Indications of time gaps
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/CN2025/085919
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-01
Smart Images
Figure CN2025085919_01102026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
INDICATIONS OF TIME GAPS
[0001] TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
[0002] Examples of the disclosure relate to indications of time gaps or scheduling offsets. Some relate to indications of time gaps or scheduling offsets where the same signal can activate multiple functions.BACKGROUND
[0003] In some communication networks a single message can be used to activate more than one function at the same time. A process for handling time gaps where multiple functions can be activated by the same signalling is needed.
[0004] BRIEF SUMMARY
[0005] According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there may be provided user equipment (UE) comprising:
[0006] at least one processor; and
[0007] at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to perform at least:
[0008] transmitting an indication of a capability of the UE to activate at least a first function and a second function;
[0009] receiving a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; and
[0010] activating the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.
[0011] The indication of a capability of the UE may indicate a capability of the UE for parallel processing of the activation of at least the first function and the second function.
[0012] The indication of a capability of the UE may comprise an applicable time gap for the UE for activation of at least the first function and the second function based on the processing capabilities of the UE.
[0013] The time gap may comprise at least one of:
[0014] a sum of a time gap for activating the first function and a time gap for activating the second function;
[0015] the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function; and
[0016] a value between the sum of the time gap for activating the first function and the time gap for activating the second function and the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function.
[0017] The received further indication may indicate a time gap that applies to both the first function and the second function.
[0018] The received further indication may indicate a first time gap that applies to the first function and a second time gap that applies to the second function.
[0019] The time gap may be indicated by at least one of:
[0020] an absolute value;
[0021] an indexed value.
[0022] The first function may comprise adaptation of synchronization signal block (SSB) or operation of on demand SSB and the second function comprises activation of discontinuous transmission and / or discontinuous reception (DTX / DRX) .
[0023] The first function may comprise secondary cell (SCell) activation and the second function comprises activation of on demand SSB or SSB adaptation.
[0024] The received further indication may be received via at least one of:
[0025] downlink control information (DCI)
[0026] medium access control -control element;
[0027] radio resource control signalling.
[0028] According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there may be provided a method comprising:
[0029] transmitting an indication of a capability of the UE to activate at least a first function and a second function;
[0030] receiving a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; and
[0031] activating the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.
[0032] According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there may be provided a computer program comprising computer program instructions for causing a UE to perform at least the following or for performing at least the following:
[0033] transmitting an indication of a capability of the UE to activate at least a first function and a second function;
[0034] receiving a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; and
[0035] activating the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.
[0036] According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there may be provided a network node comprising:
[0037] at least one processor; and
[0038] at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network node to perform at least:
[0039] receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE;
[0040] determining, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; and
[0041] transmitting a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.
[0042] The further indication may indicate a time gap that applies to both the first function and the second function.
[0043] The further indication may indicate a first time gap that applies to the first function and a second time gap that applies to the second function.
[0044] The received indication of the capability may indicate a time gap comprising at least one of:
[0045] a sum of a time gap for activating the first function and a time gap for activating the second function;
[0046] the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function; and
[0047] a value between the sum of the time gap for activating the first function and the time gap for activating the second function and the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function.
[0048] The at least one processor and at least one memory may cause the network node to perform receiving an indication of a capability from multiple UEs.
[0049] According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there may be provided a method comprising:
[0050] receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE;
[0051] determining, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; and
[0052] transmitting a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.
[0053] According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there may be provided a computer program comprising computer program instructions for causing a UE to perform at least the following or for performing at least the following:
[0054] receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE;
[0055] determining, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; and
[0056] transmitting a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.
[0057] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided an apparatus comprising:
[0058] at least one processor; and
[0059] at least one memory;
[0060] the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least a part of one or more methods described herein.
[0061] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided an apparatus comprising means for performing at least part of one or more methods described herein. The description of a function and / or action should additionally be considered to also disclose any means suitable for performing that function and / or action. Functions and / or actions described herein can be performed in any suitable way using any suitable method.
[0062] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided examples as claimed in the appended claims.
[0063] While the above examples of the disclosure and optional features are described separately, it is to be understood that their provision in all possible combinations and permutations is contained within the disclosure. It is to be understood that various examples of the disclosure can comprise any or all the features described in respect of other examples of the disclosure, and vice versa. Also, it is to be appreciated that any one or more or all the features, in any combination, may be implemented by / comprised in / performable by an apparatus, a method, and / or instructions as desired, and as appropriate. The description of a function should additionally be considered to also disclose any means suitable for performing that function
[0064] BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0065] Some examples will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0066] FIG. 1 shows an example network;
[0067] FIGS. 2A and 2B show example time gaps;
[0068] FIGS. 3A and 3B show example methods;
[0069] FIG. 4 shows an example signalling procedure;
[0070] FIGS. 5A to 5C show example time gaps; and
[0071] FIG. 6 shows an example controller.
[0072] The figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and views of the figures can be shown schematically or exaggerated in scale in the interest of clarity and conciseness. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the figures can be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid explication. Corresponding reference numerals are used in the figures to designate corresponding features. For clarity, all reference numerals are not necessarily displayed in all figures.
[0073] DEFINITIONS
[0074] DCI Downlink Control Information
[0075] DRX Discontinuous Reception
[0076] DTX Discontinuous Transmission
[0077] MAC-CE Medium Access Control –Control Element
[0078] RRC Radio Resource Control
[0079] SCell Secondary Cell
[0080] SSB Synchronization Signal Blocks
[0081] UE User EquipmentDETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0082] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network 100 to which examples of the disclosure can be applied. The communication network 100 is a cellular communication network. The communication network 100 comprises network access nodes 102. The network access nodes 102 provide one or more cells 104. The cells 104 may define a coverage area or a service area of the corresponding network access node 102.
[0083] The network access nodes 102 can provide one or more user equipments (UE) 106 with wireless access to the communication network. The wireless access may comprise downlink (DL) communication from the network access node 102 to the UE 106 and uplink (UL) communication from the UE 106 to the network access node 102. Examples of uplink channels comprise physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting control information and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for transmitting data towards the network access nodes 102. Examples of downlink channels comprise physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for transmitting control information and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for transmitting data towards the UE 106.
[0084] There may be multiple UEs 106 in the network 100. Respective UEs 106 can be served by the same or by different network access nodes 102.
[0085] If the communication network 100 comprises multiple network access nodes 102 the network access nodes 102 can be connected to each other via an interface. LTE specifications refer to such an interface as an X2 interface. An interface between an LTE node and a 5G node, or between two 5G nodes can be called an Xn interface.
[0086] The network access nodes 102 can be further connected via another interface to a core network 108 of the communication network 100. The core network 108 can comprise core network nodes. The LTE specifications specify the core network as an evolved packet core (EPC) , and the core network may comprise such as 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 terminal devices such as the UEs 106 and the core network 108. The gateway node may handle data routing in the core network 108 and to / from terminal devices such as the UEs 106. The 5G specifications specify the core network as a 5G core (5GC) . The 5G core may comprise, for example, 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 support packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection and quality of service (QoS) handling, for example. In other types of network other types of entities can be provided within the core network 108.
[0087] Networks such as the network 100 of Fig. 1 can use synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) for actions such as initial access procedures, achieving time and frequency synchronization, enabling UEs 106 to obtain information for connecting to the network 100, and / or any other suitable functions.
[0088] SSB adaptation in the time domain is the adaptation of the periodicity of SSB bursts of non-cell defining-SSBs (NCD-SSBs) in a network energy saving (NES) capable secondary cell (SCell) of a UE 106 in RRC connected state. A network node 102 can indicate that adaptation of the SSB burst periodicity is to be performed by either medium access control –control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI) . DCI 2_9 can be used for this purpose.
[0089] DCI 2_9 can also be used for other purposes such as:
[0090] for activating or de-activating the cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration of one or multiple serving cells for one or more UEs 106; and / or
[0091] for providing NES-mode indication conditional handover (CHO) of the primary cell (PCell) for one or more UEs 106.
[0092] Upon reception of a DCI indicating Cell DTX / DRX at a slot m, the UE 106 does not immediately begin to operate according to the indicated Cell DTX / DRX pattern, but instead begins the operation after a minimum time gap of d slots later. The length of the minimum time gap can depend on the sub-carrier spacing and any other suitable factors.
[0093] A network node 102 can control cell DTX and cell DRX operation using radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The network node 102 can configure dedicated parameters in cellDTX-DRX-Config for each serving cell. These parameters can comprise a cellDTX-DRX-SlotOffset, which defines the delay before starting the cellDTX-DRX-onDurationTimer. The parameter cellDTX-DRX-SlotOffset can take values in 1 / 32 ms (for example value 0 corresponds to 0 ms, value 1 corresponds to 1 / 32 ms, value 2 corresponds to 2 / 32 ms, and so on) .
[0094] Fig. 2A schematically shows the time gap needed between a UE 106 receiving a DCI and the UE 106 beginning to operate according to the indicated cell DTX / DRX operation.
[0095] The SSB bursts 200 are transmitted with a regular periodicity 202. In this scenario the periodicity 202 is 40ms. At a first time period 204, before a DCI is received, there is no cell DTX / DRX. At time t1 DCI 210 is received. The DCI 210 is used to activate DTX / DRX. The DTX / DRX cycle can begin at t1 and lasts for a second time period 206. The DTX / DRX cycle comprises a time gap 212, an active period 214 and a non-active period 216. The time gap 212 immediately follows the DCI 210 and is the time delay of the UE 106 to start operating in accordance with the cell DTX / DRX.
[0096] At time t2 a second DCI 218 is received. The second DCI 218 is used to deactivate DTX / DRX. After receiving the second DCI 218 the UE 106 stops using DTX / DRX. In the time period 208 after time t2 there is no cell DTX / DRX.
[0097] Fig. 2B schematically shows the time gap needed between a UE 106 receiving the DCI and the UE’s ability to perform useful measurements based on the adapted SSB burst periodicity.
[0098] Initially, for a first time period 220, the SSBs 200 are transmitted with a regular periodicity 202. In this scenario the periodicity 202 is 40ms. At time t1’ DCI 226 is received. The DCI 226 is used to activate adapted SSB burst periodicity. For a second time period 222 the periodicity 230 of the SSB bursts 200 is changed. In this scenario the adapted periodicity 230 is 20ms.
[0099] There is a time gap 228 between the DCI 226 and the start of the adapted periodicity 230 of the SSB bursts 200. The time gap 228 immediately follows the DCI 226 and is the time delay of the UE 106 to start to perform useful measurements based on the adapted SSB burst periodicity 230.
[0100] At time t2’ a second DCI 232 is received. The second DCI 232 is used to deactivate adapted SSB burst periodicity. After receiving the second DCI 232 the periodicity of the SSB bursts 200 reverts back to the original periodicity, which in this case is 40ms. In the time period 224 after time t2’ there is no adaptation of the periodicity of the SSB bursts 200.
[0101] In networks 100 such as the network of Fig. 1 a single DCI or other message can be used to activate more than one function at the same time. The respective functions do not need to be related functions. For example, DCI 2_9 can be used to indicate to UEs 106 activation / deactivation of Cell DTX and / or DRX and / or for providing NES-mode indication (NES-specific CHO execution condition) of the primary cell for one or more UEs 106, and also for indicating SSB burst periodicity adaptation. This can be an efficient way of activating functions, particularly if the functions are to be activated within a short time period of each other.
[0102] In other cases, an OD-SSB activation command or SSB adaptation command can be sent together with the SCell activation command. A UE 106 may need additional processing time to receive the first OD-SSB following OD-SSB activation command. This can result in the SCell activation delay being longer due to the additional delay for receiving the first OD-SSB.
[0103] If the same DCI is used to indicate the activation of DTX / DRX and also the additional function of SSB burst periodicity adaptation, this introduces a time gap between the UE’s reception of the DCI and the UE’s ability to perform useful measurements based on the adapted SSB burst periodicity. Similar issues arise when any other suitable signalling is used for the activation of multiple functions.
[0104] Examples of the disclosure provide methods and system for handling time gaps where multiple functions can be activated by the same DCI or other signalling. The time gaps can take into account the capabilities of a UE 106 to perform parallel activation of the respective functions so as to reduce scheduling delays.
[0105] In examples of the disclosure a network node 102 can indicate to one or more UEs 106 a time gap that is to be used for conforming with the operation of a first function and a second function where the first function and the second function are activated in the same indication or signalling command. The time gap can be determined based on a capability of the one or more UEs 106.
[0106] Figs. 3A and 3B show example methods that can be used in examples of the disclosure. The method of Fig. 3A could be implemented by a UE 106 and the method of Fig. 3B could be implemented by a corresponding network node 102. The network node 102 could be a gNB or any other suitable type of network node 102.
[0107] At block 300 the UE 106 transmits an indication of a capability of the UE 106 to activate at least a first function and a second function. The indication can be transmitted to a network node 102 that implements the method of Fig. 3B. The indication can be transmitted via RRC signaling or any other suitable means.
[0108] The indication of a capability of the UE 106 indicates a capability of the UE 106 for parallel processing of the activation of at least the first function and the second function. The capability can indicate whether the UE 106 has capability for parallel processing. The capability can indicate a level at which the UE 106 is capable of parallel processing.
[0109] The indication of a capability of the UE can comprise an applicable time gap for the UE 106 for activation of at least the first function and the second function. The time gap can be calculated based on the processing capabilities of the UE. The time gap can take into account whether parallel processing is available and / or the extent to which parallel processing is available.
[0110] In examples where the UE 106 does not have capability for parallel processing of the activation of the first function and the second function the time gap is a sum of a time gap for activating the first function and a time gap for activating the second function. In examples where the UE 106 can parallel process the activation of the first function and the second function the time gap can be the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function. If the UE 106 can partially parallel process activation of the first function and the second function the time gap can be a value between the sum of the time gap for activating the first function and the time gap for activating the second function and the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function.
[0111] The time gap can be indicated using an absolute value, an indexed value, or any other suitable means. Where the time gap is indicated using an indexed value the indices can correspond to values that can be preconfigured or hardcoded for the UE 106.
[0112] The first function and the second function can be any two functions that can be activated by the same signal or message. In some scenarios the first function can comprise adaptation of synchronization signal block (SSB) or operation of on demand SSB and the second function can comprise activation of discontinuous transmission and / or discontinuous reception (DTX / DRX) or vice versa. In some scenarios the first function can comprise secondary cell (SCell) activation and the second function can comprise activation of on demand SSB or SSB adaptation or vice versa.
[0113] At block 302 the UE 106 receives a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function. The further indication can be received from the network node 102 that the indication of capability was sent to, or from any other suitable entity. The further indication also indicates a time gap for activation of the first function and the second function. The time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE 106.
[0114] In some examples, the time gap can be a minimum time gap. The time gap can be a minimum time gap for one or more of the UEs 106 to which the time gap is indicated.
[0115] The time gap can be defined as the time between the UE 106 receiving the indication of activation of the functions and the ability of the UE 106 to start following operation of the functions. The time gap can be the minimum time after a signal activating a function that the UE 106 can start operation of the function.
[0116] The received further indication can indicate a time gap that applies to both the first function and the second function. That is, a single time gap can apply to multiple functions. In other examples the received further indication can indicate a first time gap that applies to the first function and a second time gap that applies to the second function. That is, different time gaps can apply to different functions or to different sets of functions.
[0117] The time gap that is indicated in the further indication can be the same as or different than the time gap that is indicated by the UE 106. This can take into account that the network node 102 can receive indications of capability from multiple UEs 106. The time gap that is indicated by the network node 102 might not be a minimum time gap for a specific UE 106 but it can be a time gap that is selected based on the capability of multiple UEs 106.
[0118] The further indication can be received via DCI such as DCI 2_9 or any other suitable DCI, MAC-CE, RRC signalling, or any other suitable signaling.
[0119] At block 304 the UE 102 activates the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap. The UE 106 can activate the first function and the second function such that the respective functions are performed after the indicated time gaps have elapsed.
[0120] Fig. 3B shows a corresponding method to the method of Fig. 3A. this method can be implemented by a network node 102 that receives the indication of the capability from a UE 106 that implements the method of Fig. 3A.
[0121] At block 310 the method comprises receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function. The indication can be received from at least one UE 106. In some examples the indication can be received from multiple UEs 106. For example, the indication could be received from all UEs 106 within a cell 104 or from a group of UEs 106 within a cell 104.
[0122] At block 312 the network node 102 determines, a time gap for activation of the first function and the second function. The time gap can be determined based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the one or more UEs 106.
[0123] At block 314 the network node 102 transmits a further indication for activation of at least the first function and the second function. The further indication can be transmitted to one or more UEs 106 that have sent an indication of capability to the network node 102. The further indication indicates the time gap for activation of the first function and the second function. In some examples the time gap can apply to both the first function and the second function. In other examples a first time gap can apply to the first function and a second time gap can apply to the second function.
[0124] In the example of Figs. 3A and 3B the signalling can activate a first function and a second function. In some examples the signalling could activate more than two functions. in such cases the UE 106 can determine a capability of parallel processing for the activation of more than two functions.
[0125] Fig. 4 shows an example signalling procedure that can be used in some examples of the disclosure. Fig. 4 shows a signalling procedure between a single UE 106 and a network node 102. The network node 102 can perform corresponding procedures with multiple UEs 106.
[0126] At block 400 the UE 106 sends an indication of processing capability to the network node 102. The indication of processing capability indicates a capability of the UE 106 for parallel processing of the activation of at least a first function and a second function where the respective functions are activated by the same command or signalling. The first function and the second function can be any suitable functions. In this example the first function can comprise adaptation of synchronization signal block (SSB) or operation of on demand SSB and the second function can comprise activation of discontinuous transmission and / or discontinuous reception (DTX / DRX) . Other functions could be used in other examples of the disclosure.
[0127] The indication of the capability of the UE can comprise an applicable time gap or any other suitable information.
[0128] In this example delayDTRX can be the minimum time gap for activation of cell DTX / DRX, when a received DCI indicates only cell DTRX as shown in Fig. 2A. Similarly, delaySSB can be the minimum time gap for activation of SSB adaptation when a received DCI indicates only SSB adaptation as shown in Fig. 2B. delay is the total minimum time gap when both Cell DTX / DRX and SSB adaptation are indicated in the same DCI. When the same DCI indicates both the function of cell DTRX and the function of SSB adaptation the functions should be activated simultaneously because a typical scenario is that SSB periodicity is different during cell DTRX active and non-active times.
[0129] If the UE 106 is not capable of performing parallel processing of both cell DTRX functions and SSB adaptation functions, then the applicable delay is equal to the sum of the delays for the respective functions. In this case:
[0130] delay = delayDTRX + delaySSB
[0131] If the UE 106 is capable of performing partial parallel processing of both cell DTRX functions and SSB adaptation functions, then the applicable delay is equal to a value that is shorter than the sum of the individual delays but is long enough for the UE 106 to process the information needed for the activation of the respective functions. The delay must still be long enough to enable processing for the activation of the individual functions.
[0132] delay < delayDTRX + delaySSB
[0133] If the UE 106 is capable of performing parallel processing of both cell DTRX functions and SSB adaptation functions, then the applicable delay is the maximum of the delays for the respective functions. That is,
[0134] delay= max (delayDTRX, delaySSB)
[0135] At block 402 the network node 102 determines a time gap d for activation of the first function and the second function. The time gap d can be determined for a group of UEs 106 within a cell 104. In some examples, the time gap d can be determined for all UEs 106 within a cell 104. In other examples, the time gap d can be determined for some, but not all, of the UEs 106 within a cell 104.
[0136] The time gap d is determined based on the indication of processing capability that is received from the UEs 106. The network node 102 can determine a single time gap that is to be used for both of the functions or can determine different time gaps that can be used for different functions.
[0137] Different UEs 106 within the cell 104 can have different capabilities. This can be taken into account by the network node 102. In some examples the network node 102 can determine to use a common time gap d so that the same time gap d applies to multiple functions. In other examples different time gaps d can be used where the different time gaps d are used for different functions.
[0138] If a common time gap d is used then all the UEs 106 within a cell 104 have a common understanding on when the start of both cellDTRX and SSB adaptation are to be applied. If a first time gap d1 is used for a first function and a second time gap d2 is used for a second function then all the UEs 106 within a cell 104 have a common understanding on when the start of cellDTRX is to be applied and also when the start of SSB adaptation is to be applied.
[0139] At block 404 the network sends an indication to the UEs 106. The indication activates the first function and the second function. In this case the indication activates both cellDTRX and SSB adaptation. The indication also indicates the time gap d. The indicated time gap d can be a common time gap d or could be a time gap d1 used for activation of the first function and a second time gap d2 used for activation of the second function.
[0140] The common time gap d could be indicated dynamically. The different time gaps d1 and d2 could be indicated dynamically or semi-statically.
[0141] In some examples the time gap d or time gaps d1 and d2 can be indicated as absolute values or could be indicated as an indexed value. The indexed valued could be preconfigured or hardcoded for the respective functions.
[0142] At block 406 the UE 106 performs the respective functions after the indicated time gap d. For example, the UE 106 can start performing both Cell DTRX and SSB adaptation after a common time gap d. In other examples the UE 106 can start preforming the first function SSB adaptation after time gap d1 and the second function Cell DTRX after the second time gap d2 .
[0143] In some scenarios there can be one or more UEs 106 within a cell 104 that do not support SSB adaptation but do support cell DTRX. These UEs 106 can always assume longer periodicity SSB transmission but they should receive cell DTRX indication via DCI 2_9. The reception slot of the DCI 2_9 and the processing delay of the DCI or the time gap d determines the earliest possible starting position of cell DTRX. If the processing time requirement for combination of cell DTRX and SSB adaptation is longer than the processing time for cell DTRX without SSB adaptation, then DCI 2_9 for UEs 106 that do not support SSB adaptation but do support cell DTRX may need to be sent in different (later) slot. This can be realized by configuring PDCCH monitoring slots for DCI 2_9 to be different for UEs 106 that do not support SSB adaptation but do support cell DTRX compared to UEs 106 that do support SSB adaptation and also cell DTRX.
[0144] In the example of Fig. 4 the first function is SSB adaptation and the second function is cell DTRX. Similar procedures can be applied to the activation for other functions such as SCell activation and OD-SSB / SSB adaptation. For example, a single activation command (such as, MAC-CE or RRC signaling) can comprise two separate activation commands for the activation of the SCell and OD-SSB / SSB adaptation. In such cases a UE 106 can indicate the capabilities of the UE 106 to perform parallel processing for the SCell activation and OD-SSB / SSB adaptation. The network node 102 can determine the time gaps based on this capability and provide an indication of the time gaps to the UEs 106.
[0145] Figs. 5A to 5C show example time gaps for different use case scenarios. In this case the first function can comprise adaptation of SSB or operation of on demand SSB and the second function can comprise activation of DTX / DRX.
[0146] Fig. 5A schematically shows the time gap needed when the UE 106 is not capable of parallel processing.
[0147] At a first time period 500, before a DCI is received, there is no cell DTX / DRX and the SSB bursts 200 are transmitted with a regular periodicity 202 of 40ms. At time t1 DCI 502 is received. The DCI 502 is used to activate both DTX / DRX and adapted SSB burst periodicity.
[0148] The time gap 506 immediately follows the DCI 502. In this case the UE 106 is not capable of parallel processing and so the time gap 506 is the sum of the time gap 512 for activating cell DTX / DRX and the time gap 514 for activating adapted SSB.
[0149] After the time gap 506 the start of the adapted periodicity of the SSB bursts 200 can begin. The SSB bursts 200 will continue with adapted periodicity until a second DCI 516 is received at time t2’ . The second DCI 516 is used to deactivate adapted SSB burst periodicity. After receiving the second DCI 516 the periodicity of the SSB bursts 200 are transmitted again with the original periodicity.
[0150] The DTX / DRX cycle can begin at t1 and lasts for a second time period 504. The DTX / DRX cycle comprises the time gap 506, an active period 508 and a non-active period 510.
[0151] At time t2 a third DCI 518 is received. The third DCI 218 is used to deactivate DTX / DRX. After receiving the third DCI 518 the UE 106 stops using DTX / DRX. In the time period 208 after time t2 there is no cell DTX / DRX.
[0152] Fig. 5B schematically shows a similar scenario to Fig. 5A and corresponding reference numerals are used for corresponding features. In the scenario of Fig. 5B the UE 106 is capable of partial parallel processing. In this case the time gap 506 is shorter than the sum of the individual time gap 512 for activating cell DTX / DRX and the individual time gap 514 for activating adapted SSB but is still long enough for the UE 106 to process the information needed for the activation of the respective functions.
[0153] Fig. 5C schematically shows a similar scenario to Figs. 5A and 5B and corresponding reference numerals are used for corresponding features. In the scenario of Fig. 5C the UE 106 is capable of parallel processing. In this case the time gap 506 is the longer of the individual time gap 512 for activating cell DTX / DRX and the individual time gap 514 for activating adapted SSB.
[0154] Fig. 6 shows an example controller 600. The controller 600 could be provided within a UE 106 or a network node 102, or any other suitable entity. Implementation of the controller 600 may be as controller circuitry. The controller 600 may be implemented in hardware alone, have certain aspects in software including firmware alone or can be a combination of hardware and software (including firmware) . The controller 600 can provide an apparatus for implementing the disclosure of could be provided as part of an apparatus that implements the disclosure.
[0155] As illustrated in Fig. 6 the controller 600 can be implemented using instructions that enable hardware functionality, for example, by using executable instructions of a computer program 606 in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor 602 that may be stored on a machine readable storage medium (disk, memory etc. ) to be executed by such a processor 602.
[0156] The processor 602 is configured to read from and write to the memory 604. The processor 602 may also comprise an output interface via which data and / or commands are output by the processor 602 and an input interface via which data and / or commands are input to the processor 602.
[0157] The memory 604 stores instructions, program 606, or code that controls the operation of the apparatus when loaded into the processor 602. The instructions, program 606, or code provide the logic and routines that enables the apparatus to perform the methods illustrated in the Figs. The processor 602 by reading the memory 604 is able to load and execute the instructions, program 606, or code.
[0158] In some examples where the controller 600 is provided within a UE 106, the controller 600 therefore comprises means for:
[0159] transmitting 300 an indication of a capability of the UE 106 to activate at least a first function and a second function;
[0160] receiving 302 a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE 106; and
[0161] activating 304 the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.
[0162] In some examples where the controller 600 is provided within a network node 102, the controller therefore comprises means for:
[0163] receiving 310 an indication of a capability of a UE106 to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE 106;
[0164] determining 312, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE 106, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; and
[0165] transmitting 314 a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.
[0166] The instructions, program 606, or code may arrive at the apparatus via any suitable delivery mechanism 608. The delivery mechanism 608 may be, for example, a machine-readable medium, a computer-readable medium, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a memory device, a record medium such as a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or a solid-state memory, an article of manufacture that comprises or tangibly embodies the computer program 606. The delivery mechanism may be a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program 606. The apparatus may propagate or transmit the computer program 606 as a computer data signal.
[0167] The term “non-transitory” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself that is, tangible, not a signal ) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (for example, RAM vs. ROM) .
[0168] The computer program 606 can comprise computer program instructions for causing a UE 106 to perform at least the following or for performing at least the following:
[0169] transmitting 300 an indication of a capability of the UE 106 to activate at least a first function and a second function;
[0170] receiving 302 a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; and
[0171] activating 304 the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.
[0172] The computer program 606 can comprise computer program instructions for causing a network node 102 to perform at least the following or for performing at least the following:
[0173] receiving 310 an indication of a capability of a UE106 to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE 106;
[0174] determining 312, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE 106, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; and
[0175] transmitting 314 a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.
[0176] The computer program instructions may be comprised in a computer program, a non-transitory computer readable medium, a computer program product, a machine-readable medium. In some but not necessarily all examples, the computer program instructions may be distributed over more than one computer program.
[0177] Although the memory 604 is illustrated as a single component / circuitry it may be implemented as one or more separate components / circuitry some or all of which may be integrated / removable and / or may provide permanent / semi-permanent / dynamic / cached storage.
[0178] Although the processor 602 is illustrated as a single component / circuitry it may be implemented as one or more separate components / circuitry some or all of which may be integrated / removable. The processor 602 may be a single core or multi-core processor.
[0179] References to “computer-readable storage medium” , “computer program product” , “tangibly embodied computer program” etc. or a “controller” , “computer” , “processor” etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having different architectures such as single / multi-processor architectures and sequential (Von Neumann) / parallel architectures but also specialized circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) , application specific circuits (ASIC) , signal processing devices and other processing circuitry including quantum processing circuitry. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to encompass software for a programmable processor or firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device etc.
[0180] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” can refer to one or more or all of the following:
[0181] (a) hardware-only circuitry implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and
[0182] (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :
[0183] (i) a combination of analog, digital and / or quantum hardware circuit (s) with software / firmware and
[0184] (ii) any or all portions of hardware processor (s) (including digital and / or quantum processor (s) ) with software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile device, computing device or server, to perform various functions and
[0185] (c) any or all portions of hardware circuit (s) such as a microprocessor (s) and / or quantum processor (s) that requires software (for example, firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.
[0186] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.
[0187] The blocks illustrated in the Figs. can represent steps in a method and / or sections of code in the computer program 606. The illustration of a particular order to the blocks does not necessarily imply that there is a required or preferred order for the blocks and the order and arrangement of the block can be varied. Furthermore, it can be possible for some blocks to be omitted.
[0188] Where a structural feature has been described, it may be replaced by means for performing one or more of the functions of the structural feature whether that function or those functions are explicitly or implicitly described.
[0189] The apparatus can be provided in an electronic device, for example, a mobile terminal, according to an example of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that a mobile terminal is merely illustrative of an electronic device that would benefit from examples of implementations of the present disclosure and, therefore, should not be taken to limit the scope of the present disclosure to the same. While in certain implementation examples, the apparatus can be provided in a mobile terminal, other types of electronic devices, such as, but not limited to: mobile communication devices, hand portable electronic devices, wearable computing devices, portable digital assistants (PDAs) , pagers, mobile computers, desktop computers, televisions, gaming devices, laptop computers, cameras, video recorders, GPS devices and other types of electronic systems, can readily employ examples of the present disclosure. Furthermore, devices can readily employ examples of the present disclosure regardless of their intent to provide mobility.
[0190] The term ‘comprise’ is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive meaning. That is any reference to X comprising Y indicates that X may comprise only one Y or may comprise more than one Y. If it is intended to use ‘comprise’ with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context by referring to ‘comprising only one. . . ’ or by using ‘consisting. ’
[0191] In this description, the wording ‘connect’ , ‘couple’ and ‘communication’ and their derivatives mean operationally connected / coupled / in communication. It should be appreciated that any number or combination of intervening components can exist (including no intervening components) , i.e., to provide direct or indirect connection / coupling / communication. Any such intervening components can include hardware and / or software components.
[0192] As used herein, the term "determine / determining" (and grammatical variants thereof) can include, not least: calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, identifying, looking up (for example, looking up in a table, a database, or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, "determining" can include receiving (for example, receiving information) , accessing (for example, accessing data in a memory) , obtaining and the like. Also, "determine / determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.
[0193] In this description, reference has been made to various examples. The description of features or functions in relation to an example indicates that those features or functions are present in that example. The use of the term ‘example’ or ‘for example’ or ‘can’ or ‘may’ in the text denotes, whether explicitly stated or not, that such features or functions are present in at least the described example, whether described as an example or not, and that they can be, but are not necessarily, present in some of or all other examples. Thus ‘example’ , ‘for example’ , ‘can’ , or ‘may’ refers to a particular instance in a class of examples. A property of the instance can be a property of only that instance or a property of the class or a property of a sub-class of the class that includes some but not all the instances in the class. It is therefore implicitly disclosed that a feature described with reference to one example but not with reference to another example, can where possible be used in that other example as part of a working combination but does not necessarily have to be used in that other example.
[0194] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or” mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.
[0195] Although examples have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.
[0196] Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described above.
[0197] Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions may be performable by other features whether described or not.
[0198] The description of a feature, such as an apparatus or a component of an apparatus, configured to perform a function, or for performing a function, should additionally be considered to also disclose a method of performing that function. For example, description of an apparatus configured to perform one or more actions, or for performing one or more actions, should additionally be considered to disclose a method of performing those one or more actions with or without the apparatus.
[0199] Although features have been described with reference to certain examples, those features may also be present in other examples whether described or not.
[0200] The term ‘a’ , ‘an’ or ‘the’ is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive meaning. That is any reference to X comprising a / an / the Y indicates that X may comprise only one Y or may comprise more than one Y unless the context clearly indicates the contrary. If it is intended to use ‘a’ , ‘an’ or ‘the’ with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context. In some circumstances the use of ‘at least one’ or ‘one or more’ may be used to emphasis an inclusive meaning but the absence of these terms should not be taken to infer any exclusive meaning.
[0201] The presence of a feature (or combination of features) in a claim is a reference to that feature or (combination of features) itself and to features that achieve substantially the same technical effect (equivalent features) . The equivalent features include, for example, features that are variants and achieve substantially the same result in substantially the same way. The equivalent features include, for example, features that perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result.
[0202] In this description, reference has been made to various examples using adjectives or adjectival phrases to describe characteristics of the examples. Such a description of a characteristic in relation to an example indicates that the characteristic is present in some examples exactly as described and is present in other examples substantially as described.
[0203] As used herein, the terms “the at least one” and “the one or more” mean “any one of the at least one” and “any one of the one or more” respectively.
[0204] The above description describes some examples of the present disclosure however those of ordinary skill in the art will be aware of possible alternative structures and method features which offer equivalent functionality to the specific examples of such structures and features described herein above and which for the sake of brevity and clarity have been omitted from the above description. Nonetheless, the above description should be read as implicitly including reference to such alternative structures and method features which provide equivalent functionality unless such alternative structures or method features are explicitly excluded in the above description of the examples of the present disclosure.
[0205] Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features believed to be of importance the Applicant may seek protection via the claims in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and / or shown in the drawings whether or not emphasis has been placed thereon.
Claims
1.A user equipment (UE) comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to perform at least:transmitting an indication of a capability of the UE to activate at least a first function and a second function;receiving a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; andactivating the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.2.The UE of claim 1 wherein the indication of a capability of the UE indicates a capability of the UE for parallel processing of the activation of at least the first function and the second function.3.The UE of any of claims 1 to 2 wherein the indication of a capability of the UE comprises an applicable time gap for the UE for activation of at least the first function and the second function based on the processing capabilities of the UE.4.The UE of any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the time gap comprises at least one of:a sum of a time gap for activating the first function and a time gap for activating the second function;the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function; anda value between the sum of the time gap for activating the first function and the time gap for activating the second function and the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function.5.The UE of any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the received further indication indicates a time gap that applies to both the first function and the second function.6.The UE of any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the received further indication indicates a first time gap that applies to the first function and a second time gap that applies to the second function.7.The UE of any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the time gap is indicated by at least one of:an absolute value;an indexed value.8.The UE of any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the first function comprises adaptation of synchronization signal block (SSB) or operation of on demand SSB and the second function comprises activation of discontinuous transmission and / or discontinuous reception (DTX / DRX) .9.The UE of any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the first function comprises secondary cell (SCell) activation and the second function comprises activation of on demand SSB or SSB adaptation.10.The UE of any of claims 1 to 9 wherein the received further indication is received via at least one of:downlink control information (DCI)medium access control -control element;radio resource control signalling.11.A method comprising:transmitting an indication of a capability of the UE to activate at least a first function and a second function;receiving a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; andactivating the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.12.A computer program comprising computer program instructions for causing a UE to perform at least the following or for performing at least the following:transmitting an indication of a capability of the UE to activate at least a first function and a second function;receiving a further indication for activating the at least first function and second function, wherein the further indication indicates a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function and wherein the time gap is determined based, at least in part, on the indicated capability of the UE; andactivating the at least first function and second function based on the indicated time gap.13.A network node comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network node to perform at least:receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE;determining, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; andtransmitting a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.14.The network node of claim 13 wherein the further indication indicates a time gap that applies to both the first function and the second function.15.The network node of claim 13 wherein the further indication indicates a first time gap that applies to the first function and a second time gap that applies to the second function.16.The network node of any of claims 13 to 15 wherein the received indication of the capability indicates a time gap comprising at least one of:a sum of a time gap for activating the first function and a time gap for activating the second function;the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function; anda value between the sum of the time gap for activating the first function and the time gap for activating the second function and the maximum of the time gap for activating the first function or the time gap for activating the second function.17.The network node of any of claims 13 to 16 wherein the at least one processor and at least one memory cause the network node to perform receiving an indication of a capability from multiple UEs.18.A method comprising:receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE;determining, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; andtransmitting a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.19.A computer program comprising computer program instructions for causing a UE to perform at least the following or for performing at least the following:receiving an indication of a capability of a UE to activate at least a first function and a second function from at least one UE;determining, based at least in part on the received indication of the capability of the UE, a time gap for activating the at least first function and second function; andtransmitting a further indication for activating the at least the first function and the second function wherein the further indication indicates the time gap for activating the at least first function and second function.