Extension of an active time of a user equipment

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus, a method and a computer program product In accordance with an embodiment the method comprises receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

Description

Extension of an active time of a user equipmentTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for extending of an active time of a user equipment.BACKGROUND

[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0003] Measurement gaps (MGs) are periods during which a user equipment (UE) is configured to perform essential intra-frequency, inter-frequency and / or inter-RAT (radio access technology) E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) FDD (frequency division duplex), inter-RAT E-UTRAN TDD (time division duplex), and Ll-RSRP (reference signal received power) measurements that may be used by the NG-RAN (new generation radio access network). Typically, a UE has only one RF (radio frequency) module that is used for signal transmission and reception; therefore, in some cases the UE might require measurement gaps to identify and measure intra-frequency cells and / or inter-frequency cells and / or inter-RAT E-UTRAN cells.

[0004] During such measurement gaps at which a UE is not expected to receive / transmit any signal from / to the serving cells, other than those needed for the RRM (Radio Resource Management) measurements and random-access procedures; therefore, data traffic interruption may occur due to scheduling restrictions in case the MG overlaps with data traffic arrival, thus increasing packet delay. Fig. 2A illustrates an example of a measurement gap with a 4 ms gap length.

[0005] XR (extended reality) services are characterized by a quasi-periodic bursty traffic with high data rates, non-integer periodicity and stringent packet delay budget (PDB); two of the main key performance indicators (KPI) for XR are user satisfaction rate (related to the PDB) and UE power consumption. For the latter, and because of the somewhat predictable XR traffic patterns,XR performance may benefit from power-saving techniques that help extend the UE battery lifetime.

[0006] Discontinuous reception (DRX) is a basic technique that allows configuring a DRX cycle in the UE. For LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G (5thgeneration) NR (New Radio), a DRX cycle consists of an active period (on-duration), during which the UE monitors a control channel, namely the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and a sleeping period (off-duration), during which the UE turns off at least a part of its (RF) circuitry to save power. The sleeping period may also be called as a sleeping window. If no scheduling occurs during the active period, the UE goes to sleep at the end of such period and waits until the end of the DRX cycle to wake up and monitor the control signaling again. If, on the contrary, the UE is scheduled, it remains in the active mode during a configurable period which is controlled by an inactivity timer that the UE (re)starts every time it is scheduled, and only switches to sleeping mode when the inactivity timer expires. This mechanism avoids going into sleeping mode too soon, i.e., while there is still data to be transmitted / received, and increasing the delays.

[0007] Because of the tight PDB of XR, the DRX configuration should be aligned with traffic behavior to allow for data transmission as soon as the on-duration period starts and avoid capacity degradation.

[0008] For the case of XR services with DRX as the UE power-saving method, the use of measurement gaps can compromise the application performance in case it overlaps with the on- duration period of the DRX cycle since, according to current specifications, the measurements performed during the MG would have priority over data transmissions.SUMMARY

[0009] Some embodiments provide a method and apparatus for monitoring UE measurement restrictions during discontinuous reception.

[0010] To tackle the problem presented above, a solution in which active time of a current DRX cycle will be extended based on certain conditions of the current DRX status and next MG window will be introduced in this specification. In accordance with an embodiment, the UE can autonomously take a decision of whether to extend the DRX active time according to pre-defined conditions configured by the network by using for example, using radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Therefore, the decision whether to extend the active time is controlled and known bythe network. Only its application is executed by the UE without explicit signaling like DCI or MAC CE commands. Additionally, the activation or deactivation of such mechanism would be controlled by the network and signaled a priori to the UE, for example using RRC signaling. Since the network already knows when the upcoming DRX and MG occasions are expected for the UE, it can also apply the conditions and make scheduling decisions if needed, thus reducing the XR packet delays. In case a measurement gap overlaps with the on-duration period of the DRX cycle, the UE and gNB (a.k.a. gNodeB) may take a decision of whether to extend the DRX active time to prioritize the XR data over the measurement gap or not, according to pre-defined conditions. The configuration of such mechanism would be controlled by the network and signaled a priori to the UE.

[0011] In accordance with an embodiment, on the UE side, the mechanism is based on calculations already performed by the UE to know when the next discontinuous reception occasion and measurement gap occasion are expected to coincide. On the gNB side, since it already knows when the upcoming discontinuous reception occasion and measurement gap occasion are expected for the UE, it can also apply the conditions and make the decision of avoiding the scheduling restrictions due to measurement gaps if the mechanism is activated and thus avoid increasing the XR packet delays.

[0012] In accordance with an embodiment, one or more of the following aspects will be utilized.

[0013] One or more RRC configuration parameters will be implemented that accounts for the various evaluation conditions and constraints that enable the network to detect if the UE is active and can receive scheduling information (e.g. on PDCCH) and data (e.g. on physical shared channels such as the physical uplink shared channel PUSCH and / or the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH).

[0014] Enhancements to RRC signaling procedures and exchanged control messages between gNB and UE may be provided in order to extend the DRX active time for data transmission to fulfill the XR quality of service (QoS) requirements.

[0015] Based on RRC parameters and additional conditions that enable the UE to autonomously (i.e., without additional signaling between NW and UE) decide that the active time of the current DRX cycle should be extended.

[0016] Some embodiments are implemented in the context of the 5G communication systems and relate to UE and / or network implementation of mechanisms for monitoring UE measurement restrictions during discontinuous reception.

[0017] According to an embodiment, there is provided a method, to be employed by a user equipment, to perform determination whether to extend the DRX active period or not.

[0018] According to some aspects, there is provided the subject matter of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. The embodiments that do not fall under the scope of the claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding the disclosure.

[0019] According to a first aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; means for determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; means for remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

[0020] According to a second aspect there is provided a method comprising: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

[0021] According to a third aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory andthe computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising computer readable program code which, when executed by at least one processor; cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect there is provided apparatus comprising: means for determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; means for enabling the one or more configuration parameters; means for transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; means for determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and means for scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect there is provided a method comprising: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

[0025] According to a seventh aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

[0026] According to an eighth aspect there is provided a computer program comprising computer readable program code which, when executed by at least one processor; cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment;determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] For a more complete understanding of example embodiments of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced;

[0029] Fig. 2A illustrates an example of a measurement gap with a 4 ms gap length;

[0030] Fig. 2B illustrates an example of prioritization of measurement gap over data;

[0031] Fig. 3 shows an example of a DRX active time extension mechanism;

[0032] Fig. 4 illustrates an approach for the DRX active time extension mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment;

[0033] Fig. 5A illustrates some operations of a method for a user equipment, in accordance with an embodiment;

[0034] Fig. 5B illustrates some operations of a method for a network element, in accordance with an embodiment; and

[0035] Fig. 6 shows a block diagram of an apparatus in accordance with at least some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF SOME EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0036] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0037] It should be noted here that in this specification, the term ‘base station’ refers to a logical element containing logical communication system layers (e.g. LI, L2, L3). The base stations of different RATs may be implemented in the same hardware or at separate hardware. It should also be mentioned that although the expressions “each base station” and “each mobile station” or “each user equipment” may be used, these terms need not mean every existing base station, mobile station or user equipment but base stations, mobile stations or user equipment in a certain area or set. For example, each base station may mean all base stations within a certain geographical area or all base stations of an operator of a wireless communication network or a sub-set of base stations of an operator of a wireless communication network.

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, radio access network (RAN) node 170, and network element(s) 190 are illustrated. In the example of FIG. 1, the user equipment 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. A user equipment is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The user equipment 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected through one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver, Rx, 132 and a transmitter, Tx, 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fibre optics or other optical communication equipment, and the like. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The user equipment 110 includes a module 140, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and is executed by the one or more processors 120. For instance, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 120, cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The user equipment 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111. The modules 140-1 and 140-2 may be configured to implement the functionality of the user equipment as described herein.

[0039] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access by wireless devices such as the user equipment 110 to the wireless network 100. Thus, the RAN node 170 (and the base station) may also be called as an access point of a wireless communication network). The RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also called New Radio (NR). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be a NG-RAN node, which is defined as either a gNB (a next generation NodeB) or an ng-eNB. A gNB is a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and connected via the NG interface to a 5GC (such as, for example, the network element(s) 190). The ng-eNB is a node providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE and connected via the NG interface to the 5GC. The NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB- CU) 196 and distributed unit(s) (Dus) (gNB-Dus), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU 195 may include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU 196 is a logical node hosting radio resource control (RRC), SDAP and PDCP protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB that controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU 196 terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-DU 195. The Fl interface is illustrated as reference 198, although reference 198 also illustrates a link between remote elements of the RAN node 170 and centralized elements of the RAN node 170, such as between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU 195 is a logical node hosting RLC, MAC and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partly controlled by gNB-CU 196. One gNB-CU 196 supports one or multiple cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU 195 terminates the Fl interface 198 connected with the gNB-CU 196. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of a RU, but some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station, for LIE (long term evolution), or any other suitable base station or node.

[0040] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected through one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver, Rx, 162 and a transmitter, Tx, 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor(s) 152, memory(ies) 155, and network interfaces 161. Note that the DU195 may also contain its own memory / memories and processor(s), and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0041] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150, comprising one of or both parts 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 150 may be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 150 may be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and is executed by the one or more processors 152. For instance, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, with the one or more processors 152, cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. Note that the functionality of the module 150 may be distributed, such as being distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or be implemented solely in the DU 195. The modules 150-1 and 150-2 may be configured to implement the functionality of the base station described herein. Such functionality of the base station may include a location management function (LMF) implemented based on functionality of the LMF described herein. Such LMF may also be implemented within the RAN node 170 as a location management component (LMC).

[0042] The one or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network such as via the links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, e.g., link 176. The link 176 may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards.

[0043] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, and the like. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for gNB implementation for 5G, with the other elements of the RAN node 170 possibly being physically in a different location from the RRH / DU 195, and the one or more buses 157 could be implemented in part as, for example, fiber optic cable or other suitable network connection to connect the other elements (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB-CU) of the RAN node 170 to the RRH / DU 195. Reference 198 also indicates those suitable network link(s).

[0044] It is noted that description herein indicates that “cells” perform functions, but it should be clear that equipment which forms the cell may perform the functions. The cell makes up part of a base station. That is, there can be multiple cells per base station. For example, there could be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each cell covering one-third of a 360 degree area so that the single base station’s coverage area covers an approximate oval or circle. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier and a base station may use multiple carriers. So, if there are three 120 degree cells per carrier and two carriers, then the base station has a total of 6 cells.

[0045] The wireless network 100 may include a network element or elements 190 that may include core network functionality, and which provides connectivity via a link or links 181 with a further network, such as a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet). Such core network functionality for 5G may include location management functions (LMF(s)) and / or access and mobility management function(s) (AMF(S)) and / or user plane functions (UPF(s)) and / or session management function(s) (SMF(s)). Such core network functionality for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity ) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality. These are merely example functions that may be supported by the network element(s) 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions might be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled via a link 131 to the network element 190. The link 131 may be implemented as, e.g., an NG interface for 5G, or an SI interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 180, interconnected through one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to, with the one or more processors 175, cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations such as functionality of an LMF as described herein. In some examples, a single LMF could serve a large region covered by hundreds of base stations.

[0046] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as either external, combining many networks, or parts of networks, into a virtual unit, or internal,providing network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities that result from the network virtualization are still implemented, at some level, using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and also such virtualized entities create technical effects.

[0047] The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, RAN node 170, network element(s) 190, and other functions as described herein.

[0048] In general, the various embodiments of the user equipment 110 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones such as smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, Internet appliances permitting wireless Internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions.

[0049] Module 150-1 and / or module 150-2 may implement the functionalities and signaling of the gNB or radio node as herein described. Computer program code 173 may implement the functionalities and signaling of the AMF or network element as herein described.

[0050] When a user equipment 110 is in idle mode, the user equipment 110 does not have an active data session (e.g. a phone call, an internet connection, etc.) but should be reachable via signaling (paging) through an appropriate cell. In paging procedure a brief message may be broadcast simultaneously over the entire service area usually in a multicast fashion by many base stations. The user equipment 110 monitors the paging channel for incoming service requests. Suchuser equipments periodically enter to an active mode of their baseband and / or receivers to synchronize with the network and check for paging messages from the network. Upon reception of a paging message, the user equipment 110 responds to the paging message e.g. by establishing a connection with the base station controlling the cell on which the user equipment 110 is camped. Upon successful connection the user equipment 110 changes to a connected state. Cell selection and / or reselection may happen when the user equipment 110 is in inactive and / or idle mode and has determined that the user equipment 110 should change its serving cell, i.e. it should camp to a more appropriate cell in order to not compromise successful reception of future paging messages and to be able to effectively transfer uplink data. The user equipment 110 may seek to identify a suitable cell based on so-called idle and inactive mode cell measurements and cell selection criteria. Suitable cells are those whose measured attribute meets, for example, the quality selection criteria (s-criteria) for the cell selection procedure. If a suitable cell is not available, the user equipment 110 may try to identify an acceptable cell. In this case, the user equipment 110 may camp on an acceptable cell and starts the cell reselection procedure. The user equipment 110 may implement the discontinuous reception (DRX) method, in which the user equipment 110 may switch off its receiver(s) (e.g. receiver chain(s), antenna panels and elements) avoiding PDCCH monitoring, and enter a low power state for improved energy efficiency. Such DRX method is also applicable when the user equipment is in the RRC inactive or idle state, by applying a DRX cycle that is referred to inactive / idle I-DRX cycle or paging cycle. Then, the user equipment periodically ”wakes-up’ ’ to monitor for and receive paging indications if present. In some examples, the wakeup period (paging cycle) can be e.g. 0.32s, 0.64s, 1.28s or 2.56s long, and typically 1.28 s.

[0051] When camped on a cell, the user equipment 110 may regularly search for a better cell according to the cell reselection criteria. If a better cell is found that cell may be selected. For such purpose, the UE may measure neighbour cells based on e.g. the neighbours’ lists provided by the network. Typically at least once at every DRX cycle, the user equipment 110 may measure RSRP and RSRQ levels of the serving cell to evaluate the so-called cell selection criteria S (S-criteria) comprising criteria relating to the measurement rules for cell re-selection. If the s-criteria are not fulfilled for the serving cell, the user equipment 110 tries to identify a new serving cell. For instance, if the s-criteria are not fulfilled e.g. for a certain number of consecutive DRX cycles, the user equipment 110 may have to initiate measurements of all neighbouring cells regardless of the measurement / priority criteria provided to the user equipment 110 by the network. On the contrary,if one or more s-criterion is fulfilled for the serving cell, the UE need not perform measurements of intra / inter-frequency neighbours in order to limit the RRM measurements performed for cell reselection.

[0052] The user equipment 110 is configured by the base station BS to perform the signal level / quality measurements based on the transmitted SSBs sent by the serving base station and neighbouring base stations, where the measurements are made over a set of received downlink reference signals sent by the serving and neighbouring cells. Both the user equipment 110 and the base station BS are aware of the time-frequency location of these signals and their design. As in LTE, in 5GNR the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) is defined as the average received power without interference and noise components, and the Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) is defined as the ratio between the RSRP and the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RS SI), where RS SI is the total received power including noise and interference. When the RSRP measurement of its serving cell falls below a threshold relating to the s-criteria (e.g. S(non)intraSearchP(Q)) defined by the network, the user equipment 110 may have to start measuring signals from the neighbouring base stations.

[0053] Some RSRP measurement techniques comprise the linear averaging of power contributions of time-frequency samples of a reference signal, i.e. one sample per resource element (RE), carrying the reference signal. In this specification, these are referred as the set of physical samples having a size K.

[0054] In the following it will be described how coexistence of MG and DRX would affect the XR specific QoS performance.

[0055] According to an approach, a measurement gap starts during radio frames and subframes which satisfy the following criteria:- SFN mod (MGRP / 10) = FLOOR (gapOffset / 10)- Subframe = gapOffset mod 10 where the MGRP is the Measurement Gap Repetition Period, and gapOffset can be configured with a value between 0 and MGRP-1.

[0056] According to the current standards, in the case that a pre-configured MG overlaps with the start of the DRX cycle, the UE shall give priority to the RRM measurements over receiving data from the serving cells. Thus, if there is XR data already buffered at the time of the MG, datainterruption may occur, risking violating the PDB. This issue is illustrated in Fig. 2B, which illustrates an example of prioritization of measurement gap over data.

[0057] If the network would instruct (e.g., via DCI) to the UE to extend the DRX active time period to give priority to the data, in a scenario where both the start of the DRX active time and the start of the MG align, there might not be enough time for the network to indicate to the UE to skip the MG and therefore the measurement activities would be prioritized.

[0058] In the following, a DRX active time extension mechanism will be described, in accordance with an embodiment, which may, for example, rely on formulas that the UE currently uses to know when the next DRX occasion and the next MG are expected, and on different conditions that can be checked to make the decision.

[0059] The network (e.g. the gNB) may have configured some parameters relating to the DRX cycle e.g. via RRC signaling. One parameter is called as a drxLongCycle, which is an RRC parameter by which the network can control the start location of the long DRX cycle. The network may have also configured another parameter called as a drxShortCycle, which in general is shorter than the long cycle duration. If the network configures the short DRX cycle, it should ensure that the long DRX cycle duration is an integer multiple of the short DRX cycle duration.

[0060] If there is no data activity during the on duration of a long cycle, the UE may simply follow the long DRX cycle as if the short DRX cycle is not configured. If there is any data activity, the UE may switch to the short DRX cycle and follow short cycle for certain amount of time. If there is no data activity during this time, the UE would then switch to the long DRX cycle. Short DRX cycles after recent data activity may be useful because the probability of being scheduled again during a certain amount of time after recent activity can be higher.

[0061] Within a short DRX cycle, the start of on duration can be determined using a long cycle parameters drxStartOffset and drxSlotOffset.

[0062] The parameter gapOffset can be defined as an offset of the gap pattern. There may be a plurality of (e.g. about 160) offset values, but all those values may not be applicable for all periodicity. The offset values points to the starting subframe within the period, its value range is from 0 to a measurement gap repetition period minus 1 (MGRP-1).

[0063] In accordance with an embodiment, the UE identifies that the start of the DRX active time happens at a system frame number (SFN) and subframe meeting a certain condition described below. The system frame number is a frame having a certain length, e.g. 10 ms. This frame isdivided into subframes, for example into 10 subframes, wherein each subframe may be 1 ms long or less. However, these are only examples of the lengths of the system frame number and the subframes.

[0064] If the Short DRX cycle is used, the condition is as follows:[(SFN x 10) + subframe number] modulo (drxShortCycle)= drxStartOffset) modulo (drxShortCycle)

[0065] If the Long DRX cycle is used, the condition is as follows:[(SFN x 10) + subframe number] modulo (dr xLong Cycle) = drxLongCycle)

[0066] On the other hand, for measurement gaps, the UE determines that each gap occurs at an SFN and subframe meeting the following conditions:SFN modulo T = FLOOR(gapOffset / 10) subframe = gapOffset modulo 10 withT = MGRP / 10 where MGRP is the Measurement Gap Repetition Period in ms.

[0067] In the following, some sets of conditions are described that the UE can autonomously evaluate to decide whether to extend the active time of the current DRX cycle.

[0068] One approach for the extension of the DRX active time is to keep the UE active for the entire DRX cycle (i.e., to skip DRX and keep the UE monitoring the PDCCH) if the next DRX cycle and MG window overlap based, for example, on a RRC parameter that enables this.

[0069] First, the UE determines if the extension of DRX active time mechanism is configured. If so, the UE determines if the system frame number SFN and the subframe, where a DRX condition is met (e.g. OnDuration starts), equals the SFN and the subframe where an MG condition is met. If so, the UE extends the active time of the current DRX cycle until its end. This kind of situation (DRX active time extension mechanism) is illustrated in Fig. 3.

[0070] Conditions for this kind of operation can be evaluated when the following condition indicating the beginning of the long DRX cycle is met:[(SNF x 10) + subframe number] modulo drxLongCycle = drxStartOffset

[0071] More specifically, the condition can be specified as follows, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0072] The UE may determine whether the following conditions are fulfilled: If the Long DRX cycle is used for a DRX group, and [(SFN x 10) + subframe number] modulo (drx-LongCycle) = drx-StartOffset then if [(SFN x 10) + subframe number + drx-LongCycle] modulo (drx- LongCycle) - drx-StartOffset = [SFN mod T - FLOOR(gapOffset / 10)] + [subframe - (gapOffset mod 10)], the UE may decide to skip procedures of current DRX cycle and keep the UE active until the end of the DRX cycle.

[0073] If at least one of the above conditions are not met, the UE may determine if DCP monitoring is not configured for the active downlink bandwidth part (DL BWP). If so, the UE may start drx-onDurationTimer for this DRX group after drx-SlotOffset from the beginning of the subframe.

[0074] In accordance with an embodiment, a time reference for both DRX and MG and a threshold can be considered in the formula used to detect whether to extend the UE active time as illustrated in Fig. 3. Additionally, a timer and an RRC parameter called e.g. drx- ExtentionActiveTimer can be defined to limit the duration of the active time of the UE. A general condition, according to an embodiment, can be defined as follows: If the difference between the parameters TimeReferenceDRX-TimeReferenceMG is less than or equal to a threshold, i.e. TimeReferenceDRX - TimeReferenceMG < threshold, then the UE may start the timer drx- ExtentionActiveTimer for this DRX group after drx-SlotOffset from the beginning of the subframe.

[0075] It can be observed from Fig. 3 that during the first and third DRX cycles the difference between the parameters TimeReferenceDRX and TimeReferenceMG is less than or equal to the threshold. Therefore, active time of these DRX cycles are extended by 2 time units (e.g., symbols, slots, or subframes) with respect to the active time of the legacy DRX cycle, which is 3 time units, in accordance with an approach. This may enable the network to schedule the data transmission of the frame arriving outside the UE active time of the legacy DRX scheme.

[0076] It should be noted that when the value of the parameter TimeReferenceDRX is equal to ([(SFN x 10) + subframe number + drx-LongCycle] modulo (drx-LongCycle) - drx-StartOffset), it also means that the value of the parameter TimeReferenceDRX is equal to ([SFN mod T - FLOOR(gapOffset / 10)] + [subframe - (gapOffset mod 10)]). Then, if the threshold is set to 0 in the above formula, the formula corresponds to the one described above, i.e., [(SFN x 10) +subframe number + drx-LongCycle] modulo (drx-LongCycle) - drx-StartOffset = [SFN mod T - FLOOR(gapOffset / 10)] + [subframe - (gapOffset mod 10)].

[0077] Moreover, if the multiple parameters presented above and used with the different options presented are configured, more flexible conditions evaluation could be performed where all aspects are considered. The list of proposed parameters is indicated in the following table 1, in accordance with an embodiment:_Table 1

[0078] In the following, some examples of signaling for the extension of the DRX cycle mechanism will be provided with reference to Fig. 4, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0079] At step 400, the user equipment and the network agree upon the set of parameters used to enable the new UE behavior when DRX cycle coincides with a measurement gap window. The set of parameters are defined in, for example, RRC information elements and exchanged using RRC messages.

[0080] At step 401, the UE starts the DRX and measurement gap cycles according to the parameters exchanged during RRC configuration.

[0081] At step 402, the network considers the UE scheduling availability according to the DRX and measurement gap parameters. In particular, the UE is unavailable during measurement gap and when inactive.

[0082] At step 403, which may be optional, the network may enable at any time the new UE DRX behavior, which consists of extending the UE active time when certain conditions are fulfilled as discussed above. The signal that enables the new behavior can be a new DCI or MAC CE command, for example.

[0083] At step 404, the network starts evaluating the UE scheduling availability according to the UE behavior. It should be noted that the network should evaluate the same condition evaluated by the UE to decide whether the UE is in active mode and possibly schedule its data transmissions.

[0084] At step 405, the UE starts evaluating the condition to extend the active time. For example, the UE detects when the next measurement gap window coincides with the beginning of the next DRX cycle and / or a time reference between the discontinuous reception and the next measurement gap is less than a threshold.

[0085] At step 406, the UE starts executing the DRX procedures for determining whether to extend the DRX cycle or not. In particular, whenever the condition to extend the active time holds true, the UE may remain in active state for the time indicated in the RRC parameters. For example, the UE triggers the drx-ExtentionActiveTimer and remains active until the drx- ExtentionActiveTimer expires or reaches another predetermined value. In other words, the parameter for measuring time may be counting a predetermined length of time until it has reached the predetermined value.

[0086] At step 407, the network relaxes the scheduling restrictions due to DRX whenever the condition to extend the DRX active time holds true and considers that the UE is available when the UE is in active state. This may be true, for example, when the drx-ExtentionActiveTimer has been triggered by the UE and it has not expired yet.

[0087] At step 408, which may be optional, the network may disable at any time the new UE DRX behavior. The UE will resume the legacy DRX behavior without the extension of the active time. The signal can be a new DCI or MAC CE command.

[0088] It can be observed that signals / commands sent in steps 403 and 408 are not intended to trigger the extension of the active time, which is done autonomously by the UE. These signals / commands are used to enable or disable the new behavior disclosed in this specification, i.e., the extension of the active time. When the network disables the extension of the active time procedure as in step 408, the UE falls back to legacy behavior.

[0089] A communication system typically comprises more than one gNodeB in which case the (e / g)NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with one another over links, wired or wireless, designed for the purpose. These links may be used for signaling purposes. The gNodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of communication system it is coupled to. The gNodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point or any other typeof interfacing device including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. The gNodeB includes or is coupled to transceivers. From the transceivers of the gNodeB, a connection is provided to an antenna unit that establishes bi-directional radio links to user equipments. The antenna unit may comprise a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. The gNodeB is further connected to core network 109 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side can be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), packet data network gateway (P-GW), for providing connectivity of user equipments (Ues) to external packet data networks, or mobile management entity (MME), etc. The CN may comprise network entities or nodes that may be referred to management entities. Examples of the network entities comprise at least an Access management Function (AMF).

[0090] The user equipment (also called a user device, a user terminal, a terminal device, a wireless device, a mobile station (MS) etc.) illustrates one type of an apparatus to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and thus any feature described herein with a user equipment may be implemented with a corresponding network apparatus, such as a relay node, an eNB, and an gNB. An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhauling relay) towards the base station.

[0091] The user equipment typically refers to a portable computing device that includes wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including, but not limited to, the following types of devices: a mobile station (mobile phone), smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handset, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measurement device, etc.), laptop and / or touch screen computer, tablet, game console, notebook, and multimedia device. It should be appreciated that a user equipment may also be a nearly exclusive uplink only device, of which an example is a camera or video camera loading images or video clips to a network. A user equipment may also be a device having capability to operate in Internet of Things (loT) network which is a scenario in which objects are provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to- computer interaction. The user equipment may also utilize cloud. In some applications, a user equipment may comprise a small portable device with radio parts (such as a watch, earphones or eyeglasses) and the computation is carried out in the cloud. The user equipment (or in some embodiments a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of user equipment functionalities. The user equipment may also be called a subscriber unit, mobile station, remoteterminal, access terminal, user terminal or user equipment (UE) just to mention but a few names or apparatuses.

[0092] Fig. 5A illustrates some operations of a method for the user equipment, in accordance with an embodiment. The user equipment receives 500 from the network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception. The user equipment also receives 502 from the network an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters. The user equipment determines 504 whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap and starts 506 a timer when the determination reveals that the start of the next discontinuous reception coincides with the next measurement gap and the one or more configuration parameters have been indicated being enabled. The user equipment remains 508 in the activity state of the discontinuous reception until the timer expires.

[0093] Fig. 5B illustrates some operations of a method for the network element, such as the gNB, in accordance with an embodiment. The network element determines 510 one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception. Then, the network element enables 512 the one or more configuration parameters and transmits 514 the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to the user equipment. The network element further determines 516 whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and if so, schedules 518 data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

[0094] Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a block diagram of an apparatus 110 in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. The apparatus 110 may be, for example, a part of the resource manager. The apparatus 110 comprises a processor 1022 and a transceiver 1024. The processor is operatively connected to the transceiver for controlling the transceiver. The apparatus may comprise a memory 1026. The memory may be operatively connected to the processor. It should be appreciated that the memory may be a separate memory or included to the processor and / or the transceiver. The memory 1026 may be used to store information, for example, about parameters 1032, thresholds 1034, default values and / or for some other information.

[0095] Fig. 6 also illustrates some operational units 1028, 1030 as a computer code stored in the memory but they may also be implemented using hardware components or as a mixture of computer code and hardware components.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the processor is configured to control the transceiver and / or to perform one or more functionalities described with a method according to an embodiment.

[0097] A memory may be a computer readable medium that may be non-transitory. The memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The data processors may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general-purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0098] Embodiments may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic or a combination of software, hardware and application logic. The software, application logic and / or hardware may reside on memory, or any computer media. In an example embodiment, the application logic, software or an instruction set is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a “memory” or “computer-readable medium” may be any media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruc“ion ex”cuti“n system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

[0099] Reference to, where relevant, “computer-readable storage medium”, “computer program product”, “tangibly embodied computer program” etc., or a “processor” or “processing circuitry” etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having differing architectures such as single / multi-processor architectures and sequencers / parallel architectures, but also specialized circuits such as field programmable gate arrays FPGA, application specify circuits ASIC, signal processing devices and other devices. References to computer readable program code means, computer program, computer instructions, computer code etc. should be understood to express software for a programmable processor firmware such as the programmable content of a hardware device as instructions for a processor or configured or configuration settings for a fixed function device, gate array, programmable logic device, etc.

[0100] Although the above examples describe embodiments of the invention operating within a wireless device or a gNB, it would be appreciated that the invention as described above may beimplemented as a part of any apparatus comprising a circuitry in which radio frequency signals are transmitted and / or received. Thus, for example, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in a mobile phone, in a base station, in a computer such as a desktop computer or a tablet computer comprising radio frequency communication means (e.g. wireless local area network, cellular radio, etc.).

[0101] In general, the various embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits or any combination thereof. While various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described as block diagrams or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0102] Embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various components such as integrated circuit modules, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), microcontrollers, microprocessors, a combination of such modules. The design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

[0103] Programs, such as those provided by Synopsys, Inc. of Mountain View, California and Cadence Design, of San Jose, California automatically route conductors and locate components on a semiconductor chip using well established rules of design as well as libraries of pre stored design modules. Once the design for a semiconductor circuit has been completed, the resultant design, in a standardized electronic format (e.g., Opus, GDSII, or the like) may be transmitted to a semiconductor fabrication facility or “fab” for fabrication.

[0104] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analogue and / or digital circuitry) and(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):(i) a combination of analogue and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and(ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and(c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0105] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0106] EXAMPLES

[0107] The following is a list of examples in accordance with at least some embodiments:1. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; means for determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; means for starting a timer when the determination reveals that the start of the next discontinuous reception coincides with the next measurement gap and the one or more configuration parameters have been indicated being enabled; and means for remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception until the timer expires.2. The apparatus according to example 1 further comprising: means for determining if a system frame number and a subframe, where a discontinuous reception condition is met, equals the system frame number and the subframe where a measurement gap condition is met..3. The apparatus according to example 2 wherein said means for determining are configured to determine if a long DRX cycle is used for a DRX group.4. The apparatus according to any of the examples 1 to 3 comprising: means for limiting a duration of the active time of the apparatus.5. The apparatus according to any of the examples 1 to 4 comprising: means for determining whether a difference of a time reference for the discontinuous reception and a time reference of the measurement gap is less than a threshold to determine whether to remain active and start the timer.6. The apparatus according to any of the examples 1 to 5, said means for receiving are configured to receive said one or more signalling configurations as radio resource control signalling.7. A method comprising: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; starting a timer when the determination reveals that the start of the next discontinuous reception coincides with the next measurement gap and the one or more configuration parameters have been indicated being enabled; and remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception until the timer expires.8. The method according to claim 7 comprising: determining if a system frame number and a subframe, where a discontinuous reception condition is met, equals the system frame number and the subframe where a measurement gap condition is met.9. The method according to example 7 or 8 comprising: determine if a long DRX cycle is used for a DRX group.10. The method according to any of the examples 7 to 9 comprising: limiting a duration of the active time of the apparatus.11. The method according to any of the examples 7 to 10 comprising: determining whether a difference of a time reference for the discontinuous reception and a time reference of the measurement gap is less than a threshold to determine whether to remain active and start the timer.12. An apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; starting a timer when the determination reveals that the start of the next discontinuous reception coincides with the next measurement gap and the one or more configuration parameters have been indicated being enabled; and remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception until the timer expires.13. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code which, when executed by at least one processor; cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters;determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; starting a timer when the determination reveals that the start of the next discontinuous reception coincides with the next measurement gap and the one or more configuration parameters have been indicated being enabled; and remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception until the timer expires.14. An apparatus comprising: means for determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; means for enabling the one or more configuration parameters; means for transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; means for determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and means for scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.15. The apparatus according to example 14 comprising: means for detecting if the user equipment is active and can receive scheduling information.16. The apparatus according to example 15 wherein said means for transmitting are configured to transmit the scheduling information based on the detection.17. A method comprising: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment;determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.18. An apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.19. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code which, when executed by at least one processor; cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

[0108] The foregoing description has provided by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples a full and informative description of the exemplary embodiment of this invention. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of this invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; means for determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; means for remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for determining are configured to determine at least one of the following: start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; a time reference between the discontinuous reception and the next measurement gap.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising: means for determining if a system frame number and a subframe, where a discontinuous reception condition is met, equals the system frame number and the subframe where a measurement gap condition is met.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for determining are configured to determine at least one of the following: if a long DRX cycle is used for a DRX group; if a short DRX cycle is used for a DRX group.

5. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4 comprising: means for limiting a duration of the activity state of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5 comprising:determining whether a difference of a time reference for the discontinuous reception and a time reference of the measurement gap is less than a threshold to determine whether to remain in the activity state.

7. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said means for receiving are configured to receive said one or more signalling configurations as radio resource control signalling.

8. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the one or more configuration parameters comprise one or more of the following: a threshold between of a time reference of a next discontinuous reception cycle and a time reference of a measurement gap window; an indication for a time the apparatus should remain in the activity state.

9. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 8 comprising: means for measuring time configured to be activated by determination that the start of the next discontinuous reception coincides with the next measurement gap, wherein the condition for exiting the activity state is a length of measured time.

10. A method comprising: receiving from a network one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception and an indication to enable the one or more configuration parameters; determining whether a condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled; remaining in the activity state of the discontinuous reception when the condition to extend the activity state is fulfilled until a condition for exiting the activity state is fulfilled.

11. An apparatus comprising: means for determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; means for enabling the one or more configuration parameters;means for transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; means for determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and means for scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 comprising: means for detecting if the user equipment is active and can receive scheduling information.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12 wherein said means for transmitting are configured to transmit the scheduling information based on the detection.

14. The apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the one or more configuration parameters comprise one or more of the following: a threshold between of a time reference of a next discontinuous reception cycle and a time reference of a measurement gap window; an indication for a time the apparatus should remain in the activity state.

15. A method comprising: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

16. An apparatus comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: determining one or more configuration parameters for extending an activity state of discontinuous reception; enabling the one or more configuration parameters; transmitting the one or more configuration parameters and the indication to a user equipment; determining whether a start of a next discontinuous reception coincides with a next measurement gap; and scheduling data transmission with the user equipment when the user equipment is in the active state of the discontinuous reception.

Images