configured measurement gap, the measurement gaps are valid for the same time period, the UE device performs both gapless and gap-based frequency measurements during at least one measurement gap, and at least one configuration message indicates that the corresponding measurement gap requires activation. Identify the activation of the corresponding measurement gap, A reference signal is measured during the corresponding measurement gap. A device that is configured in such a way.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one configuration message is associated with a frequency related to the reference signal.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one configuration message is associated with the relevant UE BWP.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference signal is measured based on the corresponding measurement gap after the UE device switches from the active BWP to one or more other candidate BWPs.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one configuration message includes the PreConfigMG flag.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one configuration message includes a bitmap.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one configuration message includes a measurement length and a measurement period.

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