Synchronization signal block measurement timing control

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable medium to perform operations including: obtaining a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement samples, determining a plurality of measurement confidence values based on the plurality of SSB measurement samples, compare the plurality of measurement confidence values with a plurality of threshold confidence values, and determining, based on the comparing, adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement. In response to determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement, a time period within the SSB measurement window is obtained, and the time period is allocated for at least one of high priority uplink transmission or power saving.

Description

SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL BLOCK MEASUREMENT TIMING CONTROLCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 618,996, filed on January 9, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication networks provide integrated communication platforms and telecommunication services to wireless user devices. Example telecommunication services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, and / or other services. The wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with the wireless user devices using wireless network protocols, such as protocols described in various telecommunication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Example wireless communication networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). The wireless communication networks facilitate mobile broadband service using technologies such as OFDM, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features.

[0003] In some wireless networks, a user equipment (UE) communicates with one or more base stations that provide cellular services to the UE. The UE may select a cell with a desired signal quality and synchronize with the cell before establishing communication. The cell selection and synchronization procedures often involve synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement, also referred to as synchronization signal physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block measurement, and may take place during a time window configured according to SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC).SUMMARY

[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus having processing circuitry is provided. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement samples. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a plurality of measurement confidence values based on the plurality of SSB measurement samples. The processing circuitry is configured to compare the plurality of measurement confidence values with a plurality of threshold confidence values. The processing circuitry is configured to determine, based on the comparing, adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain a time period within the SSB measurement window in response to determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement. The processing circuitry is configured to allocate the time period for at least one of high priority uplink transmission or power saving.

[0005] In some implementations, the processing circuitry is further configured to determine an initial value of the periodicity of SSB measurement window and an initial value of the duration of SSB measurement. The plurality of SSB measurement samples are obtained when the apparatus is configured with the initial value of the periodicity of SSB measurement window and the initial value of the duration of SSB measurement.

[0006] In some implementations, the plurality of measurement confidence values include at least one of: a first measurement confidence value corresponding to the periodicity of SSB measurement window; or a second measurement confidence value corresponding to the duration of SSB measurement.

[0007] In some implementations, determining adjustments to the periodicity of SSB measurement window includes: obtaining a subset of SSB measurement samples from the plurality of SSB measurement samples, wherein an interval of the subset of SSB measurement samples equals twice an interval of the plurality of SSB measurement samples; determining, based on the subset of SSB measurement samples, an adjusted measurement confidence value; comparing the adjusted measurement confidence value with the first threshold confidence value; and in response to determining that the adjusted measurement confidence value exceeds the first threshold confidence value, doubling the periodicity of SSB measurement window.

[0008] In some implementations, determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement includes: determining that the second measurement confidence value exceeds asecond threshold confidence value of the plurality of threshold confidence values; and halving the duration of SSB measurement.

[0009] In some implementations, the plurality of measurement confidence values further include a third measurement confidence value corresponding to a metric of overall quality of SSB measurement. Determining adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement includes: determining that the third measurement confidence value exceeds the third threshold confidence value of the plurality of threshold confidence values; and retaining current values of the duration of SSB measurement and the periodicity of SSB measurement window.

[0010] In some implementations, determining adjustments to the at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement is further based on at least one of a change of a block error rate (BLER), or a change of a UE configuration.

[0011] In some implementations, the change of the BLER includes an increase of the BLER by at least 10%.

[0012] In some implementations, the SSB measurement includes at least one of a master information block (MIB) decoding quality or a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0013] In some implementations, determining the time period includes subtracting the adjusted value of the duration of SSB measurement from a maximum duration of SSB measurement.

[0014] In some implementations, allocating the time period includes: in response to determining availability of high priority data, granting uplink resources for transmitting the high priority data during the time period; and in response to determining that the high priority data is not available, entering a power saving state during the time period.

[0015] In some implementations, the processing circuitry is further configured to determine that the time period is greater than or equal to a minimum period length.

[0016] In some implementations, the plurality of threshold confidence values are equal to one another.

[0017] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes obtaining a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement samples. The method includes determining a plurality of measurement confidence values based on the plurality of SSB measurement samples. The method includes comparing theplurality of measurement confidence values with a plurality of threshold confidence values. The method includes determining, based on the comparing, adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement. The method includes obtaining a time period within the SSB measurement window in response to determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement. The method includes allocating the time period for at least one of high priority uplink transmission or power saving.

[0018] In some aspects, the above method can be implemented as instructions to be executed by one or more processors of a UE or to be stored by one or more non-transitory computer- readable media.

[0019] The details of one or more implementations of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network, according to some implementations.

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates an example timing diagram showing potential collision between SSB measurement and uplink transmission.

[0022] FIG. 3A illustrates an example procedure of determining a periodicity of SSB measurement window and a duration of SSB measurement, according to some implementations.

[0023] FIG. 3B illustrates an example procedure of pruning an SMTC window, according to some implementations.

[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates an example state transition diagram showing the adjustments to the periodicity of SSB measurement window and the duration of SSB measurement, according to some implementations.

[0025] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method, according to some implementations.

[0026] FIG. 6 illustrates an example UE, according to some implementations.

[0027] FIG. 7 illustrates an example access node, according to some implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] A UE can perform SSB measurement periodically according to a value of SSB measurement periodicity. In each period, the SSB measurement takes place during an SSB measurement window, referred to as SMTC window. The periodicity of the SMTC window indicates how frequently an SSB measurement takes place, whereas the duration (e.g., length) of the SMTC window indicates how long each SSB measurement lasts within a period. Both values can be represented in units of millisecond (ms). Because all SSBs typically have the same number (e.g., four) of OFDM symbols, the duration can also be represented as a number of SSBs to measure. Both the periodicity and the duration of the SMTC window are parameters that can be configured by the UE.

[0029] Industry standards, such as Technical Specification (TS) 38.331 of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) standards, provide optional parameters to indicate the periodicity and the duration of the SMTC window. For example, Release 16 of TS 38.331 (“TS 38.331”) provides that the parameter indicating the periodicity of the SMTC window, smtc, can be chosen from a group of {5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms}. If smtc is not configured with a value, TS 38.331 provides that the periodicity is 5 ms by default, which is the smallest value in the group. Similarly, TS 38.331 provides that the parameter indicating the duration of the SMTC window, duration, can be chosen from a group of { 1 ms, 2 ms, 3 ms, 4 ms, 5 ms}. TS 38.331 also provides that the parameter indicating the number of SSBs to measure, ssb- ToMeasure, can specify which SSBs within the SMTC window to measure. If ssb-ToMeasure is not configured with a value, TS 38.331 provides that the UE should measure all SSBs within the SMTC window whose duration is specified by the parameter duration.

[0030] Although setting the periodicity to the smallest value can be helpful for improving the reliability of the SSB measurement results, measuring the SSB more frequently than needed can lead to low power efficiency. Likewise, although measuring all SSBs within an SMTC window can be helpful for improving the reliability of the SSB measurement results, measuring more SSBs than needed can also lead to low power efficiency. In addition, during SSB measurements, the UE may occupy time and frequency resources such that other uplink transmissions, such as random access channel (RACH) transmissions and scheduling request (SR) transmissions, cannot be performed. This can further lead to reduction of communication throughput. Accordingly, it is desirable for the UE to adjust the values of the SMTC windowperiodicity and / or duration to reduce unnecessary SSB measurements when the values of smlc, duration, and / or ssb-ToMeasure are not specified.

[0031] This disclosure provides techniques for a UE to adaptively adjust the SMTC window periodicity and / or duration while maintaining the SSB measurement reliability. As described in detail below, implementations of this disclosure allow a UE to perform fewer SSB measurements by increasing the SMTC window periodicity and / or reducing the SMTC window duration when confidence for reliable SSB measurement is sufficiently high, even in the absence of the values of smlc, duration, and / or ssb-ToMeasure . With the reduction of SMTC window duration, the UE can advantageously increase data transmission efficiency or reduce power consumption.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network 100, according to some implementations. The wireless network 100 includes a UE 102 and a base station 104 connected via one or more channels 106A, 106B across an air interface 108. The UE 102 and base station 104 communicate using a system that supports controls for managing the access of the UE 102 to a network via the base station 104.

[0033] In some implementations, the wireless network 100 may be a Non- Standalone (NS A) network that incorporates Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication standards as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) technical specifications. For example, the wireless network 100 may be a E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) network, or an NR- EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NE-DC) network. In some other implementations, the wireless network 100 may be a Standalone (SA) network that incorporates only 5G NR. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3 GPP systems (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11- 2007; IEEE 802.1 In; IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.1 lac; or other present or future developed IEEE 802.11 technologies), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), or the like. While aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 5G NR, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, such as 3G, 4G, and / or systems subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0034] In the wireless network 100, the UE 102 and any other UE in the system may be, for example, any of laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, machine-type devices suchas smart meters or specialized devices for healthcare, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless device. In network 100, the base station 104 provides the UE 102 network connectivity to a broader network (not shown). This UE 102 connectivity is provided via the air interface 108 in a base station service area provided by the base station 104. In some implementations, such a broader network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or may be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with the base station 104 is supported by one or more antennas integrated with the base station 104. The service areas can be divided into a number of sectors associated with one or more particular antennas. Such sectors may be physically associated with one or more fixed antennas or may be assigned to a physical area with one or more tunable antennas or antenna settings adjustable in a beamforming process used to direct a signal to a particular sector.

[0035] The UE 102 includes control circuitry 110 coupled with transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114. The transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114 may each be coupled with one or more antennas. The control circuitry 110 may include various combinations of application-specific circuitry and baseband circuitry. The transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, and may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and / or front-end module (FEM) circuitry.

[0036] In various implementations, aspects of the transmit circuitry 112, receive circuitry 114, and control circuitry 110 may be integrated in various ways to implement the operations described herein. The control circuitry 110 may be adapted or configured to perform various operations, such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to a UE. For instance, the control circuitry 110 can control transmit circuitry 112 and receive circuitry 114 to perform SSB measurements for cell selection or synchronization.

[0037] The transmit circuitry 112 may transmit using a plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed, e.g., according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 112 may be configured to receive block data from the control circuitry 110 for transmission across the air interface 108.

[0038] The receive circuitry 114 may receive a plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface 108 and relay the physical channels to the control circuitry 110. The plurality of downlink physical channels may be multiplexed, e.g., according to TDM or FDM along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitry 112 and the receive circuitry 114may transmit and receive, respectively, both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) structured within data blocks that are carried by the physical channels.

[0039] FIG. 1 also illustrates the base station 104. In some implementations, the base station 104 may be a 5G radio access network (RAN), a next generation RAN, a E-UTRAN, a nonterrestrial cell, or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN. As used herein, the term “5G RAN” or the like may refer to the base station 104 that operates in an NR or 5G wireless network 100, and the term “E-UTRAN” or the like may refer to a base station 104 that operates in an LTE or 4G wireless network 100. The UE 102 utilizes connections (or channels) 106A, 106B, each of which includes a physical communications interface or layer.

[0040] The base station 104 circuitry may include control circuitry 116 coupled with transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120. The transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120 may each be coupled with one or more antennas that may be used to enable communications via the air interface 108. The transmit circuitry 118 and receive circuitry 120 may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station 104. The receive circuitry 120 may receive a plurality of uplink physical channels from one or more UEs, including the UE 102.

[0041] In FIG. 1, the one or more channels 106 A, 106B are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a UMTS protocol, a 3 GPP LTE protocol, an Advanced long term evolution (LTE -A) protocol, a LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U), a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, an NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) protocol, and / or any other communications protocol(s). In implementations, the UE 102 may directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates an example timing diagram 200 showing potential collision between SSB measurement and uplink transmission. Timing diagram 200 illustrates six frames having system frame numbers (SFNs) from SFN#0 to SFN#5. Each frame has 10 slots, with each slot has a length of 1 ms. The slots in each frame are configured with time division duplex (TDD) for uplink (e.g., from a UE to a base station) or downlink (e.g., from a base station to a UE) transmissions. In FIG. 2, the slots designated for downlink transmission are labeled with D,the slots designated for uplink transmission are labeled with U, and the slots that are flexible in terms of uplink and downlink transmissions are labeled with F. As illustrated, in each of SFN#0 to SFN#5, the first two slots are downlink slots, the third slot is a flexible or dynamically allocated slot, the fourth and fifth slots are uplink slots, and the remaining slots are downlink slots.

[0043] In the example of FIG. 2, a UE performs SSB measurement with a serving cell (e.g., a cell currently providing cellular service to the UE) in SMTC windows with a periodicity of 10 ms and a duration of 2 ms. The SSB measurement is performed in the first two downlink slots of each frame when the UE receives synchronization signals from the base station associated with the serving cell. In addition, the UE attempts to perform uplink transmissions 220-224 in the remaining F and U slots, which are the third to the fifth slots in each frame.

[0044] In the above-described configuration, a collision can happen when the UE also performs SSB or reference signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement with a neighboring cell, e.g., in a cell selection procedure. For instance, as illustrated, the UE performs SSB or RSSI measurements in SMTC windows SMTC#1 to SMTC#3 with a periodicity of 20 ms and a duration of 4 ms. The measurements overlap with uplink transmissions 220, 222, and 224, which causes collision between the measurement and the uplink transmissions. Due to collision, the UE may drop uplink transmissions 220, 222, and 224. This can lead to decrease in throughput and increase in block error rate (BLER). To lower the possibility of collision, the duration of SMTC windows SMTC#1 to SMTC#3 can be reduced (“pruned”), as described below with reference to FIGs. 3 A and 3B.

[0045] FIG. 3A illustrates an example procedure 300A of determining a periodicity of SSB measurement window and a duration of SSB measurement, according to some implementations. Procedure 300 A can be performed by an apparatus including processing circuitry. In some examples, an apparatus may be a processor of a UE, e.g., UE 102 of FIG. 1. As discussed below, an apparatus in procedure 300A obtains SSB measurement samples using initial periodicity and duration values and adaptively increases the periodicity and / or decreases the duration to reach a desired, e.g., optimal, state based on confidence values calculated from the measurement samples.

[0046] At 302 of procedure 300 A, the apparatus sets the periodicity and the duration of the SSB measurement window to initial values (e.g., INIT PERIODICITY and INIT DURATION, respectively). The values of INIT PERIODICITY andINIT DURATION can be set according to, e.g., the communication environment, historic data, the purpose of SSB measurement, or the type of communication. For example, an apparatus performing 5G NR communications according to 3GPP standards can set INIT PERIODICITY and INIT DURATION according to the values provided in 3 GPP TS 38.331. In some implementations, the apparatus sets INIT PERIODICITY and INIT DURATION to 40 ms and 4 ms, respectively, although other initial values can be set in other implementations.

[0047] At 304, the apparatus collects a number of SSB measurement samples (e.g., N (N>2)) based on the initial settings of SSB measurement window. The samples can be obtained from SSB measurements on at least one of a master information block (MIB) quality or a reference signal received power (RSRP). The apparatus can collect the samples with the same measurement time interval. For example, when INIT PERIODICITY and INIT DURATION are set to 20 ms and 4 ms, respectively, the apparatus can collect N=10 samples at slots 0, 20,40, 60, 80, 100, 120 , 140, 160, and 180, with each sample lasting a duration of four slots in scenarios where each slot lasts 1 ms.

[0048] At 306, the apparatus analyzes the measurement samples. The analysis can include validating the measurement samples, such as determining that the MIB quality is sufficient for decoding, or determining that the RSRPs of the measurement samples are within a predetermined range (e.g., between -85 dB and -55 dB). The analysis can also include determining a plurality of confidence values as metrics of measurement quality. The confidence values can be statistical metrics representing the likelihood that, if the apparatus is to perform SSB measurements under the current configuration, all of these SSB measurements (“population”) will have the same mean as the mean of the samples. In other words, the higher the confidence values, the more representative the samples of the overall population, and the more consistent the distribution of SSB measurements.

[0049] These confidence values can include at least one of: a first measurement confidence value (e.g., PER CONF) corresponding to the periodicity of SSB measurement window, or a second measurement confidence value (e.g., DUR CONF) corresponding to the duration of SSB measurement. These confidence values can also include an overall measurement confidence value (e.g., OVERALL CONF), which can be a measurement performance metric indicating the overall SSB measurement performance.

[0050] The first measurement confidence value PER CONF can be determined from a subset of the N samples that has longer measurement time interval. In some implementations where the possible values of measurement periodicity are specified to be any of {5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms}, the samples in the subset can have twice the measurement time interval of the N samples. For example, when there are N=10 samples measured at 0, 20,40, 60, 80, 100, 120 , 140, 160, and 180 ms, with a time interval of 20 ms, PER_CONF can be determined using a subset of 5 samples measured at 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 ms, with a time interval of 40 ms. In these implementations, the value of PER CONF indicates the likelihood that the SSB measurements remain reliable if the measurement periodicity is doubled (i.e., the measurement frequency is reduced to half). In general, a high value of PER CONF suggests it is safe to assume that the communication quality being measured can be determined with less frequent SSB measurements.

[0051] At 308, the apparatus compares the first measurement confidence value PER CONF with a first threshold confidence value, such as 70%. If PER CONF is higher than the first threshold confidence value, then the apparatus can assume that the measurement periodicity can be increased, e.g., doubled, without substantially undermining measurement reliability.

[0052] With this assumption, the apparatus can, at 316, attempt to double the measurement periodicity until a maximum periodicity is reached. For example, when the possible values of measurement periodicity are specified to be any of {5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms}, the apparatus can double the measurement periodicity until the measurement periodicity before doubling reaches a maximum value (e.g., MAX_PER=160 ms). When adjusting the measurement periodicity at 316, the UE can keep the duration of SSB measurement unchanged.

[0053] After an adjustment to measurement periodicity is made at 316, procedure 300A proceeds to 314 at which the apparatus determines whether a change to BLER has occurred and whether a change to the configurations has occurred. The change to configurations can be, e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) configuration change, such as a change to a bandwidth part (BWP), a change to common or dedicated configurations, or an addition, release, or modification of one or more cells. If a notable BLER change (e.g., by 10% or more) or a configuration change is detected at 314, it is possible that the measurement condition has changed as well, which makes the adjustment at 316 possibly unwarranted. In this case, procedure 300 A restarts so the apparatus can redo the process. Conversely, if neither of the BLER change nor the configuration change is detected at 314, then the apparatus can adopt theadjusted measurement periodicity, which has doubled from before the adjustment, collect a new set of N samples under the adjusted periodicity setting at 304, and repeat the analysis and comparison at 306 and 308. As such, the apparatus keeps doubling the measurement periodicity until (i) the first measurement confidence value PER CONF falls below the first threshold confidence value or (ii) the measurement periodicity reaches the maximum MAX PER. When (i) or (ii) or both are satisfied, procedure 300A moves to 310.

[0054] At 310, the apparatus compares a second measurement confidence value DUR CONF with a second threshold confidence value, which can also be 70% as an example. The second measurement confidence value DUR CONF can be determined from the SSBs measured in all slots within each measurement duration. The value of DUR CONF indicates the likelihood that the SSB measurements remain reliable if the measurement duration is reduced, e.g., halved. If PER CONF is higher than the second threshold confidence value, then the apparatus can assume that the measurement duration can be reduced, e.g., halved, without substantially undermining measurement reliability.

[0055] With this assumption, the apparatus can, at 318, attempt to half the measurement duration until a minimum periodicity is reached. In some implementations, the minimum periodicity an apparatus can have is 1 ms. Accordingly, the apparatus attempts to half the measurement duration until the duration reaches a minimum value (e.g., MIN_DUR=1 ms). When adjusting the measurement duration at 318, the apparatus can keep the periodicity of SSB measurement unchanged.

[0056] After an adjustment to measurement duration is made at 318, procedure 300A proceeds to 314 at which the apparatus determines whether a change to BLER has occurred and whether a change to the configurations has occurred. If a notable BLER change or a configuration change is detected at 314, procedure 300A returns to the start. Conversely, if neither of the BLER change nor the configuration change is detected at 314, then the apparatus can adopt the adjusted measurement duration, which has halved from before the adjustment, collect a new set of N samples under the adjusted periodicity and duration settings at 304, and repeat the analysis and comparison at 306, 308, and 310. As such, the apparatus keeps halving the measurement duration until (iii) the second measurement confidence value DUR CONF falls below the second threshold confidence value or (iv) the measurement periodicity reaches the minimum MIN DUR. When (iii) or (iv) or both are satisfied, procedure 300A moves to 312.

[0057] At 310, the apparatus compares the overall measurement confidence value OVERALL CONF with an overall threshold confidence value (e.g., THRESHOLD CONF), which can also be 70% as an example. If OVERALL_CONF>THRESHOLD_CONF, then the current settings of measurement periodicity and duration can be retained even though the determinations at 308 and 310 both return negative. Accordingly, procedure 300A moves to 314 and further moves to 304 if no BLER or configuration changes are detected. If OVERALL_CONF<THRESHOLD_CONF, then the apparatus determines the current settings of measurement periodicity and duration do not yield reliable SSB measurements. In this case, procedure 300 A restarts so the apparatus may choose different initial values.

[0058] When the apparatus makes an adjustment to the measurement periodicity and duration at 316 or 318, the adjustment can be regarded as an effort to optimize the SSB measurement settings by reducing the time occupied by the SSB measurement. The apparatus can accordingly prune the SMTC window to improve uplink throughput or to save power, as described below with reference to FIG. 3B.

[0059] FIG. 3B illustrates an example procedure 300B of pruning an SMTC window, according to some implementations. Procedure 300B can be performed by an apparatus, e.g., a processor of UE 102 of FIG. 1.

[0060] At 320, the apparatus obtains an adjusted value of the SMTC window duration, e.g., after the apparatus makes an adjustment at 318 of procedure 300 A of FIG. 3 A.

[0061] At 322, the apparatus determines a difference between a maximum value of SMTC window duration and the adjusted value of SMTC window duration. For example, if the maximum duration supported by the apparatus is 5 ms and the adjusted duration is 2 ms, then a time period of (5-2)=3 ms can be pruned from the SMTC window as time saving.

[0062] At 324, the apparatus determines whether the saved time period has a size greater than or equal to 1 ms. If the size is less than 1 ms, the apparatus can determine that the time period saved from duration adjustment is too small to justify SMTC pruning. Otherwise, procedure 300B moves to 326.

[0063] At 326, the apparatus reviews any high priority uplink activities to determine whether the time period saved from SMTC pruning should be allocated for uplink transmission. For example, if the apparatus determines high priority uplink data has accumulated in a buffer, then the apparatus can determine to allocate the time period for transmitting such data to increasethroughput. Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus can prioritize uplink transmissions for, e.g., scheduling requests on high priority protocol data units (PDUs) or low latency PDUs, radio link control (RLC) retransmissions, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgements (ACK), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC).

[0064] At 328, the apparatus determines whether any high priority uplink transmission has been scheduled. If there is high priority uplink transmission scheduled, the apparatus can, at 332, allocate the time period from SMTC window pruning for the scheduled high priority uplink transmission. If no high priority uplink transmission scheduled, the apparatus can, at 330, allocate the time period from SMTC window pruning for power saving, e.g., by turning off certain radio circuits.

[0065] FIG. 4 illustrates an example state transition diagram 400 showing the adjustments to the periodicity of SSB measurement window and the duration of SSB measurement, according to some implementations. Diagram 400 can represent example transitions of a UE’s settings following procedure 300A of FIG. 3A.

[0066] At an initial state of 402, the apparatus sets the SSB measurement periodicity and duration to 20 ms and 4 ms, respectively. Under these settings, the apparatus can collect and analyze N=10 samples. As described above, the analysis can include determining that the MIB quality is sufficient for decoding, or determining that the RSRPs of the measurement samples are within a predetermined range (e.g., between -85 dB and -55 dB). The analysis can also include determining PER CONF, DUR CONF, and OVERALL CONF.

[0067] After determining that PER CONF is greater than the first threshold confidence value (e.g., 70%), the apparatus transitions to state 404 with the measurement periodicity doubled to 40 ms and the measurement duration unchanged. The transition can be similar to the operations at 316 of procedure 300 A. Detecting no BLER change or configuration change, the apparatus collects another N=10 samples with the settings of state 404.

[0068] While at state 404, the apparatus attempts to double the measurement periodicity of 40 ms to 80 ms by transitioning to state 406. However, after determining, from the new collection of N samples, that PER CONF is less than the first threshold confidence value, the apparatus determines that the attempt to transition to state 406 has failed. Accordingly, the apparatus proceeds to determine adjustments of the measurement duration.

[0069] Still at state 404, the apparatus then compares DUR CONF with the second threshold confidence value (e.g., 70%). In response to determining that DUR CONF is greater than the second threshold confidence value, the apparatus transitions to state 408 with the measurement duration halved to 2 ms and the measurement periodicity unchanged at 40 ms. The comparison and transition can be similar to operations at 310 and 318 of procedure 300A. Detecting no BLER change or configuration change, the apparatus collects another N=10 samples with the settings of state 408. By conducting a renewed analysis on new collection of samples, the apparatus obtains a new set of measurement confidence values PER CONF, DUR CONF, and OVERALL CONF at state 408.

[0070] While at state 408, the apparatus attempts to double the measurement periodicity of 40 ms to 80 ms by transitioning to state 410. However, after determining, from the newly- collected N samples, that the value PER CONF at state 408 is less than the first threshold confidence value, the apparatus determines that the attempt to transition to state 410 has failed. Accordingly, the apparatus proceeds to determine if the measurement duration can be further adjusted.

[0071] Still at state 408, the apparatus then compares the new value DUR CONF with the second threshold confidence value. In response to determining that DUR CONF is greater than the second threshold confidence value, the apparatus transitions to state 418 with the measurement duration further halved to 1 ms and the measurement periodicity unchanged at 40 ms. The comparison and transition can be similar to operations at 310 and 318 of procedure 300 A. Detecting no BLER change or configuration change, the apparatus again collects another N=10 samples with the settings of state 412.

[0072] While at state 412, the apparatus attempts to double the measurement periodicity of 40 ms to 80 ms by transitioning to state 414. This time, the apparatus determines, from the newly- collected N samples, that the value PER CONF at state 408 is greater than the first threshold confidence value. Accordingly, the apparatus transitions to state 414 with the measurement periodicity and duration set to 80 ms and 1 ms, respectively. The duration of 1 ms has now reached MIN DUR and cannot be further reduced.

[0073] At state 414, the apparatus can further attempt to double the measurement periodicity to 160 ms. Assuming the attempt to double the measurement periodicity fails, the apparatus now has reached a state where neither the periodicity nor the duration can be further optimized. Accordingly, upon determining that OVERALL_CONF>THRESHOLD_CONF, the apparatuscan retain the settings at state 414, i.e., a measurement periodicity of 80 ms and a measurement duration of 1 ms, until a change in the BLER or the configuration is detected. The apparatus can determine that the settings at state 414 are the best settings achievable with the current channel conditions and use these settings to perform SSB measurement.

[0074] The transition from the initial state 402 to the final state 414 achieves a duration reduction of (4-l)=3 ms. Accordingly, the apparatus can perform SMTC window pruning by allocating the time period of 3 ms in an SMTC window for high priority data transmission or power saving, similar to procedure 300B of FIG. 3B. In the example of FIG. 2, pruning SMTC SMTC#1 to SMTC#3 by 3 ms each makes it possible to avoid collisions at uplink transmissions 220, 222, and 224, thereby improves communication reliability and efficiency.

[0075] It is noted that the transitions illustrated FIG. 4 are merely for providing an example. In implementations of the present disclosure, some illustrated transitions may not happen, while some illustrated transition failures may actually happen. Even the same apparatus may experience different state transitions when communicating with different base stations or with the same base station in different channel conditions, and the resultant final state may be different. Accordingly, implementations of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for an apparatus to adaptively adjust its SSB measurement settings according to various factors and arrive at a state suitable for improved throughput and power consumption.

[0076] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 500, according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the description that follows generally describes method 500 in the context of the other figures in this description. For example, method 500 can be performed by an apparatus including processing circuitry. In some examples, an apparatus may be a processor of a UE, e.g., UE 102 of FIG. 1. It will be understood that method 500 can be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps of method 500 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in any order.

[0077] At 502, method 500 involves obtaining a plurality of SSB measurement samples. The SSB measurement samples can be obtained with measurement periodicity and duration set at initial values.

[0078] At 504, method 500 involves determining a plurality of measurement confidence values based on the plurality of SSB measurement samples. The plurality of measurement confidence values can include, e g., one or more of PER CONF, DUR CONF, and OVERALL CONF.

[0079] At 506, method 500 involves comparing the plurality of measurement confidence values with a plurality of threshold confidence values. The comparison can be similar to one or more comparisons at 308, 310, and 312 of procedure 300A of FIG. 3 A.

[0080] At 508, method 500 involves determining, based on the comparing, adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement. The adjustments can be similar to the operations at 316 or 318 of procedure 300A of FIG. 3A.

[0081] At 510, method 500 involves obtaining a time period within the SSB measurement window in response to determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement. The time period can be obtained from SMTC window pruning as described above with reference to FIG. 4.

[0082] At 512, method 500 involves allocating the time period for at least one of power saving or high priority uplink transmission.

[0083] FIG. 6 illustrates an example UE 600, according to some implementations. The UE 600 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with UE 102 of FIG. 1.

[0084] The UE 600 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as, for example, mobile phones, computers, tablets, industrial wireless sensors (for example, microphones, pressure sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, inventory sensors, electric voltage / current meters, etc.), video devices (for example, cameras, video cameras, etc.), wearable devices (for example, a smart watch), relaxed-IoT devices.

[0085] The UE 600 may include processors 602, RF interface circuitry 604, memory / storage 606, user interface 608, sensors 610, driver circuitry 612, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 614, one or more antenna(s) 616, and battery 618. The components of the UE 600 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 6 is intended to show a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 600. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangement of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0086] The components of the UE 600 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 620, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that allows various circuit components (on common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0087] The processors 602 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 622A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 622B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 622C. The processors 602 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 606 to cause the UE 600 to perform operations as described herein.

[0088] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuitry 622A may access a communication protocol stack 624 in the memory / storage 606 to communicate over a 3 GPP compatible network. In general, the baseband processor circuitry 622A may access the communication protocol stack to: perform user plane functions at a physical (PHY) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and PDU layer; and perform control plane functions at a PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and a non-access stratum layer. In some implementations, the PHY layer operations may additionally / altematively be performed by the components of the RF interface circuitry 604. The baseband processor circuitry 622A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in 3 GPP-compatible networks. In some implementations, the waveforms for NR may be based cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) “CP-OFDM” in the uplink or downlink, and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM “DFT-S-OFDM” in the uplink.

[0089] The memory / storage 606 may include one or more non -transitory, computer-readable media that includes instructions (for example, communication protocol stack 624) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 602 to cause the UE 600 to perform various operations described herein. The memory / storage 606 include any type of volatile or nonvolatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 600. In some implementations, some of the memory / storage 606 may be located on the processors 602 themselves (for example, LI and L2 cache), while other memory / storage 606 is external to the processors 602but accessible thereto via a memory interface. The memory / storage 606 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory such as, but not limited to, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0090] The RF interface circuitry 604 may include transceiver circuitry and radio frequency front module (RFEM) that allows the UE 600 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 604 may include various elements arranged in transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuitry, control circuitry, etc.

[0091] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive a radiated signal from an air interface via antenna(s) 616 and proceed to filter and amplify (with a low-noise amplifier) the signal. The signal may be provided to a receiver of the transceiver that downconverts the RF signal into a baseband signal that is provided to the baseband processor of the processors 602.

[0092] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver up-converts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides the RF signal to the RFEM. The RFEM may amplify the RF signal through a power amplifier prior to the signal being radiated across the air interface via the antenna(s) 616. In various implementations, the RF interface circuitry 604 may be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies.

[0093] The antenna(s) 616 may include one or more antenna elements to convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged into one or more antenna panels. The antenna(s) 616 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple input, multiple output communications. The antenna(s) 616 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna(s) 616 may have one or more panels designed for specific frequency bands including bands in FR1 or FR2.

[0094] The user interface 608 includes various input / output (VO) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 600. The user interface 608 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means foraccepting an input including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (for example, a reset button), a physical keyboard, keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset, or the like. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or otherwise conveying information, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other like information. Output device circuitry may include any number or combinations of audio or visual display, including, inter alia, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (for example, binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes “LEDs” and multi -character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (for example, liquid crystal displays “LCDs,” LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), with the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation of the UE 600.

[0095] The sensors 610 may include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and send the information (sensor data) about the detected events to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia, inertia measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers; microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers; level sensors; temperature sensors (for example, thermistors); pressure sensors; image capture devices (for example, cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging sensors; proximity sensors (for example, infrared radiation detector and the like); depth sensors; ambient light sensors; ultrasonic transceivers; microphones or other like audio capture devices; etc.

[0096] The driver circuitry 612 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices that are embedded in the UE 600, attached to the UE 600, or otherwise communicatively coupled with the UE 600. The driver circuitry 612 may include individual drivers allowing other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within, or connected to, the UE 600. For example, driver circuitry 612 may include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings of sensors 610 and control and allow access to sensors 610, drivers to obtain actuator positions of electro-mechanic components or control and allow access to the electro-mechanic components, a camera driver to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

[0097] The PMIC 614 may manage power provided to various components of the UE 600. In particular, with respect to the processors 602, the PMIC 614 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.

[0098] In some implementations, the PMIC 614 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the UE 600. A battery 618 may power the UE 600, although in some examples the UE 600 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and may have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 618 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery, such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, and the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 618 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0099] FIG. 7 illustrates an example access node 700 (e.g., a base station or gNB), according to some implementations. The access node 700 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with base station 104. The access node 700 may include processors 702, RF interface circuitry 704, core network (CN) interface circuitry 706, memory / storage circuitry 708, and one or more antenna(s) 710.

[0100] The components of the access node 700 may be coupled with various other components over one or more interconnects 712. The processors 702, RF interface circuitry 704, memory / storage circuitry 708 (including communication protocol stack 714), antenna(s) 710, and interconnects 712 may be similar to like-named elements shown and described with respect to FIG. 6. For example, the processors 702 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 716A, central processor unit circuitry (CPU) 716B, and graphics processor unit circuitry (GPU) 716C.

[0101] The CN interface circuitry 706 may provide connectivity to a core network, for example, a 5th Generation Core network (5GC) using a 5GC -compatible network interface protocol such as carrier Ethernet protocols, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the access node 700 via a fiber optic or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 706 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 706 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0102] As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” or the like may describe equipment that provides the radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connectivitybetween a network and one or more users. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs or TRPs, and so forth, and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the term “NG RAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 700 that operates in an NR or 5G system (for example, a gNB), and the term “E-UTRAN node” or the like may refer to an access node 700 that operates in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB). According to various implementations, the access node 700 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station, and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing femtocells, picocells or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0103] In some implementations, all or parts of the access node 700 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In V2X scenarios, the access node 700 may be or act as a “Road Side Unit.” The term “Road Side Unit” or “RSU” may refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. An RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a “UE-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU,” and the like.

[0104] Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component.

[0105] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.Examples

[0106] In the following sections, further exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0107] Example 1 includes a method including: obtaining a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement samples; determining a plurality of measurement confidence values based on the plurality of SSB measurement samples; comparing the plurality of measurement confidence values with a plurality of threshold confidence values; determining, based on the comparing, adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement; in response to determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement, obtaining a time period within the SSB measurement window; and allocating the time period for at least one of power saving or high priority uplink transmission.

[0108] Example 2 is the method of Example 1, further including determining an initial value of the periodicity of SSB measurement window and an initial value of the duration of SSB measurement, wherein the plurality of SSB measurement samples are obtained in response to configuration with the initial value of the periodicity of SSB measurement window and the initial value of the duration of SSB measurement.

[0109] Example 3 is the method of Examples 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of measurement confidence values include at least one of: a first measurement confidence value corresponding to the periodicity of SSB measurement window; or a second measurement confidence value corresponding to the duration of SSB measurement.

[0110] Example 4 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 3, wherein determining adjustments to the periodicity of SSB measurement window includes: obtaining a subset of SSB measurement samples from the plurality of SSB measurement samples, wherein an interval of the subset of SSB measurement samples equals twice an interval of the plurality of SSB measurement samples; determining, based on the subset of SSB measurement samples, an adjusted measurement confidence value; comparing the adjusted measurement confidence value with a first threshold confidence value; and in response to determining that the adjusted measurement confidence value exceeds the first threshold confidence value, doubling the periodicity of SSB measurement window.

[0111] Example 5 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 4, wherein determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement includes: determining that the second measurementconfidence value exceeds a second threshold confidence value of the plurality of threshold confidence values; and halving the duration of SSB measurement.

[0112] Example 6 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of measurement confidence values further include a third measurement confidence value corresponding to a metric of overall quality of SSB measurement, and wherein determining adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement includes: determining that the third measurement confidence value exceeds a third threshold confidence value of the plurality of threshold confidence values; and retaining current values of the duration of SSB measurement and the periodicity of SSB measurement window.

[0113] Example 7 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 6, wherein determining adjustments to the at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement is further based on at least one of a change of a block error rate (BLER), or a change of a UE configuration.

[0114] Example 8 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the change of the BLER includes an increase of the BLER by at least 10%.

[0115] Example 9 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the SSB measurement includes at least one of a master information block (MIB) decoding quality or a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0116] Example 10 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 9, wherein determining the time period includes subtracting the adjusted value of the duration of SSB measurement from a maximum duration of SSB measurement.

[0117] Example 11 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 10, wherein allocating the time period includes: in response to determining availability of high priority data, granting uplink resources for transmitting the high priority data during the time period; and in response to determining that the high priority data is not available, entering a power saving state during the time period.

[0118] Example 12 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 11, further including determining that the time period is greater than or equal to a minimum period length.

[0119] Example 13 is the method of any of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of threshold confidence values are equal to one another.

[0120] Example 14 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-13, or any other method or process described herein.

[0121] Example 15 may include an apparatus including logic, modules, and / or circuitry (e.g., processing circuitry) to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-13, or any other method or process described herein.

[0122] Example 16 may include a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-13, or portions or parts thereof.

[0123] Example 17 may include an apparatus including: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-13, or portions thereof.

[0124] Example 18 may include a computer program including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause the processing element to carry out the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-13, or portions thereof. The operations or actions performed by the instructions executed by the processing element can include the methods of any one of examples 1-13.

[0125] Example 19 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0126] Example 20 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the system can include the methods of any one of examples 1-13.

[0127] Example 21 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein. The operations or actions performed by the device can include the methods of any one of examples 1-13.

[0128] The previously-described examples 1-13 are implementable using a computer- implemented method; a non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions to perform the computer-implemented method; and a computer system including a computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardware processor configured to perform the computer-implemented method or the instructions stored on the non-transitory, computer- readable medium.

[0129] An apparatus, e.g., a user equipment, including one or more baseband processors, and so forth, can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, and / or a combination of them that in operation causes or cause the apparatus to perform the actions. The operations or actions performed by the apparatus can include the methods of any one of examples 1-13.

[0130] Any of the above-described examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0131] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

[0132] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

CLAIMSWe Claim:

1. A method comprising: obtaining a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement samples; determining a plurality of measurement confidence values based on the plurality of SSB measurement samples; comparing the plurality of measurement confidence values with a plurality of threshold confidence values; determining, based on the comparing, adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement; in response to determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement, obtaining a time period within the SSB measurement window; and allocating the time period for at least one of power saving or high priority uplink transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an initial value of the periodicity of SSB measurement window and an initial value of the duration of SSB measurement, wherein the plurality of SSB measurement samples are obtained in response to configuration with the initial value of the periodicity of SSB measurement window and the initial value of the duration of SSB measurement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of measurement confidence values comprise at least one of: a first measurement confidence value corresponding to the periodicity of SSB measurement window; or a second measurement confidence value corresponding to the duration of SSB measurement.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining adjustments to the periodicity of SSB measurement window comprises: obtaining a subset of SSB measurement samples from the plurality of SSB measurement samples, wherein an interval of the subset of SSB measurement samples equals twice an interval of the plurality of SSB measurement samples;determining, based on the subset of SSB measurement samples, an adjusted measurement confidence value; comparing the adjusted measurement confidence value with a first threshold confidence value; and in response to determining that the adjusted measurement confidence value exceeds the first threshold confidence value, doubling the periodicity of SSB measurement window.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining adjustments to the duration of SSB measurement comprises: determining that the second measurement confidence value exceeds a second threshold confidence value of the plurality of threshold confidence values; and halving the duration of SSB measurement.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of measurement confidence values further comprise a third measurement confidence value corresponding to a metric of overall quality of SSB measurement, and wherein determining adjustments to at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement comprises: determining that the third measurement confidence value exceeds a third threshold confidence value of the plurality of threshold confidence values; and retaining current values of the duration of SSB measurement and the periodicity of SSB measurement window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining adjustments to the at least one of a periodicity of SSB measurement window or a duration of SSB measurement is further based on at least one of: a change of a block error rate (BLER), or a change of a UE configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the change of the BLER comprises an increase of the BLER by at least 10%.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the SSB measurement comprises at least one of a master information block (MIB) decoding quality or a reference signal received power (RSRP).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the time period comprises subtracting the adjusted value of the duration of SSB measurement from a maximum duration of SSB measurement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the time period comprises: in response to determining availability of high priority data, granting uplink resources for transmitting the high priority data during the time period; and in response to determining that the high priority data is not available, entering a power saving state during the time period.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the time period is greater than or equal to a minimum period length.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of threshold confidence values are equal to one another.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a user equipment (UE).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by one or more baseband processors.

16. An apparatus comprising circuitry configured to execute instructions that cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 13.

17. One or more processors comprising circuitry configured to execute instructions that cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 13.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 13.

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