Improved radio resource management

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to enhanced radio resource management. In one aspect, a UE determines whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to a low-power wake-up signal configured for the UE is satisfied. Next, based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied, the UE performs at least one of (i) a relaxed radio resource management measurement for at least a serving cell on the main radio or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to a low-power wake-up receiver. In this way, RRM in a radio communication system can be enhanced.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to a user equipment (UE), a processor, and a method for improving radio resource management (RRM). Background Technology

[0002] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices, e.g., base stations, which may be known differently as eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms. Each network communication device, e.g., a base station, may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices, which may be known differently as UE or other suitable terms. A wireless communication system may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing the resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or similar) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)). Additionally, a wireless communication system may support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including 3rd generation (3G) radio access technology, 4th generation (4G) radio access technology, and 5th generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., 6th generation (6G)).

[0003] To ensure that a UE in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE is camping on to the best cell, the UE may need to perform mobility measurements. Mobility measurements may involve RRM measurements regarding mobility. In wireless communication systems, RRM is used to manage channel interference, radio resources, and other radio transmission characteristics. However, there is still a need for methods to improve the performance of devices (e.g., UEs) within a wireless communication system using RRM.

[0004] The present disclosure relates to a UE, a processor, and a method for improving radio resource management. As a solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure, improved RRM for mobility can be achieved.

[0005] Some implementations of the UE described herein may include at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, and the at least one processor causes the UE to: determine whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to a low power-wake-up signal (LP-WUS) configured for the UE is satisfied; and based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied, causes the UE to perform at least one of (i) a relaxed RRM measurement for at least one serving cell on the MR or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to a low power-wake-up receiver (LP-WUR).

[0006] In some implementations, the first trigger condition comprises: when the UE is in a low mobility or stationary state, the difference between the cell selection receive level value (Srxlev) for the serving cell and the Srxlev reference for the serving cell is less than a first threshold during a time window; when the UE is in a low mobility or stationary state, the difference between the cell selection quality value (Squal) for the serving cell and the Squal reference for the serving cell is less than a second threshold during a time window; when the UE is not at the edge of the serving cell, Srxlev is greater than the first threshold during a time window; when the UE is not at the edge of the serving cell, Squal for the serving cell is greater than the second threshold during a time window; or any combination thereof.

[0007] In some implementations, the second trigger condition includes at least one of the following: the UE being within the coverage of the LP-WUS during a time window; or a reference signal measurement acquired by the LP-WUR reaching a third threshold during a time window.

[0008] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a relaxed RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing a relaxed RRM measurement on a serving cell and a neighboring cell on the MR when the UE is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS.

[0009] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a mitigated RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing an RRM measurement offloading from MR to LP-WUR for at least one serving cell when the UE is located within the coverage of LP-WUS.

[0010] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of the mitigated RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading by mitigating a portion of the RRM measurement for at least one of the neighboring cell or serving cell on the MR when the UE is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS; and offloading another portion of the RRM measurement to the LP-WUR.

[0011] In some implementations, at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading is performed when the first trigger condition on the MR is satisfied.

[0012] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a relaxed RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing an RRM measurement offloading only for the serving cell when the reference signal measurement acquired by the LP-WUR reaches a third threshold.

[0013] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a relaxed RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing an RRM measurement offloading for both the serving cell and neighboring cells when the reference signal measurement acquired by the LP-WUR reaches a third threshold.

[0014] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a relaxed RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing an RRM measurement offloading for a neighbor cell when a neighbor cell measurement relaxation condition on the MR and a second trigger condition are satisfied.

[0015] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a relaxed RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing a relaxed RRM measurement for a serving cell when a first trigger condition is satisfied.

[0016] In some implementations, the UE is caused to perform at least one of a relaxed RRM measurement or an RRM measurement offloading by performing an RRM measurement offloading for a serving cell when the first and second trigger conditions are satisfied.

[0017] In some implementations, the UE is additionally caused to stop the relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading based on a third trigger condition.

[0018] In some implementations, the third trigger condition comprises at least one of: the UE moving out of the coverage of the LP-WUS; the target reference signal measured from the serving cell by the LP-WUR satisfying the fourth threshold during a time window; the UE ceasing operations related to the LP-WUS; the LP-WUR detecting a wake-up signal for the MR; the UE performing an uplink data transmission; the UE's low mobility or stasis condition not being satisfied for the relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading; or the UE's not-at-cell-edge condition not being satisfied for the relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading.

[0019] In some implementations, the UE is additionally caused to stop the relaxed RRM measurement on the MR at the expiration of the first period during which the relaxed RRM measurement is performed on the serving cell.

[0020] In some implementations, the UE is additionally caused to stop offloading RRM measurements at the expiration of a second period in which RRM measurements offloaded to LP-WUR are performed for the serving cell, or for both the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0021] In some implementations, in the case of continuous monitoring, the UE is caused to mitigate a portion of the RRM measurement on the MR and offload another portion of the RRM measurement to the LP-WUR by performing an offloaded RRM measurement on the LP-WUR during the period when a mitigated RRM measurement on the MR is performed.

[0022] In some implementations, in the case of duty cycle monitoring, the UE is caused to perform RRM measurements offloaded on LP-WUR during the LP-WUS monitoring cycle, while offloading a portion of the RRM measurements on MR during the LP-WUS monitoring cycle, thereby offloading a portion of the RRM measurements on MR and offloading another portion of the RRM measurements to LP-WUR.

[0023] In some implementations, the UE is additionally caused to perform a relaxed RRM measurement on a neighboring cell after a relaxed RRM measurement has been performed multiple times on the serving cell.

[0024] Some implementations of the method described herein may include the step of determining whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to the LP-WUS configured for the UE is satisfied; and, based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied, the step of performing at least one of (i) a relaxed RRM measurement for at least a serving cell on the MR or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR.

[0025] Some implementations of the processor described herein may include at least one memory and a controller coupled to at least one memory, and the controller causes the controller to: determine whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to the LP-WUS configured for the UE is satisfied; and based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied, causes the controller to perform at least one of (i) a relaxed RRM measurement for at least a serving cell on the MR or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR.

[0026] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify the core or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be readily understood from the following description. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system that improves RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of RRM under different trigger conditions. Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of another example of RRM under different trigger conditions. Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of another example of RRM under different trigger conditions. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a device that improves RRM according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a processor that improves RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method for improving RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0028] Now, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some embodiments. These embodiments are described merely for illustrative purposes and are intended to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure and do not imply any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosures described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as generally understood by a person skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0030] References to “one embodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” “embodiment,” “some embodiments,” and similar terms in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment(s) may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not that all embodiments must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s). Moreover, where a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in relation to an embodiment, it is suggested that implementing such feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to other embodiments is within the knowledge of a person skilled in the art, whether or not explicitly described.

[0031] Additionally, it should be understood that while terms such as "first," "second," or similar are used in this specification to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments, the first element may also be referred to as the second element, and likewise, the second element may also be referred to as the first element. As used in this specification, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms. In some examples, values, procedures, or devices may be referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," or similar. These descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection may be made among a number of functional alternatives used, and it should be understood that such a selection is not necessarily superior, smaller, higher, or otherwise more desirable than other selections.

[0032] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, as used herein, terms such as “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the mentioned features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. For example, the term “includes” and variations thereof should be interpreted as open terms meaning “includes but not limited thereto.” The term “based on” should be interpreted as “at least partially based on.” The terms “one implementation” and “implementation” should be interpreted as “at least one implementation.” The term "other implementation" shall be interpreted as "at least one other implementation." The use of expressions such as "A and / or B" may mean "A alone," "B alone," or "both A and B." Other explicit or implicit definitions may be included below.

[0033] Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communication system.

[0034] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system (100) that enhances RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system (100) may include one or more network entities (102) (also referred to as network equipment (NE)), one or more terminal devices or UEs (104), a core network (106), and a packet data network (108). The wireless communication system (100) may support various radio access technologies. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system (100) may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other embodiments, the wireless communication system (100) may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communication system (100) may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technologies including IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system (100) may support radio access technologies beyond 5G. Additionally, the wireless communication system (100) may support technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA).

[0035] Network entities (102) may be distributed across a geographical area to form a wireless communication system (100). One or more of the network entities (102) described herein may be network nodes, base stations (BS), network elements, radio access network (RAN) nodes, base transceiver stations, access points, NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms, may include or be referred to as such. Network entities (102) and UEs (104) may communicate via a communication link (110) which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, network entities (102) and UEs (104) may perform wireless communication (e.g., receiving signaling, transmitting signaling) through a Uu interface.

[0036] A network entity (102) may provide a geographic coverage area (112), and the network entity (102) may support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messages, broadcasts, etc.) for one or more UEs (104) within the geographic coverage area (112). For example, the network entity (102) and the UE (104) may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasts, etc.) according to one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, the network entity (102) may be mobile and may be, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas (112) associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas (112) may be associated with different network entities (102). The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of several different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout this specification may be represented as voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0037] One or more UEs (104) may be distributed across the geographical area of ​​the wireless communication system (100). The UE (104) may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, remote unit, handheld device, or subscriber device, or any other suitable term. In some implementations, the UE (104) may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. Additionally or alternatively, the UE (104) may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples. In some implementations, the UE (104) may be fixed within the wireless communication system (100). In some other implementations, the UE (104) may be mobile within the wireless communication system (100).

[0038] One or more UEs (104) may be devices having different forms or different capabilities. Some examples of UEs (104) are illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the UE (104) may communicate with various types of devices, such as network entities (102), other UEs (104), or network equipment (e.g., a core network (106), a packet data network (108), relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment). Additionally, or alternatively, the UE (104) may support communication with other network entities (102) or UEs (104) that can act as relays within the wireless communication system (100).

[0039] The UE (104) may also support direct wireless communication with other UEs (104) via a communication link (114). For example, the UE (104) may support direct wireless communication with other UEs (104) via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link (114) may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, the UE (104) may support direct wireless communication with other UEs (104) via a PC5 interface.

[0040] A network entity (102) may support communication with a core network (106), other network entities (102), or both. For example, a network entity (102) may interface with the core network (106) through one or more backhaul links (116) (e.g., through S1, N2, N2 or other network interfaces). Network entities (102) may communicate with each other through backhaul links (116) (e.g., through X2, Xn or other network interfaces). In some implementations, network entities (102) may communicate directly with each other (e.g., between network entities (102)). In some other implementations, network entities (102) may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., through the core network (106)). In some implementations, one or more network entities (102) may include subcomponents such as access network entities, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). The ANC may communicate with one or more UEs (104) through one or more other access network transmitting entities, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0041] In some implementations, the network entity (102) may be configured as a disaggregated architecture, which may be configured to use protocol stacks that are physically or logically distributed between two or more network entities (102), such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration overseen by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., Cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, the network entity (102) may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) (e.g., a Near-RT RIC, a Non-RT RIC), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0042] The RU may also be referred to as a radio head, smart radio head, remote radio head (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or transmission reception point (TRP). One or more components of network entities (102) within a segregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of network entities (102) may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more network entities (102) of a segregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CU (VCU), virtual DU (VDU), virtual RU (VRU)).

[0043] The functional partitioning between the CU, DU, and RU can be flexible and support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combination thereof) are performed in the CU, DU, or RU. For example, functional partitioning of the protocol stack can be utilized between the CU and the DU, thereby allowing the CU to support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host functions and signaling of higher protocol layers (e.g., Layer 3 (L3), Layer 2 (L2)) (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). A CU may be connected to one or more DUs or RUs, and one or more DUs or RUs may host the functionality and signaling of lower protocol layers, for example, Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., Physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer), and each may be controlled at least partially by the CU.

[0044] Additionally or alternatively, functional partitioning of the protocol stack may be utilized between the DU and the RU, thereby allowing the DU to support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU may support one or more different cells (e.g., through one or more RUs). In some implementations, functional partitioning between the CU and the DU, or between the DU and the RU, may be performed within the protocol layer (e.g., some functions of the protocol layer may be performed by one of the CU, DU, or RU, while other functions of the protocol layer may be performed by the other of the CU, DU, or RU).

[0045] The CU can be functionally further divided into CU control plane (CU-CP) functions and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. The CU can be connected to one or more DUs via midhaul communication links (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u), and the DUs can be connected to one or more RUs via fronthaul communication links (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interfaces). In some implementations, the midhaul communication links or fronthaul communication links may be implemented according to interfaces (e.g., channels) between layers of the protocol stack supported by their respective network entities (102) communicating through such communication links.

[0046] The core network (106) may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network (106) may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), and may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management functions (AMF)), and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects them to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, a control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc.), for one or more UEs (104) served by one or more network entities (102) associated with a core network (106).

[0047] The core network (106) may communicate with the packet data network (108) through one or more backhaul links (116) (e.g., through S1, N2, N2 or other network interfaces). The packet data network (108) may include an application server (118). In some implementations, one or more UEs (104) may communicate with the application server (118). The UE (104) may establish a session with the core network (106) (e.g., a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session or similar) through a network entity (102). The core network (106) may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and similar) between the UE (104) and the application server (118) using the established session (e.g., an established PDU session). A PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between a UE (104) and a core network (106) (e.g., one or more network functions of the core network (106)).

[0048] In a wireless communication system (100), network entities (102) and UEs (104) can perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications) using the resources of the wireless communication system (100) (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or similar) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)). In some implementations, network entities (102) and UEs (104) may support different resource structures. For example, network entities (102) and UEs (104) may support different frame structures. In some implementations, for example in 4G, network entities (102) and UEs (104) may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, network entities (102) and UEs (104) can support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). Network entities (102) and UEs (104) can support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0049] One or more numerologies may be supported in a wireless communication system (100), and the numerologies may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefixes. A first numerology (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may use one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., μ=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a general cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., μ=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a general cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., μ=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a general cyclic prefix.

[0050] The time intervals of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) can be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, for example, 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame may contain multiple subframes. For example, each frame may contain 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe within the frame may have the same duration.

[0051] Additionally or alternatively, the time intervals of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may contain a number (e.g., a large number) of slots. The number of slots within each subframe may also depend on one or more numerologies supported by the wireless communication system (100). For example, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with their respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may each use a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and sixteen slots per subframe. Each slot may contain a number (e.g., a large number) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number of slots per subframe (e.g., quantity) may depend on the numerology. For a standard cyclic prefix, a slot may contain 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable to 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot may contain 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for the standard cyclic prefix and the extended cyclic prefix may depend on the numerology. It should be understood that a reference to a first numerology (e.g., μ=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

[0052] In a wireless communication system (100), the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be divided into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the wireless communication system (100) may support one or more operating frequency bands such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz-24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz-114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz-71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz-300 GHz). In some implementations, network entities (102) and UEs (104) may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by network entities (102) and UEs (104) among other equipment or devices for cellular communication traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by network entities (102) and UEs (104) among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0053] FR1 may be associated with one or more numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology including 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=0); a second numerology including 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=1); and a third numerology including 60 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=2). FR2 may be associated with one or more numerologies (e.g., at least two numerologies). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology including 60 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=2); and a fourth numerology including 120 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=3).

[0054] RRM measurements may include serving cell measurements and neighbor cell measurements, which may be within-frequency or between-frequency (including between-RAT) measurements. For a UE operating as LP-WUR (also referred to as LR), using the main radio (MR) for mobility measurements has a significant impact on UE energy savings because the UE needs to frequently start the MR for measurements, particularly for serving cell measurements that must be performed every second or every Inactive / Idle Discontinuous Reception (I-DRX) cycle in FR1, which removes a large portion of the UE power saving gains from LP-WUS / WUR.

[0055] To achieve UE power saving benefits via LP-WUS / WUR, RRM measurements for the serving cell and neighboring cells via MR may be mitigated or suspended when the UE is using LP-WUS or when MR is in ultra-deep sleep. In the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release-16 / 17, Power Saving and RedCap work item, the mitigation of RRM measurements for neighboring cells is introduced. However, additional mitigation or even measurement by MR cannot be considered here, and serving cell or neighboring cell measurements may be offloaded to LR. The mitigation of RRM measurements for the serving cell and neighboring cells presupposes the feasibility or support of RRM measurements on LR.

[0056] Specifically, RRM measurement relaxation or offloading can be classified into the following cases based on the measurement behaviors of different serving cells / neighboring cells for MR and LR.

[0057]

[0058] It should be understood that the above serving cell / neighbor cell measurements in different cases can be combined with any RRM strategy. For example, in an implementation combining relaxation and offloading cases, serving cell measurements on the MR are relaxed, and neighbor cell measurements are offloaded to the LR. In another implementation combining relaxation and offloading cases, serving cell measurements on the MR are relaxed, and neighbor cell measurements are still performed on the MR. More details and other implementations will be further described below.

[0059] Now, refer to FIGS. 2–4, which respectively illustrate schematic diagrams of various examples of RRM under different trigger conditions. Trigger conditions for RRM measurement relaxation on MR or RRM measurement offloading from MR to LR (e.g., a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition) are provided herein. Trigger conditions for RRM measurement relaxation or offloading may consider both UE conditions and LP WUS / WUR conditions. The schematic diagrams of FIGS. 2–4 may involve a UE (104) in a wireless communication system (100). Further details regarding the enhanced RRM will be described with reference to the UE (104).

[0060] In the implementations described herein, with respect to MR, the Tx / Rx module operates on NR signals / channels in addition to signals / channels related to low-power wake-up, and with respect to LR, the Rx module operates to receive / process signals / channels related to low-power wake-up.

[0061] With the configuration for the enhanced RRM, the UE (104) determines whether at least one of the trigger conditions related to the state of the UE (104) or the trigger conditions related to the LP-WUS / WUR configured for the UE (104) is satisfied. In some implementations, the trigger condition related to the state of the UE (104) (Condition 1-1) may refer to low mobility or stop criteria. Specifically, regarding Condition 1-1, if the UE (104) is in a low mobility or stop state, the difference between the cell select receive level value (Srxlev) for the serving cell and the Srxlev reference for the serving cell is less than a threshold (i.e., a first threshold) during the time window. In other words, the low mobility or stop criteria for the MR RRM measurement are satisfied, i.e., (SrxlevRef-mr - Srxlev-mr) < S SearchThresholdPIt is -mr. Srxlev-mr is the cell selection receive level value (dB) of the serving cell performed by MR. SrxlevRef-mr is the reference Srxlev value (dB) of the serving cell performed by MR. After selecting a new cell or re-selecting, or if (Srxlev-mr - SrxlevRef-mr) > 0, or if the relaxed measurement reference is T SearchDeltaP-mr If not satisfied, UE (104) must set the value of SrxlevRef to the current Srxlev value of the serving cell. S SearchThresholdP -mr is the Srxlev threshold (in dB) for mitigation of MR serving cell measurements. The Srxlev threshold for low mobility and the Srxlev threshold for stop criteria are configured independently (pre-configured) by the network.

[0062] Additionally or alternatively, with respect to condition 1-1, if the UE (104) is in a low-mobility or stationary state, the difference between the cell selection quality value (Squal) for the serving cell and the Squal criterion for the serving cell is smaller than the threshold value (i.e., the second threshold value) during the time window, i.e., S SearchThresholdQ If -mr is configured, SqualRef-mr - Squal-mr < S SearchThresholdQ It is -mr. Squal-mr is the cell selection quality value (dB) of the serving cell performed by MR. SqualRef-mr is the reference Squal-mr value (dB) of the serving cell performed by MR. S SearchThresholdQ -mr is the Squal threshold (in dB) for mitigation regarding MR serving cell measurements. The Squal threshold for low mobility and the Squal threshold for stop criteria are configured independently (pre-configured) by the network.

[0063] In some implementations, the trigger condition (condition 1-2) related to the state of the UE (104) may refer to not-at-cell edge criteria. Specifically, regarding condition 1-2, if the UE (104) is not at the edge of the serving cell, Srxlev is greater than a first threshold during the time window, i.e., Srxlev-mr > S SearchThresholdP -mr.

[0064] Additionally or alternatively, regarding conditions 1-2, if the UE (104) is not at the edge of the serving cell, the Squal for the serving cell is greater than the second threshold during the time window, i.e., S SearchThresholdQ If -mr is configured, Squal-mr>S SearchThresholdQ -mr.

[0065] In some implementations, conditions 1-3 for the trigger exist. Regarding conditions 1-3, both the low mobility or stop criterion for the MR measurement and the not-at-cell edge criterion are satisfied, that is, conditions 1-1 and 1-2 are satisfied simultaneously.

[0066] It should be understood that the low mobility criteria, stop criteria, and not-at-the-cell-edge criteria defined for trigger conditions related to the UE state, i.e., the first trigger conditions, may be equivalent to or independently configured to be equivalent to or independently configured to be equivalent to the low mobility criteria, stop criteria, and not-at-the-cell-edge criteria defined for neighboring cell measurement relaxation conditions. Specifically, the threshold values ​​for the low mobility or stop criteria and not-at-the-cell-edge criteria of the UE (104) are configured to depend on or independently of the threshold values ​​for the low mobility or stop criteria and not-at-the-cell-edge criteria defined for neighboring cell measurement relaxation conditions, and the specific values ​​may be configured to be the same values ​​or different values.

[0067] In some implementations, trigger conditions related to LP-WUS / WUR (conditions 2-1 and 2-2) may refer to signal conditions of LP-WUS. Regarding condition 2-1, UE (104) is within the coverage of LP-WUS during a time window. UE (104) may determine condition 2-1 based on the measured RSRP or RSRQ of the reference signal from the serving cell on the LR, for example, by comparing it with an incoming reference signal received power (RSRP) or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold in system information during a specified time window; for example, when the measured RSRP value or RSRQ value of the reference signal from the serving cell on the LR is higher than the (pre-configured) incoming RSRP or RSRQ threshold during the time window, UE (104) is considered to be within the coverage of LP-WUS. Regarding condition 2-2, the reference signal measurement obtained by LP-WUR reaches the threshold during the time window. For example, the measured RSRP or RSRQ of the reference signal from the serving cell on the LR satisfies a specific threshold during the time window. It should be understood that the threshold in Condition 2-2 may be higher than the threshold in Condition 2-1 used to define LP-WUS coverage. The reference signal to be measured for the LR may be, for example, the primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) demodulation reference signal (DMRS), LP WUS waveform sequence, low-power synchronization signal (LP-SS), etc.

[0068] Next, if the UE (104) determines that at least one of the trigger conditions is satisfied, the UE (104) performs a relaxed RRM measurement for at least one serving cell on the MR, or an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR, or both.

[0069] By considering both the UE state and the LP WUS / WUR conditions, when both conditions are configured, at least one of the UE state conditions (conditions 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3) defined above and at least one of the LP WUS / WUR conditions (conditions 2-1 and 2-2) are simultaneously satisfied, or when one of the UE state conditions defined above or one of the LP WUS / WUR conditions is satisfied, the UE (104) may decide to relax the serving cell measurement on the MR, or to perform RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LR, for example, to offload only the serving cell measurement or to offload both the serving cell and neighbor cell measurements.

[0070] For example, when both conditions 1-1 and 2-1 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When both conditions 1-2 and 2-1 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When both conditions 1-3 and 2-1 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When both conditions 1-1 and 2-2 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When both conditions 1-2 and 2-2 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When both conditions 1-3 and 2-2 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When any of conditions 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein. When any of conditions 2-1 and 2-2 are satisfied during a specified time window, the UE (104) may perform the relaxed RRM measurement and / or RRM measurement offloading described herein.

[0071] In addition to the MR serving cell measurement relaxation, legacy RRM relaxation conditions for neighboring cells may still be applied. Since neighboring cell measurements are triggered by the results of serving cell measurements, if the serving cell measurement on MR is relaxed by, for example, X times, the neighboring cell measurement may also be relaxed. In other words, after the relaxed RRM measurement has been performed multiple times for the serving cell, the UE may perform the relaxed RRM measurement for the neighboring cell.

[0072] Additionally, considering different alternatives for UE measurement behaviors according to the configured conditions above, the UE (104) may have different states based on different criteria as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3. In some examples, when trigger conditions are met, specific measurement behaviors for mitigation or offloading depend on the UE implementation. In other examples, specific measurement behaviors of the UE to be performed under different trigger conditions are configured (in advance) by the network.

[0073] For example, in Alternative 1, MR can perform RRM relaxation for serving cell measurements, and LR does not perform RRM measurements. In Alternative 2, MR can perform only neighbor cell measurements and offload serving cell measurements to LR, and LR performs serving cell measurements. In Alternative 3, MR can not perform RRM measurements and offload RRM measurements to LR, and LR performs both serving cell and neighbor cell measurements.

[0074] As illustrated in FIG. 2, trigger conditions related to the UE state are satisfied outside the LP WUS coverage. In some implementations of FIG. 2, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE1) is within coverage but does not satisfy the trigger conditions related to the UE state, the MR can perform serving cell and neighbor cell measurements as legacy. When the UE (104) (e.g., UE2) satisfies the trigger condition(s) related to the UE state and is located outside the LP WUS coverage, the MR can perform neighbor cell measurement relaxation as legacy.

[0075] In some implementations of FIG. 2, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE3) is located within the LP-WUS coverage, the MR may perform at least one of serving cell measurement relaxation and neighbor cell measurement relaxation, and / or RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LR. As an implementation, when the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS, the UE (104) may perform relaxed RRM measurements for the serving cell and neighbor cells on the MR. As another implementation, when the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS, the UE (104) may perform RRM measurement offloading for at least one of the serving cell or neighbor cells from the MR to the LP-WUR.

[0076] In another implementation, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS, the UE (104) may offload partial RRM measurements for at least one of the serving cell or neighboring cell to the LP-WUR. For example, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS, the UE (104) may mitigate a portion of the RRM measurements for at least one of the neighboring cell or serving cell on the MR and offload another portion of the RRM measurements to the LP-WUR.

[0077] In another implementation, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS, the UE (104) can offload the entire RRM measurement for at least one of the serving cell or neighboring cell(s) to the LP-WUR.

[0078] In some implementations of FIG. 2, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE4) is located within good quality LP-WUS coverage, the MR may offload only the serving cell measurements or offload both the serving cell and neighbor cell measurements to the LR. As an implementation, when the reference signal measurement value obtained by the LP-WUR, i.e., RSRP or RSRQ, reaches a threshold value (condition 2-2), the UE (104) may perform RRM measurement offloading only for the serving cell. As another implementation, when the reference signal measurement value obtained by the LP-WUR, i.e., RSRP or RSRQ, reaches a threshold value (condition 2-2), the UE (104) may perform RRM measurement offloading for both the serving cell and neighbor cells.

[0079] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the trigger condition(s) related to the UE state are within LP-WUS coverage. In some implementations of FIG. 3, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE1) is within cell coverage but outside LP-WUS coverage, the MR can perform serving cell and neighbor cell measurements as legacy. When the UE (104) (e.g., UE2) is within LP-WUS coverage but does not satisfy the trigger condition(s) related to the UE state, the MR can perform serving cell and neighbor cell measurements as legacy.

[0080] In some implementations of FIG. 3, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE3) is within LP-WUS coverage and satisfies at least one of the trigger conditions related to the UE state, the MR may perform at least one of serving cell measurement relaxation and neighbor cell measurement relaxation, and / or RRM measurement from the MR to the LR. As an implementation, when the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS and satisfies the trigger condition(s) related to the UE state on the MR, the UE (104) may perform relaxed RRM measurements for the serving cell and neighbor cell on the MR.

[0081] In another implementation, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS and satisfies at least one of the trigger conditions related to the UE state on the MR, the UE (104) can perform RRM measurement offloading for at least one of the serving cell or neighbor cell(s) from the MR to the LP-WUR.

[0082] In another implementation, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS and satisfies at least one of the trigger conditions related to the UE state on the MR, the UE (104) may offload a partial RRM measurement for at least one of the serving cell or neighbor cell(s) to the LP-WUR. For example, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS and satisfies the trigger condition(s) related to the UE state on the MR, the UE (104) may relax a portion of the RRM measurement for at least one of the neighbor cell or serving cell on the MR and offload another portion of the RRM measurement to the LP-WUR.

[0083] In another implementation, if the UE (104) is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS and satisfies the trigger condition(s) related to the UE state on the MR, the UE (104) can offload the entire RRM measurement for at least one of the serving cell or neighboring cells to the LP-WUR.

[0084] In some implementations of FIG. 3, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE4) is located within good quality LP-WUS coverage, the MR may offload only the serving cell measurements or offload both the serving cell and neighbor cell measurements to the LR. As an implementation, when the reference signal measurement value obtained by the LP-WUR, i.e., RSRP or RSRQ, reaches a threshold value (condition 2-2), the UE (104) may perform RRM measurement offloading only for the serving cell. As another implementation, when the reference signal measurement value obtained by the LP-WUR, i.e., RSRP or RSRQ, reaches a threshold value (condition 2-2), the UE (104) may perform RRM measurement offloading for both the serving cell and neighbor cell(s).

[0085] In some implementations, the UE (104) may first determine whether to perform MR serving cell measurement relaxation based on UE state conditions, for example, whether the UE (104) satisfies conditions 1-1, 1-2, or 1-3 defined above. If at least one of the UE state conditions is satisfied, the UE (104) may decide to perform MR serving cell measurement relaxation and, depending on the measurement quality of the LR, decide whether to offload serving cell measurements or neighbor cell measurements to the LR. More details of these implementations will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0086] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in addition to cell coverage, there may be two condition coverages for cell measurement relaxation: a condition coverage defined by the MR neighbor cell measurement relaxation condition(s), and a condition coverage defined by the MR serving cell measurement relaxation condition(s). The condition coverage defined by the MR neighbor cell measurement relaxation condition(s) is equal to or stricter than the condition coverage defined by the MR serving cell measurement relaxation condition(s).

[0087] In some implementations of FIG. 4, when UE (104) (e.g., UE1) does not satisfy at least one of the neighbor cell measurement relaxation conditions defined as legacy, UE (104) may perform RRM measurements as legacy.

[0088] In some implementations of FIG. 4, when UE (104) (e.g., UE2) satisfies legacy neighbor cell measurement relaxation condition(s), MR can perform neighbor cell measurement relaxation, and then UE (104) (e.g., UE2) can determine whether LP WUS / WUR conditions, namely at least one of conditions 2-1 or 2-2, are satisfied. If at least one of the LP WUS / WUR conditions is satisfied, MR can offload neighbor cell measurements to LR. As an implementation, when neighbor cell measurement relaxation condition(s) on MR and trigger condition(s related to LP WUS / WUR are satisfied, UE (104) can perform RRM measurement offloading for neighbor cells.

[0089] In some implementations of FIG. 4, when the UE (104) (e.g., UE3) satisfies the MR serving cell measurement relaxation condition(s), the MR may perform serving cell measurement relaxation. The MR serving cell measurement relaxation condition(s) may refer to the UE state conditions defined above, namely, that at least one of conditions 1-1, 1-2, or 1-3 is satisfied. It should be understood that for the MR serving cell measurement relaxation and neighbor cell measurement relaxation conditions related to the UE state, namely the low mobility or stop criteria, or the not-at-cell-edge criteria, the threshold values ​​are (pre-configured) to the same or different values ​​depending on or independently of the NW. Next, the UE (104) may further determine whether the LP WUS / WUR conditions, namely at least one of conditions 2-1 or 2-2, are satisfied. If at least one of the LP WUS / WUR conditions is satisfied, the MR may offload the serving cell measurement to the LR.

[0090] As an implementation, if trigger condition(s) related to the state of the UE (104) are satisfied, the UE (104) may perform a relaxed RRM measurement for the serving cell. As another implementation, if trigger condition(s related to the state of the UE (104) and trigger condition(s related to LP WUS / WUR) are satisfied, the UE (104) may perform an RRM measurement offloading for the serving cell.

[0091] In some implementations, a fallback mechanism is provided for RRM relaxation or RRM measurement offloading from MR to LR. For example, the UE (104) may perform MR measurement relaxation or measurement offloading using necessary condition(s) as defined for power saving purposes. However, considering that the relaxed measurement or LR measurement may still have some loss of accuracy, the fallback mechanism needs to be considered to cause the UE (104) to stop RRM measurement relaxation or offloading and fall back to the legacy measurement mechanism in order to ensure mobility performance.

[0092] When at least one of the following conditions is met, the UE (104) may stop RRM measurement relaxation or offloading and fall back to legacy RRM measurement, that is, the MR may fall back to performing serving cell measurement or both serving cell and neighbor cell measurements. That is, the UE (104) may stop relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading from MR to LR based on specific trigger condition(s).

[0093] In some implementations, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition in which a reference signal measurement value of a serving cell measured by LP-WUR satisfies a specific threshold value during a time window. In these implementations, when the measured RSRP or RSRQ value of the reference signal from the serving cell by LR satisfies the exit RSRP threshold value during a specified time window, the UE (104) may stop RRM measurement relaxation or offloading and fall back to legacy RRM measurement. The reference signal to be measured by LR may be, for example, PSS / SSS / PBCH DMRS, LP WUS waveform sequence, LP-SS, etc. LR may stop performing only serving cell measurements, or stop performing both serving cell and neighbor cell measurements based on different exit threshold values. For example, when the LR measurement result(s) satisfy a first existence threshold value during a time window, LR may stop performing serving cell measurements. As another example, when the LR measurement result(s) meet a second presence threshold during a time window, for example when the UE (104) moves out of LP WUS coverage, the LR may stop performing both serving cell and neighbor cell measurements.

[0094] Additionally or alternatively, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition in which the UE (104) stops operations related to the LP-WUS. In this implementation, when the UE (104) stops LP-WUS operations, for example, when the UE (104) turns off its LP WUR or when the UE (104) stops LP-WUS monitoring, the UE (104) may stop RRM measurement mitigation or offloading and fall back to legacy RRM measurements.

[0095] Additionally or alternatively, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition in which the LP-WUR detects a wake-up signal for the MR. In this implementation, when the LR detects a wake-up indication for the MR, that is, when the LR detects a wake-up signal and then the MR wakes up, the UE (104) may stop RRM measurement relaxation or offloading and fall back to legacy RRM measurement.

[0096] Additionally or alternatively, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition under which the UE (104) must perform an uplink data transmission. In this implementation, when the UE (104) has a UL data transmission, i.e., a UL data arrival, the UE (104) may stop RRM measurement mitigation or offloading and fall back to legacy RRM measurement.

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition in which the UE (104)'s low mobility or stop criteria are not met for the relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading. In this implementation, when the UE (104) determines that the stop condition is not met by the results of the relaxed measurement of the serving cell on the MR or by the results of the offloaded measurement of the serving cell on the LR, the UE (104) may stop the RRM measurement relaxation or offloading and fall back to the legacy RRM measurement.

[0098] Additionally or alternatively, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition in which the criterion of not being at the cell edge of the UE (104) is not satisfied for the relaxed RRM measurement or RRM measurement offloading. In this implementation, when the UE (104) determines that the condition(s) of not being at the cell edge are not satisfied by the results of the relaxed measurement of the serving cell on the MR or by the results of the offloaded measurement of the serving cell on the LR, the UE (104) may stop the RRM measurement relaxation or offloading and fall back to the legacy RRM measurement.

[0099] Additionally or alternatively, the trigger condition for the fallback mechanism may refer to a condition in which cell (re)selection is triggered based on a relaxed measurement(s).

[0100] When MR performs RRM measurement relaxation for a serving cell, UE (104) may determine that the fallback conditions for the low mobility or stop criteria and the not-at-cell-edge criteria are not satisfied by detecting the relaxed measurement results, namely the RSRQ or RSRP values ​​of the serving cell on MR. When serving cell measurements are offloaded from MR to LR, UE (104) may determine that the fallback conditions for the low mobility or stop criteria and the not-at-cell-edge criteria are not satisfied by detecting the offloaded measurement results, namely the RSRQ or RSRP values ​​of the serving cell on LR. Specifically, an additional offset may be configured (in advance) for LR measurement results for the serving cell or neighboring cells to compensate for a potential loss of accuracy of the LR measurements.

[0101] In some implementations, to ensure mobility performance, a period may be configured (in advance) for the UE (104) to perform RRM measurement relaxation on the MR or RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LR. Specifically, for the case of relaxation, the MR may be triggered to perform RRM measurement relaxation for the serving cell during a (in advance) configured first period, and the UE (104) may stop relaxation and fall back to legacy RRM measurement(s) when the first period expires until defined trigger conditions are met. As an implementation, the UE (104) may stop the relaxed RRM measurement at the expiration of the first period during which the relaxed RRM measurement on the MR is performed for the serving cell.

[0102] More specifically, for the case of offloading, LR may be triggered to perform offloaded measurements (serving cell measurements, or serving cell and neighbor cell measurements) during a (pre-configured) second period, and UE (104) may fall back to MR measurements when the second period expires until defined trigger conditions are met. As an implementation, UE (104) may stop RRM measurement offloading at the expiration of the second period during which RRM measurements offloaded to LP-WUR are performed for the serving cell or both the serving cell and neighbor cell.

[0103] In some implementations, as mentioned above, the LR can perform relaxed measurement(s) when MR relaxation is triggered. When the LP WUS / WUR is (pre)configured, the UE (104) can operate in different modes, namely continuous monitoring or duty cycle monitoring, because the LR needs to monitor the LP-WUS in any case with the configured cycles. When MR is relaxed to specific conditions, the LR can perform relaxed measurement(s) during the duration of the MR relaxation to ensure better mobility performance. The relaxed measurements may include both serving cell and neighbor cell measurements.

[0104] For continuous monitoring, that is, when LP-WUR is always ON, MR can perform RRM relaxation for at least one of the serving cell and neighboring cell(s) when defined trigger condition(s) are satisfied, and LR can perform corresponding relaxed measurement(s) during the MR relaxation time. In other words, for continuous monitoring, UE (104) can perform offloaded relaxed RRM measurements for LP-WUR during the period when relaxed RRM measurements on MR are performed.

[0105] For duty cycle monitoring, that is, when the LP-WUR switches between on / off states, the UE (104) may perform at least one of serving cell measurement and neighbor cell measurement by the LR during the LR monitoring cycle, while suspending MR measurement for at least one of the serving cell and neighbor cell during the cycle. In other words, for duty cycle monitoring, the UE (104) may perform offloaded relaxed RRM measurement on the LP-WUR during the LP-WUS monitoring cycle, while suspending RRM measurement on the MR during the LP-WUS monitoring cycle.

[0106] With the trigger conditions described above, RRM mitigation on the MR for serving cell measurements may be supported, and RRM measurement(s) may be offloaded from the MR to the LP-WUR when specific trigger condition(s) are met. Both serving cell and neighbor cell measurements may be considered. The trigger conditions for the UE MR to perform serving cell measurement mitigation or offloading may consider both UE states and LP WUS / WUR conditions. Additionally, to ensure mobility performance, a fallback mechanism is provided for RRM mitigation or RRM measurements offloaded from the MR to the LR. Furthermore, for better RRM, partial offloading implementations with corresponding UE behaviors are provided.

[0107] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a device (500) that enhances RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The device (500) may be an example of a UE (104) described herein. The device (500) may support wireless communication with one or more network entities (102), UEs (104), or any combination thereof. The device (500) may include components for bidirectional communication, such as a processor (502), memory (504), a transceiver (506), and optionally, an I / O controller (508), for transmitting and receiving communications. These components may communicate electronically through one or more interfaces (e.g., a bus) or be combined in other ways (e.g., operablely, communically, functionally, electronically, electrically).

[0108] A processor (502), memory (504), transceiver (506), or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for carrying out various aspects of the disclosure described herein. For example, a processor (502), memory (504), transceiver (506), or various combinations thereof or components thereof may support a method for carrying out one or more of the operations described herein.

[0109] In some implementations, the processor (502), memory (504), transceiver (506), or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., within a communication management circuit). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination configured as a means to perform the functions described in this disclosure or otherwise supporting it. In some implementations, the processor (502) and the memory (504) coupled to the processor (502) may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing instructions stored in the memory (504) by the processor (502).

[0110] For example, the processor (502) may support wireless communication in the device (500) according to the examples disclosed herein. The processor (502) may be configured to operate to support means for determining whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to the LP-WUS configured for the UE is satisfied; and means for performing at least one of (i) a relaxed RRM measurement for at least a serving cell on the MR or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied.

[0111] The processor (502) may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor (502) may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor (502). The processor (502) may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory (504)) to enable the device (500) to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0112] Memory (504) may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory (504) may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that enable the device (500) to perform the various functions described herein when executed by the processor (502). The code may be stored in a non-transient computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executable by the processor (502), but may enable the computer to perform the functions described herein (e.g., during compilation and execution). In some implementations, memory (504) may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) capable of controlling basic hardware or software operations, such as interactions with devices, among other things, peripheral components or others.

[0113] The I / O controller (508) can manage input and output signals for the device (500). The I / O controller (508) can also manage peripherals that are not integrated into the device (M02). In some implementations, the I / O controller (508) may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some implementations, the I / O controller (508) may use an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or other known operating systems. In some implementations, the I / O controller (508) may be implemented as part of a processor such as the processor (506). In some implementations, a user may interact with the device (500) through the I / O controller (508) or through a hardware component controlled by the I / O controller (508).

[0114] In some implementations, the device (500) may include a single antenna (510). However, in some other implementations, the device (500) may have more than one antenna (510) (i.e., multiple antennas) comprising multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays, which can transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously. The transceiver (506) may communicate bidirectionally through one or more antennas (510), wired links, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver (506) may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver (506) may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas (510) for transmission, and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas (510). The transceiver (506) may include one or more transmission chains, one or more reception chains, or a combination thereof.

[0115] A transmission chain may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmission chain may include at least one modulator to modulate data onto a carrier signal to prepare the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes such as phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmission chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. The transmission chain may also include one or more antennas (510) for transmitting the amplified signal into air or a wireless medium.

[0116] A receiving chain may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) through a wireless medium. For example, a receiving chain may include one or more antennas (510) for receiving signals through air or a wireless medium. A receiving chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. A receiving chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and acquire the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during the transmission of the signal. A receiving chain may include at least one decoder for receiving the transmitted data by decoding and processing the demodulated signal.

[0117] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a processor (600) for improving RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor (600) may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. The processor (600) may include a controller (602) configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. The processor (600) may optionally include at least one memory (604), such as an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally or alternatively, the processor (600) may optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) (606). One or more of these components may communicate electronically through one or more interfaces (e.g., buses) or otherwise be coupled (e.g., operablely, communically, functionally, electronically, electrically).

[0118] The processor (600) may be a processor chipset and may include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, acquiring, searching, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) according to the examples described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or contained in the processor chipset (e.g., processor (600)), or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), etc.).

[0119] A controller (602) may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations of the processor (600) (e.g., signaling, receiving, acquiring, searching, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) so that the processor (600) may support various operations according to the examples described herein. For example, the controller (602) may operate as a control unit of the processor (600) and generate control signals that manage the operations of various components of the processor (600). These control signals include the activation or deactivation of function units, the selection of data paths, the initiation of memory access, and the timing adjustment of operations.

[0120] The controller (602) may be configured to fetch instructions from memory (604) (e.g., acquire, retrieve, receive) and determine subsequent instruction(s) to be executed, thereby enabling the processor (600) to support various operations according to the examples described herein. The controller (602) may be configured to track the memory addresses of instructions associated with memory (604). The controller (602) may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operations to be performed and the accompanying operands. For example, the controller (602) may be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor (600) to enable the processor (600) to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the controller (602) may be configured to manage data flow within the processor (600). The controller (602) may be configured to control data transfer between the registers, arithmetic logic units (ALU), and other functional units of the processor (600).

[0121] Memory (604) may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or contained in the processor (600)) or other memory, e.g., RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, memory (604) may be located within or on the processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor (600)). In some other implementations, memory (604) may be located outside the processor chipset (e.g., remote from the processor (600)).

[0122] Memory (604) may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by the processor (600), cause the processor (600) to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transient computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. A controller (602) and / or a processor (600) may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (604) to cause the processor (600) to perform the various functions. For example, the processor (600) and / or the controller (602) may be coupled to or with memory (604), and the processor (600), the controller (602), and the memory (604) may be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor (600) may include multiple processors, and the memory (604) may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be combined with one or more of the multiple memories, and they may be configured to perform the various functions of this specification individually or collectively.

[0123] One or more ALUs (606) may be configured to support various operations according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, one or more ALUs (606) may be located in or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor (600)). In some other implementations, one or more ALUs (606) may be located outside the processor chipset (e.g., processor (600)). One or more ALUs (606) may perform one or more operations on data, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, one or more ALUs (606) may receive input operands and an operation code that determines the operation to be executed. One or more ALUs (606) may be composed of various logic and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate data according to the operation. Additionally or alternatively, one or more ALUs (606) may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive OR (XOR), negative OR (NOR), and negative AND (NAND), thereby enabling one or more ALUs (606) to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0124] Additionally, the processor (600) may support wireless communication according to the examples disclosed herein. The processor (600) may be configured to be operable to support means for determining whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to the LP-WUS configured for the UE is satisfied; and means for performing at least one of (i) a relaxed RRM measurement for at least a serving cell on the MR or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied.

[0125] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method (700) for improving RRM according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Operations of the method (700) may be implemented by a device or its components as described herein. For example, operations of the method (700) may be performed by a UE (104) as described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use special-purpose hardware to perform embodiments of the described functions.

[0126] In 710, the method may include the step of determining whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of the UE or a second trigger condition related to the LP-WUS configured for the UE is satisfied. The operations of 710 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 710 may be performed by a device such as that described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0127] In 720, the method may include the step of performing at least one of (i) a relaxed RRM measurement for at least one serving cell on the MR or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR, based on a determination that at least one of a first trigger condition or a second trigger condition is satisfied. The operations of 720 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 720 may be performed by a device such as that described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0128] It should be noted that the implementations of the present disclosure described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4 are also applicable to a device (500), a processor (600), and a method (700).

[0129] Additionally, it should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that operations and steps may be rearranged or modified in other ways, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0130] The various exemplary blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure of this specification may be implemented or performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described in this specification. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented by a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0131] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code forms on a computer-readable medium or transmitted therethrough. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of the software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be located in various physical locations, including distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0132] Computer-readable media include both non-transient computer storage media and communication media, which include any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. Non-transient storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. For example, non-transient computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD)-ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disc storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transient medium that can be used to carry or store desired means of program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

[0133] As used herein, including in the claims, the article "a" preceding an element is not restricted and is understood to mean "at least one" of the elements or "one or more" of the elements. The terms article ("a"), "at least one," "one or more," and "at least one of one or more" may be interchangeable. When used in this specification, including in claims, the word “or” used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items accompanied by phrases such as “at least one of,” or “one or more of,” or “one or both of) indicates a comprehensive list; thus, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A, B, and C). Furthermore, when used in this specification, the phrase “based on” should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as “based on condition A” may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, when used in this specification, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same way as the phrase “at least partially based.” Furthermore, when used in this specification, including in claims, the “set” may include one or more elements.

[0134] This description is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be given the broadest scope conforming to the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

Claim 1 A user device (UE) comprising at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to said at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor causes said UE to: determine whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of said UE or a second trigger condition related to a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS) configured for said UE is satisfied; and, based on the determination that at least one of said first trigger condition or said second trigger condition is satisfied, the UE is configured to cause at least one of (i) a relaxed radio resource management (RRM) measurement for at least a serving cell on a main radio (MR) or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from said MR to a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR). Claim 2 In claim 1, the first trigger condition comprises: when the UE is in a low-mobility or stationary state, the difference between the cell selection reception level value (Srxlev) for the serving cell and the Srxlev reference for the serving cell is smaller than a first threshold during the time window; when the UE is in a low-mobility or stationary state, the difference between the cell selection quality value (Squal) for the serving cell and the Squal reference for the serving cell is smaller than a second threshold during the time window; when the UE is not at the edge of the serving cell, the Srxlev is greater than the first threshold during the time window; when the UE is not at the edge of the serving cell, the Squal for the serving cell is greater than the second threshold during the time window; or any combination thereof, the UE. Claim 3 A UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second trigger condition comprises at least one of: the UE being within the coverage of the LP-WUS during a time window; or a reference signal measurement acquired by the LP-WUR reaching a third threshold during the time window. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the UE is: caused to perform at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the relaxed RRM measurement for the serving cell and neighboring cell on the MR when the UE is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS. Claim 5 In paragraph 3, the UE is: caused to perform at least one of the mitigated RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the RRM measurement offloading from the MR to the LP-WUR for at least the serving cell when the UE is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS. Claim 6 In paragraph 3, the UE is caused to perform at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by: relaxing a portion of the RRM measurement for at least one of the neighboring cell or the serving cell on the MR when the UE is located within the coverage of the LP-WUS; and offloading another portion of the RRM measurement to the LP-WUR. Claim 7 A UE according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading is performed when the first trigger condition on the MR is satisfied. Claim 8 In paragraph 3, the UE is: caused to perform at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the RRM measurement offloading only for the serving cell when the reference signal measurement obtained by the LP-WUR reaches the third threshold. Claim 9 In paragraph 3, the UE is caused to perform at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the RRM measurement offloading for both the serving cell and the neighboring cell when the reference signal measurement obtained by the LP-WUR reaches the third threshold. Claim 10 In paragraph 3, the UE is: caused to perform at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the RRM measurement offloading for a neighbor cell when the neighbor cell measurement relaxation condition on the MR and the second trigger condition are satisfied. Claim 11 In paragraph 2, the UE is: caused to perform at least one of the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the relaxed RRM measurement for the serving cell when the first trigger condition is satisfied. Claim 12 In paragraph 3, the UE is: caused to perform at least one of the mitigated RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading by performing the RRM measurement offloading for the serving cell when the first and second trigger conditions are satisfied. Claim 13 In paragraph 1, the UE further: causes the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading to be interrupted based on a third trigger condition. Claim 14 In paragraph 13, the third trigger condition comprises: the UE moving out of the coverage of the LP-WUS; the target reference signal measured from the serving cell by the LP-WUR satisfying a fourth threshold during a time window; the UE ceasing operations related to the LP-WUS; the LP-WUR detecting a wake-up signal for the MR; the UE performing uplink data transmission; the low mobility or stop condition of the UE not being satisfied for the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading; or the condition of the UE not being at the cell edge not being satisfied for the relaxed RRM measurement or the RRM measurement offloading, at least one of which, UE. Claim 15 In claim 1, the UE further comprises: a UE that causes the relaxed RRM measurement on the MR to stop the relaxed RRM measurement at the expiration of the first period performed for the serving cell. Claim 16 In claim 1, the UE further: causes the RRM measurement offloading to the LP-WUR to be discontinued upon the expiration of a second period in which the RRM measurement offloaded to the LP-WUR is performed for the serving cell, or for both the serving cell and a neighboring cell. Claim 17 In paragraph 6, the UE is: caused to mitigate a portion of the RRM measurement on the MR and offload another portion of the RRM measurement to the LP-WUR by performing an offloaded RRM measurement on the LP-WUR during the period in which the mitigated RRM measurement on the MR is performed in the case of continuous monitoring. Claim 18 In paragraph 6, the UE is: in the case of duty cycle monitoring, the UE performs the offloaded RRM measurement on the LP-WUR during the LP-WUS monitoring cycle, while causing the UE to mitigate a portion of the RRM measurement on the MR and offload another portion of the RRM measurement to the LP-WUR by mitigating a portion of the RRM measurement on the MR during the LP-WUS monitoring cycle. Claim 19 A processor for wireless communication comprising: at least one memory; and a controller coupled to said at least one memory, wherein the controller causes said controller to: determine whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of a UE or a second trigger condition related to a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS) configured for said UE is satisfied; and, based on the determination that at least one of said first trigger condition or said second trigger condition is satisfied, causes said controller to perform at least one of (i) a relaxed radio resource management (RRM) measurement for at least a serving cell on a main radio (MR) or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from said MR to a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR). Claim 20 A method performed by user equipment, comprising: determining whether at least one of a first trigger condition related to the state of a UE or a second trigger condition related to a low-power wake-up signal (LP-WUS) configured for said UE is satisfied; and, based on the determination that at least one of the first trigger condition or the second trigger condition is satisfied, performing at least one of (i) a relaxed radio resource management (RRM) measurement for at least a serving cell on a main radio (MR) or (ii) an RRM measurement offloading from the MR to a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR).

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