Assistance information for measurement skipping

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects, receiving further configuration information from the network, wherein the further con-figuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects, determining, based on the further configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information, evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining and providing the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

Description

TITLEASSISTANCE INFORMATION FOR MEASUREMENT SKIPPINGTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Various embodiments of this disclosure relate generally to methods, apparatus and computer programs, and in particular, but not exclusively, to user equipment (UE) assistance information related network controlled measurement skipping.BACKGROUND

[0002] A communication system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more communication devices, or provides communication devices access to a network. A mobile or wireless communication network is one example of a communication network. A communication device may be provided with a service by an application server.

[0003] A mobile or wireless communication network may operate in accordance with standard(s), such as those provided by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Examples of mobile or wireless communication network that operate in accordance with 3GPP standards are generally referred to as 4G (4th Generation) networks, 5G (5th Generation) network, 5G-Advanced networks and 6G networks.SUMMARY

[0004] Some embodiments of this disclosure will be described with respect to certain aspects. These aspects are not intended to indicate key or essential features of the various example embodiments of this disclosure, nor are they intended to be used to limit the scope of thereof. Other features, aspects, and elements will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art in view of this disclosure. For example, it should be appreciated that further aspects may be provided by the combination of any two or more of the various aspects described herein.

[0005] In a first aspect there is provided a method comprising receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects, receiving configuration information from the network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurementgaps or measurement objects, determining, based on the configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information, evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining and providing the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

[0006] The configuration information for user equipment assistance information may comprise at least one of the following: an identifier of the at least one measurement object, an identifier of the at least one measurement gap or an identifier of a synchronisation signal block measurement timing configuration associated with the at least one measurement object.

[0007] The method may comprise providing an indication to the network that the user equipment is capable of reporting measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0008] The at least one measurement gap assistance information for a given measurement gap or measurement object comprises at least one of the following: a measurement gap restriction, a number of measurement occasions available for skipping within a time duration, a number of measurement occasions required for measurement within a time duration

[0009] In a second aspect there is provided a method comprising providing measurement configuration information from a network to a user equipment for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects, providing configuration information from the network to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects, receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects from the user equipment in the user equipment assistance information and determining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects based on the received measurement skipping assistance information.

[0010] In a third aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to the first or second aspect.

[0011] In a fourth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by theat least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform a method according to the first or second aspect.

[0012] In a fifth aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions wherein the instructions when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus cause the apparatus to perform the method according to the first or second aspect.

[0013] In a sixth aspect there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method according to the first or second aspect.

[0014] Some embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

[0015] In the above, many different aspects have been described. As previously noted, it should be appreciated that further aspects may be provided by the combination of any two or more of the aspects described above (or otherwise in this disclosure).

[0016] Various other aspects are also described in the following detailed description and in the claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0017] Some embodiments will be described, by way of non-limiting and illustrative example only, with reference to the figures, in which:

[0018] Fig. 1 shows an example of a communication network to which examples disclosed herein may be applied;

[0019] Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of an example method;

[0020] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of an example method;

[0021] Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method;

[0022] Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method;

[0023] Fig. 6 shows an example signalling flow between a UE and a NW;

[0024] Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of an example method;

[0025] Fig. 8 shows an example of an apparatus.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following embodiments are provided by way of non-limiting and illustrative example. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiments) in several locations of the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment(s), or that a particular feature only applies to asingle embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection of an embodiment, it intended such feature, structure, or characteristic may be applied in connection with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0027] It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second” and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0028] For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrases “at least one of A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, and “A and / or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and / or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0029] As used herein, the term “or” refers to a non-exclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated (e.g., use of “or else” or “or in the alternative”).

[0030] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a respective feature, step, or functionality “in response to A” does not indicate that the respective feature, step, or functionality is performed immediately after “A” occurs as one or more intervening features, steps, or functionalities may be performed (at least in part) between an occurrence of the respective feature, step, or function and “A”. Analogously, performing a respective feature, step, or functionality “based on A” does not indicate that the respective feature, step, or functionality is performed solely based on “A” as the respective feature, step, or functionality may be further based on one or more other features, steps, or functionalities in addition to “A”.

[0031] Embodiments described herein may be implemented in a communication network, such as any of the following radio access technologies (RATs): Worldwide Interoperability for Micro-wave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, and enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G (also called NR), or any future RAT such as 6G. Moreover, communication within the communication network may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO),Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), and / or Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM).

[0032] As used herein, the term “network device” or “network node” refers to a node in a communication network via which user equipment may access the network and / or which is configured to control radio communication and managing radio resources within a cell. The network node or network device may be referred to as a base station (BS), an access point (AP) or an access node. The network device may be, depending on the applied technology, for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or nonground network device, such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or an aircraft network device.

[0033] Moreover, in connection of split radio access network (RAN), the network device may refer to a centralised unit (CU) of a base station and / or a distributed unit (DU) of a base station. An interface between CU and DU may be referred to as an F1 interface in NR. In the split RAN architecture, node operations may be carried out, at least partly, in the central / centralized unit, CU, (e.g. server, host or node) operationally coupled to the DU, (e.g. a radio head / node). One CU may control one or more DUs, acting at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some embodiments, the DUs may comprise e.g. a radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, whereas the CU may comprise the layers above RLC layer, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio resource control (RRC) and an internet protocol (IP) layers. Other functional splits are possible too. In practice, any processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU and the boundary where the responsibility is shifted between the CU and the DU may depend on the applied implementation.

[0034] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be configured to perform wireless communication. By way of example, a terminal device may be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), or a Mobile Station (MS). The terminal device may include a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wirelessterminal devices, USB dongles, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like.

[0035] A term “resource”, as used herein, may refer to radio resources in time domain, in frequency domain, in space domain, and / or in code domain. Some examples of resources may include, e.g., a physical resource block (PRB), a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a subband, a frequency region, a sub-carrier, a beam, etc. The term “transmission” and / or “reception” may refer to wirelessly transmitting and / or receiving via a wireless propagation channel on radio resources.

[0036] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network to which examples disclosed herein may be applied. The communication network or a cellular communication network may comprise a network node 110 configured to provide one or more cells, such as cell 100, and a network node 112 configured to provide one or more other cells, such as cell 102. Each cell may, for example, be a macro cell, a micro cell, femto, or a pico cell. The cell may define a coverage area or a service area of the corresponding access node.

[0037] The network node (110, 112) may be configured to provide a user equipment (UE) 120 (one or more UEs) with wireless access to the communication network. The wireless access may comprise downlink (DL) communication from the network node (110, 112) to the UE 120 and uplink (UL) communication from the UE 120 to the network node (110, 112). Examples of uplink channels may comprise physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting control information and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for transmitting data towards the network. Examples of downlink channels may comprise physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for transmitting control information and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for transmitting data towards the user equipment.

[0038] There may be a plurality of UEs (120, 122) in the system. Each of the plurality of UEs may be served by the same or by different network nodes (110, 112). UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC), wherein the UE, for example UE 120, may be connected to multiple network nodes (110, 112). The UEs (120, 122) may communicate with each other, in case device-to-device (D2D) communication interface is established between them via a so-called sidelink (SL). Such D2D communicationsmay be referred to as machine-to-machine, peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, or ve-hicle-to-vehicle (V2V), for example.

[0039] In the case of multiple network nodes in the communication network, the network nodes may be connected to each other via an interface. LTE specifications, for example, refer to such an interface as an X2 interface. An interface between an LTE node and a 5G node, or between two 5G nodes may be called an Xn interface.

[0040] The network nodes 110 and 112 may be further connected via another interface to a core network 116 of the communication network. The LTE specifications specify the core network as an evolved packet core (EPC), and the core network may comprise a plurality of entities (e.g. a mobility management entity (MME) and a gateway node). The MME may handle mobility of terminal devices in a tracking area encompassing a plurality of cells and handle signalling connections between the terminal devices and the core network. The gateway node may handle data routing in the core network and to / from the terminal devices. The 5G specifications specify the core network as a 5G core (5GC). The 5GC may, for example, comprise an access and mobility management function (AMF) and a user plane function / gateway (UPF) and other functions. The AMF may handle termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signalling, NAS ciphering & integrity protection, registration management, connection management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, security context management. The UPF node may, for example, support packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection and quality of service (QoS) handling.

[0041] In XR, scheduling restrictions from measurements gaps (e.g., for RRM measurements) may be harmful for XR capacity, given the bounded latency constraints for such services. Enhancements are sought to enable transmission / reception in gaps / restrictions that are caused by RRM measurements (from e.g., inter-frequency RRM measurement gaps, or intra-frequency measurements, or other scheduling restrictions).

[0042] A UE can signal information to the network through UE assistance information (UAI) (UEAssistancelnformation). UE Assistance information may be sent, e.g.• if the UE prefers an adjustment in the connected mode DRX cycle length, for the purpose of delay budget reporting,• if the UE is experiencing internal overheating,• if the UE prefers certain DRX parameter values, and / or a reduced maximum number of secondary component carriers, and / or a reduced maximum aggregated bandwidth and / or a reduced maximum number of Ml MO layers and / orminimum scheduling offsets KO and K2 for power saving purpose,• if the UE expects not to send or receive any more data in the near future, and in this case, it can provide its preference to transition out of RRC_CONNECTED where this indication may express its preferred RRC state, or alternately, it may cancel an earlier indicated preference to transition out of RRC_CONNECTED, • if the UE prefers (not) to be provisioned with reference time information, if the UE prefers to transition out of RRC_CONNECTED state for MUSIM operation and its preferred RRC state after transition,• if the UE wants to include assistance information for setup or release of gaps for MUSIM operation, the list of frequencies affected by IDC problems,• the UE’s RRM measurement relaxation status indicating whether RRM measurement relaxation criteria are met or not,• the UE’s RLM measurement relaxation status indicating whether the UE is applying RLM measurements relaxation,• the UE’s BFD measurement relaxation status indicating whether the UE is applying BFD measurements relaxation.

[0043] A configuration for the UE assistance information may be provided via OtherConfig in RRCReconfiguration IE from the network to the UE. For UE assistance information the configurations may include a prohibit timer configuration that limits how often UE can send the assistance information to network.

[0044] UE assistance information may be related to measurement occasions. UE assistance information may provide information from the UE to the network about the maximum number (or ratio) of measurement gaps (MG) and / or SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC) with restrictions that can be skipped within a time period. The UE assistance information may provide information about the patterns of MG(s) / re-striction(s) where skipping is feasible or acceptable. The UE assistance information may provide information about the number of consecutive RRM measurements that can be skipped. The UE assistance information may notify a network (e.g., gNB) about whether enabling Tx / Rx during scheduling restrictions (where Tx / Rx is skipped, e.g., due to RRM measurements (e.g. measurement gaps, scheduling restrictions) can be considered. Skipping a scheduling restriction which is, e.g., due to MG, allows the UE to trans-mit / receive data during that configured MG, which is beneficial for data communication. However, there may be restrictions on how much skipping or how many MGs the UE can skip, in order to limit the impact to the mobility performance (measurements) dueto not being able to perform enough measurements during the MGs.

[0045] The option to enable UE to provide assistance information in relation to UE measurements has been discussed in context of the Rel-19 XR enhancements where a method has been proposed for a network to indicate to a UE to skip certain measurement gaps / restrictions and to prioritize reception of data instead. In this context the UE assistance information was proposed to limit the RRM measurement performance impact. This discussion seems to consider the scenario when a UE has only one measurement object and one measurement gap pattern. In practice, a UE may have several measurement objects, possibly with different measurement gap patterns and a network may choose to adjust / add / remove the different measurement objects so the UE assistance information relevance may depend on the actual target measurements.

[0046] Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a method according to an example embodiment. The method may be performed at an apparatus. The apparatus may be, comprise, or be comprised in, a user equipment.

[0047] At 201 , the method comprises receiving configuration information from a network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping.

[0048] At 202, the method comprises determining, based on the configuration information, for which at least one measurement of a plurality of measurements to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information.

[0049] At 203, the method comprises evaluating the measurement skipping assistance information for the at least one measurement.

[0050] At 204, the method comprises providing the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information for the at least one measurement to the network.

[0051] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a method according to an example. The method may be performed at an apparatus. The apparatus may be, comprise or be comprised in a node of a network, e.g. a base station (such as a gNB).

[0052] At 301, the method comprises providing configuration information to a user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping.

[0053] At 302, the method comprises receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one measurement of a plurality ofmeasurement from the user equipment.

[0054] At 303, the method comprises determining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one measurement object based on the received measurement skipping assistance information.

[0055] The configuration information for user equipment assistance information may be considered as a target configuration for the UE assistance information so that a UE knows what configuration to apply when determining e.g. the content of the UE assistance information (UAI). The target configuration may define e.g. for which measurement object to report the information in the UAI.

[0056] If UE assistance information is requested before measurement object and / or gap pattern has been configured to the UE, the target information can be provided with reference to e.g. measurement gap configuration (e.g. periodicity), target frequency layer identification and / or target RAT indication.

[0057] For example, the configuration information may comprise an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information for at least one of the following: a measurement gap configuration, a synchronisation signal block measurement timing configuration, a frequency layer, a frequency band or a radio access technology.

[0058] In an example, UE assistance information configuration provides the target Radio Access Technology (RAT), such as NR or LTE for deriving the assistance information. As an example, the UE may then evaluate and report the measurement skipping assistance information with respect to certain RAT, such as whether it is possible to skip measurement gaps when measuring that certain RAT and, if yes, to what extent.

[0059] In an example, UE assistance information configuration provides the target frequency layer (e.g. ARFCN) or target frequency band (e.g. NR operating band) for deriving the assistance information. As an example, the UE may then evaluate and report the measurement skipping assistance information with respect to certain frequency layer or band, such as whether it is possible to skip measurement gaps when measuring that certain frequency and, if yes, to what extent.

[0060] The measurement gap configuration may indicate a least one of the following: gap periodicity, gap offset or gap duration. UE can, based on the duration and / or periodicity, evaluate how many measurement occasions it would have available to determine e.g. based on its measurement performance, how many measurement samples are needed to complete a measurement. As one example, the UE can use the measurement gap configuration to determine which of the configured measurement objectscan be measured using this gap. Once it makes the mapping of the MOs relative to this gap, it can determine if it knows the SNR on each MO, and thus the minimum number of samples required for the measurement.

[0061] Alternatively, or in addition, the target configuration can be provided by measurement object ID and / or related measurement gap pattern configuration ID, if available. That is, if the UE has already been configured with MOs or measurement gap patterns, the configuration information may identify or refer to a specific MO or measurement gap pattern. Then the UE can evaluate and report skipping possibilities for that specific MO or MG pattern.

[0062] Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of a method according to an example. The method may be performed at an apparatus. The apparatus may be, comprise, or be comprised in, a user equipment.

[0063] At 401 , the method comprises receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects.

[0064] At 402, the method comprises receiving configuration information from the network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0065] At 403, the method comprises determining, based on the configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which at least one configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information.

[0066] At 404, the method comprises evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining.

[0067] At 405, the method comprises providing the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

[0068] Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of a method according to an example. The method may be performed at an apparatus. The apparatus may be, comprise, or be comprised in, a node of a network, e.g. a base station (such as a gNB).

[0069] At 501 , the method comprises providing measurement configuration information from a network to a user equipment for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0070] At 502, the method comprises providing configuration information from thenetwork to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0071] At 503, the method comprises receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects from the user equipment in the user equipment assistance information.

[0072] At 504, the method comprises determining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects based on the received measurement skipping assistance information.

[0073] The configuration information for user equipment assistance information may comprise at least one of the following: an identifier of the at least one measurement object, an identifier of the at least one measurement gap or an identifier of a synchronisation signal block measurement timing configuration associated with the at least one measurement object.

[0074] In an example, the configuration information for user equipment assistance information (also called target configuration or UE assistance configuration) provides reference to a measurement object that has been configured to the UE. In one example the UE assistance configuration provides reference to a measurement gap pattern that has been configured to the UE.

[0075] In an example, the measurement object and target cell configuration is updated to include an SMTCJd instead of SMTC configuration. This SMTCJd may be shared for some measurement objects or cell configurations. Considering that every cell and MO to be measured without gap is associated to a SMTCJd, the network configures a list of SMTCJd’s to be reported using UAL

[0076] A method as described with reference to Figs. 2 and 4 may comprise provide an indication to the network that the user equipment is capable of reporting measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one measurement, measurement gap or measurement object of a plurality of measurements, measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0077] Fig. 6 shows a signaling diagram of an example embodiment.

[0078] For example, in step 1, the UE reports to the network (NW) the capability of being able to inform the network about restrictions to measurement gap (MG) skipping, e.g. related to a specific measurement object (MO) when multiple MOs areconfigured. The restrictions are indicated using the UAI and may include information such as maximum skipping ratio or maximum number of measurement gaps that can be skipped in a time window.

[0079] In step 2, the NW configures the UE with parameters and / or rules, which the UE can use to determine for which MO an information / restriction contained in the UAI should refer to. The parameters and / or rules are an example of the configuration information for the user equipment assistance information. As an example, the parameters and / or rules may refer to a certain MO / MG or to certain RAT. This step is an example of providing the configuration information from the network to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of a plurality of measurements, measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0080] In step 3, the UE determines the MOs configured by the network for which the UE should report information / restrictions using the UAI framework. The determination is performed according to the parameters and / or rules configured by the network in the previous step. This is an example of determining, based on the configuration information for user assistance configuration information, for which measurement, configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information

[0081] In step 4, the UE evaluates restrictions to MG skipping for the MOs determined in previous step among the MOs configured by the network. This is an example of evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining in step 3. In this example, the measurement skipping assistance information indicates restrictions to MG skipping.

[0082] In step 5, the UE reports the restrictions for at least a MO configured by the network using the measurement UAI framework. This is an example of providing the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network

[0083] In step 6, the NW uses the restrictions / information communicated by the UE when deciding the strategy to skip the upcoming gaps of reported MOs using a measurement skipping command. This is an example of determining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurements, measurement gaps or measurement objects based on the received measurement skipping assistance information.

[0084] Measurement skipping assistance information for the at least one measurement, measurement gap or measurement object may comprise at least one of the following: a measurement gap skipping restriction (e.g. how many gas the UE can skip at maximum), a maximum skipping ratio (e.g. what percentage of all the configured gaps for a specific MO the UE can skip), a number of measurement occasions available for skipping within a time duration or a number of measurement occasions required for measurement within a time duration.

[0085] In an example, the information provided by the UE using the UAI framework (i.e. the evaluated and reported measurement skipping assistance information) includes the maximum skipping ratio for at least a MO. The NW may use the reported maximum skipping ratio provided by the UE to decide whether to indicate to the UE to skip themax limS’t-upcoming measurement occasions (e.g., measurement gaps) forthat MO while keeping the fraction of skipped measurement occasions (e.g., measurement gaps) below the reported maximum skipping ratio. For example, to do that, the NW may solve the following stochastic optimization problem:where t = 1,2, ... is the sequence of measurement occasions over time, U;(t) is the binary decision variable indicating whether i-th UE shall skip t-th measurement occasion (0: do not skip 1: skip), [ / (ui(t)) is an utility function which depends on the skipping decision (e.g., the throughput of the UE i-th), and St is the maximum skipping ratio reported by the UE. This problem can be solved using policies such as drift-plus-penalty or reinforcement learning schemes such as Q-learning and multi-armed bandit.

[0086] Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of a method according to an example embodiment. The method may be performed at an apparatus. The apparatus may be, comprise or be comprised in a user equipment.

[0087] At 701, the method comprises receiving configuration information from a network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information associated with measurement skipping for at least one measurement gap or measurement object of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects.

[0088] At 702, the method comprises determining, for the at least one measurement gap or measurement object, a minimum number of samples to be acquired;

[0089] At 703, the method comprises, based on the minimum number of samples and a baseline number of samples, determining measurement skipping assistance information for the at least one measurement gap or measurement object.

[0090] At 704, the method comprises providing the determined measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

[0091] The minimum number of samples to be acquired may be preconfigured.

[0092] As described with reference to Figs 2 to 5, the measurement skipping assistance information may comprise at least one of the following: a measurement gap skipping restriction, a maximum skipping ratio, a number of measurement occasions available for skipping within a time duration or a number of measurement occasions required for measurement within a time duration

[0093] The maximum skipping ratio may be based on a ratio of the minimum number of samples to the baseline number of samples.

[0094] The baseline number may be preconfigured at the apparatus or received in an indication from the network.

[0095] In an example, Step 3 and Step 4 as described with reference to Fig. 6 may be split in the following manner.

[0096] The UE receives the configuration information for UE assistance information and determines for which at least one measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information. MO is used in the following example but the steps are applicable to a measurement or MG as well.

[0097] For each MO, i, used for the report, if UE has previous measurements, the UE uses SNR to determine number of samples needed for each MO

[0098] If the UE does not have previous measurements, the UE estimates a number of samples based on worst case, e.g. use Ni = 5 for intra frequency and Ni = 7 for inter-frequency measurements.

[0099] After estimating the number of samples needed for all measurement objects, the UE groups the number of samples needed for the report, and compares with the delay using default number of samples.

[0100] Assuming 3 MOs, and carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) = 3, the baseline delay is 5*3 = 15 samples for intra-frequency measurements.

[0101] If it is determined thatMO1 needs 3 samples, N1 = 3MO2 needs 4 samples, N2 = 4MO3 needs 5 samples, N3 = 5

[0102] As a result, the total number of samples needed is 3 + 4 + 5 = 12, and the UAI report would be 100*(1 - 12 / 15) = 20% skipping

[0103] This skipping ratio may then be provided to the NW in the user equipment assistance information.

[0104] Fig. 8 shows, by way of example, a block diagram of an apparatus 10. The apparatus 10 comprises, for example, at least one processor 12 and at least one memory 14 storing instructions 15 that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 10 at least to perform the method or methods (or portion(s) thereof) as disclosed herein, and any of the embodiments (or respective portion(s) thereof). In an example, the at least one memory and the instructions (e.g. a computer program code, software), are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus 10 to perform the method or methods (or portion(s) thereof) as disclosed herein, and any of the embodiments (or respective portion(s) thereof).

[0105] A processor 12 may comprise circuitry, or be constituted as circuitry or circuitries, the circuitry or circuitries being configured to perform phases of methods in accordance with embodiments described herein.

[0106] As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations, such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry, and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as, as applicable: (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / fi rmware 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 user equipment, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessors), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, 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.

[0107] The memory 14 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology. The memory may comprise a database for storing data. The memory 14may, for example, be at least in part external to apparatus 10 but accessible to apparatus 10.

[0108] The instructions 15 may be comprised in a computer readable medium or a non-transitory computer readable medium. A term non-transitory, as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e. tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g. random access memory, RAM, vs. read only memory, ROM).

[0109] For example, the apparatus 10 is a terminal device, such as a UE. As another example, the apparatus is comprised in such a terminal device, e.g. as a chipset configured to control the terminal device. The apparatus 10 may be caused or configured or comprise means to perform at least the method of Figs. 2, 4, 7 and / or any one or more of the embodiments described herein.

[0110] For example, the apparatus 10 may be a network node, such as a base station. As another example, the apparatus is comprised in such a node e.g. as a chipset configured to control the node. The apparatus 10 may be caused or configured or comprise means to perform at least the method of Figs. 3, 5 and / or any one or more of the embodiments described herein.

[0111] The apparatus 10 comprises a radio interface 16. The radio interface 16 may provide the apparatus 10 with communication capabilities. The radio interface 16 may comprise a receiver configured to receive information in accordance with at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The radio interface 16 may comprise a transmitter configured to transmit information in accordance with at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The receiver may comprise more than one receiver. The transmitter may comprise more than one transmitter. The radio interface 16 may comprise a transceiver configured to receive and transmit information in accordance with at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The transceiver may comprise more than one transceiver.

[0112] The apparatus 10 may comprise a user interface 18 comprising, for example, at least one of a keypad, a microphone, a touch display, a display, a speaker, etc. The user interface 18 may be used to control the apparatus by the user. The user interface 18 may be external to the apparatus 10. For example, the apparatus 10 may be connected to another device, such as a computer, either via wireless or wired connection, and the apparatus 10 is controlled by the user via the computer.

[0113] In an embodiment, at least some of the processes described herein may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for carrying out at least some of thedescribed processes. Means for performing method steps as disclosed herein may include software and / or hardware components of the apparatus 10. For example, the at least one processor 12, the memory 14, and the computer program code form means for carrying out the method or methods (or portion(s) thereof) as disclosed herein, and any of the embodiments (or respective portion(s) thereof). As used herein the term “means” is to be construed in singular form, i.e. referring to a single element, or in plural form, i.e. referring to a combination of single elements. Therefore, terminology “means for [performing A, B, C]”, is to be interpreted to cover an apparatus in which there is only one means for performing A, B and C, or where there are separate means for performing A, B and C, or partially or fully overlapping means for performing A, B, C. Further, terminology “means for performing A, means for performing B, means for performing C” is to be interpreted to cover an apparatus in which there is only one means for performing A, B and C, or where there are separate means for performing A, B and C, or partially or fully overlapping means for performing A, B, C.

[0114] Even though this disclosure has been described above with reference to non-limiting and illustrative examples according to the accompanying figures, it is clear that the scope of this disclosure is not restricted thereto - but can be modified in many different ways. As technology advances, it will become apparent to a person skilled in art as to how the disclosure can be further implemented and / or modified in various ways. Further, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may, but are not required to, be combined in various ways with other embodiments described herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects;receiving configuration information from the network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;determining, based on the configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information;evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining; andproviding the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information for user equipment assistance information comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of the at least one measurement object, an identifier of the at least one measurement gap or an identifier of a synchronisation signal block measurement timing configuration associated with the at least one measurement object.

3. The apparatus according to any of claim 1 or claim 2, configured to provide an indication to the network that the user equipment is capable of reporting measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects.

4. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one measurement gap assistance information for a given measurement gap or measurement object comprises at least one of the following: a measurement gap restriction, anumber of measurement occasions available for skipping within a time duration, a number of measurement occasions required for measurement within a time duration5. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform:providing measurement configuration information from a network to a user equipment for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;providing configuration information from the network to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects from the user equipment in the user equipment assistance information; anddetermining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects based on the received measurement skipping assistance information.

6. A method comprising:receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects;receiving configuration information from the network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;determining, based on the configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information;evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining; andproviding the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

7. A method comprising:providing measurement configuration information from a network to a user equipment for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;providing configuration information from the network to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects from the user equipment in the user equipment assistance information; anddetermining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement.

8. An apparatus comprising means for:receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects;receiving configuration information from the network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;determining, based on the configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information;evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining; andproviding the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

9. An apparatus comprising means for:providing measurement configuration information from a network to a user equipment for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;providing configuration information from the network to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;22receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects from the user equipment in the user equipment assistance information; anddetermining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement.

10. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform:receiving measurement configuration information from a network for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or a plurality of measurement objects;receiving configuration information from the network, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report assistance information for measurement skipping associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;determining, based on the configuration information for user equipment assistance information, for which configured measurement gap or measurement object to evaluate measurement skipping assistance information;evaluating measurement skipping assistance information based on the determining; andproviding the evaluated measurement skipping assistance information to the network.

11. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform:providing measurement configuration information from a network to a user equipment for one or more of a plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;providing configuration information from the network to the user equipment, wherein the configuration information is for user equipment assistance information and comprises an indication to report measurement skipping assistance information associated with at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects;receiving measurement skipping assistance information associated with the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement objects from the user equipment in the user equipment assistance information; anddetermining whether to indicate measurement skipping for the at least one of the plurality of measurement gaps or measurement.

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